Navy Civilian Workforce 

Framework

Version 1.0

October 2016

Introduction

As specified in U.S. Code, the United States Navy is charged with being ready to conduct 

“prompt and sustained combat incident to operations at sea.” A Design for Maintaining 

Maritime Superiority Version 1.0 elaborates further on the changing environment in which 

this mission must now be conducted. We have entered a new age of competition, and a 

defining feature of that competition is the pace and complexity of change.

To remain competitive - indeed superior - amidst that change, we will need a highly capable 

Navy Team. The Navy Team is defined in the Design as “a diverse mix of active duty and 

reserve Sailors, Navy civilians, and our families.” Our Team is our competitive advantage and 

is the key to our success.

As with our Sailors, our Navy civilians are drawn to our core values of honor, courage, 

and commitment. They share the responsibility to act in accordance with those values by 

consistently demonstrating our core attributes of integrity, accountability, initiative, and 

toughness. Like our Teammates in uniform, our civilians must develop and consistently 

demonstrate not only competence in their chosen career specialties, but also the character 

that inspires the trust and confidence that enables the Navy to win. 

This Framework is the first step toward identifying what we as a Navy can do to strengthen 

our civilian workforce, and by extension the Navy Team as a whole. This is an opportunity 

we cannot afford to miss. Navy civilians offer unique technical expertise, continuity of 

knowledge and experience, and diversity of thought and perspective. We must fully leverage 

those contributions in order to succeed in our mission. The full plan to strengthen our Navy 

civilian workforce will be outlined in this Framework, and will be further developed by more 

specific strategies that specify the actions each command within the Navy will take to meet 

the objectives outlined below. All of these efforts will be overseen by a Civilian Workforce 

Advisory Board to drive alignment and accountability, and to ensure we learn rapidly as we 

take a more deliberate approach to strengthening this key element of the Team.

This Framework lays out our institutional obligations to the civilians who chose to join 

our Team, and the expectations we have in return. The aim is that the Framework further 

strengthens the bonds within our Team, setting the conditions for maintaining maritime 

superiority. 

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Navy Civilian Career Path

Navy civilians bring a broad spectrum of knowledge, skills and abilities to the Team, from 

shipyard and aircraft maintainers to budget analysts to high-end scientists and engineers 

to communications specialists and so much more. Some of these communities have clear 

developmental pathways. For others, however, the steps for progression are much less clear. 

A general model for a civilian career path should comprise of the basic elements described in 

the discussion below:

The model describes four basic phases of development from entry level to senior leader, and 

lays out how professional competence and character continue to grow during each phase, 

through combinations of on the job and formal training. At the same time, it illustrates how 

the focus of leader development expands from the individual employee early in a career to 

a larger organization in mid-career to the entire Navy at senior positions. With that evolution 

comes the responsibility to develop and mentor subordinates, growing future leaders as 

we go. All of these activities are enriched by a commitment to continuous self-learning, 

motivated by a strong desire for improvement.

As individuals progress through their careers, the Navy is responsible for career path 

management and the functions that support it. These functions include: 

• Workforce planning. We can and must improve in our ability to place the civilian with 

the right skills in the right position at the right time, across the entire Navy.

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• Recruiting and hiring. Current practices to bring new members to the Team are unduly 

burdensome and take too long. We must find ways to streamline these processes to 

compete for the best talent. 

• Employee engagement. An assumption of this Framework is that our Navy civilians 

are internally motivated to give their very best effort to their work. No other model 

will do. The margins of victory are razor thin - we need full engagement to stay ahead.

• Performance management. Surveys indicate that too many civilians perceive the 

performance management system as opaque and inconsistent. Leaders must take 

steps to provide deeper shared understanding of their subordinates’ performance, 

including the system by which it is formally assessed, and ensure equity in its 

application.

• Professional development. To support the notional model described above, the Navy 

must invest in the necessary tools to enable professional and personal development, 

both in formal programs and individually. We must ensure Navy civilians have 

opportunities to gain diverse experiences consistent with their individual career goals.

• Succession planning. We must continuously and comprehensively account for the 

evolution of our civilian workforce, planning ahead to ensure there are multiple 

qualified candidates for each position over time.

