Summary
The Secret Service is seeking retirees of the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) or Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) to support our integrated mission and impart knowledge and experience to the current workforce. The Office of Technical Operations (TEC) is responsible for providing technological subject matter expertise and solutions in relation to authorized protective and criminal investigations.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
This announcement is open to Civil Service Retirees from the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) and Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) who are eligible for reemployment as a federal annuitant; and Federal Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) eligibles in the local commuting area.
Duties
The selectee will serve as a Technical Security Investigator in the Office of Technical Operations in one of the following divisions: Aviation and Airspace Security Division (ASD), Operational Communications and Integration (OCI), and Technical Security Division (TSD).
Typical work assignments include:
- Installing, monitoring, maintaining, analyzing, and evaluating the latest known technologies (e.g., state-of-the-art intrusion detection systems and devices) used by domestic and international groups to penetrate Agency sites or harm protectees.
- Assisting in protective countermeasures and related law enforcement response planning duties; tactics and techniques; and aiding senior agents with potential violations and security deficiencies.
- Assisting in analyses conducting surveys, adjusting plans and schedules, and assisting in development of alternative strategies.
- Providing advice and assistance to senior officials and representatives from other federal agencies and organizations.
The qualification requirements listed above must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
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.
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.
Apply for this exciting opportunity to support the integrated mission of the Secret Service. This Technical Security Investigator position starts at a base salary of $90,925 (GS-13, Step 1) with potential to $118,204 (GS-13, Step 10).
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- Be a U.S. citizen
- Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
If selected for this position, you will be required to:
- Obtain and maintain a Top-Secret Tier 5 clearance. For more information visit OPM Mythbuster Page.
- Submit to a drug test prior to your appointment and random drug testing while you occupy the position.
- Submit to a full-scope polygraph examination prior to your appointment.
- Undergo occasional domestic and foreign travel which will be determined by the hiring office based on the needs of the agency.
- Possess a valid U.S. state motor vehicle operator's license and maintain a valid license while you occupy the position.
- Carry and use a firearm. Maintaining firearm proficiency is also mandatory. You will be ineligible to occupy this position if at any time you have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, unless you received a pardon, or your conviction was expunged or set aside.
- Complete a pre-employment medical examination (including vision, hearing, cardiovascular and mobility of extremities) by an authorized Government physician and be determined physically fit to perform strenuous and physically demanding duties. You will be required to undergo regular physical examinations and to maintain a level of physical fitness in accordance with the standards and policies of this agency.
- Successfully complete a 10-week Mixed Basic Training Course (MBTC) or 1- week Reintegration Training Course at the James J. Rowley Training Center in Laurel, MD as applicable. Click here to review the required Fitness Standards.
NOTE: Maximum age limit (under 59 at the time of appointment).
Qualifications
To be considered qualified for this position you must meet the following qualification requirements for the respective grade level in which you are applying.
GS-13
Specialized Experience: You qualify for the GS-13 level (starting base salary $90,925) if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level performing duties such as:
- Planning work involving at least one of the following areas: physical security, intrusion detection, access control, video assessment, surveillance systems, technical surveillance countermeasures, chemical, biological and radiological hazard countermeasures, fire protection, network security, or cyber security.
- Leading staff related to any of the above specific subject matter areas.
- Providing guidance for investigative and surveillance purposes.
- Developing programs related to any of the above specific subject matter areas.
The qualification requirements listed above must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
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.
Current or Former Political Appointees: The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.
LAUTENBERG AMENDMENT: This position authorizes the incumbent to carry a firearm. Any person who has been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence cannot lawfully possess a firearm or ammunition (Title 18, USC, Section 922(g)(91)). Candidates who have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence are not qualified for this position. Candidates under consideration will be required to certify whether they have ever been convicted of such an offense. False or fraudulent information provided by candidates is criminally punishable by fine or imprisonment (Title 18, USC, Section 1001).
Education
This job does not have an education qualification requirement.
Additional information
Dual Compensation Offset Waiver Approved for Rehires: This announcement is being used to recruit CSRS and FERS annuitants on a limited basis with a waiver of salary offset (if a dual compensation waiver is requested) under certain specified circumstances not to exceed 12/31/2028.
Annuitants who are reemployed with a salary offset waiver (dual compensation) are eligible for:
- Full annuity and full Federal salary.
- Annual and sick leave (not applicable for an intermittent work schedule)
- Administratively uncontrollable overtime (AUO) pay authorized for the full-time work schedules.
- Receive overtime (on a full schedule). Overtime hours are counted towards maximum hour limitations.
- New hires under this authority will be offered a 4-year, non-status, term appointment in the competitive service, Not-to-Exceed 4 years or 1 day before their 60th birthdate, whichever comes first.
- Appointments that continue past December 31, 2028, may be subjected to salary offset (reduced) if the OPM dual compensation salary offset waiver is not renewed.
Annuitants who are reemployed with a salary offset waiver (dual compensation) are NOT eligible for:
- Additional retirement coverage (other than Social Security coverage).
- TSP Contributions.
- Annual, sick leave or holiday pay (applicable to an intermittent work schedule only).
Re-employed annuitants are at-will employees and can be separated at any time for any reason. There are no notice requirements and annuitants have no Reduction-in-Force (RIF) protections.
DHS uses E-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about
E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.
