Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results

Police Officer

Department of Homeland Security
Federal Emergency Management Agency
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The ideal candidate for this position will have experience maintaining law and order, protecting life, property, and civil rights of individuals and National Security Information. This position starts at a salary of $56,516 (GS-07). Apply for this exciting opportunity to become a member of the Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center (MWEOC) team within FEMA.

View common definitions of terms found in this announcement.

Overview

Help
Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
02/02/2023 to 02/13/2023
This job will close when we have received 100 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$56,516 to - $73,469 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 07
Location
2 vacancies in the following location:
Round Hill, VA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - This position may require minimal non-emergency travel up to 5% .
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
07
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
FEMA-23-JD-623779-MP
Control number
704048400

Duties

Help

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is calling on those who want to help protect American interests and secure our Nation. DHS Components work collectively to prevent terrorism; secure borders and our transportation systems; protect the President and other dignitaries; enforce and administer immigration laws; safeguard cyberspace; and ensure resilience to disasters. We achieve these vital missions through a diverse workforce spanning hundreds of occupations. Make an impact; join DHS.

When disaster strikes, America looks to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Now FEMA looks to you. Join our team and use your talent to support Americans in their times of greatest need. FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages Federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. We foster innovation, reward performance and creativity, and provide challenges on a routine basis with a well-skilled, knowledgeable, high performance workforce. Please visit www.fema.gov for additional information.

In this position, you will serve as a Police Officer for the Emergency Services Division in the Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center (MWEOC), responsible for maintaining law and order and protecting life, property and the civil rights of individuals as well as for protecting Government property and national security information from acts of sabotage, espionage, terrorism, trespass, theft, fire and accidental and/or willful damage and destruction. Typical assignments include: 

  • Enforcing federal laws and regulations for the protections of life and property while carrying firearms.
  • Making arrests without a warrant for any offense, patrolling the facility grounds and structures to prevent and detect theft, damage, or unauthorized entry, monitoring alarm systems, closed circuit television systems, and telephone and radio networks, regulating pedestrian and vehicular traffic, receiving and acting on calls concerning reports of breaches of the peace, violations, complaints, emergencies, accidents, and/or injuries, taking statements from witnesses and follows up on information obtained.
  • Serving warrants and subpoenas issued under the authority of the United States, conducting investigations, on and off the MWEOC, of offenses that may have been committed against property owned or occupied by the federal government or persons on the property.
  • Preparing incident reports and other appropriate documentation relevant to breaches of the peace, acts of violence, theft of federal or personal property, and other violations committed on federally-owned or controlled property at the MWEOC and assisting federal, state, or local law enforcement officials in follow-up investigations.
  • Conducting long and short-term investigations, completing investigations of all crimes (both felony and misdemeanor, investigating complaints, leads/tips, develops leads, obtains physical evidence, seeking out witnesses for questions, takes testimony, preparing reports, making recommendations and preparing cases for prosecution.

All MWEOC staff have emergency assignments and are considered deployed in place. Exercises and activations are planned and unplanned, and may require long hours, nights, weekends and holidays.

All MWEOC employees are: (1) required to use a government-issued electronic device (to include cellular phones); (2) subject to recall during emergency situations; and (3) required to perform work in locations both above and below ground.

EMERGENCY ASSIGNMENT: Every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities, though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites. All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee's official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
  • You must successfully pass a background investigation.
  • Selective Service registration required.
  • Current federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements.
  • You must be able to obtain and maintain a Government credit card.
  • Please review "Other Information" section for additional key requirements.

To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo, successfully pass, and maintain a background investigation for a TOP SECRET clearance as a condition of placement into this position. This may include a credit check after initial job qualifications are determined, a review of financial issues, such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs (please visit: Mythbuster on Federal Hiring Policies for additional information). For more information on background investigations for Federal jobs please visit OPM Investigations.

Please ensure you meet the qualification requirements described below.

