WHAT’S NEW
MOREin’24 CAMPAIGN – ACCELERATING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
The Army Director, Acquisition Career Management (DACM) Office is thrilled to announce the launch of the MOREin’24 campaign. This expanded digital upskilling initiative builds upon our Udemy Digital Foundations courses to provide you with more options and an accelerated digital learning pathway. At the heart of this campaign is the unveiling of a first-of-its-kind Army DACM credential exclusive to the Army–the Digital Foundations credential. The credential went live in CAPPMIS on March 22, and will be automatically granted to all those who complete or have already completed the three Udemy foundational pathway courses.
Three New Courses
In addition to the credential, continue your digital learning journey by enrolling in three MORE carefully curated courses on Udemy Business:
- Executive Briefing – Data Science and Machine Learning is worth two Continuous Learning Points (CLPs)
- Design Thinking: The Fundamentals (2 CLPs)
- Introduction to Cloud Computing (1 CLP)
What’s in it for You?
Completing the Digital Foundations credential unlocks a host of benefits. The new credential will earn you a total of 18 CLPs; 14 for the course and four for the credential. If you completed the courses in fiscal year 2023, your Digital Foundations credential and an additional four more CLPs will retroactively and automatically populate in CAPPMIS. Your official downloadable certificate, issued by the Army DACM Office, is yours to keep and can be accessed through your CAPPMIS account. For additional details and answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ), click here. If you have any questions or concerns about these changes, please submit a ticket here.
COMING SOON – AUTOMATIC AWARDING OF CONTINUOUS LEARNING POINTS (CLPs)
Beginning April 9, the Army DACM Office will begin automatically awarding CLPs to your Individual Development Plan (IDP) in CAPPMIS upon completion of a DAU Defense Acquisition credential. When you complete all credential requirements, DAU awards the credential on the individuals DAU transcript. Weekly, the DACM Office receives a data feed with credential completion information, which will now include CLPs and adds that to the individuals Army Career Record Brief (ACRB).
To enroll in a DAU credential, go through the DAU Virtual Campus at https://dau.csod.com; CAC login required.
OPPORTUNITIES
TWO OFFERINGS-NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MASTER’S DEGREE PROGRAMS
Now through May 13, Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW) civilians can apply to either one of two master’s degree program offerings:
- The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) Systems and Program Management Non-Resident Master’s Degree Program (Cohort 722-251G)
- The NPS Systems Engineering Non-Resident Master’s Degree Program (Cohort 311-251G)
READY TO GET YOUR SYSTEMS AND PROGRAM MANAGEMENT MASTER’S DEGREE?
The NPS Systems and Program Management master’s degree program is offered to AAW civilians of any of the six acquisition functional areas at the GS-11 through GS-15 (or payband equivalent) levels who have satisfied their current position’s DAWIA certification requirements (or are within the grace period)
This master’s degree program combines systems engineering with program management knowledge and skills. The program is intended to broaden the technical capabilities of acquisition workforce professionals who may have non-technical backgrounds. Students in this program
learn the systems engineering process from establishing system requirements through test and evaluation.
READY TO GET YOUR SYSTEMS ENGINEERING MASTER’S DEGREE?
The NPS Systems Engineering master’s degree program is offered to AAW civilians who are in the Engineering and Technical Management (ETM) functional area or the Test and Evaluation (T&E) functional area at the GS-11 through GS-15 (or payband equivalent) levels who have satisfied their current position’s DAWIA certification requirements (or are within the grace period). This program educates and trains engineers with tools and technologies relevant to their work, resulting in greater knowledge and expertise to better meet the systems engineering and integration requirements and challenges of your customers.
Both NPS master’s degree programs are two years in length and held in a distance learning-based format and you can earn your degree during duty hours. The academic cohort dates are Sept. 30, 2024 – Sept. 25, 2026.
Applications to both programs are being accepted now through May 13, 2024.
UP FOR A CHALLENGE? APPLY TO THE ACQUISITION LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE PROGRAM (ALCP)
Now through April 30, the ALCP 4th quarter fiscal year 2024 application cycle is open to AAW miliary and civilian professionals, including Science and Technology Reinvention Laboratories (STRLs) term employees. ALCP harnesses self-awareness as the tool for enhancing leadership, innovation and diversity development by demonstrating how individual preferences and behaviors affect the ways we interact with co-workers and are viewed by others. Program offerings help participants understand how accepting individual differences can produce a stronger group and a leadership corps that’s capable, collaborative and creative. Through various, custom-targeted iterations, ALCP is available to top-performing civilian and military AAW professionals at multiple personnel levels:
- Acquisition Leadership Challenge Program Beginnings (ALCP B) – For civilian AAW members at the GS-7 through GS-11 (and payband equivalent) levels, ALCP B is a two-day virtual course targeted to assist newly-hired civil service professionals in the federal and acquisition workforce. The focus is on building a solid foundation for effective and efficient acclimation into the workforce.
