Clarification from the agency

Open to all qualified U.S. Citizens. DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.205) for this occupation.

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The Supervisory Police Officer ensures a safe and secure environment at their assigned facility. They provide security and assistance to Veterans, patients, employees, contractors, volunteers, affiliates, visitors, and others who frequent VA facilities daily. They are expected to empathize, engage, and communicate with all individuals they encounter to ensure a positive outcome and the safety of the facility and all its occupants. The Supervisory Police Officer sets a positive example for subordinates to follow, encouraging a relationship of trust and respect.

Major Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Directs subordinate Police Officers engaged in law enforcement responsibilities.
• Works in collaboration with the Police Supervisor carrying out Police Service's(PS) overall mission where most of the work is performed on Departmental property.
• Directs law enforcement assignments to preserve peace; to prevent, detect, and investigate crimes; to arrest or apprehend violators; and to assist citizens in emergencies, including the protection of civil rights.
• Plans work schedules and sequence of operations daily to assure an even flow and distribution of work, the expeditious handling of priority cases, and meeting of schedules and deadlines.
• Coordinates with law enforcement representatives of other units concerning matters of work accomplishment, priorities, and procedures.
• Prepares workload and activity reports as necessary and reports the status of operations and significant problems in meeting work schedules to higher-level supervisor.
• Prepares performance standards; reviews work in progress or upon completion; analyzes logs and activity reports or other data to ascertain problems in accuracy, adequacy, adherence to procedures, etc., and takes corrective action as necessary; reviews and accepts, amends, or rejects work when quality standards have not been completely met.
• Formulates training plans for assigned Police Officers; conducts or coordinates informal training to broaden employee skills and to provide back-up skills through cross-training; and recommends formal training courses.
• Responds to highly dangerous and active crimes in progress and makes independent decisions to take/direct/coordinate immediate steps to preserve life and property.
• Oversees investigations, prisoner transports, patient search and recovery, life-saving efforts, disaster response and recovery, asset protection during transit, training, and other matters.
• Issues courtesy citations or U.S. District Court Violation Notices in accordance with law, VA Police Directives, Handbook, Training Unit, Standard Operating Procedures or Medical Center Memorandums.
• All other duties as assigned, pertaining to this occupation, to meet the needs of the Agency, Department, Facility, and/or Service.
  

Work Schedule: Full-Time, Monday-Friday 3:00pm - 11:00pm.
Compressed/Flexible: Candidates must be willing to work weekends, irregular work hours and extended hours if determined by the needs of the service. Furthermore, candidates must be willing to be placed, detailed, or temporarily assigned to other related services and/or locations, if necessary.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Police Officer/PD482-25027-A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized.
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether 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 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 period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/09/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service.
Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the Federal service (or equivalent pay band), that provided a knowledge of a body of basic laws and regulations, law enforcement operations, practices, and techniques and involved responsibility for maintaining order and protecting life and property. Specialized experience includes:
  • Supervising/leading and providing guidance/direction to Police Officers in their duties in response to potential threats of violence, detecting criminal activity, fire and other emergencies;
  • Enforcing federal, state, and local laws;
  • Making arrests;
  • Conducting foot and vehicle patrol;
  • Maintaining control of a scene or incident;
  • Taking statements from witnesses/suspects and advising them of their rights; preparing detailed reports of criminal offenses, violations, incidents, and citations issued;
  • Interrogating suspects;
  • Applying all correct rules of search and seizure.

Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week.

Creditable Experience: Creditable specialized experience may have been gained in work on a police force; through service as a military police officer; in work providing visitor protection and law enforcement in parks, forests, or other natural resource or recreational environments; in performing criminal investigative duties; or in other work that provided the required knowledge and skills. Experience as a security guard or corrections officer is generally not qualifying.

Police Duty or Auxiliary Police Duty, Security Work, College Security work, Public School Security Work, Volunteer Police Traffic Officers, Airport Security Screener work, Private Contracted Security work and work in Correctional Institution, IS NOT Qualifying Experience. To be considered valid Police Officer experience it must have been gained after attending a local, state, federal or military Police Academy, the position must have authorized the carrying of a firearm while performing assigned duties and full arrest powers authorized. Note:Military experience may only be considered if it was gained while the applicant held one of the following qualifying specialties:

