Top-Secret Competencies Expert

About the Role

B&A is seeking a Competencies Expert to support a federal government client in advancing strategic workforce planning and talent management initiatives. In this critical role you will develop, maintain, and enhance competency frameworks that support workforce readiness, career development, recruitment, certification programs, and organizational effectiveness. The successful candidate will apply expertise in competency modeling, job task analysis, psychometrics, and workforce analytics to ensure competency standards align with Intelligence Community (IC), Department of Defense (DoD), and federal workforce requirements. Strong analytical capabilities and the ability to communicate findings and recommendations to senior leaders and stakeholders are essential.

Responsibilities

• Develop, assess, evaluate, maintain, and improve competency models, behavioral indicators, and proficiency standards for NGA workforce positions.
• Conduct competency reviews twice each fiscal year using ODNI, DoD, and OPM competency resource guides and industry/academic best practices, reporting findings within 10 days.
• Run qualitative and quantitative job task analyses, including Strategic Job Task Analysis, to support workforce planning, hiring, GEOINT Professional Certification, promotions, and other personnel actions.
• Conduct competency gap analyses across the workforce and design ways to close gaps through training, development, or hiring.
• Map competencies to work roles, career paths, and occupational groupings to support workforce planning and talent management.
• Build minimum qualification requirements for work roles and document the process used.
• Integrate competencies and work roles across incentive programs, training and development, recruitment and hiring, and human capital analytics.
• Perform quality control on the competency library and update PeopleSoft and workforce‑facing guides after each review.
• Communicate competency findings and recommendations to agency leaders, managers, and staff.
• Apply AI and machine learning techniques to analyze competency data, spot workforce trends and emerging skill needs, and improve model development and validation.

Education and Experience

• Master’s degree or higher from an accredited institution in Industrial‑Organizational Psychology, Organizational Development, Human Resources Management, or Applied Psychology.
• Minimum of five (5) years developing competency models, behavioral indicators, and related competency factors in accordance with the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures.
• Three (3) years developing and mapping competencies for Intelligence Community (IC) or Department of Defense (DoD) specific work roles.
• Three (3) years of experience with qualitative and quantitative Job Task Analysis (JTA) methodologies.
• Experience developing competency models for senior leadership or executive‑level positions.

Required Skills

• Ability to align competency models with federal frameworks (e.g., DoD Cyber Workforce Framework, National Intelligence employment standards).
• Experience implementing skills‑based assessments for technical roles.
• Experience working with I‑O psychologists or assessment vendors.
• Strong analytical skills for interpreting competency assessment data.
• Experience developing competency models for senior leadership or executive‑level positions.

Desired Skills

• Two (2) years of experience conducting advanced psychometric validation studies for competency‑based assessments.
• Experience applying artificial intelligence techniques to analyze competency data and enhance model development.
• Two (2) years of experience with the Intelligence Community.

Security Clearance

• Active TS/SCI.
• Willing to submit to a counterintelligence polygraph.

Benefits and Programs

• Three robust individual and family medical plans, including a Health Savings Account (HSA) option.
• Two tiers of dental coverage and vision insurance.
• Life & AD&D, disability, accident, hospital indemnity, and critical illness insurance.
• Paid time off.
• B&A‑sponsored trainings and certifications.
• Pet insurance benefits.
• Commuter transit benefits.
• Free subscription to a virtual exercise platform (NEOU).
• 401(k) plan with company matching contribution.
• B&A Cares program: 30/60/90‑day wellness check‑ins, personal development, financial management, and stress management seminars.
• Formal mentorship program.
• Job shadowing and cross‑training opportunities.
• Brand Ambassador program.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – counseling, legal guidance, financial planning, and more.
• Monthly team‑building events.
• Annual wellness challenges (e.g., #StepWithB&A, #WalkDuringLunchWithB&A, #VolunteeringWithB&A, #ExerciseDuringLunchWithB&A).

Notable Clients

• Department of Homeland Security
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection
• U.S. Senate
• U.S. Courts
• U.S. Census Bureau
• U.S. Navy
• Other federal, state, local government agencies, private sector, and higher education institutions