Supervisory Intelligence Research Specialist (Section Chief) Job

Vacancy No. F-NC-26-12918079-IMP-KMC Department Drug Enforcement Administration
Salary $169,279.00 to $197,200.00 Grade 15 to 15
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 3/26/2026 Close Date 4/6/2026
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Chantilly, VAMerrifield, VA


Summary

These positions are located in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Intelligence Division in the following areas:

- Intelligence Division, Office of Special Intelligence, Data Management Section (NSD) in Merrifield, VA.
- Intelligence Division, Office of Special Intelligence, Investigative Support Section (NSI) in Chantilly, VA.

This job is open to

Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of the hiring agency that posted the job announcement.

Clarification from the agency

Agency Employees - this job is open to current Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) employees serving under a career or career conditional appointment in the excepted service and eligible displaced and surplus DOJ employees in the local commuting area may apply. Current DEA GS-15 employees may also apply for this position as a noncompetitive eligible.

Duties

As a your typical work assignments may include:

  • Among other duties, the incumbent will perform the following duties:
  • Provides program direction for formulating and implementing a worldwide program, both domestic and international, for the collection, analysis, production, and dissemination of both operational and strategic intelligence.
  • Formulates the objectives of a major segment of the intelligence program. Provides direction, advice and coordination relative to critical intelligence projects. Develops productive working relationships and promotes coordination with high-level representatives of U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
  • Plans and oversees the operations of an intelligence program. Develops plans for the collection, evaluation, processing, and dissemination of operational, tactical, and strategic drug intelligence.
  • Responsible for the dissemination of strategic and operational intelligence to other DEA entities.
  • Performs supervisory functions over staff, establishing guidelines and expectations for performance, and ensures performance improvement.
  • May be required to testify during career as an Intelligence Research Specialist.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Background and/or Security Clearance
  • Open to DEA Employees and CTAP Eligibles ONLY
  • Drug testing designated position
  • Polygraph required
  • Mobility Agreement required
  • Successful completion of a one-year supervisory probationary period is required (unless already completed)

Qualifications

For more information on eligibility requirements see: DEA Employment Eligibility

Applicants must meet the required qualification requirements described below by the closing date of the announcement. If you are qualifying based on education or if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcripts with your application.Basic Qualification Requirements:

Applicants applying for the GS-15 must meet one of the following requirements:Have at least one full year of specialized experience that is at least equivalent to work performed at the GS-14 grade level. Specialized 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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Qualifying experience must demonstrate the following: one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-14 Federal grade level performing such duties as providing first-line supervision to a multi-agency staff engaged in the collection, analysis, evaluation, production and dissemination of drug law enforcement intelligence in support of drug law enforcement activities.

Additional information on the position qualification requirements are located in the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Qualifications Standards Handbook.?

Education

Education requirements do not apply to this vacancy announcement.

Additional information

For reasonable accommodation at the Drug Enforcement Administration, please contact the Human Resources office listed in this announcement.

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If an applicant is currently, or has been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, applicants must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office listed in this announcement.

Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to similar positions in any Division/Office listed in this announcement. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.

Relocation Incentivesmaybe considered and approvediftheDEAhas determined that the position is likely to be difficult to fill in the absence of an incentive and funding for such an incentive is available.

If eligible, telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval.

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.


You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents) and assessment questionnaire.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):The assessment questionnaire includes four short, free-response essay questions which provides an opportunity for you to highlight your dedication to public service for the hiring manager and agency leadership (or designee(s)). While your responses are not required and will not be scored, we encourage you to thoughtfully address each question in 200-words or less.? You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words and have not used a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot.

Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) candidates must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for selection priority. Candidates are considered well qualified if their knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) exceed the minimum qualifications described in the announcement.

ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE: You may preview the https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12918079.

Required Documents

All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to our automated system by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

  1. Resume - must be no more than two pages in length; resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. Resume should include applicants' name, email address, phone number, relevant work/volunteer experience, education and training. Include the start and end dates (from month/year to month/year), work schedule (e.g. part or full-time), the number of hours per week worked/volunteered, job title and description of duties performed. Education/Certification/Licensure when relevant or required for position. See Guidance for Applicants on 2-Page Resume and visit the USAJOBS Help Center for more information.
  2. Transcripts, if applicable and you are qualifying based on education. See the Qualification and Education sections of this announcement for more information. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.
  3. SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action): SF-50(s) must show the effective date, position title, series, grade, salary, tenure, competitive status, position occupied, full promotion potential, and name of agency. Multiple SF-50s may be needed to show all required information. Award SF-50s often do not show the required information. To verify the time in grade requirement, applicants must submit a SF-50 verifying the highest grade held for at least 52 weeks. Examples include, promotions with an effective date greater than one year, within grade increases demonstrating the highest grade held for at least 52 weeks or appointments/conversion of appointments with an effective date greater than one year.
  4. Career Transition Assistance Program documentation, if applicable. (e.g., reduction-in-force (RIF) separation notice, RIF separation SF-50 personnel action, certification of expected separation, etc.), most recent Performance Rating and more recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) noting current position, grade level, and duty location.
  5. Other Qualification documents (e.g. certificates, certifications, etc.), if applicable. See the Qualification section of this announcement for more information.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.

To view a copy of the Assessment Questionnaire click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12918079. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.

If applying online poses an extreme hardship, you may request alternate application procedures to submit your application package. Contact the Human Resources office listed on the announcement between the business hours of 8:15 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET at least 2 working days prior to the closing date of this announcement. The application package for alternate application procedures must be submitted and received in the Human Resources office no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on the closing date of this announcement. Paper applications and information sent by mail will not be accepted.

Agency contact information

HRRF Recruitment Unit
Email
HRRF.Recruit@dea.gov
Address
Drug Enforcement Administration
Do Not Send Postal Mail
Springfield, VA 21310
US

Next steps

Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you may be referred to the selecting official for Career Board consideration.