Supervisory Protective Services Specialist (Deputy Director, Security Services Division) Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. OSSP-12799409-25-PS Department Departmental Administration
Salary $142,488.00 to $185,234.00 Grade 14 to 14
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 9/15/2025 Close Date 9/19/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

This position is located in the Office of Safety, Security and Protection (OSSP), Security Services Division (SSD). The incumbent serves as the Deputy Director, Security Services Division. SSD manages a Department-wide comprehensive physical security program and surveillance operations, for USDA's Headquarters Complex, the George Washington Carver Center (GWCC), USDA leased facilities in the National Capital Region (NCR) and other sites outside the region as may be designated by the Department.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted only from current career permanent USDA employees with competitive status; and CTAP/RPL eligible candidates and permanent Farm Service County Office employees.

Duties

  • Develops, coordinates and implements security plans for special and high-risk events.
  • Develops policies and procedures governing access to the building, restrictions, security measures and asset protection.
  • Shares responsibility for the daily execution of physical security programs and activities for the USDA HQ Complex, GWCC, and several leased facilities throughout the national capital region.
  • Develops and implements procedures, standards, controls, and processes for the physical security programs.
  • Provides oversight and directs reviews of security programs for compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and procedures.
  • Plans, assesses, and assigns resources, both financial and human, to maintain an operational and secure environment for the complex.
  • Assists in planning and managing the program budget and fiscal allocations to support security operations, activities and initiatives.
  • Manages and directs a staff responsible for planning, administering, directing and executing physical security programs for USDA headquarters.
  • Serves as the technical advisor on policies, laws, regulations, operating procedures, protocols, and emergency situations to resolve emerging crisis situations, and issues related to security operations.
  • Oversees development, implementation for improvement processes of security programs, activities, and initiatives.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a US Citizen or US National.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • If selected, you may be required to serve a probationary or trial period as applicable to appointment type.
  • Subject to one year supervisory/managerial probationary period unless prior service is creditable. New USDA supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required training program before the end of their probationary period.
  • Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
  • Selected applicant must undergo and successfully obtain and maintain a background investigation for a Top Secret clearance. You must meet initial and periodic suitability determinations based on favorable background investigations and updates.
  • You will be required to sign a Mobility Agreement as mobility is a factor in this occupation. You may be reassigned to a new location during your career based on the needs of the service.
  • This position requires pre-employment urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use. Drug testing must also be passed on an ongoing basis after appointment, as directed. Appointment to this position is contingent upon negative drug test results.
  • This position is designated as Emergency Essential and may require the incumbent to work during weather-related closures.
  • This position requires the incumbent to qualify quarterly with all weapons issued by the USDA and maintain proficiency.
  • Medical Requirement - This position is subject to successful completion of pre-employment medical examination.
  • Physical Requirement - This position is subject to successful completion of pre-employment physical assessment.
  • The incumbent is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Duty hours are subject to change to accommodate the needs of the department.
  • Applicants must be willing and able to work nights, weekends, and holidays.
  • This position requires the incumbent to operate a motor vehicle. Must have or be able to obtain a valid driver's license.
  • See "Qualifications" section for special position requirements.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, selective placement factor, and specialized experience, as defined below.

Time in grade: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.

Selective Placement Factor: Successful completion of an accredited basic law enforcement training program (civilian or military). In order to qualify for this position you must meet this selective placement factor. A copy of your official law enforcement training certification (civilian or military) is required at the time of application. If you do not meet this requirement, you will be rated ineligible for this position.

Specialized Experience:
Qualifying experience for GS-14 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-13 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience conducting security program oversight to ensure organizational compliance with security regulations, policies, or procedures; leading projects that support law enforcement and security programs; and, making recommendations to improve existing security measures and to reduce vulnerabilities.


SPECIAL POSITION REQUREMENTS

Physical Demands: The duties of this position require moderate to arduous physical exertion. The work requires a person with good physical health and stamina to work under pressure and have the physical agility and dexterity to work in confined spaces. The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion, such as long periods of standing, walking, bending, stooping, reaching, crawling, and similar activities. This work could require long hours, confronting and controlling unruly or difficult personnel and individuals partaking in criminal activity. The incumbent must be prepared to protect themselves or others from physical attacks at any time and without warning, and to use firearms, as required by the position, only as a last resort and in high-risk operations.

