An official website of the United States government
Joining the Secret Service, Office of HR Research and Assessment Division will allow you to participate in research, development, implementation and maintenance of effective competency-based assessments for selection, promotion, career development, and organizational effectiveness to support the establishment and maintenance of a quality workforce. For more information on the Secret Service click here. For definitions of terms found in this announcement, please click here.
Learn more about this agency11/03/2021 to 11/17/2021
$87,198 - $134,798 per year
GS 12 - 13
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Occasional travel - Occasional travel 5% or less
No
Permanent
Full-time
Competitive
14
No
Yes
HUM-KY042-22-MP
620190000
The selectee will serve as Personnel Research Psychologist in the HR Research and Assessment Division. Typical work assignments include:
Apply for this exciting opportunity to impact the Secret Service mission by strengthening its ability to recruit, develop, and retain a highly specialized and dedicated workforce to fulfill mission critical requirements. This Personnel Research Psychologist position starts at a salary of $87,198 (GS-12 step 1), with promotion potential to $159,286 (GS-14 step 10).
Requirements:
As required by Executive Order 14043, Federal employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 regardless of the employee's duty location or work arrangement (e.g., telework, remote work, etc.), subject to such exceptions as required by law. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination by November 22, 2021 or before appointment or onboarding with the agency, if after November 22, 2021. We will provide additional information regarding which forms of documentation will be accepted to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement.
Due to COVID-19, U.S. Secret Service is currently in an expanded telework posture. If selected, you may be expected to temporarily telework, even if your home is located outside the local commuting area. Once employees are permitted to return to the office, you will be expected to report to the duty station listed on this announcement within 30 days. At that time, you may be eligible to request to continue to telework one or more days a pay period depending upon the terms of the agency's telework policy.
Conditions of Employment If selected for this position, you will be required to:
NOTE: The person selected for this position may be subject to a one-year probationary period.
You must possess a bachelor's (or higher level) degree with a major or equivalent in psychology. In addition to meeting the basic education requirement, you must also meet the following minimum qualification requirements.
You qualify for the GS-12 (starting salary $87,198) level if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level performing duties such as: identifying, analyzing and addressing complex issues in the field of human resources management and development; assisting team leads in conducting research, demonstrating knowledge of test theory, psychometric methodology and statistics; preparing, planning, and coordinating surveys that extract specific information as it relates to attitudes, job skills, knowledge, abilities and abilities; assist team leaders in developing special-purpose tests.
You qualify for the GS-13 level (starting salary $103,690) if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level performing duties such as: conducting research to address complex issues related to employment selection or promotion; developing and validating tests for selection or promotion; demonstrating and applying knowledge to test theory, psychometric methodology, statistics, logic and innovative research methods; writing technical reports documenting research findings; planning, and coordinating surveys; providing guidance and advice to senior level personnel research management and staff; and analyzing data using qualitative and quantitative statistical techniques.
Qualifications Must Be Met: The qualification requirements listed above must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience)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.
Time-in-Grade: Current Federal employees must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent grade band in the Federal service.
Qualifications Must Be Met: The qualification requirements listed above must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
Interview Requirement: Interviews may be required for this position. Failure to complete the interview may result in removal from further consideration.
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.
BASIC REQUIREMENTS
Degree: major or equivalent in psychology
Building on a Tradition of Excellence and Meeting the Challenges of the Future The Secret Service is a premier law enforcement organization with two critical national security missions: protect our nation's leaders and to conduct criminal investigations. Our team members continue a tradition of excellence - whether investigating financial crime or protecting national and visiting foreign leaders. In the Secret Service, we serve the country with duty, loyalty, justice, integrity and courage. In the Secret Service, we:
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.
E-Verify Statement: DHS uses E-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.
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, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment.
This position will require a credit check after initial job qualifications have been determined.
Relocation expenses will not be authorized.
More than one selection may be made from this announcement if additional identical vacancies in the same title, series, grade and unit occur.
Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.
The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR § 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR § 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps/VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.
View common definitions of terms found in this announcement.
For more information on the Secret Service click here.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your application will be rated on the extent and quality of your experience, education and training relevant to the duties of the position. A score will automatically be calculated based on your answers to the vacancy specific questions. All answers provided in the online process must be substantiated by your resume. Upon review, your resume and/or supporting documents need to support your answer choices and reflect the one year of specialized experience requirement, in order to be considered. If the one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the next lower grade level cannot be identified in your resume, you will be considered not qualified. If a determination is made you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. The competencies or knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform this job are:
Knowledge of principles, applications, methodologies, theories and standards of personnel research and human resources management.
Ability to develop and validate competency-based assessments for employee selection, promotion and/or organizational development purposes.
Ability to analyze data using qualitative and quantitative strategies in order to draw practical conclusions and answer research questions.
Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the Federal government, you are not ICTAP eligible. View information about ICTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To be considered well qualified under ICTAP, you must be rated at a minimum score of 85.0 for this position. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement.
Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA): To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, the veteran must 1) be a preference eligible; or 2) be a veteran separated after 3 or more years of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement. Veteran’s preference does not apply under Merit Promotion procedures. View VEOA information on Feds Hire Vets.
Military Spouse Appointing Authority: Executive Order 13473, dated September 28, 2008, authorized the noncompetitive appointment of certain military spouses to competitive service positions. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) codified implementing regulations at 5 CFR 315.612, effective September 11, 2009. For more information click here.
Consideration will be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards as an indicator of quality of prior experience, no points will be assigned.
In addition to addressing the vacancy specific questions, you must also submit the following documentation:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
This position is being advertised via SecretServiceHire which is an automated staffing system. To begin your online application, click the Apply Online button and follow the prompts to register or sign into USAJOBS, take the online questionnaire, and submit the required documents. See Required Documents section for more detail. You must complete the application process and submit any required documents no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the closing date of this announcement. Instructions outlining the application process can be found at http://www.secretservice.gov/join/apply/. If you cannot apply online, you may contact the Talent & Employee Acquisition Management Division, Administrative, Professional and Technical Staffing Branch at hrsupport@usss.dhs.gov OR by calling (202) 406-6420 between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:30 pm EST (excluding Federal holidays) prior to the closing date of this announcement to receive assistance. The Secret Service provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities, on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.
Once your complete application is received we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and determine your eligibility. Best-qualified applicants will be referred for further consideration and possible interview. If you are selected, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation. You may check the status of your application for this position by going to www.usajobs.gov. Click on the "My USAJOBS" tab, enter your user id and password, and click on "My Applications". You will also receive an email notification regarding your application status. For more information on applying for Federal employment, please click here.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/620190000. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is calling on those who want to help protect American interests and secure our Nation. DHS Components work collectively to prevent terrorism; secure borders and our transportation systems; protect the President and other dignitaries; enforce and administer immigration laws; safeguard cyberspace; and ensure resilience to disasters. We achieve these vital missions through a diverse workforce spanning hundreds of occupations. Make an impact; join DHS.