• Army: 95B,95C, 31A, 31B, 31D
• Marine Corps: 5803, 5805, 5811, 5812, 5813, 5814, 5821
• Air Force: 08111-114, 81110, 81170, 81172, 81130, 81150, 81112, 81132, 81152, 81199, 3P1-4, 3P011, 3P031, 3P051, 3P071, 3P09, 75011, 75031, 75051, 75071, 75091
• Navy: 9545, 0000MA
• Coast Guard:(no code)

Physical Requirements: The work requires, on a regular and recurring basis, considerable and strenuous physical exertion such as running, frequent climbing of multiple flights of stairs, and carrying items weighing over 50 pounds. It requires stamina, physical agility, dexterity, and the strength to pursue, apprehend or detain persons who are often uncooperative, assaultive, and/or armed. The work involves both moderate and high risks and possible endangerment of life or serious injury that requires the exercise of safety precautions and use of personal protective equipment.

Work Conditions: The work involves both moderate and high risks and possible endangerment of life or serious injury that requires the exercise of safety precautions and use of personal protective equipment The work is performed in settings in which there is regular and recurring exposure to moderate to severe discomforts and unpleasantness, such as high temperatures in confined spaces, high temperatures due to mandatory protective personal equipment, or adverse weather conditions during extended periods of traffic and patrol duties. The work involves moderate risk requiring exercise of safety precautions when working around hazardous materials such as toxic gases, explosives, infectious biological materials, and others that pose a moderate risk of exposure.

Driver's License Requirement: Applicants must possess a valid, unrestricted State driver's license, have a safe driving record, and demonstrate that he or she is medically qualified to operate the appropriate motor vehicle safely. Applicants are required to pass agency Government Vehicle Drivers physical examination. NOTE: We cannot accept photographs, therefore; please do not submit a copy of your driver's license with your application package. If an interview is requested, you may be required to provide a copy of your valid state-issued driver's license.

Firearm Requirement: VA Police Officers are required to carry agency-approved firearms while on duty on VA property. Officers must achieve and maintain qualification/certification with the agency-approved firearms as condition of gaining and continuing employment as a Police Officer. Applicants must be able to possess firearms under the terms of the Gun Control Act of 1968, as amended (18 U.S.C. 922(g)(9).

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Conditions of Employment:

1. New VA Police Officers are required to attend an 8-10 week course at the VA Law Enforcement Training Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. Satisfactory completion of this course is a condition of continued employment.
2. A medical examination is required. The duties of these positions require moderate to arduous physical exertion and/or duties of a hazardous nature. The following medical requirements apply to all applicants: good near and distant vision, ability to distinguish basic colors, and ability to hear the conversational voice.
3. Applicants and employees must have the capacity to perform the essential functions of the position without risk to themselves or others. Applicants and employees must possess emotional and mental stability. A psychological examination is required. In most instances, a specific medical condition or impairment will not automatically disqualify an applicant or employee. A medical condition or impairment is disqualifying only if the condition, for good medical reason, precludes assignment to or warrants restriction from the duties of the specific position. For some positions, the loss or impairment of a specific function may be compensated for by the satisfactory use of a prosthesis or mechanical aid. Reasonable accommodation shall also be considered in determining an applicant's ability to perform the duties of a position.
4. A character investigation will be conducted on applicants selected for employment. The purpose of such an investigation is to secure evidence of the candidate's honesty, integrity, general character, and loyalty to the U.S. Government.
5. As a condition of employment, must qualify to be issued a firearm and semi-annually with assigned firearm, annually with an expandable Straight Baton (MEB), maintain a valid State or Commonwealth Driver's License and pass annual physical and psychosocial assessments. Applicants must be able to possess firearms under the terms of the Gun Control Act of 1968, as amended (18 U.S.C. 922(g)(9).

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. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:

• Leadership: Inspires, motivates and guides others toward goal accomplishment; coaches, mentors, and challenges subordinates; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations; models high standards of honesty, integrity, trust, openness, and respect for the individual by applying these values to daily behaviors.
• Manages Human Resources: Plans, distributes, and monitors work assignments; evaluates work performance and provides feedback to others on their performance.
• Criminal Law: Knowledge of state and federal criminal laws, including procedures, regulations, guidelines, and precedents related to admissibility of evidence and prosecution.
• Decision Making: Makes sound, well informed, and objective decisions; perceives the impact and implications of decisions; commits to action, even in uncertain situations, to accomplish organizational goals; causes change.
• 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 and proper reporting of security incidents.
• Teaches Others: Helps others learn through formal or informal methods; identifies training needs; provides constructive feedback; coaches others on how to perform tasks; acts as a mentor.

Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from 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; religions; 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.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.