TELECOMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST

POSITION OVERVIEW

This position advertised has been exempted from the federal civilian hiring freeze.

Current FBI employees are ineligible to apply if serving under the same conditions as that for which is advertised, including:

• Appointing organization (FBI)
• Type of position (full-time, part-time, etc.)
• Same or higher grade
• Duty location (city or state)
• Type of appointment (permanent, temporary, etc.)

Job Opening: 63843
Opening Date: March 3, 2026
Closing Date: March 27, 2026 at 11:59 pm (ET)

Job Title TELECOMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST - TACTICAL COMMUNICATOR

Full Performance Level GS--13

Division CIRG

Unit Render Safe Readiness

Location Quantico, VA

Working Hours 8:15 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Job Type Full Time/Permanent

Who May Apply All U.S. Citizens

Number of Positions Available Unlimited Number of Vacancies

Questions Email: Jarmaine S. Blake at jsblake@fbi.gov

Salary
GS-11 $85,447.00 -- $111,087.00

GS-12 $102,415.00 -- $133,142.00

To attract and retain highly qualified candidates, selectees may be eligible for a recruitment incentive of up to 25% or, for eligible current federal employees, a relocation incentive of up to 25%. Eligibility for a relocation incentive requires proof of a change in residence and an assignment at a worksite in a different geographic area greater than or equal to 50 miles from the prior worksite. Employees must sign a written service agreement completing a specified period of employment with the FBI at the new duty station. Recruitment and relocation incentives cannot be combined.

Additional selections may be made from this announcement to fill positions within the same division when the position includes substantially the same duties, responsibilities, and qualifications.

JOB SUMMARY

The Render Safe Readiness Unit (RSRU) ensures that all components of the National Assets, are prepared to respond to time-sensitive domestic incidents requiring the ability to render safe or destroy a WMD device. RSRU's Tactical Communicators, SSAs, Logisticians and Crises Management Specialists facilitate and execute the rapid deployment of personnel and appropriate equipment for operational missions, exercises, and selected events.

KEY REQUIREMENTS

• Must be a U.S. citizen
• Must be able to pass a U.S. Government physical exam
• Must be able to pass a HAZMAT exam
• Some travel required
• Must be able to operate in all environments and cleared for world-wide deployments
• Must pass a selection process
• Selectee will be required to complete form FD-887, Request for Access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI)

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Work may be performed in remote or inherently hazardous locations with little or no lighting, heating or ventilation.
• Work often requires extensive physical exertion while transporting, installing, testing, monitoring or inspecting communication networks in
  potentially extreme environmental conditions with temperatures ranging from desert to arctic and to a maritime environment.
• Work may require kneeling for extended periods of time while operating equipment. Potential for exposure to HAZMAT and/or Chemical,
  Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) contaminated or otherwise physically hazardous locations. May require operating at
  extreme heights, lifting objects in excess of 50 pounds, crawling into confined spaces for extended periods of time, wearing
  personal protective equipment (PPE), and/or ballistic body armor.
• Must be physically capable of loading and unloading communications equipment into various mobile platforms including vehicles, boats, helicopters and fixed wing aircraft, with minimal assistance. Incumbent may ingress/egress from incident site via non-conventional airborne or waterborne means that may require significant physical effort and training. Incumbent must be capable of identifying speech and tones with both ears and have color vision.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Incumbent is a member of an operational component supporting the FBI's crisis response to exigent incidents and will respond to
  crises or disasters as directed by organizational executive leadership. These occurrences have the potential to disrupt the normal
  functions of government and communities raising the risk to public safety or leading to the potential loss of income and property.
• The expeditious response of the FBI's operational components is critical to the preservation of order and safety which will expedite
  the recovery of the disaster area. Therefore, the incumbent is required to serve on a recall basis and respond to predetermined
  deployment sites within a prescribed time for movement to potential disaster or threat areas.
• The work environment may include locations that present threats resulting in the loss of life, human suffering or public safety and may occur in areas with little or no public service infrastructure. Incumbent may be exposed to explosive material, fire, lethal electrical sources, noxious gases or CBRN material.
• Work may be conducted in areas of inadequate lighting, excessive heat or insufficient ventilation for periods of time that may threaten the safety and health of the incumbent. Extensive safety precautions and training may not eliminate all risk.
• May be required to work near weapons of mass destruction (WMD), radiological dispersed devices (RDDs) or improvised nuclear devices necessitating the use of personal protective equipment - to include, but not limited to, respirators, gas masks, hazardous material suits, boots and gloves - with little or no notification.
• Travel to potential crisis site may be via military/federal cargo plane/helicopter/boat lacking traditional seating or safety restraints.
• May be exposed to hazardous conditions in field deployment areas far beyond those typically encountered by federal employees. The degree of hazard involved in the work varies according to the particular deployment.

