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The U.S. Department of State is hiring Security Engineering Officer (SEO) based on the needs of the Department. The salary listed is from the FS Overseas Comparability Pay rate ($50,714 to $74,474). The Department of State offers a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. Joining the Foreign Service is more than just salary.
For more information, visit the Bureau of Diplomatic Security’s Careers' website or the Department of State’s Careers site.
Learn more about this agency09/02/2020 to 12/01/2020
$50,714 - $74,474 per year
FP 06
No
50% or less - An SEO generally spends about half of his/her career assigned to the Department of State’s overseas missions and at times, lives away from family and/or in difficult or isolated conditions. Selected applicants will be notified of a Written and Oral Assessment (OA) requirement in Washington D.C. For selected applicants, all travel and other expenses incurred in connection with the OA are the sole responsibility of the applicant.
Yes—After completing orientation and initial training, a SEO is usually assigned a two-year tour of duty in Washington, D.C., followed by an overseas tour, two years in length and directed by the Department. After the initial two tours, assignments will be for periods of one to three years overseas or in the United States.
Permanent - Permanent after tenure granted by a Foreign Service Specialist (FSS) Tenure Board.
Full-time
Excepted
MC
Yes
Yes
SEO-2020-0005
577154100
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
Current excepted service federal employees.
Must be a U.S. citizen. Applicants should read the entire announcement to ensure that they meet all of the requirements and understand a Foreign Service career. Applicants may not reapply for one year after the previous application for the same position. If a State Department Suitability Review Panel denied suitability in the last two years, you may not apply (except Diplomatic Security Special Agent (SA) candidates whose denial was based solely on the unique requirements for SAs.)
Foreign Service Security Engineering Officers (SEOs) are responsible for the protection of Department of State personnel, facilities, and sensitive information from acts of crime, terrorism, and technical espionage. The Department carries out this mission at over 275 embassies and consulates around the world, offices in the metropolitan Washington, DC area and Fort Lauderdale, FL.
The duties of SEOs vary according to the size of the post and the requirements of the specific diplomatic mission. The following are examples of the types of duties and responsibilities assigned to SEOs. This list is neither exhaustive, nor in priority order.
-- Administer and manage technical and information security programs, projects, and resources worldwide.
-- Conduct technical security assessments and recommend security upgrades to deter terrorism and technical espionage.
-- Plan and conduct technical surveillance countermeasures (TSCM) surveys to detect and nullify technical penetrations of Department of State facilities.
-- Identify security risks, analyze and manage those risks, and specify system requirements and procedural measures to ensure the integrity of stand-alone computers and network information systems.
-- Plan and conduct certification tests, as well as maintain the security requirements for information processing and secure conferencing facilities.
-- Produce a variety of written documents including well-crafted management memoranda, trip reports, telegraphic communications with posts, and engineering surveys or technical service reports detailing specific engineering services planned or performed.
-- Perform extensive travel throughout the world to service overseas embassies and consulates, often in remote locations, including the transport of technical supplies and materials (and on occasion, diplomatic pouches) by vehicle, airplane, train, and public transportation.
-- Specify, design, maintain, evaluate, procure, install, and certify equipment, and/or products for technical security systems, such as:
-- Engage in work that can, on occasion, be dirty and /or physically demanding.
-- Evaluate a wide variety of equipment, systems, and products for security vulnerabilities.
-- SEOs are considered “essential personnel’” and are on call to provide services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Salary
The beginning base salary for a SEO is FP-6, step 14. (The maximum starting salary is limited to the FP-6, step 14. Salary is non-negotiable.) The salary received while in initial training, and while assigned overseas, is based on the Overseas Comparability Pay salary table. Salary received while assigned to the D.C. area is based on the Washington, DC salary table. The salary tables may be found at: www.state.gov/m/dghr/pay. Information on Benefits may be found at: https://careers.state.gov/work/benefits/fss/. For more information, please contact DSRecruitment@state.gov.
Education
Applicants must have a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree, Master of Science (MS), or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Physics or in an Engineering program that must:
(1) be in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or
(2) evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico or current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico may be used to fulfill the education requirement.
Official or unofficial transcripts must be submitted with your application. You must submit transcripts that demonstrate you meet the required educational achievement in the Science, Physics or Engineering fields.
