Senior Policy and Joint Strategic and Operational Planner

Duties

• Provide policy and planning input to organizational leaders to support understanding of national level issues and mission impacts.
• Review operational and strategic documents to ensure feasibility, accuracy, and alignment with interorganizational direction.
• Support the development of planning products by contributing analysis and recommendations that enhance mission clarity.
• Assist in deployment planning efforts by participating in discussions that inform operational policy and organizational response.
• Communicate policy intent through briefings and written materials to strengthen shared understanding across teams.
• Coordinate planning discussions and information exchanges to align organizational activities with strategic guidance.
• Collaborate with cross functional groups to address planning challenges and promote consistent implementation of strategic objectives.
• Maintain working relationships with mission partners to support coordination, information sharing, and planning integration.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• This position requires the incumbent be able to obtain and maintain a determination of eligibility for a Top-Secret security clearance or access for the duration of employment.
• This position is subject to a pre-employment urinalysis screening, and random testing thereafter, to include testing based on reasonable suspicion and testing due to direct involvement with an on-duty accident.
• This position has a Temporary Duty (TDY) or business travel requirement of 30% of the time.
• This position is deployable and may require extended TDY to OCONUS locations. This position requires a pre-employment physical and thereafter prior to OCONUS travel over 30 days.
• This position requires a pre-employment physical and thereafter prior to OCONUS travel over 30 days. Must be able to maintain qualifications for required access to perform temporary duty with other governmental agencies as directed.
• This position requires a pre-employment physical, must be able to lift 75 pounds.
• May require uncommon tour of duty hours, working either fixed or rotating shift which may include evening, weekends, and holidays.
• This position is designated as mission essential, consistent with the criteria described in DoD instruction (DoDI) 3024.42.
• Employee must reside within the local area (50 miles) and able to report to work within an hour notice.
• Appointment to this position is subject to a one-year probationary period unless the appointee has previously met the requirements as described in 5 CFR Part 315.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities.

• 30 Percent or More Disabled Veterans
• Current Department of Army Civilian Employees
• Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) Interchange Agreement
• Domestic Defense Industrial Base/Major Range and Test Facilities Base Civilian Personnel Workforce
• Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan
• Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act
• Military Spouses, under Executive Order (E.O.) 13473
• Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible
• Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible
• Priority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement
• Priority Placement Program, DoD Retained Grade Preference Eligible
• Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) of 1998

In order to qualify, you must meet the experience requirements described below. 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. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is .

Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes 1. Providing policy and planning support to senior leadership (such as executives at the highest organizational levels or equivalent senior level decision makers) to assist in addressing organizational impacts and national level priorities; AND 2. Coordinating planning discussions, leading operational planning teams, and briefings to align organizational activities with strategic guidance and evolving mission needs; AND 3. Based on Joint Planning experience, reviewing and evaluating operational plans to ensure accuracy, feasibility, and alignment with interorganizational frameworks; AND 4. Supporting team collaboration by conveying policy intent and offering recommendations that enhanced mission understanding and execution. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-13).

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas:

• Oral Communication
• Partnering
• Planning and Evaluating
• Strategic Thinking

Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-13).

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
• You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
• This position requires a 1 year probationary period during which the agency evaluates your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In making this determination, the agency may consider your performance and conduct; agency needs and interests; whether your continued employment supports organizational or Government goals; and whether it promotes the efficiency of the Federal service. Continued employment requires written certification that it advances the public interest.
• Direct deposit of pay is required.
• Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
• If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the information sheet.
• This is a(n) FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND STRATEGIC PLANNING Career Field position.
• Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
• Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
• Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.
• Incentives such as student loan repayment, advance in hire, relocation, and recruitment MAY be authorized for qualifying selectee.
• The selecting official has requested a competitive and non-competitive candidate list for this vacancy. If you are eligible for the non-competitive list, you will be evaluated on basic and/or minimum qualifications, as applicable. While required to answer the assessment questions, non-competitive candidates will not be evaluated against the competitive rating and ranking criteria. The selecting official may selection from any of the candidate lists.