Job Posting: Professional Wargame Developer

[BletchleyGeek]

Reposted (with permission) from Bil Hardenberger (https://www.linkedin.com/in/bil-hardenberger-1b786937/)

We are looking for a wargame developer at Quantico Virginia. If you have US citizenship (or a green card), a Secret clearance, and are in any way interested, please read the below, and PM me with any questions.

Bil

Link to job posting
Job Description
At BAE Systems, we promote a strong, collaborative culture and provide our employees with the tools and skills they need to succeed. We are all about trust, camaraderie and a shared ambition to lead the world in defense technologies and national security services. We offer flexible work environment to support the balance in your life and keep you performing at your best. Be a part of a company that is part of the community, driven to improve our future, protect our freedom – and what matters.

We are seeking a Wargame Developer in support of a government contract for wargaming.

Position located in Quantico, VA.
Responsibilities include:

Conducting research and developing wargame scenario products, including orders of battle, Intelligence Preparation of the Battlespace, and system capabilities
Assisting Game Designers by developing, adapting, and refining wargame mechanics and rules
Developing and producing wargame components, including physical maps, unit tokens, and references materials
Developing, operating, maintaining, and archiving simulations databases in support of wargames and events, with government-provided Model & Simulation tools
Troubleshooting issues with input, retrieval, or modification of simulations databases
Test M&S, terrain data, and scripts
Operate M&S tools during wargame execution
Develop a Program of Instruction for M&S tools
Using the developed Program of Instruction, provide operator training and over the shoulder training to government players
Provide data for government and other contractor analysts

Required Education, Experience, & Skills
•Qualified candidates must have a current and active Secret clearance, with the ability to obtain a TS/SCI
•BA/BS in related field
•Must have experience with Model & Simulation tools
•Must have more than 12 years of related work experience
•Ability to work in collaborative team/staff environments
•Strong interpersonal skills.
•Knowledge of military affairs and/or foreign policy.
•MS Office, especially ability to build professional PowerPoint presentations

Preferred Education, Experience, & Skills
•Experience in wargaming
•Experience in Department of Defense M&S
•Background and understanding of military operations and future concepts, especially for the Marine Corps.

About BAE Systems Intelligence & Security
BAE Systems Intelligence & Security, based in McLean, Virginia, designs and delivers advanced defense, intelligence, and security solutions that support the important missions of our customers. Our pride and dedication shows in everything we do—from intelligence analysis, cyber operations and IT expertise to systems development, systems integration, and operations and maintenance services. Knowing that our work enables the U.S. military and government to recognize, manage and defeat threats inspires us to push ourselves and our technologies to new levels. That’s BAE Systems. That’s Inspired Work. Equal Opportunity Employer/Females/Minorities/Veterans/Disabled/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/Gender Expression. To see Inspired Work in action, visit www.baesystems.com and follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/baesystemsintel.

[bayonetbrant]

same thing I replied over at the Matrix forums

"must have a current and active Secret clearance, with the ability to obtain a TS/SCI"

means you're only going to get current and very-recently-separated military members and contractors, b/c no one is able to get a clearance unless they're already in a job with one, or just coming out of a gig with one and it hasn't expired yet

I've got 14 years in uniform, another 8 as a contractor, and over 40 years of wargaming experience to go with 25 years of design, development, publishing, promoting, reviews, and covering wargaming (and RPGs) but I'm not eligible for this job b/c my security clearance expired after my last DoD gig ended back in 2012.
And I'm an oddity only in that I know how the contractor game is played.


If you want some fresh thought in the building - like all the non-prior service wargamers around here - you might want to go back to the contractor overlords and find out if there's any way to pay for the NAQ investigation if you can find the right candidate who doesn't already have a clearance.  Yes, it's an add'l cost to the contract, but it's the difference between finding the 'right' candidate and the 'convenient' one (ie, less paperwork for HR)....

[trailrunner]

Requiring a clearance at start is not an unusual requirement, especially since they want someone who already has 12 years of experience.  Except for new graduate jobs, I'd say that 95 percent of the DoD jobs in the DC area require a clearance at start.  Also note that they are giving you a break on the TS/SCI clearance - they are willing to pay for that and wait for it to be adjudicated.  That is noteworthy.

