Security Specialist

Summary

The Security Specialist helps protect Peace Corps personnel and assets by supporting physical security programs and emergency preparedness activities. The role focuses on safeguarding sensitive information and facilities, and on planning and executing continuity of operations and occupant emergency functions. The position supports senior leaders during emergency response and requires on-call availability, with mobile tools provided to ensure communication capability.

Duties

• The Security Specialist performs the following major duties: Physical Security Interpret internal and external security policies to determine their application to agency facilities and operations. Develop and implement security strategies, policies, and protective systems to prevent compromises of personnel, sensitive information, equipment, and materials. Implement an established identity management program. Manage an information technology system that supports physical security. Emergency Management Evaluate emergency management plans and procedures to ensure compliance with agency objectives and applicable federal directives. Develop and implement strategies to ensure a successful emergency management program where necessary. Coordinate and deliver preparedness and response training and exercises to strengthen readiness for natural and man-made disasters. Manage an information technology system that supports emergency notification.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualification requirements prior to the closing date of this announcement, 09/17/2026. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience demonstrated in your resume, including volunteer work. Qualification claims are subject to verification. This vacancy is being announced at two grade levels FP-04 and FP-05. Specialized Experience at the FP-04 (GS-12) Level: To qualify for this position at the FP-04 level, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower level in the normal line of progression, FP-05 or GS-09. This experience must be directly related to the work of the position and must have equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to successfully perform the duties of the role. Specialized experience includes: Interpretation and application of federal physical security policies, standards, and strategies to protect personnel, information, equipment, and materials. Management of a federal identity management program including the issuance of identification credentials. Development of emergency management plans and procedures to support occupant emergency plan and/or continuity of operations programs. Management of information technology systems that support physical security, emergency management, and/or identity management programs. ~OR~ FP-04 (GS-11): Ph. D or equivalent doctoral degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL.M. in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the work of the position. ~OR~ A combination of education and experience ~OR~ Specialized Experience at the FP-05 (GS-09) Level: To qualify for this position at the FP-05 level, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower level in the normal line of progression, FP-07 or GS-07. This experience must be directly related to the work of the position and must have equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to successfully perform the duties of the role. Specialized experience includes: Implementation of established strategies to physically protect personnel, information, equipment, and materials. Assisting with the implementation of a federal identity management program. Implementation of established emergency management plans and procedures to support occupant emergency plan and/or continuity of operations programs. Utilization of information technology systems that support physical security, emergency management, and/or identity management programs. ~OR~ FP-05 (GS-09) grade level: A Master's or equivalent graduate degree OR 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree OR L.L.B. or J.D., if related. ~OR~ A combination of education and experience ~AND~ Time-in-Grade Requirements: Current or former Federal employees, including Peace Corps employees, must meet applicable Time-in-Grade requirements to be eligible for this position. For positions above the FP-09 (GS-05) level, you must have completed at least one year (52 weeks) at the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the position to which you are applying. All current or former Federal employees, including internal employees, must provide a copy of their SF-50(s), "Notification of Personnel Action," to demonstrate that you meet Time-in-Grade requirements. For more information, refer to the "Required Documents" section below. Please note: If you are qualifying based on education or a combination of education and experience, please review the "Education" section of this announcement. Experience that satisfies the Specialized Experience requirements must be clearly documented in your resume. Failure to provide this information may result in disqualification. Please review the "Required Documents" section of this announcement for further information on resume requirements. Specialized experience may be gained in the public sector, private sector, or through volunteer service (e.g., National Service programs such as Peace Corps or AmeriCorps, or other organizations such as professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, or social groups). One year of experience refers to full-time work. Part-time work will be credited on a prorated basis. For more details on qualification requirements, refer to the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions, available on the OPM web site.

Requirements

Applicants selected for this position are subject to the following Conditions of Employment: You must be a U.S. citizen and at least 18 years old. Males born after December 31, 1959, must be registered with Selective Service (see www.sss.gov). Prior to employment, Peace Corps will review records for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and former employees, as required by statutes 5 USC 3322 and 22 USC 2507b. You must submit a signed statement acknowledging adherence to the Peace Corps Conditions of Employment before your first day. You must obtain and maintain a Top-Secret security clearance. This position is designated for drug testing under the Drug-Free Workplace Program. You must pass a pre-employment drug test. After hire, you will be subject to random drug testing. A one-year probationary period may be required. This requirement is not applicable to current agency US Direct Hire employees who have completed a probationary period or current Experts who have served for more that 12 months. May be required to work from an alternate operating facility, potentially for up to 30 days. The initial appointment to this position cannot exceed five years.

Education

If you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education a transcript must be submitted with your application. Transcripts can be official or unofficial. 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. Education must be obtained from an institution accredited by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order to be used toward qualification requirements. Applicants should report only attendance and/or degrees from accredited schools. To verify whether a school is accredited, visit the U.S. Department of Education's accreditation website. Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must provide evidence that your credentials have been evaluated by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign education programs. The evaluation must confirm that your education is equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. program, or that full credit has been granted by a U.S. accredited college or university. For more information, visit: U.S. Department of Education - Recognition of Foreign Qualifications.

How to apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. The complete application must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/17/2026 to receive consideration. To submit your application: 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 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. 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. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. 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. 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. 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. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. Please note: It is your responsibility to ensure your application package (resume, supporting documents, and questionnaire responses) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. We will not modify answers or documents submitted by an applicant. Additional information on how to submit your online application may be found on the USAJOBS Help Center. 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. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us/sections/45063131363475-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information) Likewise, the Peace Corps provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any other part of the hiring process, please contact the Office of Civil Rights at 202-692-2139. Decisions on granting reasonable accommodation are made on a case-by-case basis.