Duties
As a Supervisory Protective Service Specialist, you will:
- Serve as an authority and specialist in providing protection both domestically and internationally, and independently take decisive and immediate action in emergency situations requiring innovative solutions.
- Act as liaison officer and coordinate activities between the Office of the Secretary, the office, the PSD, and external agency organizations (i.e., Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), United States Secret Service (USSS), Department of State Security (DSS), Department of Defense (DOD), and foreign embassies) in preparation for international trips.
- Serve as a key advisor responsible for applying independent and validation of threat information and coordination of intelligence and information gathering activities regarding the Secretary and other high-ranking Departmental officials.
- Review and analyze threat information and initiate and coordinate protective intelligence activities regarding the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and other high-ranking Departmental officials.
- Responsible for the day-to- day management and direction of the protective service mission, as well as carrying out various collateral duties as assigned by the PSD SAIC including recommending improvements to protective service operating procedures, participating in staff scheduling and assignments.
- Coordinates with the Office of the Secretary as well as other federal, state, and local enforcement and non-enforcement entities such as regional offices, the White House, Congress, etc, equipment maintenance and control, and back-up support necessary to accomplish the protective service mission.
The Office of Intelligence, Security, and Emergency Response is looking for a seasoned law enforcement professional with experience (1) leading a team responsible for providing protection for a senior level official in a fast-paced environment and (2) applying decisiveness and strategic thinking to mitigate issues and challenges that arise in overseeing the delivery of protective services.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- Must meet specialized experience stated in Qualifications section
- Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date
- Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
New Federal Employees only: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:
- your performance and conduct;
- the needs and interests of the agency;
- whether your continued employment would advance the organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
- whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
- SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
- BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: Must be able to qualify for and maintain a Top Secret/SCI Level Clearance.
- SPECIAL DEPUTATION: You must obtain and maintain this requirement which will allow you to carry a service weapon to provide personal protection to The Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and other senior officials. This requires that you:
- must have successfully completed an accredited basic law enforcement training program (civilian or military);
- must have at least one year of previous law enforcement experience; AND
- must not have been convicted of a felony and/or crime of domestic violence as defined in Title 18, USC 922(g)(9) Lautenberg Amendment.
- MEDICAL REQUIREMENT: Subject to successful completion of a pre-employment medical and physical qualification determination. You must acquire annual certification indicating that medical and physical standards are met.
- DRIVER'S LICENSE: This position requires the incumbent to operate a motor vehicle. A valid driver’s license is required for the position.
- CERTIFICATIONS: Must be able to obtain and maintain current required certifications in First Aid, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), and the Automated External Defibrillator (AED)
- ESSENTIAL/NON-ESSENTIAL: This position is considered emergency essential for purposes of reporting to work during federal government closures.
See 'Other Information' section for additional information.
Qualifications
To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the specialized experience requirements.
To qualify for the Grade 14, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-13, it must include:
- Experience providing oversight of and ensuring delivery of protection services to an official or officials, to include coordinating and directing staff.
- Experience serving in a role to develop protective security plans for domestic or international travel, which involved coordination with external counterparts in law enforcement or other agencies.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:
- Security - Knowledge of the laws, regulations, and guidelines related to securing personnel, facilities, and information, including the requirements for handling, transporting, and protecting classified information andproper reporting of security incidents.
- Personnel Security and Safety - Knowledge of methods and controls of personnel, public safety, and security operations; investigation and inspection techniques; or rules, regulations, precautions, and prevention techniques for the protection of people, data, or property.
- Leadership – Influences, motivates, and challenges others; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations.
For all types of consideration, 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.
For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4
All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Education
This job does not have an education qualification requirement.
Additional information
ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
- AGE REQUIRMENTS: Must meet the maximum age of entry of 37 years of age, or 40 years of age with approval of the Assistant Secretary for Administration.
