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Summary

This position is located in the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, within Law Enforcement and Investigations (LEI).

The incumbent serves as a Physical Security Specialist responsible for developing, analyzing, and implementing USDA-wide physical security policies, standards, and procedures.

For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact SM.FS.lei_recruit@usda.gov.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Salary
$106,437 - $138,370 per year

Salary range as shown is the locality pay Rest of U.S. (RUS). Visit OPM's website for pay rates for additional locality rates.

Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Promotion potential
13
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
50% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
Yes
Security clearance
Top Secret
Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
26-WO-LEI-13085633-G-LS
Control number
890020300

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Duties

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  • Duties listed are at the full performance level.
  • Conducts nationwide physical security assessments of Forest Service facilities in accordance with Interagency Security Committee (ISC) Standards, Homeland Security Presidential Directives, and USDA regulations.
  • Leads the development, management, and maintenance of the Forest Service Standard Physical Security Assessment Program.
  • Prepares policies, guidance, and training materials to ensure consistent agency-wide application of physical security requirements
  • Serves as the primary liaison for physical security matters between the Forest Service, USDA agencies, and external partners such as the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Protective Service, and other interagency security committees.
  • Interprets and applies physical security principles to unique and complex environments, including remote facilities and specialized operational settings.
  • Collaborate with other security disciplines, including personnel security, IT/cybersecurity, emergency preparedness, and COOP operations to develop coordinated, agency-wide security solutions.
  • Conduct inspections, compliance reviews, and follow-up evaluations to ensure corrective actions are implemented.
  • Deliver briefings on assessment findings, vulnerabilities, and recommended improvements to senior leadership.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Conditions of Employment:

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify.gov.
  • 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.
  • This is a Test Designated Position. You will be tested for illegal drugs prior to appointment and randomly thereafter. Appointment and continued employment is conditional on negative results.
  • There may be additional Conditions of Employment not listed here; however applicants will be notified of any specific requirements at the time a tentative job offer is made.
  • This position requires the incumbent to operate a motor vehicle and must have or be able to obtain a valid driver's license.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify.gov.

Qualifications


In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards.

Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide course descriptions as necessary.

Specialized Experience Requirement:

GS-13: Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-12. Specialized experience is defined as 3 or more of the following:

  1. Conducting physical security assessments of federal facilities using Interagency Security Committee (ISC) standards, Homeland Security Presidential Directives (HSPD), and agency-wide physical security policies to identify vulnerabilities and recommend corrective actions.
  2. Developing, interpreting, or implementing physical security policies, standards, procedures, or agency programs, including risk mitigation strategies for protecting personnel, facilities, and assets.
  3. Providing expert guidance on physical security systems such as electronic access control systems (ePACS/PACS), intrusion detection systems, surveillance technologies, perimeter security features, or other protective countermeasures.
  4. Serving as a liaison or subject-matter expert collaborating with internal and external security partners (e.g., DHS, FPS, USDA agencies) on physical security matters or multi-disciplinary security issues.
  5. Conducting studies, inspections, or compliance reviews of security programs or facilities, preparing written reports, and briefing leadership on findings, recommendations, and follow-up actions.
  6. Researching physical security best practices or technologies and developing technical documentation, such as statements of work, requirements, or cost estimates for security solutions or procurement.
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.

TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENT: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. This requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

There are is no education requirement for this position.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.

Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA).

Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Part-time and intermittent service will be credited only for time actually worked. Non-pay status such as leave without pay is credited for up to six months in a calendar year; anything beyond six months is not credited. Applicants are responsible for providing sufficient information/documentation to determine if the 24 month criteria is met.

This position is not eligible for telework.

The Forest Service may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract highly qualified candidates. Additional Information is available on the OPM Website.

This is a non-bargaining unit position.

Pay rates vary depending on location, the salary shown is for the Rest of the U.S. Special Pay Rate Table. See Salaries & Wages for additional information on pay rates.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

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.

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), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

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

  • Accountability
  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Influencing/Negotiating
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork


The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

If you wish to include a link for applicants to preview the application questionnaire using the Application Preview data insert, ensure you refer to it as the application questionnaire, rather than the assessment questionnaire, to avoid confusion with the USA Hire Assessment. For example:

To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13085633

Forest Service

A career with the Forest Service will challenge you to manage and care for more than 193 million acres of our nation's most magnificent lands, conduct research through a network of forest and range experiment stations and the Forest Products Laboratory, and provide assistance to State and private forestry agencies.

It's an awesome responsibility - but the rewards are as limitless as the views.

Agency contact information

HRM Contact Center
Phone
1-877-372-7248 X2
Email
HRM_Contact_Center@usda.gov
Address
USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center
DO NOT MAIL IN APPLICATIONS, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT.
Albuquerque, NM 87109
US

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