Security Specialist Job in Homestead, FL

Vacancy No. DAST-26-12968696 Department Joint Activities
Salary $113,356.00 to $147,365.00 Grade 13 to 13
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 5/27/2026 Close Date 5/29/2026
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Homestead, FL


Summary

About the Position: This position is in the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS). Employees occupying DCIPS positions are in the Excepted Service and must adhere to U.S. Code, Title 10, as well as Department of Defense Instruction 1400.25. This position is located at the Special Operations Command - South, Intelligence Directorate (SOCSO-J2), Homestead AFB, FL, 33039.

This job is open to

Federal employees - Competitive service

Current federal employees whose agencies follow the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's hiring rules and pay scales.

Federal employees - Excepted service

Current federal employees whose agencies have their own hiring rules, pay scales and evaluation criteria.

Veterans

Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces or a spouse, widow, widower or parent of a veteran, who may be eligible for derived preference

Clarification from the agency

See "Who May Apply" in the "Qualifications" section for more information on who is eligible to apply for this position.

Duties

  • Serves as a Security Specialist for Special Operations Command South (SOCSOUTH), responsible for administering the command’s Physical, Personnel, Information, and Industrial security programs.
  • Serves as the SOCSOUTH Collateral Security Specialist. In accordance with (IAW) applicable Department of War (DoW) Directives and Manuals, manages SOCSOUTH’s physical, personnel, information, and industrial security.
  • Develops long-range security plans and oversees the preparation of security inspection schedules to accomplish activity goals
  • Applies knowledge of physical, personnel, information, and industrial security to develop policies and programs pertaining to security.
  • Responsible for the overall development, administration, and implementation of SOCSOUTH’s personnel security program.
  • Coordinates with other security personnel outside the organization to verify or clarify information pertinent to security clearance determinations or explain regulatory guidance and procedures.
  • Develops effective emergency action measures and serves as the lead in planning, coordination of operations, and support of mitigation efforts.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

  • Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
  • In accordance with Change 3 to AR 600-85, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Program, individual must successfully pass a urinalysis screening for illegal drug use prior to appointment and periodically thereafter.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret (TS) security clearance based on a Tier 5 investigation/Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) with eligibility for sensitive compartmented information (SCI).
  • May require Temporary Duty (TDY) travel up to 10% of the time.
  • May be subject to no-notice call-ins during non-duty hours for crisis action, contingency deployments, and other short notice operations.
  • This position requires the incumbent obtain the following core SPeD Certification: Security Fundamentals Professional Certification (SFPC) within their first two years of employment.

Qualifications

Who May Apply:
Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities.

  • 10-Point Other Veterans’ Rating
  • 30 Percent or More Disabled Veterans
  • 5-Point Veterans' Preference
  • Current Army Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) Employee
  • Current Department of Army Civilian Employees
  • Current Department of Defense (DOD) Civilian Employee (non-Army)
  • Current DoD Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) Employee (non-Army)
  • Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) Interchange Agreement
  • Disabled Veteran w/ a Service-Connected Disability, More than 10%, Less than 30%
  • Non-Department of Defense (DoD) Transfer
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD Retained Grade Preference Eligible


Army DCIPS positions apply Veteran's Preference to preference eligible candidates as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 U.S.C., in accordance with the procedures provided in DoD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 2005, DCIPS Employment and Placement.

In order to qualify, you must meet the experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

To qualify based on your experience, your resume must describe at least one (1) year of experience to the next lower grade (GG/GS-12) which prepared you to do the work in this job. Specialized experience is defined as: 1) Developing security plans and overseeing security inspection schedules; AND 2) Engaging in Information Security (INFOSEC) programs such as, classification, declassification, safeguarding, destruction, and/or disclosure of classified or sensitive information; AND 3) Developing physical measures to safeguard personnel and prevent unauthorized access to equipment, facilities, materials, and/or documents; AND 4) Utilizing investigative scope and regulatory requirements to initiate appropriate security clearances.

