
Supervisory Program Analyst (Director, Strategy, Policy, and Future Concepts)
Office of the Secretary of Defense
Pentagon, Arlington, VAFull-time$169–197K/yrPosted 2 days ago
Most applications go out cold — see where you stand first. No sign-up to start.
You apply on the employer's site, with no Olive account needed.
Watch jobs like this. New roles like this one near Pentagon, Arlington, VA, by email.
Don't just apply. Show up ready.
Olive works from this exact posting.
At a glance
Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.
Job overview
The Supervisory Program Analyst serves in the Secretariat for Special Operations, advising on strategy, policy, and future concepts for Special Operations Forces. The role directs analytical and policy programs, leads studies of SOF strategy and force design, develops strategic guidance, and evaluates proposals from military commands and interagency stakeholders. It also represents the organization in senior-level forums and prepares decision materials for senior leaders.
Skills & qualifications
Skills
Qualifications
Full job description
Summary
This position is located in the Secretariat for Special Operations (SSO), within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict (OASW(SO/LIC)). Under the authority of 10 U.S.C. Sections 138 and 167, the ASW (SO/LIC) serves as the principal civilian advisor and assistant to the Secretary of War.
Duties
Incumbent typical work assignments may include the following: Directs the directorate's analytical and policy programs, establishes priorities, assigns work, evaluates employee performance, and manages resources to accomplish organizational objectives. Leads complex studies of Special Operations Forces (SOF) strategies, force design, and policies, developing quantitative and qualitative methods to assess effectiveness and future mission requirements. Develops strategic guidance, policy recommendations, and future operational concepts to align SOF capabilities, force structure, and global posture with national defense priorities. Evaluates proposals from military commands and interagency stakeholders, identifies policy conflicts and capability gaps, and recommends solutions to support long-term force sustainability and modernization. Represents the organization in Department-level and interagency forums, coordinates competing stakeholder positions, and oversees preparation of briefings, issue papers, and decision memoranda for senior leaders. Qualifications
In order to qualify for this position, you must meet the requirements described below. You may qualify at the GS 15 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service that demonstrates: 1) Supervising or leading multidisciplinary analytical teams in planning and executing complex defense or national security studies, establishing priorities, and reviewing analytical products: 2) Directing strategic assessments using quantitative and qualitative methods to evaluate Special Operations Forces (SOF) or joint military strategy, force design, global posture, or future capability requirements; AND 3) Translating complex analytical findings into defense policy, strategic guidance, and decision documents for senior leaders, and representing an organization in senior-level defense or interagency forums to negotiate positions and resolve policy or resource conflicts. 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
In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position may requires an online USA Hire Competency Based Assessment. The USA Hire online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Your eligibility and qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment(s) required for this position (if applicable). If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Accountability Customer Service Decisiveness Flexibility Interpersonal Skills Problem Solving Resilience 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. 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. 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 the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. 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 977 open Program Analyst jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 3, 2026.
- Pay
- This posting$169–197K/yr
- Virginia median$97–143K/yr96 salary ranges
- US median$92–138K/yr592 salary ranges
This range's midpoint, $183K, is 51% above the Virginia median midpoint ($122K) — in the top quarter of Program Analyst salary ranges in Virginia.
- Openings
- Olive Jobs lists 200 open Program Analyst jobs in Virginia and 977 across the US. 2% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
- Hiring the most in Virginia
- Serco54 open
- General Dynamics Information Technology7 open
- Office of the Secretary of Defense (this employer)7 open
- 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 (879 postings).
- Education
- 287 of the 977 open Program Analyst jobs (29%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.
Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 3, 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.
Prepare for this role
You've read the whole posting — now see how you match it.



