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Personnel Psychologist

Department of Homeland Security
U.S. Secret Service
Office of Human Resources, Human Resources Research and Assessment Division

Summary

Joining the Secret Service, Office of Human Resources, Human Resources Research and Assessment Division will allow you to participate in research, development, implementation, and maintenance of effective competency-based assessments for selection, promotion, and career development to support the establishment and maintenance of a quality workforce.

For definitions of terms found in this announcement, please click here.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
01/28/2026 to 02/03/2026
Salary
$85,447 to - $133,142 per year

Salary includes applicable locality pay.

Pay scale & grade
GS 11 - 12
Location
2 vacancies in the following location:
Washington, DC
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
HRR-KR-12870283-26-DE
Control number
855741200

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens, Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP), and lnteragency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) eligibles.

Duties

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The selectee will serve as a Personnel Psychologist in the Office of Human Resources, Human Resources Research and Assessment Division. Typical work assignments include:

  • Leading the development and implementation of employment tests, surveys, and related instruments for application to specific and general examining or other human capital needs.
  • Developing HR assessments, or survey tools and related instruments for application to specific and general examining needs or workforce development; responsible for developing special purpose tests, such as promotional assessments, and providing instruction on the proper administration and evaluation of these assessments.
  • Operating as the senior psychologist level in the development of tests, surveys, and related instruments and their application for human capital needs, including the production of data and technical reporting.
  • Serving in an advisory role on all aspects of Personnel Psychology, organizational development, and policy, with responsibility assisting with coordinating assessment and evaluation policy development for HRR and the USSS; attending and facilitating meetings within the Secret Service.
Apply for this exciting opportunity to impact the Secret Service mission by strengthening its ability to recruit, develop, and retain a highly specialized and dedicated workforce to fulfill mission critical requirements. This Personnel Psychologist position starts at a salary of $85,447.00, GS -11, step 1, with promotion potential to, $187,093.00, GS-14 step 10.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • 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 a credit check after a conditional offer of employment has been accepted.
  • Submit to a drug test prior to your appointment and random drug testing while you occupy the position.
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-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 your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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.

Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the Basic Requirements AND Minimum Qualification requirements as listed below:

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:
Degree: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree that included a major or equivalent in psychology.

IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS ABOVE, YOU MUST ALSO MEET THE FOLLOWING MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

You qualify for the GS-11 level (starting salary $85,447.00) if you possess one of the following:

One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level performing duties such as:

  • Assisting with research projects related to human resource management, such as participating in data collection, conducting basic data analyses, or preparing draft reports under supervision.
  • Applying established methods and techniques in personnel psychology, including supporting the development or evaluation of assessment tools for selection, promotion, or workforce development purposes.
  • Preparing written materials, such as technical summaries or draft reports, to communicate research findings or recommendations to team members or supervisors.
OR
  • Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position.
OR
  • 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position.
OR
  • A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position if the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages.


You qualify for the GS-12 level (starting salary $102,415.00) if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level performing duties such as:

  • Applying testing and measurement theories, principles, and practices to meet organizational needs (for example, assessment development, survey construction).
  • Conducting qualitative and quantitative analyses using statistical software packages (such as SPSS, SAS, or R) to analyze empirical data or summarize findings for review by senior psychologists.
  • Supporting the development of special-purpose tests or related human capital instruments, including recommending test administration procedures or assisting with test security protocols.
  • Preparing written materials, such as technical reports or summaries, to communicate research findings and recommendations to internal stakeholders.

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 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

For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for a position by substituting education or training for experience, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted that includes your name, the name of the educational institution, course title(s), number of credits, grade, and date of completion. An official transcript will be required if you are selected.

Additional information

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. Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.

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.

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).

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 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. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Research
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork
  • Technical Competence

If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be placed in one of the following categories:

1. Best-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate high proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all Selective Placement Factors (SPF), and appropriate Quality Ranking Factors (QRF) as determined by the job analysis.

2. Well-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrates acceptable proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all SPF's and appropriate QRFs as determined by the job analysis.

3. Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate basic proficiency in most of the critical competencies, including all SPFs and appropriate QRFs as determined by the job analysis.

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

Veterans: Qualified veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% are listed in the best-qualified category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level, or higher. (This position is considered scientific/professional.). Other 10-point preference eligibles and veterans with 5-point preference who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements are placed above non-preference eligibles within the category in which they qualify. View information on veterans' preference.

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 eligible under ICTAP, you must be deemed qualified based on the structured interview process, as described above. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement.

An interview may be required for this position. If an interview is required, 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 Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.

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