Department: Department of Homeland Security
Location(s): Washington, District of Columbia
Salary Range: $69923 - $109975 Per Year
Job Summary: Joining the Secret Service, Office of Field Operations, Forensic Services Division will allow you to utilize your document examination skills to support criminal investigations and forensic science activities carried out by the division. For definitions of terms found in this announcement, please click here.
Major Duties:
Qualifications: To be considered qualified for this position you must meet the following qualification requirements for the respective grade level in which you are applying. You qualify for the GS-9 level (starting salary $69,923.00) if you possess one of the following: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level performing duties such as: Assisting in document examinations to identify alterations, obliterations, forgeries, and counterfeit documents. Assisting in handwriting, hand printing, and signature comparisons between unknown and known bodies of writing. Assisting in processing documents for the presence of indented writing. Utilizing scientific equipment in a laboratory environment. Assisting with completing scientific reports. OR Master's or equivalent graduate degree, LL.B. or J.D. or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as physical and biological, graphic arts, police science, criminology, or law. OR A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position if the computed percentage of the requirement 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) by 18. Add the two percentages. You qualify for the GS-11 level (starting salary $84,601.00) if you possess one of the following: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level performing duties such as: Conducting document examinations to identify alterations, obliterations, forgeries, and counterfeit documents. Conducting handwriting, hand printing, and signature comparisons between unknown and known bodies of writing. Processing documents for the presence of indented writing. Utilizing scientific equipment in a laboratory environment to examine and analyze ink, paper, and security features incorporated into documents. Completing scientific reports, following writing policies and procedures. OR Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, LLM., or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work the position. The qualification requirements listed above must be met by the closing date of this announcement. 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. 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.
How to Apply: To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. PLEASE NOTE: Only resumes up to a total of two pages will be accepted. Applicants with resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 12/17/2025 to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: To begin your online application, click the Apply Online button and follow the prompts to register or sign into USAJOBS, Complete 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 12/17/2025. The vacancy questionnaire includes four short, free-response essay questions. This provides an opportunity for you to highlight your dedication to public service for the hiring manager and agency leadership (or designee(s)). While your responses are not required and will not be scored, we encourage you to thoughtfully address each question. Please provide a response of 200 words or less to each question. You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot. To preview the questionnaire please click the link https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12844823. To update your application, 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. To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account. All of your applications will appear on the Welcome page. The application record in your USAJOBS account provides the Announcement Status and a "You applied on" date. This information does not confirm the agency application status. Use the "Track this Application" link for additional information regarding the agency application status, the documentation you submitted, and any correspondence sent related to this application. The Announcement Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. 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, we will not be able to view it in your application. We strongly encourage you to apply online. If you cannot apply online, you may contact the APT Talent Management Division at HRSupport@usss.dhs.gov by calling (202) 406-6420 or TDD at (202) 406-5390 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.
Application Deadline: 2025-12-17