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Program Support Specialist

Office of the Secretary of Defense

  • Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia
  • $143,913 – $197,200
  • 20 days ago
  • Miscellaneous Administration And Program
  • Federal

Listed Oct 20, 2026

About the job

Summary

This position is located in the Directorate for Business Operations, the central planning and management focal point for the Office of the Under Secretary of War, Acquisition & Sustainment. The directorate manages personnel programs, facilities, supply, security, training, travel, and budgeting. In this role, you will perform a variety of human resources functions directly supporting the Economic Defense Unit (EDU).

Duties

This is a Direct Hire Public Notice, under this recruitment, applications will be accepted for each location and/or installation identified in this Public Notice and selections are made for vacancies as they occur. There may or may not be actual/projected vacancies at the time you submit your application. This Public Notice is to gather applications which may or may not result in a referral or selection. This position is being filled using Direct Hire Authority (DHA) authorized under the Department of War Civilian Acquisition Workforce Personnel Demonstration Project (AcqDemo) for position in the Business and Technical Management Professional Career Path (NH). Please read this Public Notice in its entirety prior to submitting your application for consideration. Incumbents typical work assignments may include the following: Serves as the principal Subject Matter Expert (SME) to the Director for Human Resources, directing comprehensive civilian personnel initiatives across the AcqDemo, General Schedule (GS), Senior Executive (SES), and Senior Professional (SP) pay and performance systems. Advises EDU senior leadership on organizational design, position classification, recruitment strategies, and manpower studies, optimizing resource requests with shared service providers to align with long-range staffing goals. Manages the implementation, tracking, and execution of Congressionally mandated Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) requirements to maintain a highly qualified, certified, and compliant acquisition workforce. Directs the annual employee appraisal cycle, managing performance ratings, incentive compensation inputs, and the resolution of administrative grievance procedures. Conducts detailed organizational studies and maintains continuous data integrity across automated manpower databases, ensuring all allocated EDU positions are accurately coded, funded, and tracked.

Qualifications

For qualifications determinations, it is recommended that applicants include their months and hours worked per week for each employment listed on their resume. If a determination is not able to be made about the length of your creditable experience for qualification requirements, you will be removed from consideration. You may qualify at the NH-04 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the NH-III (GS-13) grade level in the Federal service (experience may have been gained in the private sector) that demonstrates your ability to Managing and executing human resources programs under alternative, merit-based, or performance-based pay-band systems (such as pay banding, broadbanding, or pay-for-performance models); Advising senior executives on workforce structure, resource allocation, and the strategic design and utilization of jobs; AND Managing complex, legally mandated professional development and certification programs (such as corporate licensing, continuing education, or industry-specific certification programs). Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. All qualifications requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement and clearly documented in your resume. Your resume may not exceed two (2) pages. For qualifications determinations, it is recommended that applicants include their months and hours worked per week for each employment listed on their resume. If a determination is not able to be made about the duration of your creditable experience for qualification requirements, you will be removed from consideration. Read more about what should I include in my federal resume at https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS: Federal agencies treat active duty service member as veterans, disabled veterans, and preference eligible, when they submit, as part of their application package, a "certification" of active service in lieu of a DD-214, indicating the service member is otherwise eligible and will be discharged or released within 120 days from the date of submission.. A "certification" letter should be on letterhead of the appropriate military branch of the service and contain (1) the military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; and (2) the character of service. This "certification" must include your rank, dates of active duty service, type of discharge and character of service (i.e. honorable), and date any terminal leave will begin. It must be signed by, or by direction of, the adjutant, personnel officer, or commander of your unit or higher headquarters. Active duty members that fail to provide a valid "certification" of service with their initial application will be found "not eligible". Members may be appointed before the effective date of their military retirement/separation if they are on terminal leave.

Evaluations

This position is being filled using Direct Hire Authority (DHA) authorized under the Department of War Civilian Acquisition Workforce Personnel Demonstration Project (AcqDemo) for position in the Business and Technical Management Professional Career Path (NH). Note: You will be evaluated for this position on how well you meet the qualifications below. Traditional rating and ranking of applications does not apply to this vacancy. Your application (resume and supporting documentation) will be evaluated to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications required as listed on the announcement under qualification requirements. Veterans' Preference eligibility under 5 U.S.C. 2108 and 2108a applies and is treated as a positive factor when making a selection from external sources. When making final selections, any candidate with Veterans' Preference should be granted preference in selection over nonpreference eligible candidates with substantially equal qualifications as described in the Best Meets Mission Requirements definition below. If you are a veteran claiming Veterans' Preference, as defined by section 2108 of Title 5 U.S.C., you must submit documents verifying your eligibility with your application package. Best Meets Mission Requirements definition: Applicant has the knowledge, skills, abilities, and/or competencies to substantially exceed the minimum qualification requirements for the position. This equates to the best qualified assessment criteria established for the vacancy and based on overall demonstrated experience, education, training, appraisals/evaluations, job-related awards, certifications, honors and relevant outside activities. Candidates should demonstrate knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics relevant to successful performance in this position. The competencies identified for this position may be used to assess qualifications and determine which candidates best meet the mission requirements.

How to apply To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. Your resume cannot exceed two pages. See the Required Documents section above for more information. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process, and it is your responsibility to ensure that they do so successfully. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. Read the Eligibility questions carefully. Your responses will affect your consideration for the position. You may qualify for more than one eligibility, so please choose carefully. You will only be considered under the options you have selected. If you respond that you do not meet any of the eligibility questions, you will not be considered for this position. To view the assessment questionnaire, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13085550 Failure to submit a complete application package will result in an ineligible rating and loss of consideration. 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 Probationary Periods: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Reemployed Annuitants: Applicants in receipt of an annuity based on civilian employment in the Federal Service are subject to the DoD Policy on The Employment of Annuitants. /www.esd.whs.mil/DD/DoD-Issuances/140025/ Current or Former Political Appointees: Agencies must seek prior approval from OPM before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level. If you are currently or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Human Resources Office. Nepotism: Under the provisions of 5 USC 3110, an individual may not be appointed into a position if the position is under the supervisory chain of command of a relative. Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement.

Federal (USAJOBS data) · Original posting →

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