Facilities that Pay on Non-GS Systems

[BigGayAl]

Hello everyone,

Does anyone know what facilities take on SMART scholars on non-gs positions, like Lab Demo or Acquisition pay banding? I'm applying again after completing my first round in the program but GS wages are exceedingly noncompetitive.

[Guest1234]

Hello everyone,

Does anyone know what facilities take on SMART scholars on non-gs positions, like Lab Demo or Acquisition pay banding? I'm applying again after completing my first round in the program but GS wages are exceedingly noncompetitive.

Most of WPAFB has transitioned. All of AFRL will be under Lab demo, and LCMC will be under Acq demo.

[JustANote]

Hello everyone,

Does anyone know what facilities take on SMART scholars on non-gs positions, like Lab Demo or Acquisition pay banding? I'm applying again after completing my first round in the program but GS wages are exceedingly noncompetitive.

Just something to consider: Like you said a lot of GS wages are not competitive in terms of the starting salary. However, if you are put in a laddered position on the gs scale, you can leap a grade every year. This can allow for significant raises that can allow you to match/outpace industry peers in only 2-3 years.

[Guest1234]

Hello everyone,

Does anyone know what facilities take on SMART scholars on non-gs positions, like Lab Demo or Acquisition pay banding? I'm applying again after completing my first round in the program but GS wages are exceedingly noncompetitive.

Just something to consider: Like you said a lot of GS wages are not competitive in terms of the starting salary. However, if you are put in a laddered position on the gs scale, you can leap a grade every year. This can allow for significant raises that can allow you to match/outpace industry peers in only 2-3 years.

From my experience in the aerospace engineering industry, you won't be able to outpace an industry peer of equal/similar productivity on the GS system, nor match. The whole reason behind the demo programs is to make gov salaries closer to those in industry. On the GS system in AE, you would be capped at GS-12 until a position opened up for you to compete for. So as a MS holder, after 2 years of experience, you'll hit GS-12 (hired at GS-9). In lab demo, my starting salary was nearly double what it would be on the GS system, and I can stay in the same position and work up to a DR-03/04, while maintaining some level of technical expertise. If you can get in a pay banded system, they tend to be more comparable to industry salaries, and you tend to be able to work the same job longer/build it to have more responsibility over the years.

[big dog]

Look into APG, I think that most organizations switched over to the demo band.

[UNM_EE]

As far as I know, all of the Navy Warfare Centers are on lab demo. I know for sure that NSWC Panama City and NSWC Dahlgren are.

[Mememe]

TARDEC uses a DB scale for SMART scholars. Also has an 18 month pay ladder.

[Guest]

All (or most) of the ERDC labs are on Demo bands
DB02 = GS9-GS11
DB04 = GS12-GS14

[Guest]

Dahlgren and Indian head use the Demo pay scale

[big dog]

TARDEC uses a DB scale for SMART scholars. Also has an 18 month pay ladder.

Really? That's insane, should have worked for TARDEC. I've never heard of anyone hitting full performance in only 18 months.

[demo_friends]

AFRL is on the lab demo band.

[malarious]

TARDEC uses a DB scale for SMART scholars. Also has an 18 month pay ladder.

Oh another TARDECian!

What degree did you start with and what DB was that if you do not mind my asking? I will be graduating with a bachelors in Electrical Engineering and am wondering what I should expect to be a reasonable starting salary. The Paytable for DB I found is very... all over the place https://www.arl.army.mil/www/pages/208/Paytables2018.pdf

I assume you won't start at 23,000 but do you start around DB 2? DB 3? Any information would be helpful. I'm set to graduate end of next Fall and trying to plan for the future already.

Thanks!