Final acceptance will be predicated on receipt of the degree. Prior to appointment, applicants must provide proof of obtaining their degree by June 30, 2021. Your transcript must include your name, the school's name and, if applicable, the degree and date awarded. Submit evidence of licensure at time of application, if applicable.
Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the U.S. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. Only accredited organizations recognized as specializing in the interpretation of foreign education credentials that are members of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE) are accepted.
NACES: www.naces.org/members.htm
Final acceptance will be predicated on receipt of the degree. Prior to appointment, applicants must provide proof of obtaining their degree by June 30, 2021. It is also required that an official transcript that confirms award of the degree be placed in your file prior to appointment.
Applicants for this position should have academic achievements and/or job-related experience that reflect the following knowledge and skill areas. For experienced candidates, showing progressively increasing levels of performance and responsibility is desirable.
SEO candidates must meet supplemental physical standards including, but not limited to, additional vision and hearing requirements. The standards for the SEO position can be found at https://careers.state.gov/downloads/ in the Four Conditions of Diplomatic Security Employment section.
*With few exceptions, the SEO candidate and all immediate family members (spouse, parents, siblings, children, or cohabitants) must be citizens of the U.S. in order to qualify for SCI access. A candidate that already holds Top Secret, but does not hold SCI access, will require an upgrade to SCI before he or she can report for training or duty.
Note: The medical examination is required only after a candidate has successfully passed the written and oral assessments. It is not part of the initial application package.
Other Requirements:
Driver's License: A valid U.S. driver's license is required.
Essential Physical Requirements
Some of the essential functions of the job have a physically demanding component. For instance, in conducting technical surveillance countermeasures inspections, an SEO is periodically required to perform work that requires regular and recurring periods of prolonged standing, bending, and stretching. An SEO is required periodically to climb ladders and work from heights in performing the essential duties.
Other essential duties of the job may involve recurring lifting of moderately heavy equipment and tools and physical endurance to be physically active for many hours. Related activities may include crawling, twisting, maneuvering, and working in cramped spaces as well as the occasional moving and transporting of diplomatic pouches. Occasionally, the job may require exposure to extreme environmental conditions or prolonged periods of travel.
A physical examination of each applicant offered a position is required to ensure that the candidate meets the physical and medical requirements necessary to perform the essential functions of the job and can meet the standards required for a worldwide medical clearance. In addition, candidates must have vision that is correctable to 20/20 in one eye and 20/40 in the other, no color blindness, adequate night vision, and good peripheral vision.
Applicants must be available for worldwide service, and be able to tolerate intensive world travel and at times living away from family and working and living in difficult and/or isolated conditions.
Superior oral and written communication skills: Applicants must demonstrate a strong command of the English language to include grammar, spelling and punctuation. FSS must consistently meet a high standard for English, both written (overall structure as well as grammar, spelling and punctuation) and spoken (overall structure as well as delivery, clarity and succinctness).
Other Requirements:
Driver's License: A valid U.S. driver's license is required.
Essential Physical Requirements
Some of the essential functions of the job have a physically demanding component. For instance, in conducting technical surveillance countermeasures inspections, an SEO is periodically required to perform work that requires regular and recurring periods of prolonged standing, bending, and stretching. An SEO is required periodically to climb ladders and work from heights in performing the essential duties.
Other essential duties of the job may involve recurring lifting of moderately heavy equipment and tools and physical endurance to be physically active for many hours. Related activities may include crawling, twisting, maneuvering, and working in cramped spaces as well as the occasional moving and transporting of diplomatic pouches. Occasionally, the job may require exposure to extreme environmental conditions or prolonged periods of travel.
A physical examination of each applicant offered a position is required to ensure that the candidate meets the physical and medical requirements necessary to perform the essential functions of the job and can meet the standards required for a worldwide medical clearance. In addition, candidates must have vision that is correctable to 20/20 in one eye and 20/40 in the other, no color blindness, adequate night vision, and good peripheral vision.
Applicants must be available for worldwide service, and be able to tolerate intensive world travel and at times living away from family and working and living in difficult and/or isolated conditions.
Superior oral and written communication skills: Applicants must demonstrate a strong command of the English language to include grammar, spelling and punctuation. FSS must consistently meet a high standard for English, both written (overall structure as well as grammar, spelling and punctuation) and spoken (overall structure as well as delivery, clarity and succinctness).
Applicants must have a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree, Master of Science (MS), or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Physics or in an Engineering program that must:
(1) be in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or
(2) evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico or current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico may be used to fulfill the education requirement.