MAJOR DUTIES

GS-11

• Provide tactical and technical communications systems for intra-team and national reach back communications capabilities.
• Maintain, update and test specialized communications equipment in a deployment ready state.
• Maintain skills and meet proficiency requirements, validated through technical and physical assessments.
• Maintain mobility requirements for austere environments, ropes at heights, working in confined spaces, and operating in a maritime environment.
• Must be able to serve on a duty recall roster and remain mission-ready for no-notice deployments at all times.

In addition to the above

GS-12

• Develop plans for communications, and provides training on communications planning and development Testing, evaluating, analyzing, researching, acquiring, managing and improving communications systems and procedures.
• Provide advice and guidance in the field of tactical communications to FBI Management, other federal agencies and state and local law enforcement during operations and daily functions

QUALIFICATIONS AND EVALUATIONS

Please ensure that your specialized experience and requirements are clearly identifiable in your resume. Your application will be evaluated using the FBI's Candidate Rating Procedures. Your resume and supporting documents will be reviewed to verify that you meet the job qualifications listed in this announcement and will be compared against your responses to the online assessment questionnaire. Applicants must meet the qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

If you are found minimally qualified, your application will move forward to additional phases of the review process.

The first five competencies/The competencies will be used in a Structured Resume Review to objectively evaluate applicant resumes. Do not provide a separate narrative written statement. Rather you must describe in your resume how your past work experience demonstrates that you possess the competencies identified below. Your resume should demonstrate that you possess the following competencies.

Competencies:

• Telecommunications
• Problem Solving/Judgment
• Collaboration
• Technology Awareness
• Equipment Maintenance

Specialized Experience (SE)

GS-11: Applicant must possess at least one (1) year of SE equivalent to the GS-9 grade level. SE is defined as follows:

• Working in a team supporting electronic tactical and technical communications systems.
• Experience in local and wide area networking fundamentals, satellite communications, and radio communications concepts.

In addition to the above

GS-12: Applicant must possess at least one (1) year of SE equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. SE is defined as follows:

• Advanced knowledge of network topology, Internet Protocol (IP) schemes, electronic communications concepts, electromagnetic frequency spectrum fundamentals, antenna theory, wave propagation and providing network services.
• Working as a lead providing tactical communications to senior leadership.
• Communicating technical concepts verbally and in writing to FBI management, other Federal Government agencies and state and local law enforcement.

Education

All degrees must be from an accredited college or university. Education may be substituted for specialized experience as follows:

GS-11: Applicant must have a Ph.D. OR equivalent doctoral degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL.M., if related.

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above requirements provided you can show foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States.

HOW TO APPLY

For detailed instructions related to applying, uploading documents, withdrawing an application or updating your application, please review instructions on . If applying online is a hardship, please use the contact information listed in the vacancy announcement prior to the closing date for assistance.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

To apply to this position, interested applicants must provide a complete application package by the closing date which includes:

Utilizing the Resume Builder, outline your relevant work experience and associated start and end dates. Uploaded resumes will not be reviewed or used for qualification purposes.

