This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
Must be a U.S. citizen. Candidates should read the entire announcement to ensure they meet all requirements.
Candidates may reapply one year after their most recent DS Security Technical Specialist Tests (DSSTST) for the same position.
Candidates may not apply if a State Department Suitability Review Panel denied suitability in the last two years for any position, (except if the denial was for a DS Special Agent (SA) candidate whose denial was based solely on the unique requirements for SAs).
Duties
Security Technical Specialists (STS) provide support for and assist in worldwide technical security programs to maintain and provide protection for Department of State personnel and facilities from technical espionage, acts of terrorism, and crime.
The duties of a Security Technical Specialist (STS) vary according to the size of the post and the requirements of the specific diplomatic mission. The following are examples of the types of duties and responsibilities assigned to an STS at posts around the world, or in domestic locations. This list is neither exhaustive, nor in priority order:
- Install, maintain, repair, and troubleshoot a multitude of technical security systems to include alarms, access control systems, locks, vehicle arrest systems, security video systems, explosive detection systems, X-ray machines, computer networking equipment, and forced entry ballistic resistant doors.
- Assist with and/or perform technical surveys, system specifications, and equipment installations.
- Conduct technical security design evaluations based on government regulations and standards.
- Prepare formal updates to architectural drawings according to government regulations and standards.
- Apply IT best practices to monitor and troubleshoot networking equipment, workstations, servers, and applications.
- Plan technical support trips, coordinate logistics, and travel to overseas embassies and consulates.
- Use sophisticated electronic test equipment: oscilloscopes, time domain reflectometers, etc.
- Manage equipment supply chain logistics– shipping, receiving, Bill-of-Materials (BOM) preparation using a Computerized Maintenance Management System.
- Oversee and supervise the X-ray and explosive detection programs, to include repairing and performing radiation checks. Maintain/repair electro-mechanical systems using electronic test equipment.
- Organize and maintain shops, storerooms, shop tools, equipment, parts, and supplies.
- Work with or supervise host country personnel (locally employed staff) when required.
- Test new-generation technical security equipment.
- Provide technical security support to high level USG officials and foreign dignitaries.
- Manage training programs for various technical security systems.
- Train security personnel at posts as required.
- Take coursework to maintain and upgrade technical skills.
- Write technical reports, including project proposals, equipment and/or system evaluations, maintenance and/or installation activity reports, technical field notices, trip reports, and other documentation as required.
- Assist in the project management of security contracts. Serve as Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and as Government Technical Monitor (GTM).
- Supervise regional security technicians as assigned.
- Mentor and supervise junior STS personnel and write employee evaluations when assigned.
- Learn department hiring and management best practices to apply them as a supervisor or when assisting in hiring processes.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- Be a U.S. citizen and accept assignments based on the needs of the FS.*
- Be able to obtain/maintain a Top Secret Security Clearance.
- Be able to meet the minimum medical qualification standard.
- Be able to meet the supplemental medical qualification.
- Be able to obtain a favorable Suitability Review Panel determination.**
- Be at least 20 years old at application and 21 years old to be appointed.
- Be appointed prior to age 60 (preference eligible veterans excepted).***
- Possess and maintain a valid/current U.S. Driver’s License.
A physical examination of each candidate offered a position is required to ensure that the candidate meets the essential physical and medical requirements necessary to perform the essential functions of the job and can meet the required minimum medical qualification standards. Candidates must have vision that is correctable to 20/20 in one eye and 20/40 in the other, no color blindness, adequate night vision, and good peripheral vision. In addition, candidates must have good hearing with no loss of greater than 30 decibels at 500, 1000, or 2000 Hz level. The musculoskeletal system should have no deformities, diseases, or limiting conditions that would interfere with the performance of duties. The supplemental standards for the STS position can be found at under Documents Diplomatic Security Technical Specialists Supplemental Standards.
Note: The medical examination is required only after a candidate has successfully passed the written and oral assessments. It is not part of the initial application package.
Qualifications
Candidates must have at least two years of specialized experience, which demonstrates the ability to troubleshoot and repair electronic, electrical, and/or electro-mechanical systems and equipment, and is supported by work experience in this discipline.
Examples of experience include, but are not limited to the following:
- Troubleshooting, maintenance, repair, and installation of AC power distribution systems, motor-generators.
- Troubleshooting, maintenance, repair, and installation of motors, motor controls, disconnects, relays.
- Troubleshooting, maintenance, repair, and installation of low voltage DC electronic systems.
- Troubleshooting, maintenance, repair, and installation of low voltage DC electro-mechanical systems.
