Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to: All U.S. Citizens. Includes Retained Grade Preference (PPP-RGP) eligible, and Military Reserve and National Guard Technician (PPP MRNG) eligible may also apply.

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As a INTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS SPECIALIST you will be responsible for the following duties:

• The incumbent needs to understand that risk, as it pertains to cleared industry, is a function of threat, vulnerability and consequence/value. The incumbent understands the interrelationship of these variables for cleared industry. The incumbent evaluates, prioritizes and manages risk within the cleared industry portfolio they are assigned in coordination with the Regional Mission Director, CI and Region Operations Officer.
• The incumbent serves as a technical expert and consultant on CI and counter-proliferation issues involving facilities where Critical Program Information (CPI) resides, and facilitates support for DoD Research, Development, and Acquisition (RDA) programs. The incumbent provides advice and guidance as the basis for the development of new countermeasures/mitigation strategies to deter and/or detect FIE's attempts at illegally acquiring sensitive or classified CPI or RDA information and technology. This also includes using initiative and resourcefulness in deviating from traditional CI methods to develop new methods, criteria, and proposed strategies to counter FIE activities.
• The incumbent brings broad experience in CI collection and reporting. The incumbent conducts CI collection activities in cleared industry and produces and disseminates relevant reports meeting the full range of DCSA and DoD collection requirements. The incumbent prepares Intelligence Information Reports (IIRs) meeting National and DoD CI collection requirements.
• The incumbent maintains highly collaborative relationships with other DoD components, USG Law Enforcement (LE) and Intelligence Community (IC) counterparts, and with cleared contractors, to understand their requirements and to enable DCSA to collect, evaluate and share complete, threat information relevant to each counterpart. The incumbent is active in relevant counterpart forums, such as CI working groups; counter-proliferation working groups; research development and acquisition working groups; and CI task forces, to name a few.
• The incumbent develops an understanding of the investigative and operational information thresholds required by counterpart USG LE agencies and Military Department CI Organizations to support the initiation of investigations and operations. The incumbent collects and refers complete information answering the basic interrogatives required by our counterparts, typically documenting who, what, when, where, why and the how of a suspicious contact.
• The incumbent synchronizes all CI activities as an equal partner with DCSA Industrial Security Representatives and Information System Security Professionals to maximize DCSA mission efficiency and effectiveness in thwarting FIE and foreign commercial adversary attempts to obtain sensitive and classified U.S. information and technology. The incumbent participates in the Security Vulnerability Assessment process at cleared industry facilities to identify vulnerabilities and threats to sensitive and classified information and technology and recommend effective mitigation strategies.
• The incumbent supports all DCSA personnel in matters involving CI awareness and reporting requirements, the foreign intelligence threat, and makes recommendations for the implementation of appropriate CI countermeasures necessary to counter FIE collection efforts targeting DCSA.
• The incumbent prepares and presents significant case briefings for senior USG officials to articulate the threat to sensitive and classified technologies and programs in cleared industry. The incumbent also conducts CI threat awareness training to sensitize DCSA and cleared contractor personnel to the threats posed by FIEs per DoD 5240.06, "Counterintelligence (CI) Awareness and Reporting". They also develop, plan, or contribute to DCSA and to DCSA' Center for Development of Security Excellence (CDSE) training programs on CI, insider threat, and cyber threat related issues for all DCSA employees and for cleared contractors.

Conditions of employment

• Must be a US citizen
• Selective Service Requirement: Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service. For more information http://www.sss.gov
• Resume and supporting documents received by 11:59PM EST will be considered
• This is a Drug Testing designated position
• Position is a (DCIPS) position in the Excepted Service under U.S.C. 1601
• Work Schedule: Full Time
• Overtime: Occasionally
• Tour of Duty: Flexible
• PCS (Permanent Change of Station): Not Authorized
• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Exempt
• Financial Disclosure: Not Required
• Telework Eligibility: Supervisors may approve situational telework on a case-by-case, temporary basis for limited situations.
• If selected, the incumbent must obtain and maintain appropriate security clearance as indicated in job announcement.
• Incumbent must successfully complete the DoD CI Agent Course (DCAC) offered by the Joint CI Training Academy (JCITA) and be certified to carry CI Special Agent credentials within 18 months of onboarding in accordance with DoD 5240.02 and DoD 5240.06.
• This time period may be extended due to class availability. Failure to obtain DCAC certification may result in mandatory reassignment to a position that does not require credentials.
• The incumbent will be required to sign a continued service agreement agreeing to stay with the agency for 12 months upon completion of the DCAC training.
• Relocation incentive may be authorized for highly qualified individuals.

Qualifications

The experience described in your resume will be evaluated and screened from the Office of Personnel Management's (OPMs) basic qualifications requirements. See: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0100/intelligence-series-0132/ for OPM qualification standards, competencies and specialized experience needed to perform the duties of the position as described in the MAJOR DUTIES and QUALIFICATIONS sections of this announcement by 10/09/2026

Applicant must have directly applicable experience that demonstrates the possession of the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies necessary for immediate success in the position. Qualifying experience may have been acquired in any public or private sector job, but will clearly demonstrate past experience in the application of the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to successfully perform the duties of the position.

You must have specialized experience sufficient to demonstrate that you have acquired all the competencies necessary to perform at a level equivalent in difficulty, responsibility, and complexity to the next lower grade GG/GS-12 in the Federal service and are prepared to take on greater responsibility.
Generally, this would include one year or more of such specialized experience.

Specialized experience for this position includes:

1. Knowledge and experience in the field of counterintelligence (CI) collection, investigations, operations, and in-depth research, compilation, and field-level analysis of a wide range of extremely complex and sensitive information to determine Foreign Intelligence Entity threats to US interests.
2. Knowledge and experience with the National Industrial Security Program and the DoD Personnel Security Program process sufficient to correlate counterintelligence issues emerging within cleared industry.

• Influencing/Negotiating: Persuades others to accept recommendations, cooperate, or change their behavior; works with others towards an agreement; negotiates to find mutually acceptable solutions.
• Interpersonal Skills: Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences.
• Oral Communication: Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
• Problem Solving: Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.
• Self-Management: Sets well-defined and realistic personal goals; displays a high level of initiative, effort, and commitment towards completing assignments in a timely manner; works with minimal supervision; is motivated to achieve; demonstrates responsible behavior.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the SME Resume Panel review.

EXCEPTED SERVICE PILOT REVIEW: Once the application process is complete, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. All applicants who meet the basic qualification requirements will be forwarded to the Selecting Official for consideration.

To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

Top ranked candidates will be referred to the selecting official for further review and consideration.

A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified'.

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

All eligibility and qualifications requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.