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Security Specialist

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Reclamation
Columbia -Pacific Northwest Interior Region 9
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Reclamation is seeking a career professional looking for an opportunity to capitalize on their expertise as a Security Specialist. You can make a difference in the West by assisting in meeting increasing water demands while protecting the environment.


Duty Location: Boise, Idaho; Grand Coulee, Washington

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
09/17/2025 to 09/24/2025
Salary
$88,621 to - $115,213 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Locations
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Boise, ID
Grand Coulee, WA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
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
Yes
Announcement number
BOR-CPN-25-IMP-12794964-VCH
Control number
846283700

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Duties

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Major duties include:

  • Coordinates and oversees a Region-wide security program relating to resource project facilities and associated features and serves as the principal regional staff representative and contact for physical security, industrial security, security guards, and information security.
  • Serves as a focal point for, and coordinates, regional security activities within Reclamation and with irrigation districts, other Federal, state and local agencies, the private sector, and the security community.
  • Represents the CPN Region on both internal and external teams and committees addressing security, such as Reclamation's Security Advisory Team, and Protective Security Advisors from the Department of Homeland Security.
  • Evaluates the effectiveness of existing security practices and infrastructures. In consultation with operating personnel and other security specialists, the incumbent conducts comprehensive surveys and risk analyses of operational engineering functions to determine what needs to be protected and identifies and assesses the degrees of vulnerability.
  • Provides oversight of physical security and industrial security planning and conducts periodic physical security inspections, evaluations, and assessments. Prepares written reports of findings and recommendations and is responsible for reporting, tracking and obtaining funding for all Regional physical security recommendations.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National.
You must be suitable for federal employment, determined by a background investigation.
You must submit a resume and supporting documentation (see Required Documents).
You must submit eligibility documents for veterans consideration (see Required Documents).
You must meet any minimum education and/or experience requirements (see Qualifications).
You will be required to submit to a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment as a condition of employment. This position is also subject to random drug testing.

Who May Apply:

  • Bureau of Reclamation Employees (Competitive)
  • Bureau of Reclamation Employees (Non-Competitive)
  • Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)
  • Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA)

Qualifications

To be rated as qualified for this position, the HR Office must be able to determine that you meet the specialized experience requirement - this information must be clearly supported in the resume.

To qualify at the GS-12: You must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to at least the GS-11 level in Federal service having demonstrated experience working in risk-based security analyses to prevent infrastructure damage or failure at structures and facilities including or similar to: dams, water conveyance structures, powerplants, pumping plants, buildings, and other civil, structural, and mechanical engineering features.

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: Current career or career-conditional employees of the Federal government, or former career or career-conditional employees, who have a break in service of less than one year, are required to meet the time-in-grade restriction of one year of Federal experience at the next lower-grade, with few exceptions outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b).

You must meet all Eligibility and Qualification requirements, including time-in-grade restrictions and any selective placement factors if applicable, by 09/24/2025.

Education

This position does not allow substituting education for experience.

Additional information

Your appointment may be subject to satisfactory completion of a probationary or trial period. If you are serving a probationary or trial period, your appointment will terminate the day before the anniversary date of your appointment (or sooner) unless your supervisor determines that finalizing your appointment would advance the public interest, meet the organizational goals and mission of the Department, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service.

Reclamation has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and you may be allowed to telework with supervisory approval.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) expenses or first-post-of-duty relocation expenses are authorized, as applicable, with the exception of the Guaranteed Home Sale Provision. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), signed into law December 2017, suspends the moving expense deduction and the exclusion from income of qualified employer reimbursements of moving expenses that was allowed under previous tax laws. Employer reimbursements for moving costs are now generally taxed at the same rate as ordinary income.

DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including applicant rights and responsibilities, please visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.

This position is designated as a CRITICAL SENSITIVE National Security position. This position requires a fully completed and favorably adjudicated National Security Background Investigation (T5 or T5R or equivalent) that is current (within the last 5 years). Additionally, an individual cannot be placed into the position until this background investigation is completed unless a pre-appointment waiver for placement into a critical-sensitive position is approved prior to appointment (Entrance on Duty). This is a condition of employment.

Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must certify registration with the Selective Service System or that the applicant is exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Go to: https://www.sss.gov

This is a bargaining unit position.

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

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. 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 here.

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.

Please limit your resume to no more than 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.

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 online assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Accountability
  • Attention to Detail
  • Compliance Inspection
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Influencing/Negotiating
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Problem Solving
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Security
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork
  • Written Communication


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.

The assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in 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 the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

The application questionnaire can be previewed here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12794964

Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies with the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s). Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration. You may choose to have your information shared with other agencies when applying for this position. If an agency requests a copy of a certificate you are on, you will be notified.

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