Department of Homeland Security

Instructional Systems Specialist

Laurel, Maryland Full time

Instructional Systems Specialist

Department: Department of Homeland Security

Location(s): Laurel, Maryland

Salary Range: $120579 - $156755 Per Year

Job Summary: Joining the Secret Service, Office of Training, James J. Rowley Training Center, will allow you to use your expertise implementing the efficiency and effectiveness of the agency instructional design projects that will ultimately impact the attainment of the agency goals and objectives. For definitions of terms found in this announcement, please click here.

Major Duties:

  • The selectee will serve as an Instructional Systems Specialist in the Office of Training, James J Rowley Training Center. Typical work assignments include: Developing and designing systems for the evaluation of training programs; identifies areas of deficiencies within the training program and recommends corrective action. Developing and designing new or revised course curriculum, training aids, instructor manuals, tests and measurement devices and evaluation criteria to measure class performance. Conducting analysis of occupational areas, jobs or organizational missions to determine requirements for revision of existing instructional systems or development of new training programs. Developing listings of the duties, task, and elements necessary to perform jobs and identifies tasks requiring formalized training. Analyzing existing courses and selects instructional materials and setting. Apply for this exciting opportunity to become a member of the Secret Service, Office of Training, James J. Rowley Training Center and leverage your skills and experience to develop and coordinate training programs to support the dual mission of the Secret Service in the ever evolving 21st Century threat environment. This Instructional Systems Specialist position starts at a salary of $120,579.00, GS-13 step 1, with potential to $156,755.00, GS-13 step 10.

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. Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the Basic Requirements AND Minimum Qualification requirements as listed below: BASIC REQUIREMENTS: Have successfully completed a bachelor's or higher degree that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours appropriate to the work of the position to be filled. The course work included study in at least four of the following five areas: 1. Learning theory, psychology of learning, educational psychology: Study of learning theories as they relate to the systematic design, development, and validation of instructional material. 2. Instructional design practices: Study of the principles and techniques used in designing training programs, developing design strategy and models, and applying design methods to the improvement of instructional effectiveness. 3. Educational evaluation: Study of the techniques for evaluating the effectiveness of instructional/educational programs, including developing written and performance tests and survey instruments, and determining reliability and validity of evaluation instruments. 4. Instructional product development: Study of the techniques appropriate for developing training materials, including identifying learner characteristics, specifying objectives, applying training strategy, validating training materials, and evaluating training. 5. Computers in education and training: Study of the application of computers in education and training, including selecting appropriate computer software. Note: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted to support your claim. IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS ABOVE, YOU MUST ALSO MEET THE FOLLOWING MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: You qualify for the GS-13 level (starting salary $120,579.00) if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level performing duties such as: Designing employee training and/or development programs in order to deliver training to employees; Evaluating employee training and/or development programs to create long-term training plans; and Identifying issues in employee training and/or development programs to recommend alternative approaches to instructors. Time-in-Grade Requirements: Under competitive merit promotion procedures, any individual who is currently holding, or who has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under a non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet "time-in-grade" requirements (have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade of the grade for which you are applying). Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to current competitive service employees applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. NOTE: All current or former Federal employees must provide a copy of their SF-50, "Notice of Personnel Action" that indicates proof of status and time-in-grade eligibility. The SF-50 must include your position, title, series, grade, step, tenure (1 or 2), and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). You may need to submit more than one SF-50 to comply. 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: Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. 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. If your materials are not received by the closing date, your application will be evaluated solely on the information available, and you may not receive full consideration or may not be considered eligible. Also, if you do not provide a valid email address, you may not be notified of the outcome of your application. The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button Answer the questions presented in the application and submit the required documents. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (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 to 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 at least 3 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. To view the required online questionnaire please visit https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12848591. The online questionnaire is required in addition to the USA Hire assessments. For more general information, system requirements, reasonable accommodation information, and to request assistance regarding the USA Hire Assessments, review the following resources: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=USA_Hire_Assessments. 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 here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire To update your application, excluding External Assessment responses, 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. For information on what each Announcement Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. 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 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.

Application Deadline: 2025-12-19