If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an
Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment.
The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Homeland Security and its Components 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
HRsupport@usss.dhs.gov.
More than one selection may be made from this announcement if additional identical vacancies in the same title, series, grade and unit occur.
The Secret Service prohibits employees from having visible body markings (including but not limited to tattoos, body art, and branding) on the head, face, neck, hand and fingers (any area below the wrist bone) (exception: a single conservative and unobtrusive tattoo in the form of a ring is authorized on one finger).
For definitions of terms found in this announcement, please click here.
Relocation expenses will not be authorized.
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.
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.
Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. Upon review, your resume and/or supporting documents need to support your answer choices and reflect the one year of specialized experience requirement, in order to be considered. If the one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the next lower grade level cannot be identified in your resume, you will be considered not qualified. The competencies or knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform this job are.
The competencies or knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform this job are:
- Attention to Detail
- Customer Service
- Flexibility
- Integrity/Honesty
- Interpersonal Skills
- Learning
- Oral Communication
- Planning and Evaluating
- Reading Comprehension
- Reasoning
- Security
- Self-Management
- Stress Tolerance
- Teamwork
- Technical Problem Solving
Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the Federal government, you are not ICTAP eligible. View information about
ICTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To be considered well qualified under ICTAP/CTAP, you must be rated at a minimum score of
85.0 for this position. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement.
Interviews may be required for this position. Failure to complete the interview may result in removal from further consideration.
Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance and U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.
After the U.S. Secret Service completes its hiring, the resumes of the remaining candidates referred for selection consideration may be shared with other DHS Components. During the application process, you may choose to opt-in if you would like your name, application material, and assessment results to be shared. There is no guarantee of further consideration, and you can continue to explore other job opportunity announcements.
Required Documents
In addition to addressing the vacancy specific questions, you must also submit the following documentation:
- Resume - Limit your resume to no more than two pages. The USAJOBS database will not allow an applicant to submit an application that includes a resume over two pages. In order to receive credit for experience contained in an uploaded resume, your employment history should show relevant work experience in month/year format (MM/YYYY), reflecting starting date and ending date, and include the number of hours worked per week. To learn how to format and submit a two-page resume, please visit the USAJOBS Help Center.
- Certifications and Transcripts - If you completed the Federal Law Enforcement Training Program, Mixed Basic Training Course, and the Protective Advance Coordinator Course, please submit a copy of your certifications and/or transcripts.
- If tentatively selected for the position, you may be required to provide additional documentation (SF-50s) to validate their eligibility for the position.
- Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP)? Submit a copy of your agency notice, copy of your most recent performance appraisal (with at least a satisfactory rating) and your most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location.
- Are you a federal annuitant? Submit a copy of your retirement SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, showing your tenure code, position occupied and highest grade and step. In addition, if you have or had service in a Federal Law Enforcement position covered by law enforcement or firefighter retirement provisions, including early or mandatory retirement, the SF-50 must show the retirement code. An award SF-50 does not contain the required information. You may be asked to provide a copy of your recent performance appraisal and or incentive awards. Instructions for obtaining your SF-50: If you need assistance with obtaining your SF-50 showing your retirement, please contact the National Records Center website at https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/civilian-non-archival. You must submit the SF-50 associated with your retirement for consideration.
- Are you a Veteran? Veterans' preference does not apply to selections made under this announcement. However, if you would like to submit your military records for benefits you may receive after selection, please submit the following: copy of your DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (Member Copy 4). If a DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (Member Copy 4) is not available, other documentation listing the beginning and ending dates of active service and the type of discharge must be submitted to verify eligibility.
NOTE: Failure to submit required documents will result in disqualification for this vacancy.
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 required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. PLEASE NOTE: Only resumes up to a total of two pages will be accepted. Applicants with resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. If your materials are not received by the closing date, your application will be evaluated solely on the information available, and you may not receive full consideration or may not be considered eligible. Also, if you do not provide a valid email address, you may not be notified of the outcome of your application. The application process is as follows:
- Click the Apply Online button
- Answer the questions presented in the application and submit the required documents.
- Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on the announcement closing date: 09/21/2026.
- 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.
- Access to USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
To view the required online questionnaire, please visit:
https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13051755. The online questionnaire is required in addition to the USA Hire assessments.
For more general information, system requirements, reasonable accommodation information, and to request assistance regarding the USA Hire Assessments, review the following resources:
USA Hire Help.
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:
USA Hire Reasonable Accommodation.
We strongly encourage you to apply online. If you cannot apply online, you may contact the HR Specialist at
HRSupport@usss.dhs.gov OR by calling (202) 406-6420 between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:30 pm EST (excluding Federal holidays) prior to the closing date of this announcement to receive assistance.
The Secret Service provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities, on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.
Next steps
Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and determine your eligibility. Best-qualified applicants will be referred for further consideration and possible interview. We expect to make a selection within 45 days of the closing date of this announcement. If you are selected, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation. We will notify you by email after each of these steps has been completed. Your status will also be updated on USAJOBS throughout the process. To check your status, log on to your USAJOBS account, click on "Application Status," and then click "More Information. For more information on applying for Federal employment, please click here.
Note: The average re-employment process is typically 2-6 months depending on your unique history.
The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR § 315.707. The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR § 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR § 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps, VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.