- Use, repair, and/or calibration of electronic test equipment – meters, oscilloscopes.
- Bench repair of electronic, electrical, and electro-mechanical equipment to the component level.
- Troubleshooting, maintenance, repair, and installation of mechanical and electro-mechanical locking systems – electronic strikes, locks.
- Troubleshooting, maintenance, repair, and installation of pedestrian and vehicular access control systems – door controls, vehicle barriers /arrest.
- Troubleshooting, maintenance, repair, and installation of security video systems and supporting network components.
- Troubleshooting, maintenance, repair, and installation of metal detectors – handheld, walk through.
- Troubleshooting, maintenance, repair, and installation of radio communications systems, voice and digital communications networks.
- Troubleshooting, maintenance, repair, and installation of Intrusion Detection Systems – alarms, detectors, sensors.
- Troubleshooting, maintenance, repair, and installation of Public Address Systems – emergency notification systems, intercoms.
- Troubleshooting, maintenance, repair, and installation of IT workstations, network equipment, servers, and cabling (copper and fiber optics.)
Knowledge, Skills, and Other Characteristics
The Department has conducted extensive job analysis research to determine Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) and other attributes conducive to successful performance in this position. A candidate’s education level, work experience, and other qualifications will be considered as part of the hiring decision-making process based on these KSA criteria.
1. Knowledge of technology to include electronics technology, National Electrical Code (NEC), networking basics, information technology, installation practices, risk analysis techniques, basic cost analysis, basic statistical analysis, scientific method, and characteristics of materials.
2. Knowledge of security systems to include knowledge of technical security systems (TSS), current industry trends, quality assurance process, and knowledge of safety standards and practices.
3. Knowledge of the logistics process and practices.
4. Technical skills in reading and interpreting building plans, interpreting schematic diagrams and electrical drawings, performing technical surveys, and evaluating existing conditions, use of tools, various technical trades, use of fiber optics, fabricating use of computer software, and technical guidance.
5. General skills in project management, team leading, reporting, customer service, development and implementation of training programs, evaluating, rating and reviewing the performance of others, being adaptable and resilient, maintaining awareness of working environment, and self-development.
6. Superior oral and written communication skills: must consistently meet a high standard for English, both written (overall structure as well as grammar, spelling, and punctuation) and spoken (overall structure as well as delivery, clarity, and succinctness).
7. Color vision: ability to distinguish between all colors of the spectrum in order to read resistor color codes, identify colored wires, and distinguish between warning lights of different colors.
8. Other requirements: Cross-cultural awareness. Tolerance for international career: Accepting assignments based on the needs of the Foreign Service, experiencing frequent global travel, and, at times, live away from family and/or in difficult or isolated conditions. completing orientation and initial training in Washington, D.C., employees are assigned to two sequential tours, typically two-years each, directed by the Department. These entry-level assignments may be overseas or in the United States After the initial two tours, employees have greater choice as to the location, length, and substantive nature of assignments
Essential Physical Requirements:
Some of the essential functions of the Security Technical Specialist (STS) job have a physically demanding component. In the execution of the duties and tasks listed above, an STS may be required to:
1. See objects that are near, far, or at night.
2. Hear speech or other sounds including sufficient sensitivity to hear sounds of low volume, or in noisy environments.
3. Speak clearly enough so others will understand, including speaking to groups.
4. Lift, push, pull, carry, climb ladders, or balance. Move heavy objects, such as crates, building materials, motor generators that may be oversized and weigh in excess of 70 lbs.
5. Manipulate small objects with hands or fingers. Perform manual installation operations to include hammer drilling, core drilling, pulling wire, installing conduit, and terminating cable.
6. Perform movements repeatedly or continually including ability to stand for extended periods, bend and stretch to reach equipment for prolonged periods, and take frequent extended trips by plane or car.
7. Exhibit the mental endurance to concentrate for long periods, learn complex information and procedures, and think effectively after extensive travel and jetlag.
8. Tolerate extreme environmental conditions, i.e., heat, cold, noise and pollution. Travel and work in hostile environments such as war zones, areas of civil and political strife, and in regions of the world having extreme climates.
9. Climb stairs, ladders, and other inclines. Work from heights to include rooftops, ledges, bucket trucks, scaffolding, and extension ladders.
10. Crawl under, around or over objects. Work in confined areas such as crawlspaces, attics, utility pits, tunnels, maintenance holes, and other confined space.
Education
At the time of application, candidate must possess a high school diploma or equivalent.
