Security Specialist

About the Position: This position is in the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS). Employees occupying DCIPS positions are in the Excepted Service and must adhere to U.S. Code, Title 10, as well as Department of Defense Instruction 1400.25.

This position is located at Headquarters U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army Geospatial Center (AGC), Security Office located in Alexandria, Virginia.

Who May Apply:
Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities.

• 10-Point Other Veterans’ Rating
• 5-Point Veterans' Preference
• Disabled Veteran w/ a Service-Connected Disability, More than 10%, Less than 30%
• Prior Federal Service Employee
• Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible
• Priority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement
• Priority Placement Program, DoD Retained Grade Preference Eligible
• United States Citizen Applying to a DCIPS Position

Army DCIPS positions apply Veteran's Preference to preference eligible candidates as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 U.S.C., in accordance with the procedures provided in DoD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 2005, DCIPS Employment and Placement.

In order to qualify, you must meet the experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience.

Specialized Experience:

One year of specialized experience which includes: Independently administering and improving established security programs in one or more areas, such as information, industrial, personnel, foreign disclosure, antiterrorism, operations security (OPSEC), technology protection, or Security Education, Training, and Awareness (SETA); Resolving conventional security issues; and Providing security technical advice to security personnel and leadership.

This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GG/GS-09).

OR

Education: Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: Security Management, Homeland Security, Criminal Justice or Intelligence Studies.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages.

Specialized experience is progressively responsible intelligence-related security work directly related to the position being filled. Creditable experience may include previous military experience, experience gained in the private sector or in another government agency as long as it was at a level at least equivalent to the next lower band in the series.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

• This position requires a 2 year trial period during which the agency evaluates your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In making this determination, the agency may consider your performance and conduct; agency needs and interests; whether your continued employment supports organizational or Government goals; and whether it promotes the efficiency of the Federal service. Continued employment requires written certification that it advances the public interest.
• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
• You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
• Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
• Incumbent (or Selectee) is required to satisfactorily complete the appropriate training and obtain the required certification/recertification for this position as outlined in DoD Publication 8570.01-M Information Assurance Workforce Improvement Program, dated 19 December 2005 (incorporating Change 1, 15 May 2008).
• Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
• If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
• This is an Intelligence (General) Career Program position aligned under the Operational Support Career Management Directorate.
• Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
• Salary includes applicable locality pay.
• Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.
• This is a mission essential position that incumbent is required to report for duty during inclement weather, Natural Disasters, and other emergency situations as directed and may be required to remain on duty after the official shift ends, i.e., mandatory overtime; subject to recall to duty. Incumbent must maintain a functioning telephone at their residence to aid in contact during recall/emergency situations.

Conditions of employment

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• In accordance with Change 3 to AR 600-85, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Program, individual must successfully pass a urinalysis screening for illegal drug use prior to appointment and periodically thereafter.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top-Secret security clearance based on a T5 (or equivalent level) investigation with eligibility for sensitive compartmented information (SCI).
• TDY required at 25% or less of the time.
• This position requires the incumbent obtain the following core SPeD Certification: Security Fundamentals Professional Certification (SFPC) within their first two years of employment.

Duties
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• Interpret higher level guidance for supported U.S. Army Corps of Engineers security offices and activities.
• Conduct analysis to identify program issues and recommend remedial actions and proposes changes consistent with security program objectives.
• Evaluate security program resources within the Division or Center security office and subordinate activities.
• Initiate programming, budgeting, and manpower actions to address requirements.

Benefits
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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the online assessments required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Accountability
• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Required documents
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WARNING: DO NOT INCLUDE CLASSIFIED INFORMATION IN YOUR APPLICATION PACKET! Application packages that contain Classified information WILL NOT receive consideration for this position. Should you submit a resume or any other document as part of your application package and it is confirmed that any of the information is Classified, in addition to being found ineligible for consideration for this position, your Security Office will be notified to determine if any further action is warranted.

The documents you are required to submit vary based on the authority you are using to apply (i.e., applying as a veteran, applying as a current permanent Federal employee, applying as a reinstatement, etc). Please review the following links to see which documents you need to provide to prove your eligibility to apply: Applicant Checklist for Internal/Merit Promotion Announcements.

As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

1. Your resume:

• Your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration.
• For each relevant work experience, make sure you include the employer's name, job title, start and end dates (include month and year), for qualifications purposes, the number of hours worked per week, and a brief description that show you can perform the tasks at the required level listed in the job announcement. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete, and you may not receive consideration for this position.
• Use plain language. Avoid using acronyms and terms that are not easily understood. The hiring agency will not make assumptions about what's in your resume.
• If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations, and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
• For additional information, to include formatting tips, see: What to include in your resume.

2. Other supporting documents:

• Cover Letter, optional
• Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
• Proof of Eligibility to Apply: Your application must include the documents which prove you are eligible to apply for the vacancy. The Proof of Eligibility document describes authorities commonly used in merit promotion recruitment and what document(s) are required to prove you meet the requirements of the authority. You must meet the requirements of at least one of the authorities listed in the Who May Apply section above to receive further consideration.
• This position has an individual occupational requirement and/or allows for substitution of education for experience. If you meet this requirement based on education you MUST submit a copy of your transcript with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. See: Transcripts and Licenses

How to Apply
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Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:

1. Click the Apply Online button.
2. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. As a reminder, your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. For additional information, refer to the 'Required Documents' section. To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13082387
3. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on 11/02/2026.
4. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice.
5. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.
6. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
7. Set aside about two (2) hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link.
8. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused.

For more general information, system requirements, reasonable accommodation information, and to request assistance regarding the USA Hire Assessments, review the following resources: https://appsupport.usastaffing.gov/hc/en-us/sections/28980562523540-USA-Hire-Assessments

To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To view the announcement status or your application status: Click on this: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.

Agency contact information

Army Applicant Help Desk


Email
USARMY.APG.CHRA-NE.MBX.APPLICANTHELP@ARMY.MIL
Website
https://portal.chra.army.mil/hr_public?id=app_inq
Address
ST-IC-W6RNAA HQ US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS
DO NOT MAIL
Fort Huachuca, AZ 85613
US