Work Environment: Work is performed in a variety of locations involving risks or discomforts which require normal safety precautions typical of such places as offices, meeting and training rooms, cold or hot weather or commercial vehicles may be experienced. The work is also performed in settings in which there is regular and recurring exposure to discomforts and unpleasantness, such as substantial domestic and international travel, high levels of noise, and high temperatures in confined spaces or adverse weather conditions at mission and surveillance sites. The incumbent serves as a security and law enforcement representative and may be subject to demanding, adversarial and stressful working conditions.

Lautenberg Amendment:This position is covered by the 1996 Lautenberg Amendment to the Gun Control Act of 1968. A person convicted of a misdemeanor or felony crime of domestic violence are not eligible for the position. False or fraudulent information provided by candidates is criminally punishable by fine or imprisonment (Title 18 USC Section 1001).

Training Requirement: The incumbent must, at minimum, have: successfully completed an accredited basic law enforcement training program (civilian or military); at least 1 year of previous law enforcement experience; not have a break in service in Law Enforcement for over 5 years; and not have been convicted of a crime of domestic violence as defined in Title 18 USC Section 922(g)(9) Lautenberg Amendment.

Firearms Requirement: The incumbent is required to carry a firearm while performing duties of this position so they must meet initial and continuing qualifications in the use of firearms as outlined in the Gun Control Act of 1968, amended by the Lautenberg Amendment of 1996. The incumbent must qualify with all weapons issued by the USDA and maintain proficiency.





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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

There is no education substitution at the GS-14 level.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Reemployment Priority List (RPL): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP or RPL eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.

Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.

This is a Testing Designated Position (TDP). Selectee must submit to a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment and random testing thereafter. Final appointment and continued employment is conditional on negative results for illegal drug use.

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.

Benefits

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.

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 your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience, education, and training you described in your application package, as well as the responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you possess the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies listed below:

  • Public Safety and Security
  • General Security and Law Enforcement
  • Operations Support
  • Leadership
Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Noncompetitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities need only meet minimum qualifications to be referred.

Note: If after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

Clicking the link below will present a preview of the application form; i.e. the online questionnaire. The application form link below will only provide a preview and does not initiate the application process. To initiate the online application process, click the "Apply" button to the right.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12799409

Required Documents

The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, your system failure, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.

  • Resume that includes: Personal Information: name, address, contact information; Education; Work Experiencerelated to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); other qualifications. Resume cannot exceed 2 pages.
  • Law Enforcement Training Certification (civilian or military): A copy of your certification is required at the time of application to verify position requirements.
  • USDA Federal employees:
    • Most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) showing you are/were in the competitive service, highest grade held (or promotion potential) on a permanent basis, position title, series and grade AND
    • Most 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. A performance plan is not an acceptable substitute.
  • Current permanent FSA County employees must submit your most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) showing your highest grade (or promotion potential) held on a permanent basis, position title, series and grade AND most recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) per above.
  • Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP or RPL priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), current performance appraisal with rating of at least "Fully Successful" or equivalent, and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement to be entered into the system prior to its closing.

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this.

To begin, click "Apply" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents.

NOTE: Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded documents must be less than 5MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, TXT or Word (DOC or DOCX). Do not upload Adobe Portfolio documents because they are not viewable.

Agency contact information

Paige Sharp
Address
Departmental Administration
1400 Independence Av SW
Washington, DC 20250
US

Next steps

Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account to check your application status.

You must choose to turn on email notifications in your USAJOBS profile if you want to receive important email notifications that may impact your applicant experience (e.g. If you start an application and do not submit it prior to the closing date, USAJOBS will send an email reminder that the closing date is approaching and your application is in an incomplete status).


Under the Fair Chance Act, agencies are not allowed to request information about an applicant's criminal history until a conditional offer of employment has been made, except as allowed for access to classified information; assignment to national security duties or positions; acceptance or retention in the armed forces; or recruitment of a Federal law enforcement officer. An applicant may submit a complaint or any other information related to an organization's alleged noncompliance with the Fair Chance Act. The complaint must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged noncompliance. To make a Fair Chance Act inquiry or complaint, send an email with the appropriate information to OHRM-FCAComplaint@USDA.GOV, subject line: Fair Chance Act.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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