Department: Department of Homeland Security
Location(s): Washington, District of Columbia, Miami, Florida, Palm Beach, Florida, Baltimore, Maryland, White Plains, New York, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Waco, Texas
Salary Range: $90025 - $117034 Per Year
Job Summary: Joining the Secret Service as a Special Agent will allow you to perform critical protective and investigative assignments. The Special Agent position starts at a base salary of $90,025.00 (GS-13, step 1), with promotion potential to $117,034.00 (GS-13, step 10). This position is covered by Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP) which is an additional compensation of 25% of the basic rate of pay. For more information on the Secret Service click here.
Major Duties:
Qualifications: You qualify for the GS-13 level (starting salary $90,025.00) if you possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level, which is in or directly related to difficult and complex protection, investigative, or staff assignment including but not limited to: investigates violations of the law related to fraudulent manufacture and/or use of credit/debit cards, access devices, computer/telecommunication equipment; electronic fund transfer and financial institution fraud; participates in undercover and surveillance assignments; participates in advance security surveys; conducts protection activities; and works with U.S. Attorneys in preparing and presenting cases for prosecution in Federal courts. Time-in-Grade: Current Federal employees must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent grade band in the Federal service. Qualifications Must Be Met: The qualification requirements listed above must be met by the closing date of this announcement. In addition to meeting the basic eligibility criteria, ICTAP applicants and VEOA applicants must be well qualified for the position. Well-qualified is defined as having knowledge, skills, and abilities that clearly exceed the minimum qualification requirements for the position. ICTAP applicants must possess a background that demonstrates a satisfactory level of the evaluation criteria to be eligible for selection. Those applicants who are ICTAP eligible and Persons eligible under the VEOA and who are found to be well-qualified for this vacancy will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. If your application and supporting documentation does not support your responses to the questionnaire, it may affect your evaluation or result in your name being removed from further consideration. Applicants must successfully complete Phase I to be certified to receive a conditional offer of employment notification. In addition, applicants must successfully complete Phase II in order to receive final consideration for employment. Phase I: National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Special Agent Entrance Exam (SAEE) Applicant Physical Abilities Test Interview Phase II: Credit check Security interview Polygraph examination Drug Screening Medical examination Background investigation (a top-secret security clearance). The Secret Service follows stringent guidelines relating to illegal drug usage. An applicant's history is reviewed and a determination for employment is made according to our guidelines. For more information regarding the U.S. Secret Service drug guidelines please click here. You are also encouraged to submit unofficial transcripts(s) for each degree (i.e. Bachelors, Master's and Ph.D.) to receive consideration for this position. As part of the application process the applicant will be required to complete the United States Secret Service Applicant Physical Abilities Test (APAT). It is a physical fitness assessment which consists of four components (push-ups, sit-ups, Illinois Agility Run and a 1.5 Mile Run). The APAT is designed to measure the current level of general physical fitness of an applicant, which serves as an indicator of an applicant's ability to safely complete a vigorous physical training program. It evaluates the applicant's ability to perform the physical tasks required on the job by measuring muscular and dynamic strength, endurance, flexibility, aerobic capacity and other factors related to physical aptitude. The standards are anticipated to be the same regardless of age, gender or position. If you are a "No Show" or fail the Special Agent Entrance Exam, there is a three-month waiting period before you can reapply and retest. For definitions of terms found in this announcement, please click here.
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 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on 12/21/2025 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. To preview the questionnaire, please click the link here. 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. For information on what each Announcement Status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status. We strongly encourage you to apply online. If you cannot apply online or have questions about the hiring process, you may contact the Law Enforcement Acquisition Division, Special Agent Support Branch at sasupport@usss.dhs.gov OR by calling (202) 406-6760 between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:30 pm ET (excluding Federal holidays) prior to the closing date of this announcement to receive assistance. Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions. 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 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: 2025-12-21