Deputy Director of Operations, USSF SOCOM
Department of the Air ForceSource: USAJOBS
Company websiteaf.mil (Department of the Air Force, opens in new tab)
Base salary $126,711 to $193,760
Employer-published annual base salary, USD. Advertised base range in MacDill AFB, FL
You apply on the employer's own site. Six Figure Work does not handle applications.
- LocationMacDill AFB, FL
- WorkplaceWorkplace not stated
- Status at last checkSource accepting applications when checked
- Last checked (41 min ago) · observed since
About this job
Summary
Do not email applications. To submit your resume for this Direct Hire opportunity click here. For additional information on other USSF direct hire opportunities visit the Air Force Civilian Careers Space Force website and follow USSF on LinkedIn.
Duties
The United States Space Force (USSF) at MacDill AFB, FL is searching for a Deputy Director of Operations to support USSF SOCOM (NH-0301-04, GS 14/15 equivalent). Description: Step into the future of defense innovation as the Deputy Director of the Operations for United States Space Force Special Operations Command. In this high-impact leadership role, you will exercises delegated authority to make or recommend decisions concerning Directorate programs and activities. Resolves issues involving competing operational requirements, limited resources, compressed timelines, and coordination across multiple organizations. Represents the Director, as authorized, at command-level working groups, boards, planning teams, operational forums, and other engagements. Provides continuity of operations during the Director's absence and ensures timely execution of Directorate responsibilities., shaping the nation's space superiority. We're seeking a strategist, who thrives in high-stakes environments, navigating complex procurement landscapes with precision, agility, and integrity. If you're ready to lead from the front and make your mark on the celestial frontier -this is your mission Ideal Candidate: Serves as Deputy Director of the Operations Directorate and assists the Director in planning, organizing, directing, and evaluating the Directorate's operational activities. Provides senior-level civilian leadership and management oversight for assigned programs, projects, and operational initiatives supporting SPACEFOR-SOC missions. Develops and evaluates long-range and near-term plans, goals, objectives, policies, and procedures necessary to execute assigned missions. Translates command priorities and senior leader guidance into executable Directorate objectives, tasks, milestones, and measures of effectiveness. Identifies complex operational and organizational problems; analyzes alternatives; assesses mission, manpower, resource, readiness, and risk implications; and recommends courses of action to command leadership. Ensures Directorate activities remain synchronized with command priorities, Space Force guidance, joint requirements, and applicable special operations requirements. Key Skills and Abilities: 1 Expert, comprehensive knowledge of joint special operations (SOF) and space operations doctrines, with a proven ability to lead, synchronize, and execute current operations and crisis action response. Experience within a Combatant Command operations directorate (specifically USSOCOM J3 or a Theater Special Operations Command (TSOC) is highly preferred over singular domain expertise. 2 Mastery of military force generation, presentation, and readiness cycle management. Proven skill in tracking force readiness metrics, managing deployment/redeployment timelines, and translating high-level operational tasks into clear, tactical-level execution plans. 3 Demonstrated ability to design, coordinate, and execute complex joint-service exercises to validate operational concepts, evaluate training effectiveness, and integrate emerging space capabilities into the SOF Enterprise. Skill in managing formal lessons-learned and corrective action programs. 4 Exceptional capability to communicate high-risk operational concepts and brief senior general/flag officers and civilian executives. Skilled in drafting operational orders (OPORDs), formal staff packages, and representing command equities in joint, inter-agency, and coalition forums to resolve complex operational conflicts. 5. Highly developed skill in preparing and presenting strategic operational plans, military estimates, theater risk assessments, and formal position papers to senior military, civilian, and international coalition leaders. 6. Exceptional ability to anticipate complex operational risks in theater, assess and provide strategic direction for the resolution of mission-critical planning obstacles, and establish new strategic concepts and operational methodologies. 7. Effective capability to communicate both orally and in writing. Skilled in drafting high-level documentation (briefings, staff packages) and maintaining productive working relationships across diverse command entities to resolve complex issues.
