The Defense Contract Management Agency’s Commercial Item Group (DCMA CIG) is seeking highly qualified and motivated mid-level acquisition coded contracting officers, cost estimators, program managers, and engineers for the Rotational Training Opportunity Program (RTOP). Applicants must be a permanent Department of Defense government civilian (GS-12/13 or NH-03) or active component military contracting officer (O-3/O-4). The DCMA CIG will start accepting applications on 26 May 2023. Each applicant must provide a resume, supervisor recommendation/concurrence, and a letter of intent outlining why they are interested in the program. The DCMA CIG will competitively select up to five (5) candidates for the RTOP for a three-to-six-month rotation over a virtual collaboration/telework environment. The DCMA CIG will notify selected candidates by 7 July 2023 and rotational employees will start the program with the pay period beginning 17 July 2023.

Applications will be open from 26 May 2023 through 23 June 2023 at 23:59:59 U.S. Eastern Time. Send resumes to the DCMA CIG inbox with subject line “RTOP”. Candidates should include their statement of intent in the body of the email (see FAQs below for the ideal candidate). You must include your supervisor’s recommendation or concurrence with your participation in this program.

For more information and to learn about the DCMA CIG, go to Commercial Item Group (dcma.mil).​

1. Will rotational employees be in a telework status? Yes, while rotational employees will be in a telework status, they will be assigned to one of the six DCMA CIG locations reporting to a supervisory cost/price analyst or supervisory engineer.

2. Who covers TDY/Expenses? The DCMA CIG does not anticipate that any TDY will be necessary for this rotation. However, if a TDY opportunity arises, the DCMA CIG will discuss the attendance and funding with the rotational employee’s home organization supervisor.

3. What type of work assignments can I look forward to as part of the program? Work assignments will vary based on the needs of the DCMA CIG at the time. The rotational employee will be assigned to a supervisory cost/price analyst or supervisory engineer and will work closely with their assigned multi-disciplined team. Typical assignments would include conducting in-depth market research analysis, writing commercial item technical analysis reports, working on strategic projects or initiatives, providing pricing expertise and market intelligence, and data analysis.

4. Ok, I understand the types of work assignments I’ll be expected to participate in, but what will I get out of the program? Since the rotational employee will have an opportunity to support other DoD Program Offices and Buying Commands, the employee will come away with a more holistic view of the DoD enterprise in support of the Joint Force mission described in the 2022 National Defense Strategy. In addition, the employee will more fully understand the training, tools, resources, and guidance as it pertains to commercial acquisitions.

5. That sounds great, but how does the DCMA CIG benefit from this program? Great question! In addition to providing the DCMA CIG with additional resources to support our mission, the DCMA CIG will obtain valuable insights on what information is helpful to the buying commands to support our DCMA 2023-2025 Strategic Plan LOE to exploit multi-functional data and agency-wide predictive insights to enhance value proposition to DOD Customers and other acquisition stakeholders. Finally, the DCMA CIG hopes to make the DoD workforce aware of the services available so we can work with the buying commands on future acquisition requirements.

6. Where are the project/offices located? The majority of the DCMA CIG resides in six main locations: Hanscom AFB MA, Philadelphia PA, Indianapolis IN, Denver CO, Luke AFB AZ, and St. Petersburg FL. As the team has adopted to remote/virtual work, we have additional employees who reside in other cities within CONUS. Workload is not distributed by region, contractor or customer, rather the CIG supports all customers through an agile workload intake and distribution process; any request can be assigned to anyone, anywhere.

7. How long are the rotations? We ask for a minimum of three months and a maximum of six months.

8. What level of Clearance is needed for this program? Candidates should possess a Secret Clearance, which we believe is standard across the DoD acquisition workforce, but if you have specific questions ahead of submitting interest, please reach out and we can provide clarity.

9. Is there a required minimum grade for application to the program? The target grade is GS-12/13.

10. Who is your ideal candidate? Ideally, candidates would be in the contracting, engineering or program management career fields with at least two to three years’ experience in a program office. Favorable consideration will be given to:

• a. An 1102 or 0801 from a Program Office that has insight and experience with developing requirements and acquisition strategies.
• b. An 1102 or 0801 from a Buying Command that has insight and experience with contract negotiations and awards (specifically FAR 8, 12, 13 and 15).
• c. Cost estimators.
• d. General Engineers who have performed technical analysis reviews.
• e. Program Managers involved with requirements development.

11. How do you select participants? The DCMA CIG will accept rottional employee program candidates based on their resume, supervisor recommndation, and personal statement.

12. Once accepted, what are the in-processing requirements? The home organization security office will transmit the appropriate security clearance information of the participant to the DCMA Security Office for validation prior to the detail. The appropriate security clearance will be held by the parent agency on behalf of the participant during the rotation.

13. What type of work schedule will be required of me? Specific schedules can be worked out with the rotational assignment supervisor upon arrival.

14. How do I account for my time and attendance? You should enter your time as you normally would, if your agency requires confirmation from your rotational assignment supervisor of your hours, we will work to accommodate that request.

15. I am currently enrolled in a DAU course that takes place during my rotation will I be allowed to attend? Absolutely, you will just need to notify us prior to the start of your rotation.

16. How do I coordinate leave during my assignment? Any leave you plan to take will be scheduled with your home organization as per your normal time and attendance process. Leave that has been scheduled prior to the start of your rotation should be conveyed to your rotational assignment supervisor upon arrival. Any leave planning during your rotation should be coordinated with both your home organization and rotational assignment supervisor with proper and timely notification.

17. I am currently on an Alternate Work Schedule (AWS) agreement; will I be able to keep this during my rotation? Yes, as long as your rotational assignment supervisor is in agreement.

18. Who will be responsible for preparing my performance appraisal during my rotation? Your home organization is responsible for conducting your performance appraisals and reviews. You may request feedback from your rotational assignment supervisor to provide to your parent organization.