- Acquisition Leadership Challenge Program I (ALCP I) – For civilian AAW members at the GS-12 through GS-13 (and payband equivalent) levels, military AAW captains and majors, staff sergeants and sergeants first class, ALCP I focuses on the individual with emphasis on who they are and their behavioral preferences and leadership tendencies. Other course topics include conflict resolution, change and decision making.
- Acquisition Leadership Challenge Program II (ALCP II) – For civilian AAW members at the GS-14 through GS-15 (and payband equivalent) levels, military AAW lieutenant colonels, colonels, master sergeants and first sergeants, this 2.5-day virtual course focuses on the major challenge for new organizational leaders and incorporating individual talents into a cohesive workforce. This course also covers vision, self-awareness, lifelong learning, coherent strategies, organizational transformation and cross-cultural environments.
- Acquisition Leadership Challenge Program III (ALCP III) – For civilian AAW members at the GS-14 through GS-15 (and payband equivalent) levels, Senior Executive Service (SES) members, military AAW lieutenant colonels, colonels, general officers, master sergeants, first sergeants, sergeants major and command sergeants major, this 2.5-day virtual course focuses on further development of leadership skills in areas such as mentoring, coaching, feedback, influence styles, work engagement profiles and leadership goals.
The Army DACM Office ALCP program manager will coordinate directly with each designated command Lead Organizational Acquisition Point of Contact (OAP) to fill quotas via a 1-N list of interested AAW members. Each command will be provided quotas to ALCP offerings based on command size. Please provide your nominations to your designated Lead OAP no later than close of business on April 30, 2024.
Submit questions to darrell.e.whitehurst.civ@army.mil. For more information, go to the ALCP webpage.
ENTERPRISE CIVILIAN LEADER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (ECLDP) – OPEN NOW THROUGH APRIL 30
The ECTDP, formerly known as the Senior Enterprise Talent Management and the Enterprise Talent Management (SETM/ETM), are Army talent management programs created to produce senior civilian leaders with an enterprise perspective who could serve in increasing levels of responsibility. Senior level and entry- to mid-level programs consist of multiple modules and leadership development courses. Applicants may apply for one or more modules and/or courses for which they are qualified. ECTDP is administered by the Civilian Human Resources Agency Army Civilian Career Management Activity (ACCMA). Eligible applicants are Army civilians GS-07 through GS-15 (and equivalent payband) employees and eligibility varies by module. Complete applications must be submitted by April 30.
To apply for these opportunities, go through the ACCMA Talent Development Application Portal at https://secure.civilians.army.mil/TalentDev (CAC enabled).
FISCAL YEAR 2026 PROJECT/PRODUCT MANAGER AND PRODUCT DIRECTOR OPPORTUNITIES NOW OPEN
Now through April 19, civilian applications are being accepted for consideration to fill opportunities amongst the fiscal year 2026 Centralized Selection List (CSL) and Centralized Selection Board (CSB) positions. The Army Acquisition Professional Development System (AAPDS), housed within the Career Acquisition Management Portal (CAMP) system, enables civilians who are interested and eligible to “opt-in” to CSL/CSB opportunities using a single portal and one application packet.
Selection for these positions through the centralized selection process are among the most important decisions the Army makes. The purpose of the process is to identify a pool of high performing and high potential civilian acquisition professionals who can lead high-visibility acquisition programs to meet the mission and vision of the Army acquisition enterprise.
These leaders also play a crucial role in developing, enabling and retaining our workforce professionals. Best-qualified individuals will be selected for specifically identified acquisition command and acquisition positions.
For additional CSL details, click here or contact Adam Polite at adam.b.polite.civ@army.mil.
For additional CSB details, click here or contact Kelly L. Terry at kelly.l.terry2.civ@army.mil.
