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Program Analyst (Recruiting)

Office of the Secretary of Defense

Pentagon, Arlington, VAFull-time$144–187K/yrPosted today

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At a glance

Compensation
$144–187K/yr
Location
Pentagon, Arlington, VA
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
Not specified

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Job overview

The Program Analyst (Recruiting) works on military enlisted recruiting and accession programs within the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Personnel and Readiness. The role evaluates program effectiveness and resources, advises senior leaders and Military Departments, develops policy recommendations, and prepares analyses and briefings for leadership, Congress, and oversight organizations. Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-13.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Program Analysis, requiredProgram Evaluation, requiredResource Utilization Analysis, requiredPolicy Development, requiredWritten Analysis, requiredBriefing Preparation, requiredStakeholder Coordination, requiredProgram Planning, nice to haveTechnical Credibility, nice to haveWritten Communication, nice to have

Qualifications

One Year Specialized Experience, required

Full job description

Summary

This position is located in the Office of the Secretary of War, Office of the Under Secretary of War for Personnel and Readiness (USW (P&R)), within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, under the Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Military Personnel Policy (DASW(MPP)) and the Director, Accession Policy (AP).

Duties

Incumbent typical work assignments may include the following: Implements and evaluates military enlisted recruiting and accession programs. Analyzes recruiting trends, program results, and the effectiveness of resources such as advertising and enlistment incentives. Reports findings and recommends improvements. Advises senior leaders and the Military Departments on complex recruiting and accession issues. Interprets applicable laws, regulations, and policies and recommends courses of action on matters affecting recruiting operations, funding, and personnel. Develops and recommends changes to Department-wide recruiting and enlistment policies and guidance. Coordinates policy initiatives involving recruiting resources, enlistment bonuses, student loan repayment, and recruiter irregularities. Prepares executive briefing materials, reports, correspondence, and official responses on military recruiting and accession issues for senior leaders, Congress, oversight organizations, and other stakeholders. Analyzes proposed legislation and congressional testimony for their potential effects on military recruiting, accessions, and force readiness. Develops recommendations and prepares materials in response to congressional inquiries, audits, and inspections. Qualifications

In order to qualify for this position, you must meet the requirements described below. You may qualify at the GS 14 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS 13 grade level in the Federal service (experience may have been gained in the private sector) that demonstrates your ability to: 1) Analyze military recruiting or enlisted accession programs to evaluate program effectiveness, resource utilization, and compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and policies; 2) Develop or recommending changes to military recruiting or accession policies and procedures based on program evaluations, legislative requirements, or operational needs; AND 3) Prepare written analyses and briefings to advise senior leaders on military recruiting or accession issues and coordinating recommendations with internal and external stakeholders. 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.

Education

Education cannot be substituted for experience. How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated based on a review of your resume and supporting documents by a panel of subject matter experts. The panel will assess your experience relative to the required competencies for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Policy Development Program Planning, Review and Evaluation Technical Credibility Written Communication The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. DOD PPP candidates using Application-Based Procedures: Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible: Military Spouse Preference applicants, must be selected and placed at the highest grade level for which they have applied and been determined best qualified. You must include a completed copy of the Military Spouse PPP Self-Certification Checklist (DD-3145-4) dated within 30 days along with the documents identified on the checklist to verify your eligibility for Military Spouse Preference. Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technicians PPP Eligible: MR and NG technicians PPP applicants must be selected and placed at the full performance level if determined well qualified. You must include a completed copy of the Military Reserve and National Guard Technician PPP Self-Certification Checklist (DD-3145-3) to verify your eligibility for Military Reserve and National Guard Technician preference. Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technicians Receiving Disability Retirement PPP Eligible: MR and NG technicians receiving disability retirement PPP applicants must be selected and placed at the full performance level if determined well qualified. You must include a completed copy of the Military Reserve and National Guard Technician Disability PPP Self-Certification Checklist (DD-3145-2) to verify your eligibility for Military Reserve and National Guard Technician Disability preference. Retained Grade PPP Eligible: Retained Grade PPP applicants, must be selected and placed at the full performance level if determined well qualified. You must include a completed copy of the Retained Grade PPP Self-Certification Checklist (DD-3145-1) to verify your eligibility for Retained Grade preference. Other Information

Probationary Periods: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: - your performance and conduct; - the needs and interests of the agency; - whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and - whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): This program applies to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified for the position; and, (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. For more information visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/ Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing an online application, you may request an alternative application. Please send an email to the following address for information on how to obtain an alternative application: [email protected] Reemployed Annuitants: Applicants in receipt of an annuity based on civilian employment in the Federal Service are subject to the DoD Policy on The Employment of Annuitants (DODI 1400.25, volume 300). http://www.esd.whs.mil/DD/DoD-Issuances/140025/ Nepotism: Under the provisions of 5 USC 3110, an individual may not be appointed into a position if the position is under the supervisory chain of command of a relative. Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement.

How this job compares

Set against the 1,019 open Program Analyst jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 10, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$144–187K/yr
  • Virginia median$95–145K/yr109 salary ranges
  • US median$90–131K/yr694 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $166K, is 36% above the Virginia median midpoint ($122K) — in the top quarter of Program Analyst salary ranges in Virginia.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 210 open Program Analyst jobs in Virginia and 1,019 across the US. 2% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Experience
This posting asks for at least 1 year of experience; Program Analyst postings that state a minimum ask for 3 years at the median (923 postings).
Education
337 of the 1,019 open Program Analyst jobs (33%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 10, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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