Current DHS HQ employees serving under a career or career-conditional appointment in the competitive service (Internal Employees Only). You Must submit an SF-50 that shows you currently work for DHS HQ. Please note this does not include the following organizations: CISA, TSA, CBP, USCIS, ICE, FEMA, U.S. Secret Service, or U.S. Coast Guard.
FPS is hiring for law enforcement jobs that have an exciting opportunity! Once onboarded, you may be assigned for up to one year to support the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force. The law enforcement component of the D.C. Task Force is a partnership of over 20 federal and local agencies working together to make D.C. the safest city in America. Once the assignment ends, you'll transition back to support the FPS. Visit the D.C. Task Force page for more information.
The primary purpose of this position is to serve as a Supervisory Law Enforcement Specialist (Rapid Protection Force). The mission of FPS within DHS is to prevent, protect, respond to and recover from terrorism, criminal acts and other hazards threaten the United States Government's critical infrastructure, services, and the people who provide or receive them.
Duties performed:
Supervise the activities of law enforcement personnel involved in compliance, enforcement, investigations, inspections and Rapid Protection Force (RPF) activities.
Identify Rapid Protection Force (RPF) training needs and makes decisions on training requests and non-routine, costly, or controversial training related to personnel.
Research and investigate new methods, systems, procedures, and equipment for overall law enforcement and Rapid Protection Force operations.
Conduct investigations of alleged or suspected criminal violations of Federal, State, and local laws related to the protection of critical government infrastructure and key resources.
Conduct analysis to integrate and coordinate physical and electronic security operations with other related Federal Protective Service programs (e.g., law enforcement and criminal investigations, emergency preparedness plans, and client relations and satisfaction with services provided).
You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
You must successfully pass a background investigation. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.
Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov/).
One-year probationary period may be required.
Must meet Time-In-Grade requirements.
Pre-Employment Drug Testing: This position requires a negative pre-employment drug test prior to and throughout the appointment of this position.
If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application.
DHS uses e-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States.
All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
License required: Yes- Driver's License
Pre-employment physical required: Yes
This is a non-bargaining unit position.
Permanent Change of Duty Station (PCS) Expenses will not be paid.
Promotion Potential: This position is at the full performance level.
Supervisory Probationary Period: This is a supervisory position. Under provisions of the Civil Service Reform Act, first time supervisors and/or managers will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period. You may also be required to complete an appropriate supervisory training course within one year of assignment to this position.
Essential Personnel: This position will be designated as essential personnel. Essential personnel must be able to serve during continuity of operation events without regard to declarations of unscheduled leave or government closures due to weather, protests, and acts of terrorism or lack of funding. Failure to report for or remain in this position may result in disciplinary or adverse action in accordance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations (5 U.S.C. ยง 7501-7533 and 5 CFR Part 752, as applicable).
Random Drug Testing: The incumbent of this position is subject to random drug testing.
Travel: As a member of the FPS Rapid Protection Force the incumbent will be required to travel frequently.
Qualifications
Specialized Experience:
GS-14: Applicant must demonstrate one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-13 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors) performing the following duties:
Overseeing law enforcement , security inspection or investigative personnel to ensure work is completed in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, policies procedures and/or mission requirements;
Planning law enforcement or physical security operations for federal facilities or similarly complex environments;
Assessing inspections, investigations compliance reviews, and/or risk assessments to identify deficiencies and vulnerabilities to make corrective actions for program effectiveness; AND
Advising internal and external stakeholders on law enforcement, security or facility protection matters.
NOTE: Your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement, otherwise you will be found ineligible. Only the first two pages of your resume will be used to make an eligibility/qualifications determination.
Time-in-Grade Requirements: Under competitive merit promotion procedures, any individual who is currently holding, or who has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under a non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet "time-in-grade" requirements (have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade of the grade for which you are applying). NOTE: All current or former Federal employees must provide a copy of their SF-50 (you may need to submit more than one), "Notice of Personnel Action" that indicates proof of status and time-in-grade eligibility. The SF-50 must include your position, title, series, grade, step, tenure (1 or 2), and type of service (Competitive or Excepted).
All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Qualification claims will be subject to verification.
