COMPUTER SCIENTIST

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: 65874
Opening Date: June 16, 2026
Closing Date: July 1, 2026 at 11:59 pm (ET)

Job Title Computer Scientist

Full Performance Level GS-15

Division Counterterrorism Division

Unit Counterterrorism Advanced Projects Unit (CTAPU)

Location Huntsville, AL

Working Hours 8:00am - 4:30pm (Flexible)

Job Type Full Time/Permanent

Who May Apply All U.S. Citizens

Number of Positions Available 1

Questions Email: Jessica Mathew at

Salary
GS-13: $110,847.00 - $144,102.00

GS-14: $130,987.00 - $170,289.00

To attract and retain highly qualified candidates, selectees may be eligible for a recruitment incentive of up to 20% or, for eligible current federal employees, a relocation incentive of up to 15%. 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 Counterterrorism Division, Technology & Data Innovation Section, Counterterrorism Advanced Projects Unit (CTAPU), has one Computer Scientist vacancy for its team located at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama. The mission of CTAPU is to discover, develop, and deploy technical capabilities to support the FBI's Mission. Specifically, CTAPU delivers software-based capabilities and conducts research to develop strategies and methods to support counterterrorism investigations and process streamlining. The selected CS will be part of a software development team which includes government and contract personnel working on applications at various stages of the development cycle across all enclaves. CTAPU has developed and deployed tools that have seen significant usage across the FBI and in recent investigations of terrorist attacks in the United States and around the world. CTAPU works with enterprise partners in other HQ divisions to guide development towards ensuring the FBI has the most advanced investigative platforms in the Intelligence Community (IC).

KEY REQUIREMENTS

• Must be a U.S. citizen
• Must be able to obtain a Top Secret-SCI clearance
• Some travel may be required
• ALL applicants must verify completion of the basic education requirement by submitting a copy of college transcripts by the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

Work is primarily sedentary; however, it may involve long hours and national and international travel.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work is performed in typical office settings or computer laboratories throughout the world.

MAJOR DUTIES:

GS-13

• Serve as a member of a full-stack software development team responsible for the development of new software systems, which will support FBI agents and analysts.
• Intelligently incorporate the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the software development process.
• Possess the ability to take ownership of projects, manage priorities, and execute tasks with a high degree of autonomy.
• Work closely with customers to understand their needs.
• Maintain professional and technical knowledge by attending workshops, reviewing professional publications, establishing personal networks, and participating in working groups.

GS-14 (In addition to the above):

• Work with the team's Information System Security Officer (ISSO) to ensure compliance with FBI cybersecurity policies, documentation requirements, and Authority to Operate (ATO) processes
• Develop, deploy, and support cloud infrastructure utilizing automation and infrastructure-as-code (IaC) tools.
• Provide guidance and technical advice to lower-graded software developers as required.

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. 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 competencies will b e 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:

• Interpersonal Ability
• Algorithms
• Innovative Thinking
• Software Development/Software Engineering
• Technology Application

Positive Education Requirement
This position has a specific education requirement; all applicants must verify completion of this basic educational requirement by submitting a copy of their college transcripts by the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

Basic Requirement:
Bachelor's degree in computer science or bachelor's degree with 30 semester hours in a combination of mathematics, statistics, and computer science. At least 15 of the 30 semester hours must have included any combination of statistics and mathematics that included differential and integral calculus. All academic degrees and course work must be from accredited or pre-accredited institutions. Applicants should have sufficient knowledge to understand the fundamental concepts and techniques of computer science. Courses designed to provide an introduction to computer science techniques and methodologies, to problems of system design, and to other specialized fields are acceptable. Courses or experience in teaching elementary, business, or shop mathematics are not acceptable.

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.

Specialized Experience (SE)

GS-13: Applicant must possess at least one (1) year of SE equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. SE is defined as follows:

• Skill in oral and written communication to effectively coordinate, advise, and convey technical recommendations.
• Developing and designing full-stack technical solutions.

GS-14: Applicant must possess at least one (1) year of SE equivalent to the GS-13 grade level. SE (in addition to the above) is defined as follows:

• Developing and deploying cloud infrastructure using automation and IaC tools.
• Maintaining and operating applications in a production environment.

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.

Other supporting documents (if applicable):

• College transcripts, if qualifying based on education or if there is a positive education requirement
• 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.
• 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.

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 .