INVITATION TO DOD SMALL BUSINESS TRAINING WEEK 2024 IN CHICAGO
On behalf of Farooq Mitha, Director of DOD Small Business Programs, defense acquisition workforce government employees are invited to the upcoming Small Business Training Week 2024 conference. This year’s theme is “Breaking Down Small Business Barriers: Strategies for Success and Igniting the Future.” The event promis es to be an invaluable opportunity to gain insights, strategies and tools to enhance collective efforts in supporting small businesses within the defense industrial base. With over 50 speakers from various organizations, including the DOD, Small Business Administration, Minority Business Development Agency and General Services Administration, you’ll be briefed on new legislation, regulatory updates, policy changes and best practices. Key highlights include:
- Insightful keynote addresses and panel discussions featuring experts and thought leaders in the field.
- Interactive workshops covering a range of topics, including procurement processes, contract management, supplier diversity and more.
- Networking opportunities to connect with colleagues, share experiences and forge collaborations that drive small business success in defense acquisition.
- The DOD Small Business Vanguard Awards Program honoring individuals who positively impact small business involvement in Defense procurements.
To register online and secure your spot at this essential event, go to www.sbtw24.com.
DAU NEWS
CONTRACTING PROFESSIONALS: CHANGES TO CON CERTIFICATION COURSES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025
Starting Oct. 1, there will be changes to the layout of the training for the DOD Contracting Professional Certification. DAU restructured four courses (CON 1100V, 1200V, 1300V and 1400V) for delivery over a shorter timeframe without any major impacts to course objectives and content and successfully piloted them with students. Learn more here.
POLICY AND GUIDANCE
CONTRACTING FUNCTIONAL AREA – UPDATED POSITION CATEGORY DESCRIPTION (PCD)
An updated defense workforce Position Category Description (PCD) for the Contracting Functional Area is now available. This PCD assists in determining which functional area to assign to an acquisition position per Title 10, Sec. 1721. This document, dated March 1, 2024, covers topics such as duties, position titles and career codes, both military and civilian for those in the Contracting Functional Area.
DAU COURSE FULFILLMENT CREDIT – FUNCTIONAL AREA 51 OFFICERS
Effective Feb. 27, a DACM memo titled “Fulfillment of Defense Acquisition University Courses through Completion of the Naval Postgraduate School Academic Programs” was issued. The memo outlines the process for Functional Area 51 officers to receive fulfillment credit for DAU courses after successfully completing one of the Naval Postgraduate School master’s degree programs, academic certificates, and/or courses listed in the enclosure of the memorandum.
CENTRALIZED SELECTION LIST BILLETS, BOARD POSITIONS AND CSM POSITIONS – REQUIREMENTS
Effective Feb. 29, a DACM memo titled “Requirements for Individuals Selected for Centralized Selection List Acquisition Key Billets, Centralized Selection Board Positions, and Command Sergeant Major Positions” was issued. This policy outlines the pre-command required and authorized training for individuals who have been selected for Centralized Selection List (CSL) Acquisition key billet project and product manager, acquisition director, contracting commander, contracting brigade command sergeant major, and Centralized Selection Board project and product director positions. This policy also covers tenure agreements and the issuance of charters for the above positions, as applicable.
NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICER (NCO) DEGREE COMPLETION PROGRAM (DCP)
Effective March 7, a DACM memo titled “Army Acquisition Non-Commissioned Officer Degree Completion Policy” was issued. This memo establishes policy and procedures for the NCO DCP and outlines the program’s application and participation requirements. The program’s goal is to ensure participating NCOs receive an acquisition or business-related bachelor’s degree in a timely manner and increase their competency as a business advisor.
COMING SOON
IDEAL
Save the date for May 22; the Inspiring and Developing Excellence in Acquisition Leaders (IDEAL) program will begin accepting applications. IDEAL is a leader development program for GS-12 and -13 (or broadband equivalent) AAW new and emerging supervisors. IDEAL utilizes a competency-based approach focused on Army leadership competencies identified in Army Regulation 600-100, Army Profession and Leadership Policy. The competencies are standard across all Acquisition Functional Areas.
- Prepares self.
- Builds trust.
- Stewards the profession.
- Communicates.
- Develops others.
- Leads by example.
- Gets results.
- Creates a positive environment.
- Leads others.
- Extends influence.
Participants should possess clearly documented potential for supervisory or leadership positions. There will be one fiscal year 2025 cohort. The cohort will meet in Huntsville, Alabama for three separate, one-week long resident sessions held over a period of approximately four months. In between sessions, participants will return to their workplaces where they will utilize newly learned skills and put into practice the concepts and competencies they studied and examined during the resident sessions. The IDEAL curriculum includes classroom instruction, engagement with senior leaders, a site visit and group activities.
