Operations Research Analyst (Mccain Fellows)

Job summary

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.

Major duties

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: Performs a wide range of analytical work that involves designing, developing, and adapting mathematical, statistical, and other scientific methods and techniques. Analyzes management problems and providing advice and insights about the probable effects of alternate solutions to complex issues for the organization. Support studies and analyses of mission critical DoW programs for effectiveness, efficiency, sufficiency, and achieving objectives of DoW investments. Conducts research and develops briefings, informational papers, and other products. Keeps abreast of emerging techniques and professional developments to remain current in the field and for application to work assignments.

Qualification

In order to qualify, you must meet the experience requirements described below. BASIC REQUIREMENTS: 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. You may qualify at the GS-12 level, if you have a PhD (or equivalent doctoral degree), meet the basic requirements stated above and 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) that demonstrates your ability in: 1) Conducting investigation and research; 2) Drawing insights from ill-defined or incomplete information, and modeling phenomenon; and 3) Experience with explaining complex ideas to non-experts. You may qualify at the GS-11 level, if you have a master's degree (or equivalent graduate degree), meet the basic requirements stated above and 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) Conducting investigation and research; and 2) Drawing insights from ill-defined or incomplete information, and modeling phenomenon 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. All qualifications and education requirements must be met by the cut-off date for which you applied for and clearly documented in your resume. 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 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

Education

THIS FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM HAS AN EDUCATION REQUIREMENT. To be eligible for this Fellowship Program, you MUST have a graduate degree (or higher) from an accredited college/university in the United States, that was earned no earlier than two (2) years prior to the acceptance into the program; OR will have earned a graduate degree from an accredited college/university in the United States, within six (6) months of acceptance into the program. Acceptance into the program is defined as the Fellow's Entry on Duty (EOD) date. Those who apply before the initial cut off date of 1/5/2026, the projected EOD date is in June 2026. IF YOU ARE RELYING ON EDUCATION TO MEET THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS POSITION: This position has an education requirement. You MUST provide transcripts to support your educational claims. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution by the the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. See Department of Education Accreditation Search to verify school accreditation. PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society. GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

Evaluations

Note: Under this hiring authority, veteran's preference does not apply. Your application (resumes and supporting documentation) will be evaluated to determine if you meet program eligibility requirements, education requirements, and minimum qualifications required as listed in this announcement.