Duties

Summary

Joining the Secret Service, Office of Protective Operations, Special Operations Division, will allow you to oversee and operate various radar and air surveillance detections systems; serve as a liaison with personnel from other agencies; and provide on-the-job training to the staff. The Detection Systems Specialist position starts at a salary of $69,581 (GS-11, step 1), with promotion potential to $128,920 (GS-13, step 10). For more information on the Secret Service click here.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The selectee will serve as a Detection Systems Specialist in the Special Operations Division. Typical work assignments include:

• Serving as an essential component of the Special Operations Division's Airspace Security Branch by independently operating ground based radar detection and sensor systems to detect, identify, interpret, and track suspect aircraft on a weekly basis; providing radar flight data for interpreting violations and archiving data; utilizing numerous law enforcement and Federal Aviation Administration database systems.
• Referring to and complying with all applicable regulatory and procedural guides; maintaining levels of proficiency and skill to ensure operational currency on applicable radar, sensor and communication systems; interpreting and utilizing multi-faceted suspect profile data to sort suspect target from legitimate aircraft within the Joint Operation Center's area of operation.
• Ensuring appropriate working relationship with other entities to enhance the effectiveness of the air detection system; collaborating with Supervisory Detection Systems Specialist on the formulation of Branch plans, goals, and objectives; serving as liaison with personnel from other agencies and facilitates the accomplishment of the functions in the detection program arena.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - ******

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
13

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. citizenship is required.

Conditions of Employment If selected for this position, you will be required to:

• Obtain and maintain a top secret Tier 5 clearance. For more information visit OPM Mythbuster Page .
• Submit to a drug test prior to your appointment and random drug testing while you occupy the position.
• Submit to a polygraph examination prior to your appointment.
• Complete a pre-employment medical examination (including vision, hearing, cardiovascular and mobility of extremities) by an authorized Government physician and be determined physically fit to perform strenuous and physically demanding duties. You will be required to undergo regular physical examinations and to maintain a level of physical fitness in accordance with the standards and policies of this agency.
• May experience some discomforts associated with the work environment, while conducting protective advances to set up and operate portable radar equipment in remote areas.
• Work demands physical traits and mental alertness that is associated with the air traffic control occupation.
• Incumbent must have the ability to remain calm in crisis situations that may occur and during long periods of tension or fatigue.
• Incumbent is required to remain on duty until properly relieved and may perform substantial amounts of irregular overtime.
• Incumbent must maintain established physical requirements.
• Some physical activity (e.g. walking, standing, climbing, bending, and heavy lifting) may be conducted on protective advances to survey and set up portable radar equipment in remote areas.
• Incumbent works in a setting that is designed to support the agency's 24-hours, seven days per week operational center and which occupies isolated and confining space.

Qualifications

GS-11: You qualify for the GS-11 level (starting salary $69,581) if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level performing such duties as: operating various radar and air surveillance detection systems to detect, identify, interpret and track suspect aircraft; assisting in monitoring air traffic utilizing a remote integrated display and preparing activity reports on daily, weekly, and monthly basis on various enforcement and administrative matters. OR

Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree or three (3) full year of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., major study -- accounting, business administration, business or commercial law, commerce, economics, engineering, finance, industrial management, statistics, traffic management, transportation, motor mechanics, or other fields related to the position.

A combination of graduate level education and experience. This will be calculated using your resume and unofficial transcripts or a list of courses/course hours submitted with your application.

GS-12: You qualify for the GS-12 level (starting salary $83,398) if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level performing such duties as: overseeing various radar and air surveillance detection systems and ensuring appropriate liaison working relationships with other entities to enhance the effectiveness of the air detection systems; serving as a liaison with other entities to enhance the effectiveness of the air detection system; overseeing and monitoring air traffic utilizing a remote integrated display.

Selective Placement Factor: In addition to the minimum qualifications described above, you must meet the following requirement(s) to be considered qualified for the position:

1. Applicant must have experience in the interpretation of radar and other surveillance data in order to detect and track airborne vehicles of interest.
2. Applicant must have demonstrated experience in receiving airborne surveillance information from multiple sources, evaluating that information, and disseminating it to
appropriate users.

National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience) 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.

Qualifications Must Be Met: The qualification requirements listed above must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Education

See Qualifications Section

Additional information

Building on a Tradition of Excellence and Meeting the Challenges of the Future The Secret Service is a premier law enforcement organization with two critical national security missions: protect our nation's leaders and to conduct criminal investigations. Our team members continue a tradition of excellence - whether investigating financial crime or protecting national and visiting foreign leaders. In the Secret Service, we serve the country with duty, loyalty, justice, integrity and courage.

In the Secret Service, we:

• Protect the President, the Vice President, and other leaders; investigate threats against them; and safeguard their residences and other facilities
• Plan and implement security designs for National Special Security Events
• Investigate financial crimes including fraud, identity theft and computer-based attacks on banking or telecommunications infrastructure

Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.

More than one selection may be made from this announcement if additional identical vacancies in the same title, series, grade and unit occur.

Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.

E-Verify Statement: DHS uses E-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Click here to learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.

Mandatory Suitability Statement:

If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment , and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment.

This position will require a credit check after initial job qualifications have been determined.

Relocation expenses will not be authorized.

The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR § 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR § 315.707. Veterans , Peace Corps / VISTA volunteers , and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.

Apply for this exciting opportunity in the Special Operations Division serving as a liaison and conducting working relationships with entities to enhance the effectiveness of the air detection system

View common definitions of terms found in this annonuncement.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Your application will be rated on the extent and quality of your experience, education and training relevant to the duties of the position. If you meet the minimum qualifications, a score will automatically be calculated based on your answers to the vacancy specific questions to place you in one of three categories. All answers provided in the online process must be substantiated by your resume. Upon review, your resume and/or supporting documents need to support your answer choices and reflect the one year of specialized experience requirement, in order to be considered. If the one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the next lower grade level cannot be identified in your resume, you will be considered not qualified. The competencies or knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform this job are:

• Ability to detect, identify, and control radar of aircraft, utilizing a variety of radar and communication equipment and database systems.
• Knowledge of the laws and regulations governing air traffic control procedures in both civil and military operational environments.
• Ability to communicate information clearly, and concisely.

If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be placed in one of the following categories: 1. Best Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate high proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all Selective Placement Factors (SPF) and appropriate Quality Ranking Factors (QRF) as determined in the job analysis. 2. Well-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrates acceptable proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all SPFs and appropriate QRFs as determined by the job analysis. 3. Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate basic proficiency in most critical competencies, including all SPFs and appropriate QRFs as determined in the job analysis.

If you are best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the Federal government, you are not ICTAP eligible. View information about ICTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To be considered well qualified under ICTAP, you must be placed in the Well-Qualified category for this position, as described above. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement.

Veterans: Qualified veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% are listed in the best qualified category, except when the position being filled is scientific, professional at the GS-09 grade level, or higher. This position [is or is not] considered scientific/professional. Other 10-point preference eligibles and veterans with 5-point preference who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements are placed above non-preference eligibles within the category in which they qualify. For information on veterans' preference, please click here.


Interview Requirement: Interviews are required for this position. Failure to complete the interview may result in removal from further consideration.



To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Top Secret

Drug test required
Yes

Required Documents

In addition to addressing the vacancy specific questions, you must also submit the following documentation:

• Resume - In order to receive credit for experience contained in an uploaded resume, your employment history should show work experience in month/year format (MM/YYYY), reflecting starting date and ending date, and include the number of hours worked per week.
• If you are qualifying based on education, or you are qualifying based on a combination of education and experience, you must submit a copy of your college/university transcript (unofficial is acceptable) it must show school name, student's name, credit earned, degree, and date awarded. Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet Federal qualification requirements if you can show that your foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States. For example, specific courses accepted for college-level credit by an accredited U.S. college or university, or foreign education evaluated by an organization recognized for accreditation by the Department of Education as education equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. college or university. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence with your application. See Recognition of Foreign Qualifications for more information. Those with Foreign education, click here .
• Special Priority Selection rights under ICTAP: Submit a copy of your agency notice, copy of your most recent performance appraisal (with at least a satisfactory rating),and your most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location.
• Are you a Veteran? Submit a DD-214 (Member Copy 4) and/or documentation of service connected disability. If applying based on eligibility under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must submit certification from the Armed Forces that you will be discharged or released from active duty within 120 days from the date on the certification. This must indicate your dates of service, your rank, and confirm that you will be separated under honorable conditions. Those applying for 10-point preference must fill out the SF-15 (click here for the form) and provide the required documentation listed on the back of the form. Click here for more veterans' information.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.