Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operator

About the role

NOTICE - This announcement has been updated to reflect the usage of USA Hire assessment.

Joining the Secret Service, Office of Technical Operations, Aviation and Airspace Security Division will allow you to develop, coordinate, and implement airspace security plans for sites visited by the President and Vice President of the United States or other designated U.S. Secret Service (USSS) protectees.

For definitions of terms found in this announcement, please click here.

What you will do

• The selectee will serve as an Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operator in the Office of Technical Operations, Aviation and Airspace Security Division.
• Typical work assignments include: Operating small, unmanned aircraft to conduct aerial surveillance, reconnaissance, site assessments, and related protective activities in support of mission-critical operations.
• Developing and reviewing flight operations plans, ensuring compliance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations, agency policies, and operational constraints; leading real-time aerial surveillance during events, identifying potential threats or vulnerabilities and relaying critical imagery and data to protective teams.
• Testing, troubleshooting and evaluating Unmanned Aircraft Systems technologies and countermeasures, contributing to strategic Unmanned Aircraft Systems program development.
• Apply for this exciting opportunity to support the Secret Service's mission by providing a technically secure environment for the President and Vice-President of the United States, and other protectees, and to provide leading edge technical support to criminal investigations conducted by the agency.

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service If selected for this position, you will be required to: Obtain and maintain a Top Secret Tier 5 clearance.
• For more information visit OPM Mythbuster Page.
• Submit to a Full-Scope polygraph examination prior to your appointment.
• Submit a credit check after a conditional offer of employment has been accepted.
• Submit to a drug test prior to your appointment and random drug testing while you occupy the position.
• This position requires the incumbent to undergo and pass a physical fitness assessment as required by Secret Service policy.
• Applicants must possess a valid motor vehicle operator's license at the time of appointment, must maintain license while employed in the position and will be required to operate motor vehicles in accordance with applicable OPM regulations and related USSS requirements.
• This position requires the incumbent perform irregular shift work with adjustment in shift with little to no advance notification.
• Hours of work encompass fluctuating tours of duty to include evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays.
• Overtime may be required as directed and the incumbent is subject to recall for extended periods.
• This position requires an active FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate or Department of Defense equivalent with UAS flight experience, including both Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) and fixed-wing platforms.
• Individual must sucessfully recertify every two years.
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.
• In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
• Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Education

if you are qualifying for a position by substituting education or training for experience, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted that includes your name, the name of the educational institution, course title(s), number of credits, grade, and date of completion. An official transcript will be required if you are selected.

How you will be evaluated

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

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.

The competencies or knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform this job are: Aircraft Maintenance Attention to Detail Compliance Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Planning and Evaluating Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP/CTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the Federal government, you are not ICTAP/CTAP eligible.

View information about ICTAP/CTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To be considered well qualified under ICTAP/CTAP, 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 be 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.

(Note: Veteran's preference does not apply under Merit Promotion procedures.) View VEOA information on Feds Hire Vets. An interview may be required for this position. If an interview is required, failure to complete the interview may result in removal from further consideration.

Due weight will be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards in merit promotion selection decisions in accordance with 5 CFR 335.103(b)(3). After the U.S. Secret Service completes its hiring, the resumes of the remaining candidates referred for selection consideration may be shared with other DHS Components.

During the application process, you may choose to opt-in if you would like your name, application material, and assessment results to be shared. There is no guarantee of further consideration, and you can continue to explore other job opportunity announcements.

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.

Documents you must provide

• Resume - Limit your resume to no more than two pages.
• The USAJOBS database will not allow an applicant to submit an application that includes a resume over two pages.
• In order to receive credit for experience contained in an uploaded resume, your employment history should show relevant work experience in month/year format (MM/YYYY), reflecting starting date and ending date, and include the number of hours worked per week.
• To learn how to format and submit a two-page resume, please visit the USAJOBS Help Center.
• If tentatively selected for the position, you may be required to provide additional documentation (SF50s) to validate eligibility for the position.
• Are you qualifying based on education or the position has an education requirement, or you are qualifying based on a combination of education and experience?
• Submit a copy of your college/university transcript (unofficial is acceptable) it must show school name, student's name, credit earned, degree, and date awarded.
• Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
• Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet Federal qualification requirements if you can show that your foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States.
• For example, specific courses accepted for college-level credit by an accredited U.S. college or university, or foreign education evaluated by an organization recognized for accreditation by the Department of Education as education equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. college or university.
• It is your responsibility to provide such evidence with your application.
• See Recognition of Foreign Qualifications for more information.
• Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP/CTAP)?
• Submit a copy of your agency notice, copy of your most recent performance appraisal (with at least a satisfactory rating) and your most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location.
• Submit Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 or other (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) and/or documentation of service-connected disability.
• If claiming 10-point preference, you will need to submit a Standard Form (SF-15), Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference.
• If applying based on eligibility under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must submit certification from the Armed Forces that you will be discharged or released from active duty within 120 days from the date on the certification.
• This must indicate your dates of service, your rank, and confirm that you will be separated under honorable conditions.
• View VEOA information on Veterans' information.
• Are you a current or former federal employee?
• Submit a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, showing your tenure code as career or career-conditional (codes 1 or 2, in block 24), and position occupied in the competitive service (code 1, in block 34) In addition, the SF50s must show the highest grade or promotion potential level attained competitively.
• An award SF-50 does not contain the required information.
• If you are applying for a higher grade, please provide the SF-50s which shows the length of time you have been in your current/highest grade and that supports one year of experience (i.e., With-in Grade Increase (WRI) SF-50).
• You may need to submit more than one SF-50 to comply.
• Also submit your performance appraisals and/or incentive awards.
• Are you claiming special appointing authority, such as Schedule A?
• Submit proof of this eligibility.
• For additional information on special appointing authorities, click here.
• 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 beginning and ending dates of your appointment.
• A active FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate or Department of Defense equivalent with UAS flight experience, including both Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) and fixed-wing platforms.

Benefits

DHS offers competitive salaries and an attractive benefits package, including health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance; retirement plan; Thrift Savings Plan [similar to a 401(k)]; Flexible Spending Account; Employee Assistance Program; personal leave days; and paid federal holidays.

Other benefits may include flexible work schedules; tuition reimbursement; transportation subsidies; uniform allowance; health and wellness programs; and fitness centers. DHS is committed to employee development and offers a variety of employee training and developmental opportunities.

For more information, go to the DHS Careers and select "Benefits." Disabled veteran leave will be available to any federal employee hired on or after November 5, 2016, who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or more.

What to expect next

It is your responsibility to verify that any information entered or uploaded is received and is accurate. Human Resources will not modify or change any part of your application. Determining your eligibility and qualifications is dependent on the supporting documentation and information provided, which may impact your referral for further consideration.

If a document is not legible, you will not be able to view it in your application. To update your application, excluding External Assessment responses, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account. 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. 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 after each of these steps has been completed.

Your status will also be updated on USAJOBS throughout the process. To check your status, log on to your USAJOBS account, click on "Application Status," and then click "More Information." We expect to make a job offer within 45 days after the deadline for applications. If you are selected, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.

Additional information

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. The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Homeland Security and its Components from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment.

In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to ***.

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.

This position is covered by Administratively Uncontrollable Overtime (AUO) and additional compensation may be paid at the rate of up to 25% of the base salary.

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.

The Secret Service prohibits employees from having visible body markings (including but not limited to tattoos, body art, and branding) on the head, face, neck, hand and fingers (any area below the wrist bone) (exception: a single conservative and unobtrusive tattoo in the form of a ring is authorized on one finger).