SURVEILLANCE SPECIALIST NLP 1801

POSITION OVERVIEW

Please note: This is NOT a vacancy announcement. By submitting your resume and questionnaire, you are joining our repository of interested applicants who can be considered to fill current and future Surveillance Specialist opportunities.

Opening Date: June 1, 2026
Closing Date: When a sufficient candidate pool has been reached

Job Title Surveillance Specialist

Location Multiple U.S. Locations

Working Hours Will vary depending on the Division needs

Job Type Full Time/Permanent

Who May Apply Open to ALL U.S. Citizens

Salary
GS-7 $43,106.00 - $56,039.00
GS-9 $52,727.00 - $68,549.00

NOTE: The salaries listed above are the Base rate of pay for federal employees on the General Schedule (GS) pay scale. A complete list of Pay Tables factoring in locality pay (based on the geographical area) can be found on OPM.gov.

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 SUMMARY

The National Lookout Program offers a variety of mission capabilities and expertise designed to address even the most complex needs. They provide the FBI with superior surveillance capabilities through professional training and liaison for all NLP personnel.

KEY REQUIREMENTS

• Must be a U.S. citizen.
• Must be able to obtain a Top Secret-SCI clearance.
• Selectee will be required to complete form FD-887, Request for Access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI).
• Some travel may be required.
• Must have a valid driver's license.
• New Surveillance Specialists must satisfactorily complete a two-year probationary period, which begins upon the effective date of the reassignment to the Surveillance Specialist (SS) position.
• All Surveillance Specialist must sign a two-year service agreement agreeing to stay in the NLP Program and their office of assignment location for a period two years. This agreement is effective from the date of the Surveillance Specialist's graduation from the Basic Surveillance Course.
• Must be willing and able to sign a Mobility Agreement to accept a relocation to other geographical areas based on the needs of the Bureau.
• Must obtain a favorable Safeguard determination annually to remain qualified for the Surveillance Specialist position.
• Must be willing to accept assignments involving the potential or likely exposure to violent acts, lewd images, and isolated work conditions.

The following travel, working conditions and physical demands are MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS for this position:

• Must be willing and able to accept assignments indoors, outdoors, and in all types of weather conditions and situations.
• Must be available and willing to work weekends, nights, holidays, odd hours, and extended shifts as necessary.
• Selectees must successfully complete an EIGHT WEEK training class. Failure to successfully complete this course may result in a dismissal, demotion and/or placement into another professional staff support position within ANY field office contingent upon the availability of vacancies.

MAJOR DUTIES

As a Surveillance Specialist you will:

• Responsible for all aspects of surveillance operations from planning through execution.
• during surveillance operations.

Specialized Experience (SE):

GS-7: Applicant must possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level. SE is defined as follows:

• Analyzed and evaluated the relevance of information to draw conclusions relative to work operations to create reports.
• Communicated in writing with personnel at various levels of responsibility.
• Researched current policies and procedures to ensure compliance in completing work assignments.

GS-9: Applicant must possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level. SE is defined as follows:

• Analyzed and evaluated the relevance of information, draw conclusions and recommend guidance relative to work operations to create detailed analytical reports.
• Communicated orally and in writing with personnel at various levels of responsibility.
• Researched and applied current policies and procedures to ensure compliance in completing work assignments.

Education

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

GS-7 : Applicant must have a bachelor's degree with superior academic achievement or one (1) full year of graduate level education. Superior academic achievement is the completion of all the requirements of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, which is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average of 3.0 or higher as recorded on an official transcript, or as based on courses completed during the final two years of the curriculum, or (3) honor society membership.

GS-9 : Applicant must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., 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.

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. If your self-assessment in the vacancy questions is not supported by details in your resume or supporting documents, you may be disqualified from the Most Competitive category. Veteran's preference will be applied.

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 submit your interest, 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.
• Other supporting documents (if applicable):
• Former civilian Federal employees must submit a copy of your MOST RECENT SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing your tenure, grade and step, salary, and type of position occupied (i.e., Excepted or Competitive); or similar Notification of Personnel Action documentation, i.e., Transcript of Service, Form 1150, etc. This is a requirement to verify your Time in Grade (TIG). Actions such as promotion, within grade increase, or reassignment actions must be submitted as your most recent SF 50.
• Veterans: DD 214; Disabled Veterans: DD 214, SF-15, and VA letter dated 1991 or later
• Most recent Performance Appraisal for federal employees (not applicable to current FBI employees)
• Memorandum for Record, if using to qualify

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 and your application will be evaluated solely on the information you submit.

WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT

Once your complete application is received, your abilities and skills will be assessed in relation to the FBI's current needs. Due to the high volume of applications, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted regarding their application status. Your application will remain active in our system for one year. If you are not contacted within that time frame, you are welcome to reapply for future opportunities.

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 must consent to a comprehensive background investigation, urinalysis, and polygraph examination. Suitability for federal employment will be determined based on the results of the background investigation.
• Positions including those with fitness-for-duty requirements or that involve international travel, may require proof of specific vaccinations.
• 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.

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.