PALACE Acquire

What is the PALACE Acquire Program?

In the PALACE Acquire (PAQ) Program, you will occupy a permanent full-time position during a two-four year, formal training plan designed to let you experience both personal and professional growth while dealing effectively and ethically with change, complexity, and problem solving. You will receive promotions and yearly salary increases based upon your successful performance and supervisory approval. Upon completion of the formal training plan, the PALACE Acquire Program offers you a permanent position at the current duty location or within the servicing major command, making it a great opportunity to begin a successful civilian career with Air Force Civilian Service (AFCS).

PALACE Acquire Eligibility Requirements

KEY REQUIREMENTS:

U.S. Citizenship, Security Clearance, and Mobility Agreement. The Mobility Agreement is a signed document stating that an employee is aware of and agrees with the condition that a position may require relocation at a later date.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

To qualify for the PALACE Acquire positions, individuals must be pursuing a four-year college degree and in their last year of completing degree requirements.

In addition to basic degree requirements, one of the following conditions has to be met:

• GPA of 2.95 (or better) overall or in last two years.
• GPA of 3.45 (or better) in major overall or in last two years.
• Class ranking in upper 1/3 of graduating class in the college, university or major subdivision (i.e., School of Business; class rank letter must be signed by Registrar or Dean).
• Membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society (excluding freshman year).
• One full year of graduate level study.
• Possess a Master's or higher degree, e.g., LL.B., J.D., LL.M., Ph.D, in a field that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work.
• An equivalent combination of graduate education as described above and specialized experience which, when combined, would equate to 100%.
• One full year of directly-related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level. If ungraded hours exceed 10 percent, GPA cannot be used.

PALACE Acquire Career Fields

• Audit Agency
• Civil Engineering
• Communications and Information
• Financial Management
• Force Support
• International Affairs
• History and Museums
• Intelligence
• Logistics
• Program Management
• Public Affairs
• Safety
• Security
• Science and Engineering
• Special Investigations

For more information on the program, call the AFCS Program information line at 1-800-847-0108 and select from the menu the Career Field about which you are interested in receiving additional information.

Science & Engineering PAQ Program

The Science and Engineering (S&E) PAQ program offers qualified Bachelor of Science graduates a well-planned, three-year development and training program, which includes one year of graduate studies relating to state-of-the-art technology.

The first and third years of this unique training and development program involve work experience, while the second year is dedicated to paid graduate studies (tuition, fees, and books are paid, and PAQ employees maintain full salary). Qualified applicants with relevant Master of Science or Bachelor of Science degrees supplemented by one year of professional engineering or science experience may also be considered and, if selected, may be placed in a two-year on-the-job training program. At the end of the development period, you will be promoted to journeyman-level engineer or scientist.

Eligibility requirements are: GPA of 3.05, GRE 1000, US Citizen. We also offer to eligible candidates up to a 25% sign on bonus and repayment of student loans up to $20,000 for qualifying Federally insured loans.

Scholarships are offered through the Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) program. Details can be found at www.asee.org/smart.

How to Apply

Candidates can apply for positions within the PALACE Acquire program by:

1. Responding to an open vacancy announcement posted on the USAJOBS website, airforce.usajobs.gov. The details on how to apply for the available positions will be specified in the announcement.
2. Attending an on-campus interview session (during fall and spring semesters) at a university where AFCS is recruiting. On-campus recruiting efforts generally begin in October of each year for all positions. View the Recruitment Schedule to determine the locations of upcoming recruitment opportunities.