Candidates can substitute additional educational achievements for Specialized Experience. Please see Qualifications section for Specialized Experience requirements. Please note 12 semester hours or 18 quarter hours is equivalent to one year.
For one year of Specialized Experience: One full academic year of education in any electronics or electro-mechanic specialty, or the equivalent amount of vocational, military, and/or formal job-related classroom training.
For two years of Specialized Experience: Completion of all requirements for an Associates' degree in any electronics or electro-mechanic specialty, or the equivalent of two full academic years of vocational, military, and/or formal job-related classroom training.
To substitute educational achievements for Specialized Experience, you must submit a copy of your official or unofficial university transcript(s) with your application. Education from a program or institution within the United States must be accredited at the time of program completion by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation.
Foreign Education
Foreign education acquired outside of any state of the U.S., the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, or any territory or possession of the U.S. must be evaluated by a member organization of one of the two national associations of credential evaluation services (NACES or AICE) in order to be given credit towards qualification.
- The accredited interpretation must include the summary and the foreign education transcripts.
- Foreign education transcripts that have not been evaluated by a credential evaluation service will not be accepted and the candidacy will be terminated.
For further information on the evaluation of foreign education, please refer to the Office of Personnel Management, Foreign Education section, and the U.S. Department of Education. The U.S. Department of State neither endorses nor recommends any individual evaluation service.
OPM: www.opm.gov
U.S. Department of Education: http://www.ed.gov
Please refer to the Required Documents Section on how to submit the required educational documentation for this position.
Benefits
Benefits include health and medical coverage, federal retirement benefits, and paid leave. Overseas benefits include tax-free housing overseas, tax-free education allowance for dependent children between K-12 overseas, and an unrivaled opportunity to see the world and experience different cultures.
The salary range listed is extracted from the Foreign Service Overseas and Washington pay scales. The starting step is determined in part by highest education level achieved and specialized experience beyond minimum qualifications. Individuals already working in government positions may be appointed based on their highest previous rate as a federal employee. For information on salary, please visit https://careers.state.gov/benefits/benefits/.
Review our benefits
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Candidates will be evaluated on their total background including experience, education, awards, training, and self-development as it relates to the position. Selection for this position will be made only from among Candidates possessing the best qualifications. Part-time work experience will be prorated.
The Department of State prohibits candidates from plagiarizing any portion of their employment application materials to include responses to questions in which candidates must provide a narrative response. Candidates must create their own responses originally and not copy or adapt them from other sources. The Department analyzes candidate submissions for plagiarism and will discontinue any individual’s candidacy if found to have violated this plagiarism policy.
While the Department of State encourages candidates to create their narratives with great care, including correct use of grammar and style, candidates are prohibited from using any artificial intelligence (AI) tool, to include but not limited to ChatGPT, to aid in their written responses. The Department will discontinue any individual’s candidacy if found to have violated this prohibition on use of AI tools in the application process.
REQUIRED TRAINING
Selected candidate will complete approximately ten months of specialized training and orientation. The selected candidate must complete the Technical Security Training Path (TSTP) in Springfield, VA. This specialized initial provides the candidate with the knowledge and skills to operate, install, maintain, and repair technical security systems at post. Failure to successfully complete any portion TSTP is grounds for separation.
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Required Documents
It is the candidate's responsibility to ensure the application is complete.
Candidates must answer all questions, include 10-years of work history, and complete the Personal Narrative Questions and Statement of Interest. Applications missing any responses will be terminated.
- Personal Narrative Questions
These questions provide an opportunity to describe examples/accomplishments from the candidate’s education, life, and/or work experience that demonstrate their qualifications for becoming a STS. Examples may be from any part of the candidate’s professional/personal experience. Each response is limited to 300 words. Compose carefully, as one of the skills necessary to succeed is the ability to write clearly and concisely. Information in cover letters, resumes, or CVs will not be accepted/reviewed.
- Substantive Knowledge: Using your knowledge of technical security programs as described in the Vacancy Announcement, give what you consider to be the best example of a job-related situation where you found a solution to a practical problem. Indicate the nature of the problem, who was affected by the problem and in what way, and the results or benefits of your solution. The best example highlights your knowledge of physical/technical security, IT, electronics, or equipment to solve a practical problem.
- Intellectual Skills: Describe a time when you had to analyze a situation (including gathering and analyzing information, critical thinking, and active learning) to make a technical decision. What process did you follow for making the decision and how did it demonstrate these skills?
- Interpersonal Skills: Provide an example that demonstrates you are good at working with others in difficult situations, such as understanding their perspectives, building relationships, and achieving agreement. What are your strongest interpersonal skills and how exactly did you demonstrate your skills in this situation?
