Chief Scientist - SNIS Professional Tier 1

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is searching for the right individual to be the Chief Scientist/CTO of the Intelligence Community's premier center for innovation in the area of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.  The ideal candidate will have a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from a leading university, a national reputation as an inspiring thought leader, and a proven track record of leading high performance teams and delivering innovative solutions at the cutting edge of technology.  The Chief Scientist/CTO will be accountable for delivering solutions in broad areas of interest to national security including strategic indications and warning, transnational organized crime, countering influence operations, and developing a framework for artificial intelligence assurance and security.

Position Information

This is an opportunity for:

An internal or external candidate to fill a SNIS Professional Tier 1 cadre position.

A Federal Government employee to serve on a two-year reimbursable detail assignment in the ODNI. The detail assignment may be extended an additional year if all parties agree.

Who May Apply

Only Senior Service (SNIS, SES, SIS, DISES, DISEL) candidates may apply. GS employees may not apply.

Former members of the Peace Corps may be considered for ODNI employment only if five full years have elapsed since separation from the Peace Corps.

For a cadre assignment please refer to posting on the  internal ODNI site.

Salary Determination

The ODNI uses a rank-in-person system in which rank is attached to the individual. A selected ODNI candidate or other Federal Government candidate will be assigned to the position at the employee's current GS grade and salary.

Component Mission

S&E Mission - Strategy and Engagement sets the strategy for the future, and ensures that the IC’s current focus is aligned with IC strategies to drive national security outcomes. We position the IC to achieve our future vision by leading transformative initiatives and cutting-edge research and development; supporting and spurring innovation; re-imagining data management in the digital age; establishing clear policy and direction; and actively engaging with our overseers and the public.

Transformation & Innovation – Identifies emerging challenges and threats that may affect our intelligence capabilities over the long term; spurs cross-IC innovation, creativity and investment to address those threats and advance Community priorities; and leads transformational IC-wide initiatives that will drive the IC toward our future goals and strategy.

Major Duties and Responsibilities (MDRs)

Development of the technical strategy, development and investment strategy for AI; Develop a clear vision on investment opportunities 10-15 years out

The design and technical implementation of end-to-end integrated AI/ML systems in support of Community missions and functions.

Management of the internal research and development portfolio for the Hub

Establish and oversee a workforce development program for continuous development of a cadre of AI experts for the Intelligence Community

Develop, nurture and grow relationships with experts in the field including:

The IC and the DoD

The National Academies, national laboratories and research organizations (DARPA, IARPA)

Experts in academia and industry

Publication, presentation, and contribution as a thought leader in the field of machine learning and AI

Engage and influence key stakeholders to support the ODNI’s Key objectives.

Direct and oversee national intelligence issues related to the area of responsibility, set collection, analysis and Intelligence operations priorities that has an impact on IC, ODNI, directorates or components, or external partners.

Lead the IC to remain current with major technical developments and with other IC programs in areas of interest.

Create and sustain partnerships with other IC elements.

Lead and oversee the formulation, development, production and evaluation of a broad range of policies, processes, and guidance on subject areas, including mission enabling functions and intelligence oversight disciplines, and communicate these policies, processes, and guidelines to community stakeholders.

Key Requirements and How To Apply

External Candidates:

Key Requirements:

U.S. Citizenship.

Successful completion of CI polygraph and background investigation.

Successful completion of a ODNI medical screening.

A two-year trial period is required for all new permanent appointments to the ODNI.

A complete application must include:

a. RESUME: Applicants are encouraged to carefully review the vacancy announcement, particularly the MDRs, and construct their resume to highlight their most significant experience and qualifications relevant to this job opportunity.

b. PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS: Applicants are required to provide their two most recent performance evaluations. A justification is required if the applicant is unable to provide the two most recent evaluations.

c. VACANCY NUMBER: Reference the vacancy number in the subject line of the email and on each document submitted.

d. COVER LETTER: Applicants must submit a cover letter as a supplement to the resume to elaborate on their qualifications and previous work performed.

e. SF-50: Current or former Federal Government employees must provide an SF-50, “Notification of Personnel Action” to verify current federal status, position, title, grade, and organization of record.