Qualifications
The 0301 series does not have an individual occupational requirement that must be met. You can view the experience level requirements here. Please scroll down to the 3rd section titled Administrative and Management Positions.
How you will be evaluated
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies as related to the series and grade of the position being filled. Final qualifications determinations will be assessed based on OPM's General Schedule Qualifications Standards found here: Interviews: You will be contacted by e-mail and/or telephone if your application is identified as qualifying for a position being filled. An interview may be conducted. If interviewed, you will be asked to address the same knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies used to initially qualify your application for the position.
Required documents
Resume: You must submit a resume that may NOT exceed two pages, and the font size should not be smaller than 10 pts. You will not be considered for this vacancy if your resume exceeds two pages or is illegible/unreadable. Do NOT include photographs, inappropriate material, inappropriate content, nor personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number, etc., on your resume. If the resume you submit contains such information you will not be considered for this vacancy. Your resume must provide: Personal information - your full name, email and mailing addresses, phone number Education information - the name of the school and the dates you attended Work experience - paid and unpaid work with the following information: Job title Detailed duties and accomplishments Employer's name and address Supervisor's name and phone number Starting and ending dates (If actual dates are not known, provide your best-estimated timeframes.) Hours per week Salary, if applicable Other qualifications - skills, certifications/licenses, honors, awards, special accomplishments, and job-related training courses College Transcripts (if applicable): Please see the Education section of this announcement for detailed information about transcripts.
How to apply
Do not email applications. To submit your resume for this Direct Hire opportunity click here. 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.
Other information
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. 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.
What to expect next
For additional information on other USSF direct hire opportunities visit the Air Force Civilian Careers Space Force website and follow USSF on LinkedIn.
Source: Department of the Air Force on USAJOBS · View original posting (opens in new tab)
Pay in context
This role's base floor ($126,711) is above 41% of the 256 Government Admin & Policy roles nationwide listed on this site. Their median floor is $134,100; the middle half runs from $112,200 to $157,943.
Only jobs on this site count, and each one publishes a base salary of $100,000 or more, so this compares six-figure jobs with each other, not with the whole market. Computed Nov 8, 2026.
This listingDeputy Director of Operations, USSF SOCOM$126,711 to $193,760
Commander$125,776 to $163,514
Supervisory Information Technology Specialist (PLCYPLN)$125,776 to $163,514
Supervisory Program Specialist$125,776 to $163,514
TITLE 32 PROGRAM MANAGER (DEPUTY AIR COMMANDER) (MI 110th Wing)$125,776 to $163,514
Air Operations Officer (Navigator)$125,776 to $163,514
Aircraft Maintenance Manager$124,085 to $161,313
Chart as a table
| Role | Published base |
|---|---|
| Deputy Director of Operations, USSF SOCOM (this listing) | $126,711 - $193,760 |
| Commander | $125,776 - $163,514 |
| Supervisory Information Technology Specialist (PLCYPLN) | $125,776 - $163,514 |
| Supervisory Program Specialist | $125,776 - $163,514 |
| TITLE 32 PROGRAM MANAGER (DEPUTY AIR COMMANDER) (MI 110th Wing) | $125,776 - $163,514 |
| Air Operations Officer (Navigator) | $125,776 - $163,514 |
| Aircraft Maintenance Manager | $124,085 - $161,313 |
Observed changes
- Began meeting the published-salary criteria
- First observed on the employer's board
- Observed since
- Employer-stated posting date
- 2026-11-05
Where this pay comes from
Location as the employer wrote it: MacDill AFB, Florida
USD 126,711 – 193,760 · PA · federal_basic_pay
- Method
- Structured pay field published by the employer
- Checked
- Rule set
- us-base-v2
The employer's job board publishes this pay as a dedicated data field. We read the field directly; no interpretation was needed.
What we verified
- The pay figures come from the employer's own listing, quoted exactly above.
- The pay is an annual base salary in US dollars with a minimum of at least $100,000.
- The role was publicly listed on the employer's job board when last checked.
We do not verify what the employer will actually offer, whether the employer is still recruiting for the role, or anything beyond what the employer published. Full methodology.
