SUPERVISORY DISTINGUISHED ENGINEER
What you'd do
You will serve as Supervisory Distinguished Engineer as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the Naval Surface Warfare Center Port Hueneme Division.
Major duties
You will direct and shape the Division's multi-million-dollar Scientific and Technology and Research, Development, Test and Evaluation funding portfolio. You will formulate the command's Research and Development strategy, ensuring that all technology incubation, rapid prototyping, and experimentation efforts directly address surface warfare capability gaps and combat system engineering improvements. You will act as the primary catalyst and "broker" for transitioning applied research from early-stage conceptual development through the "valley of death" into formal In-Service Engineering (ISEA) and acquisition plans. You will engage in technical collaboration and research strategy formulation with leading academic institutions, defense laboratories (ONR, DARPA, NRL) and commercial industry partners. You will evaluate external research trends to posture the Division for future technological insertions.
What you need to qualify
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. Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin. To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, your resume must show that you possess the Technical Qualifications (TQ) related to this position - 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 these qualifications, you may not receive consideration for the position. TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (TQs): Your resume should demonstrate accomplishments that would satisfy the technical qualifications: TQ1: Demonstrated executive-level scientific and technical expertise in naval combat systems engineering, managing the transition from experimentation to mature, delivered capability. Includes leading research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) and In-Service Engineering Agent (ISEA) operations for air and missile defense technologies, shipboard weapons, and sensor integration. Demonstrates executive oversight of risk/hazard mitigation and a proven track record of road mapping and integrating emerging technologies-specifically artificial intelligence (AI), data science, autonomy, and unmanned surface vehicles (USVs)-into operational fleet architectures. TQ2: Demonstrated executive capability to build, influence, and leverage strategic coalitions across government, academia, and industry to shape regional innovation ecosystems. Includes a deep understanding of Department of War (DoW) and Navy strategic technical direction to advise executive leadership on areas to gain decisive advantage in technology competition. Proven track record of leveraging external networks to accelerate technology transition and/or talent pipelines and deliver innovative warfighting capabilities. TQ3: Demonstrated executive-level authority in developing, promulgating, and enforcing command-wide policies, strategic directives, and technical standards for Science and Technology (S&T), data governance, and ISEA operations. Includes proven capability to anticipate future warfighting technology requirements and strategically align, structurally transform, and train a highly technical Naval S&T and ISEA workforce to meet those evolving demands. Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=GS-PROF AND https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/files/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.
Before you apply
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