WHERE TO SUBMIT: Applications should be sent to Recruitment_TeamA@dni.gov (unclassified email system). Applicants submitting via JWICS are requested to submit their materials to both portifa@dni.ic.gov (Faith P.) and bankssa@dni.ic.gov (Sandra B.) in lieu of the group address above. All attachments should be in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format.

Applications submitted through the classified email system should NOT contain classified information above the TS//SI/TK//NOFORN level.

Current Federal Employees Applying for a Detail Assignment:

Applicants from federal agencies within the Intelligence Community (IC) may be considered for this position as a reimbursable detailee, if endorsed by the employing agency. Applicants must have current TS/SCI clearances with polygraph or have the ability to obtain one. The ODNI does not conduct polygraphs or provide security clearances for detailees. Applicants from within the IC must submit an application through the classified IC Joint Duty Program website.

Applicants from federal agencies outside the IC must provide:

a. WRITTEN ENDORSEMENT from the employing agency concurring with the detail.

b. RESUME: Applicants are encouraged to carefully review the vacancy announcement, particularly the MDRs, and construct their resume to highlight their most significant experience and qualifications relevant to this job opportunity.

c. PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS: Applicants are required to provide their two most recent performance evaluations. A justification is required if the applicant is unable to provide the two most recent evaluations.

d. VACANCY NUMBER: Reference the vacancy number in the subject line of the email and on each document submitted.

e. CURRENT SF-50: Federal Government employees must provide an SF-50, “Notification of Personnel Action” to verify current federal status, position, title, grade, and organization of record.

f. COVER LETTER: Applicants must submit a cover letter as a supplement to the resume to elaborate on their qualifications and previous work performed.

WHERE TO SUBMIT: Applications should be sent to either DNI-MSD-HR-RR-Team_A_WMA@dni.ic.gov (classified email system) or Recruitment_TeamA@dni.gov (unclassified email system). Applicants submitting via JWICS are requested to submit their materials to both portifa@dni.ic.gov (Faith P.) and bankssa@dni.ic.gov (Sandra B.) in lieu of the group address above.

All attachments should be in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format.

Applications submitted through the classified email system should NOT contain classified information above the TS//SI/TK//NOFORN level.

All Applicants:

APPLICATION PACKAGES MUST CONTAIN ALL ITEMS LISTED ABOVE. AN INCOMPLETE APPLICATION PACKAGE WILL BE INELIGIBLE FOR CONSIDERATION.

Your application MUST be received by midnight on the closing date of this announcement. Applications received after the closing date will NOT be eligible for consideration. To verify receipt of your application package ONLY, you may call 703-275-3799.

What To Expect Next

The most highly qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. We expect to make a selection within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. Due to the large number of applications received, applicants will be contacted ONLY if they have been selected for an interview.

Agency Contact Information

ODNI Recruitment; Phone: 703-275-3799; Email: Recruitment_TeamA@dni.gov

Other Information

The ODNI offers a broad array of benefits programs and family friendly flexibilities for ODNI cadre.

Federal Employees Health Benefits Program: http://www.opm.gov/insure/health/index.asp

Life Insurance: http://www.opm.gov/insure/life/index.asp

Long-Term Care Insurance: http://www.ltcfeds.com

Federal Employees Retirement SYSTEM (FERS) (new employees automatically covered): http://www.opm.gov/retire/index.asp If you are transferring from another agency and covered by the Civil

Service Retirement System (CSRS), you may continue in that system.

Annual and Sick Leave: http://www.opm.gov/oca/leave/index.asp

Flexible Spending Accounts for Health Care and Dependent Care: http://www.fsafeds.com/fsafeds/index.asp

Paid Federal Holidays

Alternative Work Schedules

The ODNI is an equal opportunity employer and abides by applicable employment laws and regulations.

Mandatory and Educational Requirements

Ph.D. in Machine Learning or related fields from recognized leader in the field

10+ years of hands-on research experience in AI and related, commercial experience required

Highly cited publications in relevant fields

Demonstrated expertise in multiple aspect of AI including extensive experience in in creating and applying AI solutions across multiple domains including:

Supervised and unsupervised learning

Deep neural networks / deep machine learning

Natural language process

Machine translation

Computer Vision (Images & Video)

Neural network designs including recurrent neural networks, RNN, LSTM, Encoder / Decoders and GANs

Desired Requirements

None.