Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Special Security Operations Division, Office of Information Security, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Department of State. The incumbent is responsible for developing security operations standards, conducting training and awareness sessions in audit and evaluation inspections.

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Responsibilities

• Develops and coordinates policies and standards for use throughout the Department of State (DOS) for Information Technology systems that process Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI).
• Leads or participates in evaluations to review and assess the appropriateness of existing standards and to determine the need for additional or revised standards.
• Develops and documents security evaluation test plans and procedures.
• Conducts security testing, analyzes results, documents risks, and recommends countermeasures.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
13

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
• One year probationary period, unless excepted by regulation.
• Verification of employment eligibility in the United States is required.
• Obtain/maintain eligibility to access Sensitive Compartmented Information
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the required qualification requirements, including education and any selective placement factors described below by the closing date of this announcement. If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript with your application.

Applicants applying for the GS-13 grade level must meet the following requirements: Have IT-related experience demonstrating EACH of the four competencies AND specialized experience listed below:

1. Attention to Detail - Demonstrates a high level of attention to detail by determining specifications of secure functional design requirements, and ensuring the implementation of systems security policies. Thorough conscientious and meticulous interpreting of technical specifications and requirements. Ability to analyze and apply specialized Intelligence Community (IC) network security methods and analytical techniques involving IC network security systems.

2. Customer Service - Demonstrate a high level of ability to serve customers by advising and counseling managers or other officials to accept and implement findings and recommendations on organizational improvement or program effectiveness. Assess results of network vulnerabilities to identify possible areas of compromise, and provide recommendations for information security protection. Assists with corrective action when security deficiencies or violations are suspected or detected. Provides assistance and guidance regarding available security products and services.

3. Oral Communication - Demonstrate a high level of skill in communicating orally ensuring that systems, networks, and data users are aware of and understand and adhere to system security policies and procedures. Expresses information to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information. Makes clear and convincing oral presentations.

4. Problem Solving - Demonstrate ability to solve and prioritize problems by identifying vulnerabilities and risks of planned and installed information systems. Ability to assess security events to determine impact and implement corrective actions that ensure the rigorous application of information security policies, principles, and practices in the delivery of all IT services. Assess security risks and protection needs to resolve issues and problems.

AND Have at least 1 full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service which provided you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

- Experience interpreting and working with legislation, Security Directives, and national policies and standards related to information technology (IT).

- Experience developing methodology and procedures for establishing, operating and assessing the effectiveness of security programs in accordance with applicable regulations.

- Experience working with the assessment and the authorization process of security IT systems.

- Experience in developing risk assessment reports based on review of security plans.

- Experience effectively interacting with senior officials.

NOTE: In order to qualify for this position, your experience MUST be IT related; the experience may be demonstrated by paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training (for example, IT certification), as appropriate. There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-13 position.

Education

See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements, if applicable.

Additional information

For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at (202) 663-3474 or ReasonableAccommodations@state.gov.

EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION PROGRAM (E-Verify) - U.S. law requires organizations to employ only individuals who may legally work in the United States - either U.S. citizens, or foreign citizens who have the necessary authorization. This agency utilizes E-Verify to compare information from the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration (SSA) records to confirm employment eligibility. If the employee's information does not match DHS and/or SSA records, the employee is given an opportunity to resolve the problem. If eligibility cannot be verified, employment will be terminated.

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 evaluated and rated under the Category Rating and Selection procedures. Based on your responses to the job-specific self-assessment questions, eligible candidates are placed for selection consideration into one of three pre-defined quality categories as described below:

Highly-qualified Category - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications for the position, candidates must fully demonstrate proficiency in all major aspects of the position.

Well Qualified Category - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, candidates must demonstrate proficiency in some, but not all of the major aspects of the position.

Qualified Category - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate a basic level of knowledge, skill and ability of the position.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs) and other characteristics that are relevant to the duties of this position and must be fully supported by information in your resume:

- Knowledge of security policies and standards for the protection of Information Technology (IT) systems.

- Ability to interpret and apply security policies and standards to assess overall program effectiveness.

- Ability to interact effectively with individuals at all levels to provide advice and guidance to management.

Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity. 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). Your resume should include the dates of all qualifying experience (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours worked/volunteered per week. For assistance with creating a resume, please click here .

Application of Veterans Preference: The Category Rating Method does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three," but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each pre-defined quality category. Preference eligibles who meet minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent (i.e., CPS and CP) must be listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher.

Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) candidates must be rated "Well Qualified" for the position to receive consideration for selection priority. Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements and submit any required supporting documentation by the closing date of this announcement.

Your application package must contain sufficient information to make a valid determination that you fully meet the basic/specialized experience requirements as stated in this job opportunity announcement for each grade level(s) for which you are applying. Applicants found to be among the top qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview.

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Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Sensitive Compartmented Information

Drug test required
Yes

Position sensitivity and risk
Special-Sensitive (SS)/High Risk

Trust determination process
National security

Required Documents

All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to our automated system "Gateway to State" by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

1. Resume - your resume or any other written format you choose should contain the required information as specified in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section. Insufficient information will result in an ineligible rating.

2. A completed online job specific self-assessment questionnaire through the Department's automated system "Gateway to State".

3. Transcripts - if applicable, see the Qualifications section of the announcement. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.

4. If you are qualifying based on other criteria listed under the Qualification Section of this announcement, you MUST submit the required supporting documentation (certificates, certifications, etc.) with your application.

5. Veterans Preference - If claiming veteran's preference, you must indicate the type of veteran's preference you are claiming on your resume. For 5-point veteran's preference, you must provide a copy of your DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (Member Copy 4 is preferable) which must show the type of discharge and dates of active duty.

If you are currently on active duty, you must provide a certification on letterhead from your military branch which contains your military service dates, expected date of discharge or release, and the character of service to show that your military service was performed under honorable conditions. The expected date of discharge or release must be no later than 120 days after the certification is submitted for consideration for this vacancy announcement. If the appropriate information is not submitted to confirm your current or expected discharge status, dates of service, etc., you will not receive credit for the claimed active duty military service.

For 10-point veteran's preference, in addition to the DD-214 or certification, you must also submit a current version of the SF-15 (Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference), dated October 2013, and any documentation required by this form to support your claim. Previous editions of the SF-15 will not be accepted. If we cannot verify your 10-point preference status, you will receive 5-point preference if veterans' preference requirements have been met. For further information regarding Veterans, click here .

For Sole Survivorship preference, you must provide a copy of your DD-214 (Member Copy 4 is preferable) or another form of official documentation which shows your discharge or release from active duty occurred on or after August 29, 2008 and was based on a sole survivorship discharge. To gain access to your DD214 online, please visit: http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/get-service-records.html

6. CTAP/ICTAP eligibles must submit a copy of the appropriate documentation with their application. See links below:

ICTAP Considerations
CTAP Considerations

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.