Employees at NSWCDD receive competitive salaries in addition to a robust benefits package. Those at our Dahlgren location also enjoy Washington, D.C. locality pay. All positions at NSWCDD fall under one of two Human Resources (HR) management systems: the Warfare Centers’ Personnel Demonstration Project (Demo) or the General Schedule (GS). Demo and GS have different mechanisms for setting pay and rewarding performance.
Demonstration Project (Demo)
Demo is a pay-for-performance system specifically designed to attract, reward, and retain high-performing employees. Under Demo, employees are compensated based on their performance and the degree to which their position impacts organizational goals. Approximately 95% of NSWCDD employees fall under this HR management system.
| PAY PLAN |
CAREER PATH |
DEMO PAY BAND |
| GENERAL SCHEDULE GRADES |
| 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
| ND |
SCIENTIFIC & ENGINEERING |
1-4 |
5-8 |
9-11 |
12-13 |
14-15 |
SSTM |
| NT |
ADMINISTRATIVE & TECHNICAL |
1-4 |
5-8 |
9-10 |
11-12 |
13-14 |
14-15 |
| NG |
GENERAL SUPPORT |
1-4 |
5-6 |
7-8 |
9-10 |
11-12 |
N/A |
General Schedule (GS)
Although GS is the most widely used HR system throughout the Federal Service, only about 5% of NSWCDD positions are GS. Unlike Demo, salary advancement under GS is based largely on longevity. However, employees with outstanding performance ratings may be considered for additional increases.