Federal Watch Officer: Emergency Operations Center (TS SCI required)

TekStream Solutions; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

TekStream Solutions in Washington, DC seeks a Watch Officer for the Emergency Operations Center. This is a 100% on-site night shift requiring TS SCI clearance; telework is not allowed.

You will monitor all-hazard incidents, coordinate with government, NGOs, and private sector, and produce timely situational awareness using standard templates. The schedule runs 12.25-hour shifts, totaling about 85.75 hours every two weeks, with a rotating W and O pattern.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required.
• Experience with all-hazard emergency management and incident coordination.
• Strong writing, grammar, and communication skills.
• Ability to follow SOPs and use templates under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-shift operations watch support and coordination in unclassified through SCIF environments.
• Prepare situational awareness reports; communicate with executives across platforms at unclassified/classified levels.
• Coordinate with federal, state, NGO, and private sector partners during incidents.
• Arrive on time for 12-hour night shifts and perform duties solo as required.

Skills

Emergency management

Communication

Decision making under pressure

Written communication

SOPs and templates usage

Stakeholder coordination

MS Office Word

Education

Bachelor of Science degree or 4 years relevant experience

Tools

SIPRNet/JWICS

MS Office Word

Job description

Watch Officer: Emergency Operations Center

Night Shift, 100% on-site. Washington, DC

Clearance Requirement: TS SCI

Day Shift report time is 5:45AM for a 15 minute shift change, followed by a 12 hour shift, with the final 15 minutes ending at 6PM after turnover to the oncoming watch staff. This position is planned to work 85.75 hours (7 x 12.25 hour shifts) over each 2 week period, with the Work (W) and Off (O) weekly schedule typically being: Week 1 – WWOOWWW (61.25 hours), Week 2 – OOWWOOO (24.5 hours), then repeat the 2 week schedule

Objective

This position provides day-shift Operations Watch Officers (Mid and Senior level Operations Specialists) to support the Secretary of Commerce’s Commerce Information and Operations Center (CIOC).

• This contractor position assists the U.S. Department of Commerce in remaining prepared to respond to, and recover from, the unexpected.
• The ideal candidate understands how to coordinate on all-hazard emergency management issues; can quickly “connect the dots” in fast-moving external events; understands a “chain of command”; can communicate in person and over the phone clearly and succinctly; is a strong writer with a solid grasp of grammar and solid MS Office (especially Word) skills, able to research, analyze, write, edit, and proof; is exceptionally reliable; can remain calm and be decisive under pressure; and is able to understand and follow SOPs and use templates. This person will effectively collaborate and coordinate with people at all levels of government, in non-governmental organizations, and in the private sector.
• Work is performed in an office environment, unclassified through and including a SCIF, at the Commerce Headquarters in Washington, DC; free parking is available for night shift Operations Watch Officers. This is an on-site position; teleworking is not allowed.
• As the situation dictates, the Operations Watch Officer may have to deploy to perform CIOC watch duties at a Commerce continuity facility, a less than 2 hour drive from the Commerce Headquarters.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science degree (or an additional 4 years’ relevant experience) is required.
• Approximately 4 years’ experience as an Operations Watch Officer/Stander (Operations Specialist) with at least 2 of the years’ experience desired at a national operations center (i.e., one or more of the 15 Executive Departments).
• Watch experience in all hazard operations and incident management (e.g., natural disasters, National Special Security Events, as well as human-caused and technological incidents).
• Active Top Secret security clearance and be SCI crossover eligible. Simply being “SCI eligible” is not sufficient – besides having a current investigation, you must be either currently SCI indoc’d (read in) or have been debriefed from SCI less than 23 months ago.
• Solid MS Office (especially Word) skills as well as the ability to communicate in person and over the phone clearly and succinctly, demonstrating a high degree of professionalism, tact, and diplomacy.
• Understanding how to coordinate on emergency management issues, with the capability to quickly “connect the dots” in fast-moving internal or external incidents, assess risk, remain calm, and be decisive under pressure.
• Experience preparing situational awareness reports.Experience performing research and analysis and then writing and editing emails and documents.
• Experience providing communication and coordination support to executives across various platforms at the unclassified and classified levels.
• Unwavering ability to arrive at duty location on time and perform required duties solo on 12 hour night shifts.
• Reliable means (public and/or private) to get to and from the Commerce Headquarters as well as dependable transportation for travel, as may be required, to an alternate site to perform Watch Officer duties.
• Willingness to learn, and an ability to make informed decisions/take actions based on SOPs and templates and the evolving situation and risk.
• Good judgement and a strong ability to assess complex situations with multiple factors to ascertain if/when potential hazards pose a threat to Commerce interests.

Nice to Have

• Experience using SIPRNet and JWICS in daily duties.
• Experience using geospatial tools to better understand which Commerce locations an incident may impact.
• Understanding of Primary Mission Essential Functions (PMEFs) and assessing an incident’s impact on PMEFs.

Work Environment and Physical Requirements

• Ability to move throughout large Federal buildings to support daily operational requirements, including walking moderate to long distances as needed.
• Ability to lift and carry up to 10 pounds on an occasional basis.
• Work may involve standing, walking, or moving between multiple floors or work areas.