NOTE: 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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP): This program applies to Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed, or employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet eligibility criteria for CTAP or ICTAP; 2) be rated well-qualified for the position; and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. Well-Qualified includes those applicants whose knowledge, skills, and abilities clearly exceed the minimum qualification requirements for the position. For information on eligibility criteria and required documentation, go to: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.
Additional Conditions of Employment:
Training: This position will be a Squad Leader for the FPS Rapid Protection Force. As such, the incumbent of this position will receive advanced training and tactics to meet the challenges of being deployed anywhere in the nation at a moment's notice with or without established infrastructure. The incumbent must meet the established experience, RPF basic training requirements and all FPS inservice training requirement established for the enforcement of police powers. Incumbent must successfully complete the designated, required training, which includes the basic Criminal Investigators Training Program (CITP) at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLECTC) or the Uniformed Police Training Program (UPTP), the Advanced Individual Training Program (AITP), and the Physical Security Training Program (PSTP). Additionally, the selectee must successfully complete the Field Training and Evaluation and other in-service requirements and weapons qualifications for the enforcement of arrest authority as conferred under 1315 authority.
Motor Vehicle Operation: The incumbent must possess a valid driver's license and maintain a safe driving record and demonstrate that they are medically qualified to operate a motor vehicle safely in accordance with the standards and procedures established in 5 CFR 930. Periodic verification of license and safe driving record will be required.
Pre-employment Medical Requirement: Prior to appointment, the person selected for this position must be determined physically fit by an authorized government physician to perform strenuous and physically demanding duties, which may include protecting citizens, taking suspects into custody using reasonable physical force in the face of physical resistance and responding to situations requiring physical agility and quick and legally sufficient decision making. Also, the incumbent must successfully pass a pre-employment medical examination (which includes, but is not limited to vision, hearing, cardiovascular and mobility of extremities) given by an authorized government physician. This position may be subject to periodic incumbent examinations in the future.
Education
This job does not have an education qualification requirement.
Additional information
Note: DHS continues to take necessary steps to keep our workforce safe amid the COVID-19 pandemic. If you receive a final job offer to onboard, please complete the onboarding forms and submit them electronically in an expeditious manner. Your start date may be delayed if the action above is not completed.
Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of its mission, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requires each and every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully complete a background investigation for a Top Secret clearance as a condition of placement in this Critical Sensitive position. This review includes financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.
Pursuant to Executive Order 12654 and DHS policy, DHS is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace and, therefore, conducts random and other drug testing of its employees in order to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. Headquarters personnel in safety- or security-sensitive positions are subject to random drug testing and all applicants tentatively selected for employment at DHS Headquarters are subject to drug testing resulting in a negative test result.
Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.
Career Transition Assistance Program: This program applies to Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed, or employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet eligibility criteria for CTAP; 2) be rated well-qualified for the position; and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP eligibility. Well-Qualified includes those applicants whose knowledge, skills, and abilities clearly exceed the minimum qualification requirements for the position. For information on eligibility criteria and required documentation, go to: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp
Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov/).
If you are unable to apply online contact CSB_Inquiries@opm.gov.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
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.
Shortly after you submit your application you will receive a link to a writing sample assessment where a minimum passing score of 8is required. Following the writing sample a resume ranking process will be utilized. We will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements.
Based on your responses, you will receive a score from the Assessment(s). Those applicants who score the highest will be referred to the hiring manager where they may be called for an interview. Failure to complete the interview may result in removal from further consideration.
If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have overstated your qualifications and/or experience, you will be removed from consideration or your score will be lowered.
Consideration will be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards as an indicator of quality of prior experience; no points will be assigned.
For Competitive Merit Promotion Applicants: The highest rated candidates will be referred to the hiring agency.
For Noncompetitive Appointment Eligibles: All qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring agency.
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.
To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:
1. Your resume showing a detailed description of your job-related qualifications that includes beginning and ending dates with the month and year and hours worked per week (if less than 40) for each paid and non-paid work experience job title listed. Limit your resume to two pages. Only resumes 2 pages in length will be accepted to determine eligibility and qualifications.
