Hiring authority expanded to certain cyber security jobs

by April Rowden
Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs Office

RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas – Air Force managers hiring civilian federal employees for certain cyber security positions have been authorized to use the streamlined Schedule A hiring authority to help expeditiously fill more than 680 positions.

The Department of Defense grants the use of Schedule A in specific cases, including when there is a critical hiring need or when there are special jobs that need filled, such as law clerks and chaplains. Schedule A authority allows jobseekers to be considered for these jobs without using the traditional competitive procedures.

The cyber security positions approved for Schedule A hiring will perform special functions such as cyber risk and strategic analysis; incident handling and malware/vulnerability analysis; cyber incident response; cyber exercise facilitation and management; cyber vulnerability detection and assessment; network and systems engineering; enterprise architecture; intelligence analysis; investigation; investigative analysis; and cyber related infrastructure inter-dependency analysis.

The three Air Force organizations identified to use Schedule A for cyber security positions - U.S. Strategic Command, Air Force Office of Special Investigations and 24th Air Force - may hire under this authority until Dec. 31, 2012, or until the Office of Personnel Management establishes applicable qualification standards, whichever is earlier.

Individuals can apply for these Air Force positions on USAJOBS.gov. A vacancy announcement is not required if the selecting official has knowledge of one or more qualified, interested candidates.

Selecting officials are encouraged to maintain files of interested, qualified candidates to expedite filling their vacancies. Veteran’s preference is applicable, in accordance with 5 CFR 302. For details on how to apply, visit www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/afcivilianjobs.

Additional uses of the Schedule A hiring authority outlined in 5 CFR 213.3102 include professional, scientific or technical consultants; certain physicians, surgeons or dentists; individuals with mental retardation, severe physical disabilities or psychiatric disabilities; interpreters for the physically challenged; certain fellows in the Presidential Management Fellows Program; and scientific and professional research associates.

For more on the cyber security Schedule A, visit AFPC’s personnel services website, keyword “Cyber Schedule A.” Air Force employees may call the 24-hour Total Force Service Center at (800) 525-0102 or DSN 665-5000.