Futures Planning Program Specialist

About the role

To submit your resume for this Direct Hire opportunity click here. For additional information on other USSF direct hire opportunities visit the Air Force Civilian Careers Space Force website and follow USSF on LinkedIn.

What you will do

• The United States Space Force (USSF) Headquarters (HQ) located at the Pentagon is searching for a Futures Planning Program Specialist (NH-0343-03, GS 12/13 equivalent).
• Description: As a Futures Planning Program Specialist shaping the future of the United States Space Force, you will research emerging threats, adversary approaches, technology developments, and operational trends to deliver practical insights that inform future operating environments, force design, concepts, doctrine, and mission planning.
• Utilizing a diverse network of intelligence, operational, technical, Joint, allied, commercial, and interagency partners, you will synthesize complex information, coordinate wargames and experimentation, assess prototypes, and brief senior leaders.
• This role offers a curious, independent problem-solver the opportunity to tackle complex, cross-disciplinary challenges, build consensus, and help secure enduring space superiority.
• The ideal candidate brings extensive experience in space, national security, Joint, intelligence, technical, or operational planning environments, paired with deep knowledge of Space Force mission areas and the critical relationships among space, cyber, data, intelligence, and command-and-control architectures.
• They possess a proven background in future force planning, concept and doctrine development, mission analysis, wargaming, experimentation, prototyping, testing, or science-and-technology activities, along with a demonstrated ability to translate complex research into polished senior-leader briefings, papers, and actionable recommendations.
• While no specific degree or certification is required, the candidate must be able to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI clearance and meet all positional suitability standards.
• Key Skills and Abilities: Knowledge of Space Force mission areas, enterprise functions, and associated operational and technical considerations, including Space Domain Awareness; Offensive and Defensive Space Operations; Positioning, Navigation, and Timing; Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance; Satellite Communications; Environmental Monitoring; Missile Warning; Space Operations; Spacelift; command and control; data transport; ground; cyber; test and training; and other cross-mission enabling capabilities.
• Includes knowledge of qualitative and quantitative methods used to assess and improve mission area designs, enterprise designs, operational effectiveness, technical feasibility, dependencies, gaps, seams, risks, and implementation options.
• Knowledge of the National Security Space, Joint, Intelligence Community, allied and partner, commercial, and interagency enterprise, including how space capabilities enable broader military and national security missions.
• Includes knowledge of relationships among space, terrestrial, cyber, data, intelligence, command and control, and operational architectures sufficient to assess external dependencies, interoperability, integration requirements, and mission impacts.
• Knowledge of science and technology, experimentation, prototyping, test, advanced technology demonstration, and wargaming activities, including methods for supporting development and prototype plans, assessing prototype and demonstration results, integrating wargaming insights, aligning S&T activities with Service priorities and Objective Force needs, and coordinating with research, acquisition, operational, commercial, partner, and interagency organizations.
• Ability to gather, assemble, analyze, and integrate information from multiple sources; draw conclusions; develop options and recommended solutions; and package the results in briefings, papers, or reports suitable for senior leader review and decision-making.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing, negotiate complex issues, resolve differences across diverse stakeholder groups, and maintain effective working relationships.

How you will be evaluated

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies as related to the series and grade of the position being filled.

Final qualifications determinations will be assessed based on OPM's General Schedule Qualifications Standards found here: Interviews: You will be contacted by e-mail and/or telephone if your application is identified as qualifying for a position being filled. An interview may be conducted.

If interviewed, you will be asked to address the same knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies used to initially qualify your application for the position.

Documents you must provide

• You must submit a resume that may NOT exceed two pages, and the font size should not be smaller than 10 pts.
• You will not be considered for this vacancy if your resume exceeds two pages or is illegible/unreadable.
• Do NOT include photographs, inappropriate material, inappropriate content, nor personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number, etc., on your resume.
• If the resume you submit contains such information you will not be considered for this vacancy.
• Your resume must provide: Personal information - your full name, email and mailing addresses, phone number Education information - the name of the school and the dates you attended Work experience - paid and unpaid work with the following information: Job title Detailed duties and accomplishments Employer's name and address Supervisor's name and phone number Starting and ending dates (If actual dates are not known, provide your best-estimated timeframes.) Hours per week Salary, if applicable Other qualifications - skills, certifications/licenses, honors, awards, special accomplishments, and job-related training courses College Transcripts (if applicable): Please see the Education section of this announcement for detailed information about transcripts.

What to expect next

For additional information on other USSF direct hire opportunities visit the Air Force Civilian Careers Space Force website and follow USSF on LinkedIn.

Additional information

Employed Annuitants (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. Click here for more information.

Disabled veteran leave is available to a Federal employee hired on/after 5 Nov 2016, who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30% or more. For more information, click here.