The U.S. Department of the Navy's Systems Engineering Career Competency Model: Identification of Proficiency Levels and Career Path Modeling

Abstract

The United States (US) Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, is sponsoring an initiative led by a team from the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), to implement an overall approach to study and develop a systems engineering career competency model (SECCM). The initiative is significant as recent studies into career development models have found that firms are searching for individuals who possess both technical and non‐technical competencies. Competencies are defined as the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for a systems engineer to perform tasks related to the discipline. NPS is working with the US Office of Personnel Management and the US Navy, to develop proficiency levels and to perform career path modeling. SECCM competencies are partitioned into a series of career development points, to allow for a competency based approach towards career development. This paper describes the development of proficiency levels and career path modeling capabilities, as aligned with the SECCM.

The U.S. Department of Defense Systems Engineering Competency Model

“…As such, definitions of and expectations for systems engineers vary across the Naval R&D Enterprise. For a discussion of the uses of competency models, and the details of the development of the SECCM, see Whitcomb, Delgado et al 2014, Whitcomb, White, et al 2015Khan et al 2016. The SECCM can be used for…”