IT Specialist (McCain Fellows)

The John S. McCain Strategic Defense Fellowship Program is a 1-year Department of War (DoW) development program for recent advanced degree program graduates from across multiple academic disciplines. While these are temporary appointments, Fellows that successfully complete this program are eligible to be considered for conversion into permanent positions if vacancies are available.

Find out more about this Program on our website and LinkedIn page.

Qualifications:

In order to qualify for this position, you must meet the requirements described below.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: Applicants must meet the Basic Requirements for GS-2210 Information Technology Management series which includes:

• Major study--computer science, information science, information systems management, mathematics, statistics, operations research, or engineering, or course work that required the development or adaptation of computer programs and systems and provided knowledge equivalent to a major in the computer field.

-OR-

• Applicants' resume must show that they meet the required competencies in accordance with the Information Technology (IT) Management Series, 2210, Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR). Information Technology (IT) Management Series 2210 (Alternate A) (opm.gov)

You may qualify at the GS-12 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement:
One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service (experience may have been gained in the private sector). Applicants must demonstrates 1) Knowledge of approaches, techniques, and requirements of computer applications and integrative technology like AI; 2) Adapted technology solutions to address specific and unique challenges; and 3) Conducting research and analysis of a variety of issues and formulate solutions.

You may qualify at the GS-11 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement:
One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the Federal Service (experience may have been gained in the private sector) that demonstrates your ability in: 1) Adapted technology solutions to address specific and unique challenges; and 2) Conduct research and analysis of a variety of issues and formulate solutions.
OR
Have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree.
OR
Have a combination of specialized experience and education.

You may qualify at the GS-10 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement:
Have a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree or 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree.

Education must have been completed in a college or university in the U.S. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts for verification)

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.

All qualifications and education requirements must be met by the cut-off date for which you applied for and clearly documented in your resume.

Your resume may not exceed two (2) pages. For qualifications determinations, it is recommended that applicants include their months and hours worked per week for each employment listed on their resume. If a determination is not able to be made about the duration of your creditable experience for qualification requirements, you will be removed from consideration.

Read more about what should I include in my federal resume at https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include

Responsibilities:

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until September 30, 2026.

The Department of War is seeking applicants for the John S. McCain Strategic Defense Fellowship Program.

The application period opens on December 1, 2025, with an initial cut off date of January 5, 2026. Applications received before 11:59pm on January 5, 2026 will be evaluated and assessed for current, available positions. Subsequent cutoff dates include March 5, 2026; May 5, 2026; July 6, 2026, and September 30, 2026. Qualified applicants that apply after the initial cut off date will be considered and referred if initial vacancies are not filled and if future vacancies become available.

This Public Notice is to gather applications which may or may not result in a referral or selection.

This position is being filled under Section 932 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2019, and its later amendments Section 1113 of the NDAA Fiscal Year 2024 and Section 1112 of the NDAA Fiscal Year 2025.
NDAA FY25 Sec 1112
NDAA FY24 Sec 1113
NDAA FY19 Sec 932

Please read this Public Notice in its entirety prior to submitting your application for consideration.

Assignments during the Fellows program are to an Excepted Service position either in the Office of the Secretary of War or other Department of War Components.

Typical work assignments may include the following:

• Use AI to find and fix potential problems that could impact weapon systems, ensuring they're always ready for action. This includes finding ways to get parts faster and improve overall supply chain.
• Gather and analyze data from various sources to understand how well weapon systems are performing and identify areas for improvement.
• Build AI models to track and understand important metrics for resource allocations of weapon systems
• Organize data related to supplies, inventory, and maintenance to streamline these processes for weapon systems
• Assist senior specialists with analyzing IT management and operation problems and develop data-driven recommendations for solutions

Salary : $77,001