Federal

Technical Advisor for AI and Data Science

Department of the Air Force - Agency Wide ยท Department of the Air Force
๐Ÿ“ Edwards AFB, California SL-00 $161,128 - $209,600/yr
Posted: Feb 20, 2026 Deadline: Mar 6, 2026 (Closed days left)

About This Position

The Air Force Test Center (AFTC) is AFMC's lead center for integration of all developmental test and evaluation (DT&E) activities and organizations. The Technical Advisor, Artificial Intelligence and Data Science will serve as the subject matter expert for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, and on behalf of the AFTC Executive Director.

Qualifications

The mission of the United States Air Force is: To fly, fight, and win...airpower anytime, anywhere. To achieve that mission, the Air Force has a vision of Global Vigilance, Global Reach and Global Power. That vision orbits around three core competencies: Developing Airmen and Guardians, Technology-to-Warfighting and Integrating Operations.

Core competencies and distinctive capabilities are based on a shared commitment to three core values -- integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do. LOCATION: Assignment location can be any Air Force Test Center site which includes the following (not exhaustive): Moffet Field, CA; Hanscom AFB, MA; White Oak, MD; Arnold AFB, TN; Edwards AFB, CA; Eglin AFB, FL; Hill AFB, UT; Holloman AFB, NM; Joint Base San Antonio Lackland, TX; Nellis AFB, NV; Robins AFB, GA, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH SALARY: - $161,128.00 - $209,600.00 per annum. Recruitment/Relocation Bonus and Moving Expenses may be authorized.

This is a Senior Level (SL) Competitive Service position and is assigned a precedence priority code of DV-6 (equivalent to a Brigadier General) for protocol purposes. AREA OF CONSIDERATION: Applications will be accepted from current and former, career or career-conditional, permanent competitive service employees and Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) eligibles. Consideration will be extended without discrimination for any non-merit reason such as race, color, religion, gender, national origin, political affiliation, marital status, age, membership or non-membership in any employee organization, or disability.

QUALIFICATIONS: Eligibility will be based upon a clear showing the applicant has training, education and experience of the scope and quality sufficient to effectively carry-out the duties of the position. Candidates must exemplify the corporate perspective, leadership vision, broad experience and character needed in the Civilian Senior Executive Service corps not only to satisfy the immediate vacancy, but future vacancies which will occur in a variety of organizations, functions and locations. MANDATORY TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS: Applicants must reflect superior technical qualifications demonstrated through leadership and management and must demonstrate the TQs in the 2-page resume or you will be found ineligible.

  1. Expert knowledge on applied artificial intelligence/machine learning as well as data science and their integration and application into systems development, fielding, and sustainment
  2. Demonstrated ability to lead authoritative scientific reviews and evaluations to develop, promote, and apply artificial intelligence technologies and the principles of data science.
  3. Demonstrated ability to evaluate technical approaches and requirements documents regarding artificial intelligence and data science for major engineering efforts.

Major Duties

Provides expert advice, makes decisions and commitments and is responsible for overall technical management guidance and functional responsibility. Lead the strategic development of a mission-focused, forward-looking AI transformation and data science implementation across the entire AFTC enterprise. Interprets policies, directives, and requirements established by DoD, HAF/SAF and HQ AFMC, and provides guidance on the same to AFTC subordinate organizations.

Advises industry, professional associations, institutes, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, laboratories, societies, allies, and coalition partners. Initiates and recommends new studies, research initiatives and programs to exploit the state-of-the-art of AI and data science working with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in technology transfers of their research. Applies expertise and experience to lead and drive change to integrate applied AI into weapon systems development, execution and sustainment, as well as center-level processes to enhance decision making.

Education

Education: A professional engineering degree from an accredited institution is required. To be acceptable, the curriculum must: (1) be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) as a professional engineering curriculum; 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; (t) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure toproperties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics; OR A combination of education and experience as required by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

Acceptable combinations of education and experience can be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/files/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf A master's or advanced degree in electrical engineering/computer science/similar field is highly desired.

How You Will Be Evaluated

Applications will be evaluated against the foregoing qualification requirements. Failure to meet any one of the mandatory technical or senior professional qualification standards will eliminate a candidate from further consideration. A screening panel will evaluate the candidates for this position composed of senior executives selected for organizational and/or functional backgrounds relevant to this position.

The panel members will individually review each of the applications in terms of the qualifications criteria contained in this announcement. The qualifications stated are the minimum requirements of the position to be Qualified, a rating schedule will be applied by a screening panel to determine which candidates are considered to be Best Qualified. Then, they will meet to discuss each application, and reach a consensus decision as to the best qualified, qualified or not qualified candidates.

The panel will interview all of the best-qualified candidates based upon consistently applied criteria. The panel will then make a recommendation of those best-qualified candidates who should be referred to the selecting official, in priority order. Final selection of a candidate is contingent upon USecAF approval.

Additional Information

Veterans' Preference: Veterans' preference is applicable to Air Force Senior Level (SL) positions. Relocation Authorized: Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is authorized in accordance with the Joint Travel Regulations (JTR). Recruitment/Relocation Incentive: May be offered. Employed Annuitants (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.

Click here for more information. Direct Deposit: All federal employees are required to have direct deposit. Disabled veteran leave is available to a Federal employee hired on/after 5 Nov 2016, who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30% or more.

For more information, click here. Tax Law Impact for PCS: On 22-Dec-2017, Public Law 115-97 - the "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017" suspended qualified moving expense deductions along with the exclusion for employer reimbursements and payments of moving expenses effective 01-Jan-2018 for tax years 2018 through 2025. When you perform a Civilian Permanent Change of Station (PCS) with the government, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers the majority of your entitlements to be taxable.

