Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson Q, A JBER Vacancies

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ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Q1. Will the future job announcements be open to all Department of Defense or open to only current Elmendorf Air Force Base/Fort Richardson employees? So, when will this process start?
A1. Since Air Force has the lead for JBER, Air Force policy and rules will be followed. Currently, it is Air Force policy to advertise vacant positions DoD-wide.

Q2. I am an Army employee. If I apply and get a new Army or Air Force position, will the Army backfill the position or will it remain vacant until after Full Operational Capability?
A2. If an Army position is vacated prior to Full Operational Capability and the vacated position is a continuing position, Army management may choose to fill the vacancy if the employee's start date is prior to FOC. If it is unlikely that a position can be filled prior to FOC, it may be filled using AF processes with an employee start date after FOC. Management could decide to not fill the position, as is the case with all positions that become vacant whether there is a joint base situation or not.

Q3. Will open applications for jobs affect the Air Force Career positions?
A3. In the Air Force, both Appropriated Funds and Non-appropriated funds cover certain positions under a career program. For more information about the APF Air Forced career programs visit: http://ask.afpc.randolph.af.mil/civforcemgmt/default.asp
For NAF career program information visit: http://www.afnafcareers.com

Q4. Where will new job openings for JBER be listed? Will they be listed as Elmendorf prior to FOC or JBER? When will they be opened?
A4. APF JBER job openings for current Air Force employees will be listed on the Air Force Personnel Center Web site (AFPC Secure Applications). The Air Force "Secure Apps" tab can be found at: https://ask.afpc.randolph.af.mil/
Army employees will not be able to access the Air Force Secure applications until after their Air Force Command Access Card is initialized. However, additional information on application procedures is available on the AFPC Employment web site: https://ww2.afpc.randolph.af.mil/resweb/.
Army employees can find Air Force positions listed on http://www.usajobs.gov/ Some Air Force employees can also apply for external Air Force postings on USAJOBS depending upon their individual eligibilities.
After FOC, all employees will be Air Force. Employees can apply for positions through AFPC Secure and/or USAJOBS depending upon their individual eligibilities.
NAF vacancy announcements are posted on www.elmendorfservices.com

Q5. Will current Army employees, once converted to Air Force, be able to apply for Army only positions?
A5. Army has the flexibility to set the area of consideration for position vacancies to the groups that it is believed will provide a sufficient number of candidates. If advertising a position Armywide is believed to produce an adequate number of candidates, then applicants outside of Army will not be considered.

Q6. Are the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) "rules" for filling positions the same for Army and Air Force?
A6. OPM regulations are used Federal-wide, meaning they are used for Army and Air Force as well as any other Federal agency. However, application processes and procedures vary from agency to agency.

Q7. I've seen Air Force jobs advertised requiring experience under Air Force regulations. How will positions be advertised supporting Army needs and skills best described under non-Air Force regulations? Will the announcements show as supporting Army requirements so as to encourage candidates with Army experience?
A7. The vacancy announcements for positions in JBER will describe the knowledge skills and abilities required of the position.

Q8. Functional managers currently make selections of new hires for their section/organization. After June/October 2010, will functional managers continue to make selections and who else will review selection?
A8. No change is expected in the process of managers making selections for the position vacancies in their section/organization. Management does have some discretion in the selection process. While first level supervisors normally make selections, the process is sometimes elevated to a higher level of management.

Q9. In some cases, there will be an Air Force manager and an Army manager in the same position but JBER will have only one manager or one manager and a deputy. How will these positions be filled?
A9. It is anticipated there will be some duplicate manager positions. We are currently reviewing the organizations to identify these situations. We will utilize APF and NAF Human Resources flexibilities to the extent possible to mitigate adverse impact.

Q10. It sounded to me that current Air Force civilian personnel will have priority in filling the 180 openings. Is this accurate?
A10. No. How the shortfall positions in JBER will be filled has not yet been determined, but Army and Air Force will be considered fairly.

Q11. How long does it take the Air Force to fill a vacancy?
A11. The length of time to fill an AF vacancy varies. Jobs might be filled in as short a period as 30 days or much longer (i.e., a year) if the job is hard-to-fill and travel is involved. The average Air Force-wide is currently around 120 days.

Q12. Why can't Air Force jobs be announced on CPOL since we will be a joint base?
A12. Civilian Personnel On-Line is an Army-specific program. JBER will be an Air Force organization and Air Force human resource processes will be used.
The Civilian Announcement Notification System (CANS) is an Air Force program that allows job seekers to sign up using your e-mail address to automatically receive a list of new Air Force civilian job announcements that match your specific search criteria. To find out more about CANS visit: https://ww2.afpc.randolph.af.mil/resweb/cans.htm