- Communication Skills: Describe a time in which your communication skills were key to the success of a project, such as active listening, explaining clearly, checking for understanding, perhaps public speaking and writing, and other communication skills.
- Managerial Skills: Describe a project you managed or helped to manage and how you sought to achieve the project’s goals. What techniques/tools did you use and how does this demonstrate your project management skills? Projects can include maintenance, repair, personnel assignments and/or logistics.
- Leadership Skills: Describe a project you managed or helped to manage and how you sought to achieve the project’s goals. What techniques/tools did you use and how does this demonstrate your project management skills? Projects can include maintenance, repair, personnel assignments and/or logistics.
2.Statement of Interest
This narrative should discuss:
- Motivation for joining the Foreign Service.
- Relevant work experience, including unique strengths not previously mentioned, special skills, current licenses, certifications, honors, awards, special accomplishments, and/or training (with date completed) relating to this position.
- Experience living/working in a multicultural environment, overseas, or in the United States.
- Education Documents
Candidates with qualifying DSSTST scores must submit the following to demonstrate they possess the educational level required when requested. Candidates should add *@state.gov as a trusted sender. Neither the Department of State nor Pearson Vue are responsible for the failure of candidates’ internet service provider to deliver messages.
- Official/unofficial college/university transcripts (if applicable). Do not submit university diplomas in lieu of higher education transcripts.
Transcripts must comply with the following requirements:
- Must be sent in PDF format. Other formats will be rejected.
- Must be an attachment. Documents sent via link, secured message, or other non-attachment format will be rejected.
- Must include candidate’s name, school’s name, degree and date awarded/conferred (if applicable).
- Must have no missing pages.
- Must be legible.
- All foreign education transcripts must adhere to additional requirements. See the Education Requirements section.
- Submit Veteran’s Preference documentation in PDF format for candidates aged 60 to 64 when requested.
If claiming Veteran’s Preference, a copy of the candidate’s DD-214 "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty" that must include the candidate’s Character of Service must be submitted with the application. If claiming a 10-point Veteran’s Preference, the candidate’s VA letter and SF-15 must be submitted in addition to the DD-214. A certification from the armed forces is required only if a veteran has not yet received the DD-214. It must confirm that the service member is expected to be discharged under honorable conditions within 120 days and include service dates, expected discharge date, character of service, and any applicable disability rating.
How to Apply
Application packages must be complete, submitted, and received by the closing date to be considered. There are no exceptions.
Submit application and register to take the Diplomatic Security, Security Technical Specialist Test (DSSTST) as indicated in step 1 below. Do not apply through USAJobs.
- Visit pearsonvue.com/DSSTST.
- Create a web account.
- Follow the instructions to complete and submit the online application.
- Answer all self-assessment questions.
- Include work history with a description of your work duties, accomplishments, skills, and knowledge for the past ten (10) years.
- Complete the Personal Narrative questions and Statement of Interest. (Please see the Required Documents section for more information.)
- Applications are automatically saved. Candidates may pause the application process and return to it as many times as needed until the application is submitted.
- Complete, review, and submit the application. Submitted applications cannot be edited. Application packages must be complete before candidates can register for the DSSTST test.
- The submitted application will be used to evaluate your qualifications for this position.
- Candidates have six months to register for and take the DSSTST after submitting their eligibility verification. Candidates must restart the application process if they have not taken the DSSTST within this six-month window.
4. Select an appointment to take the DSSTST at one of Pearson Vue’s test centers. The test is an important part of the selection process, covering the Job Knowledge, English Expression, and Situational Judgment necessary to perform the functions of this position.
Candidates experiencing technical difficulties with the application process must contact the Pearson Vue Customer Service Desk by calling 1-866-389-8339 (toll free), 1-952-905-7483 (toll) or by utilizing the Chat function on www.pearsonvue.com. The Department of States does not have access to the Pearson Vue system. The Help Desk is available Monday - Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Central Time and is closed on local holidays.
For more information on the Foreign Service Specialist hiring processes, please visit our FAQs at http://careers.state.gov/faqs.
Next steps
Candidates will be notified by e-mail from the U.S. Department of State about the outcome of the initial application review and if they will be further considered for this Foreign Service position. We recommend adding the U.S. Department of State domain (@state.gov) as an approved sender.
Due to the high volume of applications, we ask all candidates to remain patient and await communication. It is not uncommon for several months to pass before candidates are informed of the application results.
For more information, please visit Our FAQs at http://careers.state.gov/faqs.
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