Clarification from the agency

ALL US CITIZENS. DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.201) for this occupation.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Leads a unit or team of employees and distributes/balances workload in accordance with established workflow or job specialization;
• Empathizes, engages, and communicates with all individuals encountered to ensure a positive and safe environment;
• Instructs/trains employees in specific tasks and job techniques;
• Resolves simple, informal complaints of employees and refers others to supervisor;
• Assures compliance with federal, state, county and municipal laws and ordinances as they pertain to VA property and agency rules and regulations pertaining to law enforcement work;
• Writes uniform offense reports covering incidents that contain pertinent information, which is factual, classified properly, and submits reports timely;
• Questions victims and witnesses at the scene of an incident;
• Issues citations for personally observed violations of the law, rules, or regulations;
• Assists victims of accidents or assaults by providing first aid, etc.;
• Obtains statements from persons involved in or who has witnessed an accident;
• Pursues and apprehends person fleeing a crime scene or attempting to resist arrest while on VA property;
• Identifies and reacts to overcome life threatening situations such as natural or manmade disasters, hostage, barrier, terrorist attack, kidnap, or felony assault;
• Conducts long and short-term investigations;
• Performs all other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Compressed/Flexible Schedule. Candidates must be willing to work weekends, irregular work hours and extended hours if determined by the needs of the service. Furthermore, candidates must be willing to be placed, detailed, or temporarily assigned to other related services and/or locations, if necessary.
Position Description Title/PD#: Lead Police Officer/PD14625A
Physical Requirements: The work requires, on a regular and recurring basis, considerable and strenuous physical exertion such as running, frequent climbing of multiple flights of stairs, and carrying items weighing over 50 pounds. It requires stamina, physical agility, dexterity, and the strength to pursue, apprehend or detain persons who are often uncooperative, assaultive, and/or armed. The work involves both moderate and high risks and possible endangerment of life or serious injury that requires the exercise of safety precautions and use of personal protective equipment.
Work Conditions: The work involves both moderate and high risks and possible endangerment of life or serious injury that requires the exercise of safety precautions and use of personal protective equipment The work is performed in settings in which there is regular and recurring exposure to moderate to severe discomforts and unpleasantness, such as high temperatures in confined spaces, high temperatures due to mandatory protective personal equipment, or adverse weather conditions during extended periods of traffic and patrol duties. The work involves moderate risk requiring exercise of safety precautions when working around hazardous materials such as toxic gases, explosives, infectious biological materials, and others that pose a moderate risk of exposure.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• May serve a probationary period
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents).
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver’s licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must possess a valid, unrestricted driver's license (in the state of residence) to operate government owned/leased vehicles.
• Authorized use of a firearm, must meet the standards prescribed in the Lautenberg Amendment (PL 104-208) to the Gun Control Act of 1968 (18 USC 922).
• Required to achieve and maintain qualifications with agency approved weapons commensurate with assigned duties and responsibilities.
• Must successfully complete the VA Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) Academy course and other mandatory training requirements set-forth by VA.
• A medical examination is required due to moderate arduous physical exertion and/or duties of a hazardous nature to determine good near and distant vision, ability to distinguish basic colors, and ability to hear the conversational voice.
• A psychological examination is required to assess capacity to perform the essential functions of the position without risk to themselves or others.
• A character investigation will be conducted on applicants selected for employment to secure evidence of the candidate's honesty, integrity, general character, and loyalty to the U.S. Government.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Per 5 CFR 330.502, general restriction on movement after competitive appointment applies.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

GS-7 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-6 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: leading and directing employees in their duties in response to potential threats of violence, detecting criminal activity, fire and other emergencies; enforcing federal, state, and local laws; making arrests; conducting foot and vehicle patrol; maintaining control of a scene or incident; taking statements from witnesses/suspects and advising them of their rights; preparing detailed reports of criminal offenses, violations, incidents, and citations issued; interrogating suspects; and applying all correct rules of search and seizure. Creditable specialized experience may have been gained in work on a police force; through service as a military police officer; in work providing visitor protection and law enforcement in parks, forests, or other natural resource or recreational environments; in performing criminal investigative duties; or in other work that provided the required knowledge and skills. Experience as a security guard or corrections officer is generally not qualifying.

There is no educational substitution for the GS-7 level.

How you will be evaluated

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

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received.