Visit GSA Bulletin FTR 20-04 here for additional information. If you have questions regarding this announcement and have hearing or speech difficulties click here.

How to Apply

Please follow the below instructions to submit applications. Any applications received that do not include all of the required documents or do not meet format requirements will not be forwarded for consideration.

The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 03/06/2026. To begin the process, click the Apply Online button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account.

Follow the prompts to complete the application questionnaire. Please ensure you click the Submit My Application button at the end of the process. PLEASE

NOTE: It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered and/or uploaded, (i.e., resume) is received, accurate, and submitted by the closing date.

You may verify your documents have been processed with your application package successfully. You can access your USAJOBS account to do so by clicking here. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.

Human Resources WILL NOT modify or change any answers submitted by an applicant. PREFERRED RESUME FORMAT: (Limit 2 pages/Times New Roman 12-font) (Do Not Use the USAJOBS Resume Builder) - Please submit a typewritten resume (upload as a PDF), including the following information: Job Information: Announcement number (MRL2026-SL10088) and title of the position to which you are applying. Personal Information: Full name, mailing address (with zip code), day and evening phone numbers (with area code) and complete e-mail address where you would like to receive correspondence regarding your application. PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER Active-Duty/Retired Military: State highest rank held, date of promotion and date eligible to retire or date of retirement, (e.g., Colonel/June 2006/December 2014).

NOTE: IAW 5 U.S.C. 3326, a 180-day waiver will be required for retired or retiring members of the armed forces during the period of 180 days immediately after retirement. Please

note: you will be ineligible for consideration if your statement of service is not submitted with your application or it shows an expected discharge or release date greater than 120 days from the date of the submission of the certification. Education: Educational information, including the name, city and state of colleges or universities you attended, as well as the type and year of any degree received. Report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S.

Department of Education. For more information, you may refer to the following U.S. Department of Education website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html Work Experience: Give the following information for your paid and non-paid work experience related to the job for which you are applying: (Do not send job descriptions). - Starting and ending dates (month and year) - Job title (for government position, include civilian series and grade or military rank) - Employer's name and address - Supervisor's name and phone number, please indicate if we may contact your current supervisor - Salary (current) *Applicants should focus on recency of experience, hiring officials may consider experience over 10 years outdated.

References: (Optional) Provide the names, addresses and telephone numbers of three individuals who can comment on your qualifications for this position. Please do not list supervisors already listed above. This agency provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please notify this office. The decision on granting reasonable accommodations will be on a case-by-case basis. SAF/MRL CONTACT INFORMATION: Questions regarding this announcement may be directed to Brian Bobo at brian,[email protected]

Required Documents

To receive full consideration, each applicant must submit the (MANDATORY) documents in the format as designated. Packages that do not include all of the required documents or meet format requirements will not be forwarded for consideration. ****ALL DOCUMENTS MUST BE UPLOADED IN PDF FORMAT***** The Qualifications Documents must be formatted using Times New Roman, size 12 font, with 1-inch margins. Do not use borders, provide photos, or list a Social Security Number on any of the Qualifications Documents.

DO NOT COMBINE DOCUMENTS. A. (Mandatory) Resume in the preferred (Limit 2 pages). Resumes longer than 2-pages will be deemed ineligible. Upload in PDF format. PLEASE DO NOT USE USAJOBS RESUME BUILDER.

B. Mandatory Technical Qualifications Statement MUST be addressed in the 2-Page Resume. C. (Optional) Most recent completed Performance Appraisal (current and/or former federal employees) or Performance Report (OPR or EPR).

For applicants in the private sector, please provide a copy of your equivalent Evaluation Report. D. Most recent Notification of Personnel Action, SF-50, noting your current position, grade level and salary level (applies only to current or former civilian government employee).

E. College transcript(s) (copy is acceptable) which demonstrates the acceptable combinations of education and experience as noted by OPM. F. (Mandatory) Military Retired - a copy of your DD214 and/or Retirement orders; Active Duty - Are you an active-duty service member with a statement of service showing that you expect to be honorably discharged or released from the armed forces under honorable conditions no later than 120 days after submitting your application?

PLEASE

NOTE: you will be ineligible for consideration if your statement of service is not submitted with your application or it shows an expected discharge or release date greater than 120 days from the date of the submission of the certification. Documents are required. DO NOT SUBMIT ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Extraneous materials such as copies of position descriptions, award certificates and transmittal letters will not be forwarded for review.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the salary for the Technical Advisor for AI and Data Science position at Department of the Air Force - Agency Wide?
The salary range for this position is $161,128 - $209,600/yr. This is a SL-00 position on the General Schedule pay scale. Actual pay may vary based on locality adjustments.
Where is the Technical Advisor for AI and Data Science job located?
This position is located in Edwards AFB, California. This is an on-site position.
What qualifications do I need?
The mission of the United States Air Force is: To fly, fight, and win...airpower anytime, anywhere. To achieve that mission, the Air Force has a vision of Global Vigilance, Global Reach and Global Power. That vision orbits around three core competencies: Developing Airmen and Guardians, Technology-to-Warfighting and Integrating Operations. Core ...
How do I apply for this position?
Apply through USAJobs.gov by clicking the 'Apply on USAJobs' button. You'll need a USAJobs account, a federal-style resume, and supporting documents. The deadline is Mar 6, 2026.
Is a security clearance required?
Yes, a Top Secret clearance is required.
What does SL-00 mean?
SL-00 refers to the General Schedule grade level. Higher grades require more experience and offer higher pay. Visit our GS Pay Scale page for full salary tables by grade and locality.
What benefits do federal employees receive?
Federal employees receive comprehensive benefits including health insurance (FEHB), retirement through FERS, Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) with government matching, paid annual and sick leave, paid parental leave, life insurance, and student loan repayment programs.