RESEARCH FELLOW (AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS)

About the role

National Defense University (NDU) supports the joint warfighter by providing rigorous Joint Professional Military Education to members of the U.S. Armed Forces and select others in order to develop leaders who have the ability to operate and creatively think in an unpredictable and complex world. This is a Title 10 Excepted Service Appointment.

Appointment is not to exceed 2 years with the possibility for extension.

What you will do

• INTRODUCTION The mission of the United States (U.S.) National Defense University (NDU) is to educate joint warfighters and other national security leaders in critical thinking and the creative application of military power.
• The Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) is the research arm of NDU.
• INSS Fellows provide decision advantage to the Department of War (DoW), including the Joint Staff, Office of the Secretary of War, Combatant Commands and Services through applied, cutting-edge research, analyses, and wargaming.
• MAJOR DUTIES The Research Fellow for Unmanned and Autonomous Systems ("Autonomous Systems") resides within INSS' Defense Industrial Base (DIB) Program.
• The major duties and responsibilities associated will be as follows: Research.
• All INSS Fellows are required to conduct applied research in support of the warfighter.
• This research may be conducted independently or as part of a collaborative team.
• INSS Fellows publish their research in the form of books, journal articles, and/or policy papers and are required to author no less than two, original, high-quality, peer-reviewed journal articles or policy reports annually.
• INSS Fellows also are encouraged to promote their research at symposia, through blogposts, and opinion pieces.
• All INSS Fellows are required to coordinate their research topics with, and present findings to, DoW senior officials (General Officers / Senior Executive Service).
• INSS Fellows disseminate their findings in the form of interim and final briefings, trip reports, and/or policy memoranda.
• INSS Fellows also are encouraged to engage with other U.S. government stakeholders, U.S. military allies and partners, relevant think tanks, academic institutions, businesses, and the larger national security enterprise, depending on their expertise.
• These engagements may include conferences, workshops or wargames.
• All INSS Fellows are considered research faculty.
• INSS Fellows also contribute to the intellectual community of Joint Professional Military Education institutions in general, and to the National Defense University in particular.
• This includes teaching core or elective courses, guest lecturing, contributing to curriculum developing, collaborating on programs targeting student, faculty, and/or staff development, and/or significant student mentoring or advisory programs within NDU.
• Teaching support is based on the needs of the colleges but also with consideration of INSS Fellows' expertise and ongoing research.
• All INSS Fellows are required to support NDU-wide scholarship.
• These activities may include serving on university hiring or promotion boards, participating in the Institutional Review Board, maintaining an NDU-wide community of interest (COI), supporting NDU leader engagements, and/or convening roundtables, tabletop exercises, or conferences (and publishing conference reports) for the NDU community and DoW stakeholders.
• Administrative Requirements.
• INSS does not have designated administrative support staff.
• As such, all INSS Fellows are expected to comply with administrative requirements in a timely manner.
• This requirement includes completing monthly reports, travel request forms, country and theater clearance request forms, travel vouchers, conflict of interest paperwork, training requirements, and other administrative tasks.
• The Autonomous Systems Fellow should expect to adhere to these basic administrative requirements.

Education

Education Requirement: Doctorate or all-but-dissertation status (ABD) from a regionally accredited university (or international equivalents) in an appropriate discipline including, but not limited to, public policy, international relations/affairs, political science, engineering, military history, data science, national security studies, computer science, or operations research.

Or doctorate, all-but-dissertation status (ABD) from a regionally accredited university (or international equivalents) in an interdisciplinary field that integrates these and other relevant areas of study.

Or Master's degree in fields listed above with at least five years professional experience in an industry, policy, government or defense-affiliated research position focused on unmanned and autonomous systems.

Official Transcripts: Official transcripts are not required at the time of application; however, if the position has a positive degree requirement, qualifying based on education alone or in combination with experience, transcripts must be verified PRIOR to appointment, if selected for the role. * An accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education must accredit education.

Click here to check accreditation. FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements.

You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. education program.

It is your responsibility to provide such evidence PRIOR to appointment. Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities.

Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree.

You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation upon request.

Failure to provide such documentation when requested will result in lost consideration.

For more information regarding evaluation of foreign education for federal employment, please visit the U.S. Department of Education.

How you will be evaluated

A screening panel will review your resume and narrative answers to the assessment questions to evaluate your qualifications for the position. NDU uses a multi-tier selection process for academic positions. Criminal History Inquiries- If you apply to this position and are selected, we will not ask about your criminal history before you receive a conditional job offer.

