REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. — The U.S. Army is strategically enhancing its civilian workforce capabilities through a significant restructuring of its Career Program. This initiative, highlighted at the AMC Career Program Managers Winter Virtual Summit, is designed to cultivate a highly skilled civilian corps that acts as a force multiplier for the Soldier force.
Carlen Chestang, Deputy Director of Human Resources for the Army Materiel Command (AMC), emphasized the critical role of the Army Career Program in fostering civilian professional growth. “Army Civilians are integral to our mission, working alongside service members to deliver essential operational, logistical, and administrative support,” Chestang stated.
Every Army civilian, regardless of their specialization—be it technical, managerial, financial, legal, engineering, medical, or communications—is connected to a career program. These programs, managed by dedicated Career Program Managers, are crucial for providing targeted training and developmental opportunities. The goal is to equip civilians with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to effectively contribute to the Army’s multifaceted mission.
Career Program managers are pivotal figures in this development ecosystem. They serve as guides, directing civilians through professional development pathways, upholding standards of excellence, and ensuring that individual growth aligns seamlessly with the strategic objectives of functional managers.
A cornerstone of the Army’s commitment to its civilian workforce is the recent Army Career Program Restructuring. This significant overhaul consolidated 31 of the previous 32 career programs into 11 streamlined career fields. This strategic realignment is intended to foster greater synergy and create expanded developmental avenues for civilian employees. Chestang encouraged Career Program managers to champion seven key success factors, originally outlined by Lisha Adams, Executive Deputy to AMC’s Commanding General. These include:
- Acknowledgement, Recognition, and Awards: Formal and informal appreciation for civilian contributions.
- Immediate Feedback: Timely and constructive feedback to facilitate continuous improvement.
- Learning Management Systems Utilization: Leveraging technology for efficient and accessible training resources.
- Individual Mentoring and Coaching: Personalized guidance for career advancement and skill development.
- Soft Skills Development: Focusing on essential interpersonal skills like communication and teambuilding.
- Cross-Agency Development Programs: Opportunities for civilians to gain experience across different Army agencies.
- Continuous Developmental Opportunities: A commitment to ongoing learning and professional growth.
“This army career program restructuring is designed to enhance our collective success by offering richer developmental and training opportunities within these consolidated career programs,” Chestang explained.
The Army Civilian Career Management Activity (ACCMA), established in October 2020, is central to this revitalized approach. ACCMA integrates career programs with civilian training, leader development, and G-1 Civilian Personnel functions under the Civilian Human Resources Agency. ACCMA’s broad mandate includes enterprise-wide talent management strategies focused on attracting, developing, employing, and retaining top-tier civilian talent.
Edward Emden, Director of ACCMA, emphasized this proactive stance: “ACCMA embodies a more proactive role in shaping and managing our civilian workforce.” ACCMA, in alignment with the Army People Strategy and its Civilian Implementation Plan, aims to maximize the civilian workforce’s impact. Key initiatives include transforming workforce planning and management, modernizing civilian talent acquisition processes, integrating career programs as core components of the people enterprise, and developing world-class supervisors.
Emden highlighted a paradigm shift in civilian talent acquisition: “For the first time, we are actively marketing for civilian employees. There’s significant potential to expand the civilian talent pool, and Career Program managers can play a crucial role in recruitment efforts.”
The responsibilities of Career Program managers are comprehensive, spanning the entire employee lifecycle—from initial marketing, recruitment, hiring, and onboarding to ongoing workforce and career planning, performance management, enhanced training and education, impactful developmental experiences, succession planning, supervisor development, and promoting work-life balance. These managers oversee outcomes across the 11 newly defined career fields:
- Science, Engineering, Analysis
- Technology
- Construction Engineering
- Logistics
- Installations
- Medical
- Security and Intelligence
- Human Capital and Resource Management
- Education and Information Sciences
- Contracting
- Professional Services
“Since the establishment of these career fields on October 1, 2020, we have witnessed increased synergy and a strong commitment to enhancing effectiveness and efficiency,” Emden noted. “By leveraging existing pockets of excellence across various career programs enterprise-wide, and further integrating our efforts, we can better serve our Civilians. Providing civilians with clear pathways for career progression is paramount. The Army is committed to enabling every civilian to reach their full potential within the organization, commensurate with their talents and skills.”
The Army Career Development Program is a vital component, utilizing entry-level civilian training and development initiatives to ensure a robust pipeline of skilled and diverse civilian personnel. Programs like the Pathways Internship Program for entry-level hires and the Presidential Management Fellows Program for advanced hires are key to this strategy.
Ed David, Army Career Development Program Manager, underscored the long-term benefits: “Replenishing the bench is crucial. Entry-level employees gain invaluable training, learning about various occupations and, importantly, about the Army’s unique mission.” He added, “The return on investment is substantial. By investing in employees at the entry level with two years of comprehensive training, we cultivate a civilian workforce ready to effectively support Soldiers. Commands benefit from gaining journeyman-level employees who are prepared to contribute from day one.”
The summit also provided Career Program managers with updates on the Senior Enterprise Talent Management/Enterprise Talent Management programs and the Defense Acquisition Workforce, further equipping them to navigate and implement the army career program restructuring effectively.
