How to hire an action officer

How to hire an action officer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step action officer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an action officer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new action officer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your action officer job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find an action officer for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An action officer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, action officers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of action officer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Action Officer	Description	Hourly rate
   Action Officer		$11-51
   Command And Control Officer	Command and control officers help air, naval, and ground operations by managing the communication, detection, and weapon systems. These officers are in charge of critical communication links by formulating emergency plans and coordinating with emergency response teams to implement their proposals... Show more	$11-51
   Information Management Officer	An Information Management officer usually works as a member of an organization's information technology department. Although the extent of their responsibilities depends on their employment, it typically includes developing and implementing information systems according to company policies and regulations, gathering and sorting data, handling databases and spreadsheets, preparing and processing documentation, and presenting progress reports to managers regularly... Show more	$11-51

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • DOD
   • National Security
   • Government Agencies
   • Direct Support
   • POC
   • Situational Awareness
   • Policy Guidance
   • Subject Matter Expertise
   • SharePoint
   • Disa
   • Technical Assistance
   • OSD
   • Logistics Support
   • HQ

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Apply business engineering/re-engineering principles to achieve productivity and quality improvement of DoD products.
   • Implement upgrades, manage security and troubleshoot problems in numerous environments and on many levels of computer technology.
   • Define technical support requirements, coordinate tasks, develop technical documentation and maintain reference materials on C2 training.
   • Upload and maintain data on SharePoint portal page.
   • Update and maintain SharePoint for task tracking and file sharing.
   • Report findings to IMO to investigate and decide necessary corrective steps to correct equipment malfunctions.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your action officer job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An action officer salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, action officers' average salary in wyoming is 58% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level action officers earn 78% less than senior-level action officers.
   • Certifications. An action officer with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an action officer's salary.

   Average action officer salary

   $51,575yearly

   $24.80 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level action officer salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

4. Writing an action officer job description

   A good action officer job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an action officer job description:

   Action officer job description example

   Title:
   
   Sr. Action Officer
   
   KBR is seeking an Action Officer (mid-level) to join our Ground Enterprise Directorate (GED) Customer's acquisition office support staff. The Customer is responsible for major system acquisition and operations support of ground hardware and software systems within the GED portfolio. Candidates will direct and oversee the receipt tasking, tracking, and closure of all internal and external tasks for the Director's Action Group (DAG).
   
   Responsibilities:
   
   Establish and maintain working relationships with customers and other internal and external stakeholders of the Directorate/Office. Answer and filter action items appropriately to reduce the burden on SPO Action Officers. Coordinate with organizational elements to deliver Enterprise-Level responses. Analyze and assign actions as appropriate. Manage and execute the action tracking process, to include the creation of standard operating procedures (SOP). Generate metrics to demonstrate accountability for meeting deadlines and quality expectations and develop reports on action status. Draft, proofread, edit, and provide final review of internal and external correspondence. Coordinate and maintain presentations. Participate in internal committees, Integrated Process Teams (IPT), working groups and task forces.
   
   * Degree: Bachelor's degree in a technical or business-related discipline (Advance degree preferred)
   * 10 years within any government organization or 5 years within the DoD/IC
   * TS/SCI with CI Poly.
   
   Or:
   
   * Degree: Associates degree in any discipline
   * 10 years experience within DoD/IC or 5 years within the NRO.
   * TS/SCI with CI Poly.
   
   Demonstrated experience in/with:
   
   * Federal acquisition, DoD/IC budget and finance, National Security Policy.
   * Systems engineering and/or project / program management
   * Experience working with Senior executives
   * Microsoft Office and standard computer applications
   * Being adaptable, versatile, and flexible.
   * Fostering relationships to promote cooperation and communication
   * Analyzing situations and making well informed decisions
   * Communicating effectively and concisely
   
   In compliance with the U.S. federal government's vaccine mandate, only candidates who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or have a reasonable accommodation or approved medical exception will be considered for this position.
   
   KBR is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, union status and/or beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find action officers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any action officers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level action officers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your action officer job on Zippia to find and recruit action officer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit action officers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new action officer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the action officer position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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