Senior Operational Medicine Advisor

DHS Headquarters • Washington, DC

15h

About The Position

This position is in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Health Security (OHS), Immediate Office of the Chief Medical Officer. The Senior Operational Medicine Advisor serves as an executive-level technical leader, providing strategic direction, policy oversight, and operational coordination for field-based medical support to DHS Components, emergency and crisis response, high-threat health operations, and protective medicine. The role provides a critical link between the Chief Medical Officer and OHS senior leadership, directorates, and units, including Field Medical Operations. The advisor may also support other OHS program areas as needed.

The position advises senior leadership on emerging health threats, operational medical support, and force health protection; develops and reviews medical operations analyses; and guides operational medicine programs and goals. It coordinates medical support for the DHS workforce during routine operations, major events, and high-risk domestic or international missions and travel. The role supports medical contingency planning, including trauma pathways, vetted local medical facilities, and pre-positioning specialized medical assets. It also translates global health and asymmetric threat intelligence into protective medical protocols, contributes to national crisis response and health security operations, and advances policy, research, and continuous program improvement. The advisor may represent OHS on technical panels and committees, provide briefings and presentations, write technical papers and reviews, and prepare Congressional testimony for senior leadership.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens and meet the position’s mandatory physician education, licensure, residency, and board-certification requirements. The position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI clearance and is subject to pre-employment and random drug testing. The selected applicant will serve a one-year probationary period unless already completed and must file an Executive Branch Public Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of appointment and annually thereafter. The application is resume-only, limited to two pages, and must demonstrate all Professional/Mandatory Technical Qualifications. The role is at the SL-0602-00 level; time-in-grade requirements do not apply.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship.
• Current, active, full, and unrestricted physician license or registration from a U.S. state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or a U.S. territory.
• Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, or equivalent degree meeting the stated accreditation requirements.
• Documented completion of a residency or equivalent program after the medical degree and active board certification in emergency medicine, surgery, or a related area of specialization.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security clearance.
• Successful completion of required background investigation and a negative pre-employment drug test; employees may also be subject to random drug testing.
• Resume must demonstrate all mandatory Professional/Mandatory Technical Qualifications and be no longer than two pages.
• Demonstrated leadership in operational and tactical medicine, including extensive engagement with partners, clinicians, and stakeholders to coordinate and rapidly develop and execute medical response plans under dynamic, high-pressure conditions.
• Extensive knowledge of operational medicine strategies, including medical intelligence gathering, site-survey methodologies, and medical contingency planning for high-profile missions, protective security missions, or specialized operational deployments.
• Skill integrating counter-threat medical planning with physical security, law enforcement operations, and force health protection strategies during asymmetric or high-consequence national security incidents.
• Submit an unofficial transcript or qualifying course list to verify education; official transcripts are required if selected.
• If relying on foreign medical education, provide the required evidence of U.S. equivalency.

Responsibilities

• Advise the Chief Medical Officer and OHS senior leadership on emerging health threats, operational medical support to Components, and force health protection strategies.
• Initiate and review medical operations analysis projects to assess resource utilization, identify vulnerabilities in field care, and recommend program improvements.
• Provide policy leadership and guidance for operational medicine program goals and coordinate with federal, state, local, foreign-allied, academic, and private-sector partners.
• Guide medical support for the DHS workforce during routine operations, major special events, high-risk domestic and international operations, and travel.
• Develop or advise on protocols for immediate trauma stabilization and resuscitative care in non-clinical environments.
• Assist in designing and executing medical contingency plans, including dedicated trauma pathways, vetted local medical facilities, and pre-positioned specialized medical assets.
• Represent OHS on national or international panels, committees, and technical groups; deliver presentations and briefings; write technical papers and reviews; and prepare Congressional testimony for OHS senior leadership.
• Translate global health and asymmetric threat intelligence into protective medical protocols for frontline law enforcement and other personnel.
• Serve on the OHS incident response cadre and support DHS Primary Mission Essential Functions and health security operations during national crises and emergencies.
• Conduct senior-level health and medical policy review, research, and programmatic activities to advance organizational goals.
• Initiate and implement innovative practices for continuous improvement and program development.
• Make recommendations based on analyses and assist in planning and implementing new policies, regulations, or legislation.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package for employees and their families; specific benefit eligibility depends on position type.
• Recruitment, relocation, or retention incentive may be authorized at management’s discretion.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree