Duties

Summary

Joining the Secret Service, Office of Strategic Intelligence and Information, Protective Intelligence and Assessment Division, National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) will allow you to apply a wide range of behavioral and social science research principles, concepts, and methods which are related to the prevention of targeted violence, threat assessment, terrorism, criminal behavior and protective intelligence.

For more information on the Secret Service click here .

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The selectee will serve as a Supervisory Social Science Research Specialist in the Office of Strategic Intelligence and Information, Protective Intelligence and Assessment Division, National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC). Typical work assignments include:

• Presents research findings to a diverse audience in a variety of formats both within and outside of the agency; and advises the Chief of NTAC on the implications and feasibility of program plans, proposals and recommendation.
• Plans and directs work to be accomplished based on priorities, specialized capabilities of the staff and consideration of the difficulties and requirements of various assignments.
• Identifies issues, initiates and coordinates research, and prepares/reviews position papers, memoranda, and other materials; establishes and maintains contacts to be aware of the state-of-the-art in research in the area of threat assessment, the prevention of targeted violence, and related topics.
• Develops briefing material based on findings from NTAC research and complementary research conducted by external entities.

Travel Required

25% or less - *****

Supervisory status
Yes

Promotion Potential
15

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 random drug testing while you occupy the position.
• Submit to a polygraph examination prior to your appointment.
• Work is performed in an adequately lighted and climate-controlled office.
• Incumbent may be exposed to adverse conditions when performing temporary duty assignments and/or traveling with the U.S. or abroad to provide intelligence support.
• Incumbent may be required to work holidays, weekends, days, and/or nights.

NOTE: The person selected for this position may be subject to a one-year probationary period for supervisors/managers.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements

Degree: behavioral or social science; or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

OR

Combination of education and experience that provided the applicant with knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.

OR

Four years of appropriate experience that demonstrated that the applicant has acquired knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.

AND

GS-15: You qualify for the GS-15 level (starting salary $137,849) if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 level performing duties such as: supervising a staff in order to plan, direct and coordinate work of employees engaged in professional, technical, investigative and administrative work; overseeing and supervising staff in the design and execution of multiple ongoing research and information sharing projects of varying complexity; and devising plans for the dissemination of research findings and implications.

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.

Time-in-Grade: Current Federal employees must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent grade band in the Federal service.

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

If you are qualifying based on education, or you are qualifying based on a combination of education and experience please see the below requirements:

Master's or equivalent graduate degree; OR

A combination of graduate level education and experience.

This will be calculated using your résumé and unofficial transcripts or a list of courses/course hours submitted with your application.

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

Apply for this exciting opportunity to be able to provide research, training, and consultation on threat assessment methods and the prevention of targeted violence that poses a potential threat to persons and facilities protected by the agency.

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

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.

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. 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.

Relocation expenses will not be authorized.

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

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.

View common definitions of terms found in this announcement.

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. A score will automatically be calculated based on your answers to the vacancy specific questions. 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 communicate information in a clear and concise manner.
• Ability to supervise employees in accomplishing the work of an organization.
• Skill in conducting research across a variety of electronic and hard copy resources.
• Ability to prepare reports and other written documents based on research findings and other information.

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 rated at a minimum score of 85.0 for this position. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement.

Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA): To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, the veteran must 1) be a preference eligible; or 2) be a veteran separated after 3 or more years of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement. Veteran's preference does not apply under Merit Promotion procedures. View VEOA information on Feds Hire Vets .

Military Spouse Appointing Authority: Executive Order 13473, dated September 28, 2008, authorized the noncompetitive appointment of certain military spouses to competitive service positions. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) codified implementing regulations at 5 CFR 315.612, effective September 11, 2009. For more information click here .

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

Consideration will be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards as an indicator of quality of prior experience, no points will be assigned.

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 the position has an education requirement, 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 Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 or other (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) 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. View VEOA information on Feds Hire Vets .
• Are you a Military Spouse? If you are applying under Executive Order 13473, click here for required documents.
• Are you a current or former Federal Employee? Submit a copy of your SF 50, Notification of Personnel Action, showing your tenure code, position occupied and highest grade and step. An award SF-50 does not contain the required information. If you are applying for a higher grade, please provide the SF-50 which shows the length of time you have been in your current/highest grade and that supports your claim for time-in-grade. Also submit your performance appraisals and/or incentive awards.
• Are you claiming special appointing authority, such as Schedule A or VISTA/Peace Corps service? Submit proof of this eligibility. For additional information on special appointing authorities, click here .

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.