  • Required to drive a vehicle and maintain a valid state driver's license.
  • Required to participate in tests and exercises during non-duty work hours.
  • Required to wear a uniform.
  • Required to wear various Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to include respirators, masks, self-contained breathing apparatus, and armored vests.
  • Required to carry firearms or other weapons authorized for their specific jurisdiction and must qualify bi-annually with authorized weapons and demonstrate skill and proficiency in their uses.
  • Required to work shifts including weekends, holidays, & emergency overtime when necessary.
  • Must meet requirements of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9), known as the "Lautenberg Amendment" which outlines carrying of firearms.
  • Subject to supervisory inspection and approval of attire, as an officer representing MWPD, for professional and competent image to include a clean, neatly pressed uniform/attire for tidy appearance in accordance to established dress code.

Qualifications

Current Federal employees must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent grade band in the Federal service. The time-in-grade requirement must be met within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

The qualification requirements listed below must be met within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

You qualify for this position at the GS-07 level (starting salary $56,516) if you possess the following: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-06) in the Federal Service. This experience may have been gained in the federal government, a state or local government, a non-profit organization, the private sector, or as a volunteer; however, your resume must clearly describe at least one year of specialized experience. Specialized experience for this position includes:

  • Conducting law enforcement operations using practices and techniques to resolve offenses or violations AND;
  • Using investigation techniques to conduct long and short-term investigations AND;
  • Enforcing laws and regulations to identify and/or arrest violators AND;
  • Questioning individuals, taking witness statements and writing incident reports.

AND

In addition to the specialized experience, you must also have completed a FLETC Uniform Police Training Program, Mixed Basic Training Program or Criminal Investigator Training program. Please upload your Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) certification. Failure to upload at time of application, you will be found not qualified for the position.

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.

NOTE: Qualifications are based on breadth/level of experience. In addition to describing duties performed, applicants must provide federal grade levels to positions listed in Federal Government; the exact dates of each period of employment (from MM/YY to MM/YY) and the number of hours worked per week if part time. As qualification determinations cannot be made when resumes do not include the required information, failure to provide this information will result in disqualification. Applicants are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to develop their federal resume. For a brief video on How to Create a Federal Resume, click here.

Current or former FEMA Reservists/DAE employees: To accurately credit your experience for these intermittent positions, make sure to list the dates (from MM/YY to MM/YY) of each deployment, along with the job title and specific duties you were responsible for during each deployment.  Failure to provide this information may result in disqualification.

The 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. 

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

  • This position has been identified as a Testing Designated Position (TDP) because of its security, public health, and/or public safety sensitivity, you are subject to random drug testing under FEMA's Drug-Free Workplace Plan (DWP). Refusal to be tested will result in disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • This announcement may be used to fill one or more vacancies.
  • A one year probationary period is required for new Federal competitive service employees and new supervisors and managers. 
  • If selected for this position, and you have not previously completed these requirements, you are subject to (1) completion of a 2 day onboarding program at your primary duty location; and, (2) completion of a subsequent, multiple day orientation program within 90-120 days of hire, at a location to be determined.  Travel associated with the orientation portion of this requirement may be at FEMA’s expense.
  • 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.
  • Due weight will be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards in merit promotion selection decisions in accordance with 5 CFR 335.103(b)(3).
  • Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.
  • This is a Bargaining Unit position.
  • Required to pass a pre-employment and yearly physical exam and maintain a specified medical profile.
  • The position has been designated as EMERGENCY ESSENTIAL. The person selected for the position must be able to continue to perform duties of this position in the event of a crisis until relieved by proper authority.

How you will be evaluated

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

We will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the minimum qualification requirements. If you meet the minimum qualifications, your experience, education, and training will be rated using a job questionnaire that is based on the following competencies needed to perform this job:

  • Technical Proficiency
  • Communication

If you are best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview. 

We recommend that you preview the online questions for this announcement before you start the application process.

Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA): To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, the veteran must 1) be a preference eligible; or 2) be a veteran separated after 3 or more years of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement. (Note: Veteran’s preference does not apply under Merit Promotion procedures. View VEOA information on Feds Hire Vets.)

Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP/CTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not ICTAP/CTAP eligible. View information about ICTAP/CTAP eligibility on OPM’s Career Transition Resources website. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet eligibility criteria for CTAP or ICTAP; 2) be rated well-qualified for the position; and, 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility (see “Required Documents” section of this announcement). Well-Qualified is defined as those applicants who are rated with a minimum score of 85.00 for this position.

Interview Requirement:  Interviews may be required for this position.  Failure to complete the interview may result in removal from further consideration. 


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.