- AGE REQUIREMENT EXCEPTION: To qualify for law enforcement retirement coverage (6C), you must meet Maximum Entry Age requirements for primary law enforcement positions: Candidates without previous Federal LEO service must be under age 37; OR, those with current or prior Federal LEO coverage will be considered only if they can demonstrate that they will have completed 20 years of covered service by mandatory retirement age of 57. This requirement may be waived for preference-eligible Veterans.
- DRUG TESTING: This position has been determined to be a critical safety/security position as defined in the Department of Transportation (DOT) Order, DOT 3910.1D entitled " Drug and Alcohol-Free Departmental Workplace." Therefore, if selected for the position you will be required to submit to a pre-employment/pre-appointment drug test, you will also be subject to Random Drug Testing.
- PROBATIONARY PERIOD: You must complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).
- RETIREMENT: This position is covered under law enforcement retirement coverage (5 U.S.C. 8336(c) and 5 U.S.C. 8412 (d)). Must maintain requirements to qualify for LEO retirement coverage.
- TIME-IN-GRADE: Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade in the competitive or excepted service in the executive branch to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions contained in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.
This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.
The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Transportation by email at, FairChanceAct@dot.gov. To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation
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.
DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume/ application does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination. Please ensure that your resume contains specific information such as position titles, beginning and ending dates of employment for each position, average number of hours worked per week, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level.
Eligible Federal employees also seeking consideration for noncompetitive reassignment for this position, must indicate interest in the assessment. Noncompetitive federal candidates must have competitive status on a SF-50, meet minimum qualifications, have served at the same grade or higher, and held or exceeded the promotion potential of this position.
Your application will be reviewed in two phases determine how you move forward in the hiring process. Phase I: Your resume will be reviewed to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. ONLY two (2) pages of your resume will be reviewed. Additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume) will not be reviewed. Applicants passing “Phase I” will move on to the “Phase II” of the assessment process where your application will be reviewed and rated based on the KSAs/Competencies listed in the vacancy announcement by a Subject Matter Expert (SME).
You may preview questions for this vacancy.
Required Documents
RESUME: In accordance with the OPM memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, resumes with a maximum of two (2) pages in length will be accepted as part of your application. These should be legible and in a readable font size. A determination of your eligibility and/or qualifications will be based only on those two (2) pages.
Your resume MUST contain specific information that can be used to make a qualification determination, including employment beginning and ending dates for each position, whether employment is Full-time or Part-time, or average number of hours worked per week, and position titles. If the position is/was in the Federal government, you will need to provide the position series and grade level. The resume should show relevant experience and education, as well as support the required specialized experience.
FEDERAL APPLICANTS: You must submit SF-50(s) that verify your highest competitive grade, full performance level, and eligibility as a federal applicant. If you have current or prior Federal Law Enforcement Officer coverage please submit appropriate SF-50’s that show periods of coverage. DO NOT submit an award SF-50 as these often do not verify grade or eligibility. For consideration for a promotion, Box 4 of the SF-50 must show a date that is at least 52 weeks prior to the job announcement closing. We recommend submitting your last promotion SF-50 or within-grade increase SF-50. Pay adjustment raise SF-50s for the current year will not support the 52 weeks’ time-in-grade requirements. https://help.usajobs.gov/working-in-government/service/sf-50
PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS/INCENTIVE AWARDS: If applicable, performance appraisals and/or Incentive award documentation may be submitted and will be forwarded to the selecting official as support in consideration of your application in the evaluation process. To receive due weight, you must submit a recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable (do not submit a performance plan) and/or incentive award documentation dated within the last 18 months (i.e. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increases, etc.)
If requesting consideration under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP):
- your most recent performance appraisal,
- the proof of eligibility letter from the Agency, and
- your most current SF-50, displaying current series and grade.
- YOU MUST SUBMIT ALL 3 documents and meet the well qualified standards for this vacancy (meeting minimum requirements for position and scoring at least an 80) to be considered under CTAP.
Displaced employees may be eligible for CTAP priority consideration. For more information, please review the OPM Employee's Guide to Career Transition.
Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USAJobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system.