A complete assessment questionnaire

Other supporting documents (if applicable):

• College transcripts, if qualifying based on education or if there is a positive education requirement
• Notification of Personnel Action, SF-50; not applicable to current FBI employees
• Most recent Performance Appraisal; not applicable to current FBI employees
  Veterans: DD 214; Disabled Veterans: DD 214, SF-15, and VA letter dated 1991 or later
• Memorandum for Record (MFR): Work performed outside assigned duties (that would not normally be documented on an SF-50, i. e., back-up duties), has to be documented in detail by an immediate supervisor in order to receive full credit for amount of time worked in that position. If no documentation is furnished no credit will be given for time worked in that position. The following notations must be specified in the documentation:
  • Percent of time worked in the particular position (cannot conflict with main duties.
  • The month/year work began
    Frequency worked (i.e., daily, monthly, etc.)
  • Specific duties performed

Attach the Memorandum for Record to your application in the "Cover Letters and Attachments" section of My Career Tools on the Careers Home page. Please upload the attachment as type "Other."

While applicants might see these documents in their profile, HR Specialists may be unable to access them. Therefore, all applicants MUST upload another copy to ensure that staffing units can review the complete application.

Please note: Failure to provide the necessary and relevant information required by this vacancy announcement may disqualify you from consideration. Incomplete applications will not be supplemented with additional requests for information; your application will be evaluated solely on the information you submit. You must complete the application process and submit all required documents by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the announcement's closing date.

WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT

Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and determine your ranking. The Most Competitive candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. You will be notified of your status throughout the process.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• The FBI is in the Executive Branch of the federal government. It is one of the components of the Department of Justice (DOJ). The FBI is the principle investigative arm of the DOJ. All FBI positions are in the excepted service.
• Applicants must be U.S. citizens and consent to a complete background investigation, urinalysis, and polygraph. You must be suitable for Federal employment; as determined by a background investigation.
• Positions with fitness for duty requirements or those that require international travel may require proof of certain vaccinations.
• Management may select any grade for which this position has been announced.
• Identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for an actual assignment and performance of higher-level duties.
• If you are selected, you will be required to serve a two-year probationary period. Probationary employees are precluded from being considered for all job opportunities until 12-months of their 24-month probationary period has concluded. Probationary Employees may be considered for competitive vacancies that are advertised within their respective division or field office after serving 90 days within the FBI.
• The probationary periods will be served concurrently.

Veterans' Preference

If you are entitled to veterans' preference, you should indicate the type of veterans' preference you are claiming on your resume and application. Your veterans' preference entitlement will be verified by the employing agency.

Nepotism

Nepotism is the act of favoring relatives in the hiring process and is prohibited by law. Public officials are prohibited from hiring or promoting relatives or relatives of officials in their chain of command, as well as actively or indirectly endorse a relative's appointment or promotion. During the hiring process, all selected candidates and FBI hiring managers will be required to certify they are not related to anyone involved in the hiring process.

Reasonable Accommodation

The FBI provides reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation during the application and/or hiring process, please contact the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity Affairs (OEEOA) Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Program by email at REASONABLE_ACCOMMODA@fbi.gov, phone at 202-324-2158, or fax at 202-324-3976. This email address is for reasonable accommodation requests only. Do not send applications or unrelated inquiries to this address, as they will not be considered.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The FBI is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for this vacancy. Unless explicitly authorized by law, selection will be made without regard to, and there will be no discrimination because of, color, race, religion, national origin, marital status, parental status, physical or mental disability, genetic information, age (40 or over), sex, pregnancy and related conditions, or on the basis of personal favoritism, or any other non-merit factors.

Benefits

The Bureau matches your dedication with a commitment to professional growth, a supportive work environment, and a robust benefits package that prioritizes you. As a member of our team, you'll enjoy comprehensive health and life insurance benefits, paid vacation, sick leave, and federal holidays. For more details about benefits available to all federal employees, visit the Office of Personnel Management's .