Since it's a contractor job, you can always apply and explain your situation.  For a highly qualified person, they might be willing to bend a little.  Sometimes an interim secret can be granted almost immediately.  Finally, it may not be the contractor's fault.  The terms of their contract may stipulate that the person hired have a clearance at start.  The government may not want to pay for someone while they wait for their clearance, and the contractor doesn't want to put the person on overhead while they are waiting for a clearance.

[bayonetbrant]

Requiring a clearance at start is not an unusual requirement, especially since they want someone who already has 12 years of experience.  Except for new graduate jobs, I'd say that 95 percent of the DoD jobs in the DC area require a clearance at start.  Also note that they are giving you a break on the TS/SCI clearance - they are willing to pay for that and wait for it to be adjudicated.  That is noteworthy.

I agree that its not unusual, which is part of the problem

The key is that whether it comes from the gov't or the company, it still dramatically limits the talent pool

Moreover, when it's b/c the company is just too cheap to pay for the investigation, it's entirely self-inflicted

[TTC]

Very intriguing, especially as my retirement date approaches. But I'm not moving to Quantico, or anywhere else in Virginia.

[bbmike]

Very intriguing, especially as my retirement date approaches. But I'm not moving to Quantico, or anywhere else in Virginia.

See, what you should have said there was, "No way in hell as my retirement date approaches!" 

[trailrunner]

Very intriguing, especially as my retirement date approaches. But I'm not moving to Quantico, or anywhere else in Virginia.

I live 30 miles north of Quantico and will reach official retirement date in 2 months and 9 days.  Might be a fun job, but my dream retirement job does not involve PowerPoint.   

[Sir Slash]

I always told my Mother that playing games could become a worthwhile profession. Too bad she's not here to see me proven correct. But I can still feel where she would slap the back of my head every time I said this to her. 

[BletchleyGeek]

means you're only going to get current and very-recently-separated military members and contractors, b/c no one is able to get a clearance unless they're already in a job with one, or just coming out of a gig with one and it hasn't expired yet

Hi Brant,

FWIW - which is not much - I thought you, or someone very much like you, would have been an excellent candidate. I don't know what you mean by "no one is able to get a clearance". It seems to me it should be possible to have a chat about the challenges, either factual or perceived.

[bayonetbrant]

don't know what you mean by "no one is able to get a clearance".

I'm plenty capable of clearing the security clearance check - done it several times in my life.  But unless a company sponsors that investigation for you, there's no way to get one as a civilian.  You can't just pay out of pocket to get the investigation done.  So no, for all practical purposes, unless you already have one from a current position, you can't really get one because no employer wants to get stuck with the cost of the investigation, so they just insist you come in with one and pass the cost back to wherever you're coming from.

[BletchleyGeek]

no employer wants to get stuck with the cost of the investigation, so they just insist you come in with one and pass the cost back to wherever you're coming from.

Right, now I understand the frustration, and thank you very much for taking the time to clarify this point for me.

I don't think that is reasonable. That's a culture of passing the buck... I am frankly surprised that the full costs of the process are borne by the candidate, rather than the sponsoring company/institution. I mean, in Australia you would need to pay for some costs (like the National Police Check), but not other stuff like checking your financial history or your digital footprint.

Still, this may be a case of the job offer wording coming from a template that hasn't been reviewed or thought about very carefully. So I think it is still worth a shot to have a chat with whomever may be in charge.

[bayonetbrant]

Still, this may be a case of the job offer wording coming from a template that hasn't been reviewed or thought about very carefully. So I think it is still worth a shot to have a chat with whomever may be in charge.

there are a lot of times when the gov't insists that the contractors already have their clearances before being put on the project.  It's (theoretically) possible for the company to pay for the clearance for someone before assigning them to it, but that could cause a delay in starting, and no one wants to have to tell the gov't they've got a 7-10 week delay built in up front.

[bbmike]

...and no one wants to have to tell the gov't they've got a 7-10 week delay built in up front.

Yeah, you wait until after you get the contract then tell them that. When they complain, you tell them how much extra it will cost them to speed things up.