Final acceptance will be predicated on receipt of the degree. Prior to appointment, applicants must provide proof of obtaining their degree by June 30, 2021. It is also required that an official transcript that confirms award of the degree be placed in your file prior to appointment.
You must submit transcripts supporting your educational achievements. Your transcript must include your name, the school’s name, the degree and date awarded. Degree must be awarded by June 30, 2021. A transcript missing any of the key elements above, as well as a partial transcript will not pass the minimum qualifications and the candidacy will be ended. Copies of diplomas may not be submitted in lieu of transcripts for education above high school level.
Evidence of licensure must be submitted at the time of application, if applicable.
Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. Only accredited organizations recognized as specializing in the interpretation of foreign education credentials that are members of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE) are accepted. If documentation from an accredited organization is not provided, your candidacy will not be continued. For information on ABET mutual recognition agreements, please click here.
NACES: https://www.naces.org/members
AICE: www.aice-eval.org/members
For further information on the evaluation of foreign education, refer to the Office of Personnel Management and the U.S. Department of Education. The U.S. Department of State neither endorses nor recommends any individual evaluation service.
OPM: www.opm.gov
U.S. Department of Education: http://www.ed.gov
*EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILIY VERIFICATION PROGRAM (E-Verify) – Verification of employment eligibility in the United States is required.
U.S. law requires companies to employ only individuals who may legally work in the United States – either U.S. citizens, or foreign citizens who have the necessary authorization. This agency utilizes E-Verify to compare information from the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration (SSA) records to confirm employment eligibility. If the employee’s information does not match DHS and/or SSA records, the employee is given an opportunity to resolve the problem. If eligibility cannot be verified, employment will be terminated.
**The Department of State Suitability Review Panel and standards are defined in Chapter 3 of the Foreign Affairs Manual. For more information please visit: https://fam.state.gov/
***For more information about Veteran’s Preference and how it is applied in the FSS Selection Process, please visit: http://careers.state.gov/faqs/faqs-wiki/are-veterans-given-hiring-preference-
No applicant will be considered who has previously been separated from the Foreign Service under sections §607, §608, §610 or §611 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980, as amended, or who resigned or retired in lieu of separation under these provisions. In addition, no applicant will be considered who has previously been separated for failure to receive a career appointment under section §306 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980, as amended, or who resigned or retired in lieu thereof.
An FSS separated for failure to receive a career appointment under section 306 may not re-apply to be an FSS in the same skill code, but may apply for another skill code (or to be a Foreign Service Generalist).
Executive Branch agencies are barred by 5 US Code 3303 as amended from accepting or considering prohibited political recommendations and are required to return any prohibited political recommendations to sender. In addition, as mandated by 5 US Code 3110, relatives of federal employees cannot be granted preference in competing for these employment opportunities.
It is the policy of the Federal Government to treat all of its employees with dignity and respect and to provide a workplace that is free from discrimination whether discrimination is based on race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity or pregnancy), national origin, disability, political affiliation, marital status, membership in an employee organization, age, sexual orientation, or other non-merit factors.
The Department of State provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodations for any part of the application or hiring process should so advise the Department at ReasonableAccommodations@state.gov within one week of receiving their invitation to the oral assessment. Decisions for granting reasonable accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Candidates will be evaluated on their total background including experience, education, training, and self-development as it relates to the position. Selection for this position will be made only from among candidates possessing the best qualifications. Part-time work experience will be prorated.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure all required documents are uploaded and the application is fully completed before the closing deadline of this announcement. Any missing required documents or incomplete applications will result in your application not being considered further.
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.
You should submit your application early, not waiting for the deadline, as application packages must be complete, submitted, and received by the closing date to be considered. There are no exceptions.
Once submitted, your application status on USAJobs will change from “received” to “referred” or “not referred” after the close of the announcement. This status on USAJobs will not be updated further.
All applicants will be notified via his/her Monster account about the outcome of the initial application review and if they will be further considered for this FS position. Additional notifications to applicants concerning the application status will be by e-mail from the U.S. Department of State.
Due to the high volume of applications, we ask all applicants to remain patient and await communication. It is not uncommon for one to two months to pass before you are informed of the results of your application.
We recommend adding the Department of State domain (@state.gov) as an approved sender.
For more information, please visit http://careers.state.gov/work/foreign-service/specialist/selection-process.
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/577154100. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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