Too often, these functions are managed at the individual command level, with little insight 

into the broader Navy perspective. While the Navy must continue to provide sufficient 

flexibility to meet diverse command needs, we must also do more to share best practices 

and provide effective tools where required. 

The effective performance of these functions must also be underpinned by current, effective 

human resource management tools. These tools can vastly improve Navy-level insight into 

workforce issues that will enable rapid action and continued improvement.

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Navy Civilian Strategic Goals

As we evolve our civilian career path model and the Navy-level functions that enable its 

applications, we will be guided by four strategic goals. These goals reflect the value of our 

civilian team by ensuring that we empower, encourage, and motivate, and have been written 

broadly enough to apply at each of our commands. 

GOAL 1: AN INTEGRATED MILITARY-CIVILIAN TEAM, WITH THE BEST PEOPLE IN THE 

RIGHT JOBS, ALL WITH A CLEAR FOCUS ON THE NAVY MISSION

We will be successful when we see...

• Routine acknowledgment of critical mission contributions from the entire Navy Team

• Workforce structure that maximizes the optimum military and civilian workforce, and 

forecasts workforce demand requirements and capabilities

• Application of and commitment to the Navy’s core values and attributes throughout the 

military and civilian workforce 

GOAL 2: NAVY CIVILIAN WORKFORCE EDUCATION, TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT 

OPPORTUNITIES THAT SUPPORT CAREER PROGRESSION AND GROWTH

We will be successful when we see...

• Increased retention of high-performing employees

• Increased mentoring, training, rotation, and education participation; diverse experiences; 

and rewarding opportunities

• Civilian career progression and growth road maps by community or career field

GOAL 3: CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT IN ALL STAGES OF THE CIVILIAN WORKFORCE 

CAREER PATH

We will be successful when we see...

• Enhanced Navy civilian recruiting 

• Recognition of the Navy as a Federal employer of choice

• Policies, programs, and funding responsive to mission needs

• Improved hiring speed, efficiency, and flexibility

• Development and routine use of analytical tools and information technology for workforce 

career management and decision-making

GOAL 4: A GOVERNANCE MECHANISM TO OVERSEE PROGRESS AND ENSURE A 

NAVY-WIDE PERSPECTIVE

We will be successful when we see...

• Each Navy command with a strategy to align their command mission and workforce 

initiatives with this Framework

• A Navy-wide implementation strategy reflecting the consolidated command strategies 

• Commanders accountable for achieving the strategic goals set out in this framework.

• OPNAV N1 established as the lead navy staff advocate for the overall health of our Navy 

civilian workforce 

• OPNAV N1 supported by a Civilian Workforce Advisory Board, comprised of civilian and 

military leaders that represent the diversity of the civilian workforce

• Clear metrics to evaluate progress

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Way Ahead

The development and execution of strategies to implement the goals in this Framework 

are what will make it real. Commands will be accountable for execution of their respective 

strategies and report to Navy leaders on the status of their efforts quarterly. This reporting 

frequency will be adjusted as the strategies mature.

The Civilian Workforce Advisory Board will report to the Chief of Naval Personnel, and will be 

responsible for evaluating workforce progress, understanding and addressing common issues 

across commands, facilitating the sharing of best practices and lessons learned, providing 

advice on Navy-wide initiatives, and updating the Strategic Framework as required. OPNAV 

N1 will serve as the Navy’s central advocate for civilians, providing an assessment of the 

health of the workforce and working closely with the Department of the Navy (DoN) to 

ensure continuous alignment with DoN activities. 

Conclusion

In order for our Navy to reach its full potential, leaders must assume full ownership for the 

entire Navy Team. Navy civilians play a vital role in the execution of our mission, the success 

of our operations, and in our warfighting effectiveness. This Framework provides the Navy’s 

goals to ensure we empower, enable, and develop our civilian teammates to the maximum 

extent possible. We are one, unified Navy that must produce leaders and teams who learn 

and adapt to achieve maximum possible performance, and who achieve and maintain high 

standards to be ready for decisive operations and combat. 

JOHN M. RICHARDSON

Chief of Naval Operation