Clarification from the agency

Only open to CTAP/ICTAP displaced Federal employees within the local commuting area; VEOA-eligible veterans (honorably separated with 3+ continuous active years or preference eligible); and staff eligible under the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA).

As a Protective Service Specialist:
You will participate as a member of teams implementing protective service advance and protective services for the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of the Department of Transportation under terms and conditions prescribed by the DOT Chief of Staff, OISER Director, and Special Agent in Charge (SAC), Protective Service Division (PSD). 

You will be expected to work long and irregular hours, walking, driving, and standing to provide physical protection for the Secretary, while in Deputy U.S. Marshal status. Work assignments may therefore be strenuous, consistent with activities associated with protection assignments, including holding of subjects and suspects in pursuit of effective law enforcement, defending oneself or others against physical attack, and maintaining physical control of such suspects in
the use of force continuum. Must cope with continuously rigid and extremely short deadlines where schedules and workload are highly variable, unpredictable, and uncontrollable. These activities will be engaged while conducting protective service and protective service advance operations. There is the potential for physical harm, based on hazards associated with reasonable enforcement response. 

You will perform in settings in which there is regular and recurring exposure to discomfort and unpleasantness, such as substantial domestic and international travel, high levels of noise, and high temperatures in confined spaces or adverse weather conditions at mission and surveillance sites. You will be required to qualify in the use of--and maintain proficiency with--firearms and law enforcement/communications equipment. Assignments performed in Deputy U.S. Marshal status require safe work practices with respect to the handling of firearms, may require use of protective clothing, and may place incumbent at great personal risk or in situations where conditions cannot be controlled.

This position is designated as Emergency Essential and may require working during weather related closures.

The Office of Intelligence, Security and Emergency Response (OISER), Protective Service Division (PSD) is seeking a seasoned professional who is self-reliant and motivated in providing protective service advance, intelligence, and protective services for the Secretary of Transportation.

Conditions of employment

• You must meet specialized experience to qualify.
• Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
• Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may 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 the 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.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

• SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
• GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel.  A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
• SECURITY CLEARANCE: You must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI clearance.
  BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: Must be able to qualify for and maintain a Top Secret/SCI Level Clearance.
• SPECIAL DEPUTATION: You must obtain and maintain this requirement which will allow you to carry a service weapon to provide personal protection to The Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and other senior officials. This requires that you:
  - Must have successfully completed an accredited basic law enforcement training program (civilian or military);
  - Must have at least one year of previous law enforcement experience; AND
  - Must not have been convicted of a felony and/or crime of domestic violence as defined in Title 18, USC 922(g)(9) Lautenberg Amendment.
• MEDICAL REQUIREMENT: Subject to successful completion of a pre-employment medical and physical qualification determination. You must acquire annual certification indicating that medical and physical standards are met.
• CERTIFICATIONS: Must be able to obtain and maintain current required certifications in First Aid, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), and the Automated External Defibrillator (AED).

PLEASE SEE THE "OTHER INFORMATION" SECTION FOR ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT SECTION.

Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet either the education or experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration. 

To qualify for the GS-11 on Experience,  you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-09 it must include:

• Experience applying protective service security concepts, principles, and policies to research, AND
• Experience assessing threat information while providing protection for a high-ranking official/executive
  domestically and/or internationally, AND
• Experience preparing comprehensive protective service advance reports.

To qualify for the GS-11 on Education alone, you must have:

• Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or
• 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; or
• A LL.M, if related

You can also qualify based on a combination of higher level graduate education and experience. This must be fully supported by your resume and transcripts, provided with your application. 

To qualify for the GS-12 on Experience,  you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-11 it must include:

• Experience conducting sensitive and complex protective service inquiries that unfold over periods of time (i.e., days, weeks, months or years), AND
• Experience providing protection for a high-ranking official/executive domestically and internationally, AND
• Experience preparing briefings and reports regarding protective service which involve coordination with Federal, State, and/or Local law enforcement.

You cannot qualify on education at the GS-12 level; you must have experience.

To qualify for the GS-13 on Experience,  you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-12 it must include:

• Experience serving as a shift, advance and/or detail lead for events while providing protection for a high ranking officials/executives domestically and internationally, AND
• Experience preparing briefings and reports regarding protective service which involve coordination with Federal, State, and/or Local law enforcement.

You cannot qualify on education at the GS-13 level; you must have experience.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

• 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 andproper reporting of security incidents.
• Personnel Security and Safety - Knowledge of methods and controls of personnel, public safety, and security
  operations; investigation and inspection techniques; or rules, regulations, precautions, and prevention
  techniques for the protection of people, data, or property.

 
For all types of 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, 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

For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/frequently-asked-questions/employment-faq/federal-hiring/how-do-i-apply-for-federal-jobs/

Students enrolled in a qualifying degree program can apply if the anticipated graduation date is within six months of closing date of the announcement. Graduation transcript must be received before start date.

Other applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

How you will be evaluated

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

DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: 

Please be clear and specific when describing your experience, as HR evaluates applications strictly on the facts provided and will not make assumptions. To receive full credit, your narrative responses must be written in paragraph format and explicitly match your resume. Begin each response by listing the exact position title, organization, employment dates (MM/YYYY–MM/YYYY), full- or part-time status, average weekly hours, and federal series/grade (if applicable). Within the body of the paragraph, clearly describe your specific duties, actions taken, tools used, and measurable outcomes. HR will cross-check these details against your resume; if your resume does not fully support every claim and timeframe, the experience will not be considered for credit, which may result in an ineligible determination.

Your application will be reviewed in two phases determine how you move forward in the hiring process.  Phase I: Your resume will be reviewed to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. ONLY two (2) pages of your resume will be reviewed. Additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume) will not be reviewed.  Applicants passing “Phase I” will move on to the “Phase II” of the assessment process where your application will be reviewed and rated based on the KSAs/Competencies listed in the vacancy announcement by a Subject Matter Expert (SME).

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.