Department: Department of the Air Force
Location(s): Arlington, Virginia
Salary Range: $142488 - $185234 Per Year
Job Summary: Click on "Learn more about this agency" button below to view Eligibilities being considered and other IMPORTANT information. Checkmate (AF/A35K) requires a high-potential civilian for a fixed 36-month tour with strategic, enterprise-wide impact to influence the direction of current and future DAF and joint operations. This is a developmental assignment engineered to immerse a mid-level manager in the complexities of strategic planning and leadership at the highest levels.
Major Duties:
Qualifications: In order to qualify, you must meet the specialized experience requirements described in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards for General Schedule Administrative and Management Positions. https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=Group-Standards SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: One year of specialized experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. Examples of specialized experience include mastery of various qualitative and quantitative methods to assess and improve major Air Force plans related to war, mobilization, deployment coupled with a comprehensive knowledge of Air Force program goals, objectives, and methods for evaluating the effectiveness of planning actions related to actual events. To be creditable, the specialized experience must have been at the GS-13 grade level or equivalent under other pay systems in the Federal service. FEDERAL TIME-IN-GRADE (TIG) REQUIREMENT FOR GENERAL SCHEDULE (GS) POSITIONS: Applicants must have served at least 52 weeks at the GS-13 or higher grade (or equivalent in an alternate pay system) within the Federal Civil Service to be considered for referral. TIG applies if you are in a current GS position or held a GS position within the previous 52 weeks. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas: Expert knowledge of a wide range of qualitative and/or quantitative methods for the assessment and improvement of airpower plans and procedures for conducting major operations such as war, military operations other than war, mobilization, and deployment. Comprehensive knowledge of the mission, roles, functions, organization, management, capabilities and operations of the US Air Force; knowledge of joint, combined, and coalition operations; general knowledge of mission, roles, functions, organization, management, capabilities, and responsibilities of Combat Commands and DoD Agencies. Knowledge of agency program goals and objectives, the sequence and timing of key operational events and milestones, and methods of evaluating the effectiveness of planning actions as related to actual events. Skill in designing and conducting comprehensive studies and preparing solutions to especially broad, important, and sensitive military operational and contingency areas. Ability to negotiate effectively with management to accept and implement recommendations, where proposals involve substantial resources, and require extensive changes in established concepts and procedures, and ability to formulate strategy using information produced from predictive models. Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, in order to articulate and advocate Air Force positions and condense technical input into layman's terms without altering basic content. PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week. VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
How to Apply: The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 01/30/2026. To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12865159 To begin the process, click the Apply Online button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account. Follow the prompts to complete the application questionnaire. Please ensure you click the Submit My Application button at the end of the process. To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes: 1. Your Resume. If you submit more than one resume, only the most recent will be reviewed. The "most recent" is considered the resume with the latest timestamp. Resumes may not exceed two pages. The two-page resume ensures the most relevant experience is reviewed and considered, which is a common practice in both the public and private sectors. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. Additional information on how to complete or update your resume may be located here. For qualification determination your resume must contain hours worked per week and dates of employment (i.e., month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as insufficient, and you will not receive consideration for this position. If you are a current Federal employee or previous Federal employee, provide your pay plan, series and grade, i.e. GS-0301-09. Current Federal Civilian Employees may list any relevant performance related rating (given within the last three years) and/or incentive awards in your resume. Do NOT include photographs, inappropriate material, inappropriate content, nor personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number, etc., on your resume. If the resume you submit contains such information you will not be considered for this vacancy. Your name, first and last, MUST be included on your resume. 2. A complete Application Questionnaire 3. Additional Required Documents (see Required Documents section). Ensure all submitted documents contain your full name. 4. Help recruiters find you. Make your resume and profile searchable, which means recruiters may contact you about possible jobs. Additional information may be located here. PLEASE NOTE: It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered and/or uploaded, (i.e., resume) is received, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. You may verify your documents have been processed with your application package successfully. You can access your USAJOBS account to do so by clicking here. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan. Human Resources WILL NOT modify or change any answers submitted by an applicant.
Application Deadline: 2026-01-30