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

Operational Support Technician GS 5/6

Department of Justice
Federal Bureau of Investigation

Summary

The heart and soul of the FBI is in the investigative work employees perform to prevent, disrupt, and mitigate threats. The Operational Support Technician (OST) is the key support to Agents and Intelligence Analysts. OSTs have an integral role in operations and make an immediate impact by performing a wide range of support functions.

Overview

Help
Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
01/26/2026 to 02/09/2026
Salary
$34,799 to - $50,428 per year

The salaries listed are the base rate on the GS pay scale. A complete list of pay tables factoring in locality pay can be found on OPM.gov.

Pay scale & grade
GS 5 - 6
Locations
Many vacancies in the following locations:
Anchorage, AK
Los Angeles, CA
Sacramento, CA
San Diego, CA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
8
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Sensitive Compartmented Information
Drug test
Yes
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
DESTIMP-12872982-26-VL
Control number
855467600

Duties

Help

  • Provides administrative and clerical support to various staff members of the Field Office in order to accomplish organizational goals and missions.
  • Operates switchboard to provide assistance; takes messages or directs calls to the proper person.
  • Refers telephonic complaints and inquiries from outside sources and the general public to higher grade level employee for appropriate action. If complaint is within another agency's purview, refers caller to that agency or accepts the information and promptly apprises the agency.
  • Serves as WebTA Time Keeper to ensure all records are accurate and complete by the closing date of each pay period.
  • Manipulates automated information systems to perform duties associated with the retrieval of information from FBI, state, and local law enforcement databases and commercial computerized information systems. Disseminates information to those involved in the investigation during course of normal work operations, and on occasion, during planned interagency activities and special operations in the office of assignment.
  • Ensures the physical security of office premises to include any storage areas or auxiliary parking facilities. Confirms alarms are operational, and monitors alarm systems. Personally conducts, or ensures inspections are made to verify doors and windows are properly locked; office safe and file cabinets containing official records and materials are secured; files, correspondence, keys, equipment and instruments are safeguarded; and all confidential trash is removed for destruction. Responds appropriately to triggered alarms and any security violations. May serve as COMSEC custodian, responsible for the receipt, custody, transfer, safeguarding, accounting, and destruction of COMSEC material.
  • Provides training and guidance to others on various facets of work performed.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. citizen.
  • Must be able to obtain a Top Secret-SCI clearance.
  • Some travel may be required.

Qualifications

GS-5: Applicant must possess at least one (1) year of SE equivalent to the GS-4 grade level. SE is defined as follows:

  • Performed clerical support functions for an office.
  • Operated telecommunications equipment such as phone, radio, computer, fax, etc., to provide assistance.
  • Utilized computers to type documents and/or forms.

GS-6: Applicant must possess at least one (1) year of SE equivalent to the GS-5 grade level. SE is defined as follows:

  • Created and maintained records and files in accordance with policies and procedures.
  • Utilized computers to type documents and/or forms.
  • Communicated with internal staff and/or outside entities to obtain and/or provide information.

Education

All degrees must be from an accredited college or university. Education may be substituted for specialized experience as follows:

GS-5: Applicant must have a at least four (4) years of education above the high school level. One year of full time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours (or the equivalent in a college or university), or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school.

GS-6: Applicant must have a bachelor's degree.

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above requirements provided you can show foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States.

Additional information

Applicants must be U.S. citizens and consent to a complete background investigation, urinalysis, and polygraph. You must be suitable for Federal employment; as determined by a background investigation.

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.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your application will be evaluated using the FBI's Candidate Rating Procedures. Your resume and supporting documents will be reviewed to verify that you meet the job qualifications listed in this announcement and will be compared against your responses to the online assessment questionnaire. Applicants must meet the qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

If you are found minimally qualified, your application will move forward to additional phases of the review process.

The competencies will be used in a Structured Resume Review to objectively evaluate applicant resumes. Do not provide a separate narrative written statement. Rather you must describe in your resume how your past work experience demonstrates that you possess the competencies identified below. Your resume should demonstrate that you possess the following competencies.

Competencies:

  • Communication
  • Flexibility/Adaptability
  • Initiative
  • Problem Solving/Judgement
  • Customer Service

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.