SummaryThe Policy & Capabilities (PC) Directorate ensures the IC is best postured for the threats and challenges of an uncertain future, through strategy, policy, and capabilities development. PC is comprised of the Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) and Policy Strategy and Accountability (PSA) Office.
DutiesHelp
ODNI's Policy and Capabilities (P&C) Directorate is squarely focused on winning the geostrategic competition to secure America's future. P&C establishes the IC's strategic roadmap, develops requisite IC policies, and drives technology capabilities in alignment with national priorities.
Within P&C, the Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) leads DNI-directed, results-oriented campaigns in key contested areas, including Mission Artificial Intelligence (AI), Advanced Compute, and Space & Sensors. These campaigns run from 18-36 months and are focused on establishing multi-agency capabilities that will transform the intelligence community (IC). SCO is seeking exceptional senior leaders and technical experts to help design, build, and scale next generation AI and compute capabilities across the IC.
This role is centered on enabling the IC to:
Operationalize frontier AI systems for mission use.
Architect and scale secure, edge-to-core compute infrastructure for critical IC workloads.
Integrate data, models, and workflows into mission-relevant systems.
Establish U.S. leadership in the global AI and compute competition.
Provide strategic and technical leadership across AI and compute campaigns, shaping architecture, roadmap, and execution priorities.
Drive development and deployment of AI-enabled mission systems, including multi modal, agentic, and decision-support capabilities.
Lead efforts to align compute infrastructure (cloud, on-prem, edge, specialized hardware) with mission needs, including performance, security, and scalability considerations.
Advise ODNI and IC leadership on AI model development, evaluation, security, and deployment risks, including adversarial and geopolitical considerations.
Accelerate rapid prototyping and transition to production, leveraging commercial innovation and non-traditional acquisition pathways.
Build and scale public-private partnerships with leading AI labs, infrastructure providers, startups, and academia.
Identify and resolve bottlenecks across data access, compute availability, policy constraints, and organizational adoption.
Support development of investment strategies and resource alignment, including compute provisioning, model development, and data infrastructure.
Foster a culture of urgency, technical excellence, and mission-first execution.
Other duties, as assigned.
RequirementsHelp
Conditions of employment- Must be a U.S. Citizen residing in the United States
- Appointment is subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
- Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance based on an SBI with eligibility for sensitive compartmented information (SCI)
- Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
- A two-year trial period is required for all new permanent appointments to the ODNI.
QualificationsThis is an excepted service GS-15 position open to the public and all current federal employees at the GS-15 and one level below. Current federal employees at the GS-15 and one level below may apply to this position, and if selected will maintain pay set at their current grade and step. Current federal employees at grade levels GS-13 and below
are not eligible for this position and their application will not be forwarded to the hiring manager. All current federal employees that apply for this position must submit their most recent SF-50, Notification of Personal Action (i.e., dated within the last 52 weeks from the closing date of this vacancy announcement) to verify their status of eligibility.
FREE RESPONSE ESSAY QUESTIONSAll applicants must answer the following four short, free response essay questions. The responses cannot exceed 200 words per question. By submitting your responses to the following questions, you certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or AI (such as a large language model [LLM]).
- How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government? Provide a concrete example from professional, academic, or personal experience.
- In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness? Provide specific examples where you improved processes, reduced costs, or improved outcomes.
- How would you help advance the President's Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you and explain how you would help implement them if hired.
- How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements? Provide one or two specific examples and explain how those qualities would enable you to serve effectively in this position.
Mandatory Qualifications:
Expert expertise in one or more of the following areas:
Machine learning / AI systems (training, fine-tuning, evaluation, deployment).
Large-scale compute infrastructure (HPC, distributed systems, cloud, accelerators).
Data architecture and pipelines supporting AI workloads.
AI security, safety, or robustness.
Proven experience building, deploying, or scaling production-grade AI or compute systems.
Expert understanding of system-level tradeoffs across compute, data, models, latency, cost, and security.
Superior ability to lead complex, cross-functional efforts spanning engineering, product, and operations.
Experience working with senior executives and influencing strategic decisions.
Superior ability to translate cutting-edge technical concepts into actionable strategy and mission outcomes.
Expert collaboration skills and ability to operate effectively across government, industry, and academic stakeholders.
Commitment to public service, national security, and responsible technology deployment.
Expert experience with work of superior impact on agency programs related to a rapidly evolving field.
Desired Qualifications
Experience with Generative AI models, including large language models, multi-modal systems, and agent-based architectures.
Experience designing or operating AI infrastructure stacks (training clusters, inference optimization, model serving).
Familiarity with specialized hardware ecosystems (GPUs, TPUs, wafer-scale engines, custom accelerators).
Experience with AI evaluation, benchmarking, red-teaming, or model assurance.
Background in high-growth technology companies, leading research labs, or advanced government programs.
Experience navigating classified or sensitive environments, or deploying secure systems at scale.
Understanding of global AI competition dynamics and national security implications.
EducationBachelor's degree or higher in computer science, engineering, physics, mathematics, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
Additional informationJOB INTERVIEW TRAVELCandidates from outside the Washington Metropolitan Area (WMA) may be selected for a telephone, teleconference, or in-person interview.
SALARY DETERMINATIONThe ODNI uses a rank-in-person system in which rank is attached to GS employees on the basis of individual qualifications, experience, and performance. Individuals whose current GS grade is equivalent to the grade of the advertised position will retain their current grade and step. Individuals who transfer to the ODNI from a non-GS pay scale will have base pay converted to the appropriate GS grade and step as determined by the Chief of Human Resource Management.
In some cases when a current federal civilian employee applies for an ODNI position that is a lower grade than his or her personal grade, the candidate's personal grade will be downgraded to the grade of the advertised ODNI position and pay will be set at the step that is closest to, and not less than, the employee's current annual base rate of pay, not to exceed the maximum step rate of the GS grade to which assigned.
RELOCATION EXPENSESFor new ODNI employees, reimbursement for relocation is discretionary based on availability of funds.
BenefitsHelp
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