2. Other supporting documents (only submit if applicable to you):
Are you a current DHS HQ employee? Submit a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action that demonstrates your eligibility for consideration, e.g., length of time you have been in your current/highest grade (examples of appropriate SF-50s include promotions, with-in grade/range increases); your current promotion potential; etc.
Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP)? If so, submit the documents applicable to you:
A copy of the documentation demonstrating your status as a surplus or displaced employee (See OPM's Career Transition Guide for additional information regarding these statuses);
A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action," noting your position, grade level, and duty location. If you have already separated, submit a copy of your SF-50 documenting your separation;
A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating (if your separation notice does not have this information included); and
Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.
Are you a current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee? Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:
Position title;
Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
Agency; and
Beginning and ending dates of appointment.
You may be asked to provide a copy of your recent performance appraisal and/or incentive awards.
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online assessment and submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 05/20/2026 to receive consideration.
PLEASE NOTE: If your materials are not received by the closing date, your application will be evaluated solely on the information available and you may not receive full consideration or may not be considered eligible. Also, if you do not provide a valid email address, you may not be notified of the outcome of your application.
The application process is as follows:
To begin the application process, click the Apply Online button.
Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login. There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Update Application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.
To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account: https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login. All of your applications will appear on the Welcome page. The application record in your USAJOBS account provides an Additional Application Information page that provides information regarding the documentation you submitted and any correspondence we have sent related to this application. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
Once you submit your application, we will assess your experience and training, identify the best qualified applicants, and refer those applications to the hiring manager for further consideration and interviews. We will notify you by email the outcome after each of these steps has been completed. Your status will also be updated on your USAJOBS account throughout the process. We expect to make a selection within 60 days of the closing date of this announcement. If you are selected, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.
Note: One or more positions may be filled using this vacancy announcement. This could result in a few or many vacancies being filled from this announcement. Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.
We expect to make a job offer within 60 days after the deadline for applications. If you are selected, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.
For more information on applying for Federal employment, please click here.
Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:
1. Your resume showing a detailed description of your job-related qualifications that includes beginning and ending dates with the month and year and hours worked per week (if less than 40) for each paid and non-paid work experience job title listed. Limit your resume to two pages. Only resumes 2 pages in length will be accepted to determine eligibility and qualifications.
2. Other supporting documents (only submit if applicable to you):
Are you a current DHS HQ employee? Submit a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action that demonstrates your eligibility for consideration, e.g., length of time you have been in your current/highest grade (examples of appropriate SF-50s include promotions, with-in grade/range increases); your current promotion potential; etc.
Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP)? If so, submit the documents applicable to you:
A copy of the documentation demonstrating your status as a surplus or displaced employee (See OPM's Career Transition Guide for additional information regarding these statuses);
A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action," noting your position, grade level, and duty location. If you have already separated, submit a copy of your SF-50 documenting your separation;
A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating (if your separation notice does not have this information included); and
Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.
Are you a current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee? Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:
Position title;
Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
Agency; and
Beginning and ending dates of appointment.
You may be asked to provide a copy of your recent performance appraisal and/or incentive awards.
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online assessment and submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 05/20/2026 to receive consideration.
PLEASE NOTE: If your materials are not received by the closing date, your application will be evaluated solely on the information available and you may not receive full consideration or may not be considered eligible. Also, if you do not provide a valid email address, you may not be notified of the outcome of your application.
The application process is as follows:
To begin the application process, click the Apply Online button.
Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login. There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Update Application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.
To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account: https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login. All of your applications will appear on the Welcome page. The application record in your USAJOBS account provides an Additional Application Information page that provides information regarding the documentation you submitted and any correspondence we have sent related to this application. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
Once you submit your application, we will assess your experience and training, identify the best qualified applicants, and refer those applications to the hiring manager for further consideration and interviews. We will notify you by email the outcome after each of these steps has been completed. Your status will also be updated on your USAJOBS account throughout the process. We expect to make a selection within 60 days of the closing date of this announcement. If you are selected, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.
Note: One or more positions may be filled using this vacancy announcement. This could result in a few or many vacancies being filled from this announcement. Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.
We expect to make a job offer within 60 days after the deadline for applications. If you are selected, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.
For more information on applying for Federal employment, please click here.
Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
