Competencies Expert

With a passion for excellence, Golden Key Group (GKG) helps clients solve their strategic, organizational, and operational challenges to better meet their mission demands. We have serviced more than 25 Federal departments and agencies and several large commercial companies since our inception in 2002.

Golden Key Group's talented professionals, combined with our strategic partners, bring a depth of commercial and government experience and expertise. We are relentless in delivering the highest levels of services to provide tangible value and create sustainable results for our clients.

We are seeking an experienced Competencies Expert to support workforce planning, talent management, and human capital strategy for a federal intelligence agency in Springfield, Virginia. This individual will develop, assess, validate, maintain, and improve competency models, behavioral indicators, and proficiency standards for a diverse workforce.

The Competencies Expert will conduct workforce competency-gap analyses, map competencies to specific roles and career paths, and develop targeted recommendations to address identified needs. The ideal candidate combines expertise in industrial-organizational psychology, competency modeling, job analysis, psychometric validation, and federal workforce frameworks with the ability to communicate actionable findings to agency leaders.

Position Location: Springfield, VA

Expected Start: Early 2027

This position is being recruited in support of potential future contract awards, and qualified candidates may be considered for upcoming opportunities supporting federal government clients.

Develop, assess, evaluate, validate, maintain, and improve workforce competency models, behavioral indicators, and proficiency standards
• Conduct competency-gap analyses across the workforce
• Design targeted approaches to address identified gaps through training, professional development, hiring, and other workforce initiatives
• Map competencies to specific job roles, career paths, occupational job groupings, and proficiency levels
• Develop competency models for technical, professional, senior leadership, and executive-level positions
• Conduct qualitative and quantitative job-task analyses
• Design and implement skills-based assessments for technical and mission-focused positions
• Align competency models with applicable federal and Intelligence Community workforce frameworks and standards
• Analyze competency-assessment data and translate findings into actionable workforce recommendations
• Communicate competency-assessment findings and recommendations to agency leaders, managers, and other stakeholders
• Support strategic workforce planning, talent management, career development, and succession-planning decisions
• Partner with industrial-organizational psychologists, organizational-development professionals, Human Resources specialists, and technical subject matter experts
• Apply artificial intelligence and machine-learning techniques to analyze competency data, identify workforce trends, and enhance model development and validation
• Conduct or support psychometric validation studies for competency-based assessments
• Ensure competency models and assessment practices comply with applicable professional standards and federal guidelines
• Prepare executive-level reports, briefings, presentations, and supporting documentation

• Master's degree or higher from an accredited institution in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Organizational Development, Human Resources Management, Applied Psychology, or a related field
• Active TS/SCI clearance with a current polygraph
• Minimum of five years of experience developing competency models, behavioral indicators, proficiency standards, and related competency factors in accordance with applicable professional and federal guidelines
• At least three years of experience developing and mapping competencies for Intelligence Community or Department of Defense-specific job roles
• At least three years of experience applying qualitative and quantitative job-task analysis methodologies
• Experience developing competency models for senior leadership or executive-level positions
• Experience aligning competency models with federal workforce frameworks, such as the Department of Defense Cyber Workforce Framework, National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity, or applicable Intelligence Community employment standards
• Experience implementing skills-based assessments for technical positions
• Experience working with industrial-organizational psychology principles, tools, or assessment vendors
• Demonstrated ability to interpret competency-assessment data and develop actionable recommendations
• Strong analytical, research, documentation, presentation, and stakeholder-management skills
• Ability to communicate complex competency findings to technical and non-technical audiences
• Ability to work full-time on-site in Springfield, Virginia

• At least two years of experience conducting advanced psychometric-validation studies for competency-based assessments
• Experience applying artificial intelligence or machine-learning techniques to analyze competency data and enhance model development
• At least two years of experience supporting the Intelligence Community
• Experience supporting strategic workforce planning, career-path development, succession planning, or enterprise talent-management initiatives
• Knowledge of federal employment standards, workforce policies, and assessment requirements