Summary

This position is situated within the Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), specifically under the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) in the Technical Engineering Services Directorate (EZ). The role is based at either Hanscom AFB, MA, or Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, within a directorate that delivers engineering leadership, integration, and technical direction across the AFLCMC and partner organizations.

Duty location will be decided after selection.

Duties

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The Technical Advisor serves as a nationally and internationally recognized USAF authority responsible for steering advanced cybersecurity technologies, providing high-level strategic counsel, leading scientific evaluations, and engineering risk-mitigated technical solutions for complex weapon systems and command and control architectures.

In this capacity, the advisor operates as the Air Force's foremost technical authority on advanced cybersecurity technologies and their application to weapon systems, networks, and software-defined C4I architectures. The role requires maintaining state-of-the-art expertise in modern enterprise architecture engineering practices, agile software methodologies, open data architectures, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data analytics. To shape the future of the field and influence the broader national security landscape, the expert actively produces and presents technical papers and lectures at national and international forums.

As a trusted consultant, the advisor delivers critical engineering and computer science guidance to senior leadership across the military and federal government, including the AFLCMC/EN-EZ Director, program directors, HQ AFMC, HQ USAF, and Portfolio Acquisition Executives. This advisory footprint extends externally to industry, academia, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), and international allies. The advisor regularly represents USAF interests in executive-level technical coalitions, ensuring that complex policies, processes, and engineering procedures align with defense objectives and state-of-the-art standards.

Operating as a scientific catalyst, the advisor leads the Air Force in identifying and exploiting dual-use technologies to enhance C4I system capabilities. This involves initiating and recommending novel scientific studies, research programs, and technical reviews for both Air Force and Space Force projects. The advisor evaluates high-level engineering approaches and possesses the authority to recommend pivotal changes to program directions, statements of objectives, and operational capability requirements documents to maintain technological superiority.

The advisor is responsible for driving creative technological solutions into operational weapon systems while aggressively mitigating advanced adversarial cyber threats. By developing comprehensive risk-reduction strategies, the advisor ensures seamless C4I integration, interoperability, and secure netcentric operations. Crucially, the role focuses on proactively countering the exponential security risks introduced by rapid advancements in machine learning, computing power, and modern dual-use technologies across a program's entire lifecycle.

Requirements

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Qualifications

Eligibility will be based upon a clear showing the applicant has training, education and experience of the scope and quality sufficient to effectively carry-out the duties of the position. Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.

In accordance with new OPM requirements to streamline hiring, applicants are no longer required to submit lengthy narrative essays, including those for Technical Qualifications (TQs) or Senior Professional Qualifications (SPQs), when applying. Instead, the initial application will be resume-only, capped at two pages. This change streamlines the application process and more closely aligns with private industry practices. Applicants identified for potential selection will have their qualifications assessed by undergoing a structured interview conducted by a panel.

To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, you must show that you possess the Technical and Senior Professional Qualifications related to this position within your resume (not to exceed 2 pages). Resumes over the 2-page limit will be disqualified. Your resume should include examples of experience, education, and accomplishments applicable to the qualification(s). If your resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of your qualifications, you may not receive further consideration for the position.

TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (TQs): Your resume should demonstrate accomplishments that satisfy the technical qualifications.

TQ1. Expert knowledge to develop, tailor, and apply cyber-related acquisition approaches in areas including cybersecurity, machine learning, artificial intelligence, data science, data analytics, DevSecOps, cloud services, and software-defined C4ISR systems.

TQ2. Ability to lead authoritative scientific engineering reviews and evaluations to investigate complex cyber technology problems and applications in Air Force Multi-domain Command and Control Information Systems, Information Technology (IT) Services, IT Products, and IT Applications to ensure creative, innovative technical resolutions.

Education

EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: This position has the following education requirement:

General Engineering (0801) series requires: a) A degree in professional engineering orb) A combination of education and experience, at least 60 hours of college-level education, in the physical and mathematical sciences underlying professional engineers combined with specialized training and/or technical experience (as demonstrated by registration as a professional engineer or successful completion of the Engineer-in-Training examination). For more information: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/general-engineering-series-0801/.

Operations Research (1550) series requires: A degree: in operations research; or at least 24 semester hours in a combination of operations research, mathematics, probability, statistics, mathematical logic, science, or subject-matter courses requiring substantial competence in college-level mathematics or statistics. At least 3 of the 24 semester hours must have been in calculus. https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1500/operations-research-series-1515/

Additional information

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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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.

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.