Initial employment would be for two years, with two-year extensions, not to exceed six years. Image: tadamichi/Shutterstock.com
Civilian spouses of airmen and guardians who are stationed overseas now have a new avenue of support when they look for employment. Following guidelines set by the 2022 defense-spending bill, the Department of the Air Force has established a pilot program that allows officials to quickly hire them for certain temporary jobs. While these officials will retain say-so as to which positions are open, the pilot program does remove a barrier that had required spouses for compete for employment. Competitive rankings and ratings will not come into play during the hiring process.
“We recognize that spouse employment is a fundamental quality of life issue for airmen and guardians, especially for families in overseas locations,” said John Carbone, the Air Force’s director of civilian force management. “We’re hoping having access to this new hiring authority will open up greater employment opportunities for spouses, which in turn will positively impact military retention, the financial well-being of the family, and Department of the Air Force readiness.”
The pilot comes with a requirement that the available jobs must be permanently located overseas, appear under the general schedule or federal wage system, and are at pay levels GS-15 and below and equivalent. To be eligible, spouses must appear on the service member’s permanent change of duty station (PCS) orders at government expense, and live with the service member in the community near the duty station.
Initial employment would be for two years, with two-year extensions, not to exceed six years. The jobs would end once the service member transfers either back to the U.S., or to another overseas duty station. The employment also would end with the service member-sponsor’s death, divorce, retirement, or separation from active duty.
More information is available online at https://afciviliancareers.com/find-a-job. Local civilian personnel offices also can help.
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