ENGINEER/SCIENTIST

Summary

You will serve as a High Power Microwave Vulnerability and Mission Analysis Lead in the High Power Microwave Weapon Systems Division, Integrated Engagement Systems Department of NAVSURFWARCENDLD. The official title of this position is ENGINEER or SCIENTIST, depending on the series. This position is part of the Warfare Centers Personnel Demonstration Project. The full performance level of ND-05 pay band encompasses positions equivalent to the GS-14 and GS-15.

Duties

You will lead, manage, and provide technical direction on the development of authoritative target vulnerability analyses for High Powered Microwave (HPM) weapon system applications.

You will lead and conduct research, testing, studies, and analysis of target component and subsystem behavior, states/modes, and performance when subjected to HPM waveforms.

You will develop white/point papers, proposals, and technical briefs for senior leadership documenting the current state-of-the-art and future vision for HPM vulnerability and mission analyses.

You will lead the design, development, validation, and use of target surrogates for use in HPM weapon system testing.

You will develop, foster, and maintain professional, collaborative relationships with key sponsors, stakeholders, program managers, program directors, and other government and contractor organizations at NSWCDD and beyond.

You will establish and maintain an environment to foster mentoring and technical growth of scientists and engineers, including developing and implementing succession planning and participating in recruitment activities.

You will serve as primary interface and subject matter expert to program sponsors and project leads on all matters related to HPM vulnerability and mission analyses.

Qualifications

This is an Interdisciplinary position that can be filled by the 0801 (General Engineering), 1301 (General Physical Science), 1515 (Operations Research, 1520 (Mathematics), or the 1550 (Computer Science) series. The series that the selected applicant will be placed into depends on their qualifications. In addition to the Basic Requirements for this position, your resume must also demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the ND-04 pay band (GS-12 and GS-13 equivalency) in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience must demonstrate the following: as a professional engineer or scientist conducting research, development, analysis, test, or evaluation for radio frequency (RF) or high power microwave (HPM) weapon systems. Examples of this specialized qualifying experience may include, but are not limited to: 1) Leading and providing authoritative technical direction on target vulnerability assessments. Overseeing the empirical testing, characterization, and modeling of target component/subsystem failure states, degradation modes, and performance behaviors under stress; 2) Directing the design, validation, and implementation of engagement, mission, and campaign-level modeling and simulation (M&S). Overseeing the design, development, and testing of target surrogates to validate weapon system effectiveness and operational performance in simulated combat environments; 3) Leading the analysis of target threat capabilities, system architectures, and vulnerabilities. Acquiring and formulating the technical intelligence needed to inform weapon system design requirements and performance criteria; 4) Serving as the principal Subject Matter Expert (SME) and primary interface to program sponsors. Authoring technical briefs, proposals, and white papers to secure funding, capture new research portfolios, and advise senior leadership on strategic R&D funding investments; 5) Representing the organization on joint, cross-service, or international technical review panels and working groups. Authoring peer-reviewed publications, secure patents, and propagate lessons learned to elevate the broader defense and coalition warfare community; 6) Developing written presentation materials, reports and providing oral briefings to senior management at the GS-15 or higher level. Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=List-by-Occupational-Series IOR 0801 IOR 1301 IOR 1515 IOR 1520 IOR 1550 Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.

Evaluations

In order to qualify for this position, your resume must provide sufficient experience and/or education, knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are being considered. Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific when describing your experience. When the application process is complete, we will review your resume to ensure you meet the hiring eligibility and qualification requirements listed in this announcement. You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume and application package, along with your supporting documentation to determine your ability to demonstrate the following competencies: DEVELOPING OTHERS ORAL COMMUNICATION PARTNERING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC THINKING WRITTEN COMMUNICATION This recruitment will utilize the following technical assessment tools: Structured Resume Review and Structured Interview. You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment. All eligibility, qualifications, and time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

How to apply Click the Apply Online button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account. To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes: 1. Complete resume with relevant experience, job title, duties and accomplishments. Resumes are restricted to no more than 2 pages. Illegible/unreadable resumes will not be considered. Your resume must show complete information for each job entry to support minimum qualifications. The following information should be provided in your resume: employer's name, starting and end dates (Mo/Yr), hours per week if experience was less than full time (35-40 hours per week), pay plan, series and grade level (e.g. GS-0201-09) for relevant federal experience. TIP: A good way to ensure you include all essential information is to use the Resume Builder in USAJOBS to create your resume. 2. Supporting documentation Failure to submit a complete application package will result in an ineligible rating and loss of consideration. Your complete application must be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) on 08/04/2026. Applications received after 08/04/2026 will generally result in an ineligible rating and loss of consideration. If more than one resume is received, only the last resume received and processed will be reviewed. For additional information on viewing your application status, click https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status. You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. Do not email or send hard copy resumes/applications to the Contact Information or Agency Information listed in this vacancy announcement. All resumes/applications received at the addresses listed in the Contact Information or Agency Information will be destroyed and will not be considered for this vacancy announcement. It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that all information in their resume and documents are legible and accurate. HR will not modify answers/documents submitted by an applicant.

Other information This position is covered by the Department of Defense Priority Placement Program. Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement. A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments. During the application process you will have the ability to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions in the local commuting area. Depending on the hiring organization and the position being filled, job requirements (e.g., security clearance, travel, drug testing, financial disclosure filing, bargaining unit status, etc.) may vary. Other hiring managers filling similar positions may offer relocation expense reimbursement and/or may offer recruitment incentives for new employees, depending on funding availability and in accordance with policy. If you opt-in and are referred on a certificate, your resume will be available to other hiring managers for 180-days from the date the job announcement closes. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. Federal annuitant information: The selection of an annuitant is subject to the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy policy on the employment of annuitants. Policy information may be found at: http://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/Documents/CivilianJobs/FedCivAnnuitants.pdf PPP applicants will be placed at the FPL, if determined Well Qualified (WQ). To receive priority consideration, the FPL must be the same grade level or equivalent of the retained grade or the grade held immediately prior to separation. ICTAP Applicants: To be considered well-qualified and exercise selection priority as an ICTAP candidate, displaced Federal employees must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a rating in the highly qualified category (score 85) or higher. ICTAP candidates must provide copies of all of the following documentation at the time of application: 1) agency notice; 2) most recent performance appraisal; and 3) most recent SF-50 or notification of personnel action that includes position, grade level, and duty location. Applicants who do not provide this documentation will not receive consideration as an ICTAP candidate. For more information about ICTAP eligibility please review the following link: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/career-transition/ Military Spouse Preference applicants will be placed at the highest grade for which they have applied and are determined Best Qualified (BQ). A BQ military spouse possesses knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies comparable to others who meet the competitive referral criteria for the specific position. This position is subject to an initial drug screening, and random testing thereafter. A negative drug test result must be received by HR within 30 calendar days after the EOD (i.e., start date). The selectee's inability to successfully pass; or refusal to conduct the test may result in: 1) the tentative or final job offer being withdrawn during the recruitment process; or 2) subsequently being removed from Federal service for failure to meet a condition of employment. You may be required to sign a "Drug Test Statement of Understanding" if you are selected for this position.