Specialized experience is progressively responsible intelligence-related security work directly related to the position being filled. Creditable experience may include previous military experience, experience gained in the private sector or in another government agency as long as it was at a level at least equivalent to the next lower band in the series.

Additional information

  • This position has been identified for the Security Professional Education Development (SPeD) Certification Program. This is the Department of Defense (DoD) Security Certification Program directed by DoD Instruction 3305.13. It is approved by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs for use in the Army via the following memorandum: Memorandum, Assistant Secretary of Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, dated 8 September 2015, subject: Security Professional Education Development (SPeD) Certification Program. The SPeD certification is DoD's initiative to professionalize the security workforce by establishing a common set of competencies for security practitioners that promotes interoperability, facilitates professional development and training, and develops a workforce of certified security professionals. This position requires the incumbent obtain the following core SPeD Certification: Security Fundamentals Professional Certification (SFPC) within their first two years of employment.
  • Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
  • You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
  • Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
  • Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
  • If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
  • This is a(n) Intelligence and Security Career Field position.
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
  • Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
  • Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.
  • Relocation/Recruitment Incentive may be authorized.
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://appsupport.usastaffing.gov/hc/en-us/sections/28980686389652-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information


Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position.

The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

Required Documents

WARNING: DO NOT INCLUDE CLASSIFIED INFORMATION IN YOUR APPLICATION PACKET! Application packages that contain Classified information WILL NOT receive consideration for this position. Should you submit a resume or any other document as part of your application package and it is confirmed that any of the information is Classified, in addition to being found ineligible for consideration for this position, your Security Office will be notified to determine if any further action is warranted.

The documents you are required to submit vary based on the authority you are using to apply (i.e., applying as a veteran, applying as a current permanent Federal employee, applying as a reinstatement, etc). Please review the following links to see which documents you need to provide to prove your eligibility to apply: Applicant Checklist for Internal/Merit Promotion Announcements.

As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

1. Your resume:

  • Your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration.
  • For each relevant work experience, make sure you include the employer's name, job title, start and end dates (include month and year), for qualifications purposes, the number of hours worked per week, and a brief description that show you can perform the tasks at the required level listed in the job announcement. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete, and you may not receive consideration for this position.
  • Use plain language. Avoid using acronyms and terms that are not easily understood. The hiring agency will not make assumptions about what's in your resume.
  • If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations, and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
  • For additional information, to include formatting tips, see: What to include in your resume.

2. Other supporting documents:
  • Cover Letter, optional
  • Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
  • Proof of Eligibility to Apply: Your application must include the documents which prove you are eligible to apply for the vacancy. The Proof of Eligibility document describes authorities commonly used in merit promotion recruitment and what document(s) are required to prove you meet the requirements of the authority. You must meet the requirements of at least one of the authorities listed in the Who May Apply section above to receive further consideration.
NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:

  1. Click the Apply Online button.
  2. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. As a reminder, your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. For additional information, refer to the 'Required Documents' section. To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12968696).
  3. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement.
  4. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice.
  5. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.
  6. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
  7. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link.
  8. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused.
For more general information, system requirements, reasonable accommodation information, and to request assistance regarding the USA Hire Assessments, review the following resources: https://appsupport.usastaffing.gov/hc/en-us/sections/28980562523540-USA-Hire-Assessments

To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To view the announcement status or your application status: Click on this: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.n/status.

Agency contact information

Army Applicant Help Desk
Website
https://portal.chra.army.mil/hr_public?id=app_inq
Address
ST-IC-W4RAAA SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND-SOUTH
DO NOT MAIL
Fort Huachuca, AZ 85613
US

Next steps

If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration.

Joint Activities

Civilian employees serve a vital role in supporting the Army mission. They provide the skills that are not readily available in the military, but crucial to support military operations. The Army integrates the talents and skills of its military and civilian members to form a Total Army.

Agency contact information

Army Applicant Help Desk
Website
https://portal.chra.army.mil/hr_public?id=app_inq
Address
ST-IC-W4RAAA SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND-SOUTH
DO NOT MAIL
Fort Huachuca, AZ 85613
US