If you believe you were asked about your criminal history improperly, contact the agency @ ***

Documents you must provide

• A two-page maximum resume is required.
• Applicant guidance on the two page resume requirement may be found at: Learn more about the new resume requirements.
• Complete initial Eligibility Questionnaire: Your resume must demonstrate the quality of your work as it relates to the experience requirements outlined in the job announcement.
• Other Supporting Documents - Refer to the eligibilities section for documents to submit.
• NOTE: Transcripts are not required at time of application submission.
• Your resume and narrative answers to the hiring criteria will be reviewed by the NDU screening panel to evaluate your qualifications for the position.
• If selected for an interview, official transcripts will be requested at that time to verify educational requirements are met.
• Eligibilities Information: The following supporting documents are REQUIRED to verify your individual eligibility status.
• Not all will apply for each applicant.
• They MUST be received by the closing date of the announcement.
• SF-50: Current and former federal employees, including those currently working for the agency, must submit their SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) reflecting their highest grade held on a permanent basis for at least 52 weeks, tenure, and appointment type.
• Failure to provide this document may result in disqualification.
• If you claim Veteran's Preference: - You must submit a copy of your DD Form-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty", showing the dates of active duty service, type of discharge and the character of service.
• Alternatively, If you are a current military member in active duty service and do not have a copy of your DD Form-214, you must submit a written documentation (certification) from your branch of service certifying that you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty under honorable conditions no later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted with your application for this position.
• The certification should also include your rank, dates of active duty service and what they condition of discharge is thought to be. - If claiming 10-point preference and/or are a 30% or more Disabled Veteran, you must submit both a DD Form-214 or expected discharge documentation as described above AND a copy of a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or your branch of service certifying the presence of service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of disability - If you are claiming eligibility based on 10-point derived veterans' preference (i.e. a spouse, widow/widower, or parent of a veteran claiming veterans' preference when the veteran is unable to use it), you must also submit a Standard Form 15 (SF-15) "Application for 10-Point Veteran's Preference" and any required documents indicated on the SF-15 to substantiate the claimed preference.
• Other documents identified in the announcement.
• WARNING: Failure to submit a complete application package including any required documentation by the closing date of the announcement at 11:59 EST, or at the time of application for announcements with an extended closing date, may result in an ineligible rating and loss of consideration.
• To verify that your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, select Application Status and More Information.
• The Details page will display the status of your application.
• It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered or uploaded is received, legible and accurate.
• HR will not modify answers submitted by an applicant.

What to expect next

Once the online questionnaire is received you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. The questionnaire will assess your qualifications for the job. ALL eligible applicants will be referred to NDU which will convene a board to review all of the applicants.

NDU will contact the applicants directly they would like to interview. We will notify you of the outcome after each of these steps has been completed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.

You will no longer need to call the HR Office to determine your application status. USAJOBS has added an alert setting to their system to drive status updates notification for applicants.

You can elect to activate the proactive notification from your USAJOBS profile at any point during the application process to sign-up for automatic alerts when there are status changes for jobs to which you have applied.

Additional information

Background or Security Investigation: This is a Special Sensitive position which requires a background investigation. The individual selected for this position is required to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI security determination to occupy a Special Sensitive position within the agency as a condition of employment.

Accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 18 month trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. Reemployed Annuitants: Department of Defense has the authority to hire annuitants without reduction in pay.

For more information, go to: *** All applicants are encouraged to apply electronically. If you are unable to apply on-line, you may contact *** for assistance. National Defense University (NDU) is the premier national security institution focused on advanced joint education, leader development and scholarship.

Under the direction and leadership of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the oversight of the Director for Joint Force Development, Joint Staff (J-7), NDU offers a collegial and collaborative academic environment to support the joint warfighter by providing rigorous Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) and other graduate level programs to members of the U.S. Armed Forces and select others in order to develop leaders who have the ability to operate and creatively think in an unpredictable and complex world.

NDU is comprised of six primary educational institutions and four additional component agencies: National Intelligence College (NIC), National War College (NWC), Dwight Eisenhower School (ES), Joint Forces Staff College (JFSC), College of International Security Affairs (CISA), the College of Information and Cyberspace (CIC), Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS), International Student Management Office, Operations Support and the CAPSTONE General and Flag Officer Course.

NDU has a comprehensive benefits package that includes retirement, social security, and thrift savings plan (TSP); health, life, and long-term care insurance; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays. NDU employees enjoy flexible work schedules, transit subsidy and situational telework opportunities.