Fresh Listing

Posted: February 3, 2026 (1 day ago)

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Interdisciplinary (Advanced Materials)

Office of the Secretary of Defense

Department of Defense

Fresh

Salary

$143,913 - $197,200

per year

Type

Closes

February 9, 2026

SES Pay Grade

Base salary range: $147,649 - $221,900

Typical requirements: Executive-level leadership experience. Senior executive qualifications required.

Note: Actual salary includes locality pay (15-40%+ depending on location).

Job Description

Summary

This job involves working in the Department of Defense's Advanced Materials Office to drive innovation in materials science for military technologies, focusing on research, engineering, and strengthening the industrial base for cutting-edge developments.

It's ideal for engineers with a strong background in materials and related sciences who are passionate about applying their expertise to national defense challenges.

Candidates should have a solid educational foundation in engineering and practical experience in technical fields.

Key Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree in engineering from an ABET-accredited program, or equivalent combination of education and experience demonstrating engineering knowledge
  • Thorough understanding of physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering
  • Practical knowledge of engineering sciences and techniques applied to advanced materials
  • Professional engineering registration (PE, EI, or EIT) or successful completion of the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam
  • At least 60 semester hours in physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences, including courses in statics, dynamics, strength of materials, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, electrical fields, and properties of materials
  • For non-engineering degrees, at least 1 year of professional engineering experience under supervision plus a related bachelor's in fields like physics, chemistry, or materials science
  • Ability to work in a defense-focused environment on technology innovation and industrial base initiatives

Full Job Description

The position is located within the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering (OUSW(R&E)), reporting through the Assistant Secretary of War for Science and Technology and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Science and Technologies Futures.

The role is specifically within the Technology Innovation Industrial Base (TIIB), in the Advanced Materials Office.

In order to qualify for this position, you must meet the requirements described below. Basic Requirement: A. Degree: Engineering.

To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.

OR B.

Combination of education and experience -- college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering.

The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following: 1.

Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT)1, or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico.

Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration.

For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.

2.

Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

3.

Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A.

The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A. 4.

Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance.

Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions.

(The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.) NOTE: Applicants claiming eligibility under the related curriculum paragraph (4) must provide ONE of the two following documents: (a) Letter signed by the professional engineer who supervised the applicant's training plan.

The letter must include the starting date and completion date of applicant's training plan and the courses, experience, and/or education completed during the training agreement; OR (b) Letter signed by a professional engineer who supervised the applicant's professional engineering work experience.

The letter must include the name of the Company/Agency, dates of employment, and a description of the professional engineering duties.

General Physical Science Series (1301) Degree: A degree in physical science, engineering, or mathematics that includes at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering sciences.

OR Combination of Education & Experience: A combination of education and experience that is equivalent to a major listed above, including the 24 semester hours requirement.

You may qualify at the NH-04 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the NH-03 grade level in the Federal service (experience may have been gained in the private sector).

Specialized Experience is defined as: Executing programs uniting war fighters and industry technologists to assess the tactical impact of novel material applications.; AND Developing a network of researchers, technology developers, and executives across government, academia, and industry to facilitate engagements with senior Department of War (DoW) officials.; AND Identifying and recommending R&D funding, rapid procurement, and other mechanisms to incentivize non-traditional vendors to address DoW priorities.

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 closing date of this announcement 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 ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS: Federal agencies treat active duty service member as veterans, disabled veterans, and preference eligible, when they submit, as part of their application package, a "certification" of active service in lieu of a DD-214, indicating the service member is otherwise eligible and will be discharged or released within 120 days from the date of submission.

A "certification" letter should be on letterhead of the appropriate military branch of the service and contain (1) the military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; and (2) the character of service.

This "certification" must include your rank, dates of active duty service, type of discharge and character of service (i.e. honorable), and date any terminal leave will begin.

It must be signed by, or by direction of, the adjutant, personnel officer, or commander of your unit or higher headquarters.

Active duty members that fail to provide a valid "certification" of service with their initial application will be found "not eligible".

Members may be appointed before the effective date of their military retirement/separation if they are on terminal leave.

Current or Former Political Appointees: Agencies must seek prior approval from OPM before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level.

If you are currently or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Human Resources Office.

Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement and clearly documented in your resume. Major Duties:

Incumbent typical work assignments may include the following: Identify critical opportunities in minerals, materials, technology, and prototyping, particularly in accelerating the discovery of new materials and manufacturing processes.

Lead the Department of War (DoW) strategy for Advanced Materials, secure innovative commercial technology for the warfighter, and encourage more entrepreneurs and start-ups to apply their technologies to DoW problems.

Identify and foster materials and related technologies, including but not limited to biomanufacturing, from non-traditional sources that can contribute to the technological superiority of U.S. forces.

Employ innovative approaches such as time-sensitive acquisitions, merit-based prize competitions, incubator partnerships, public-private collaborations, and targeted Research and Development (R&D) opportunities.

Check your resume before applying to catch common mistakes

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Posted on USAJOBS: 2/3/2026 | Added to FreshGovJobs: 2/4/2026

Source: USAJOBS | ID: ST-12868582-26-LMP