Federal
Security Specialist, Administrative Security (ADSEC)
Immigration and Customs Enforcement ยท Department of Homeland Security
About This Position
This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), in Washington, District of Columbia. View Common Definitions of terms found in this announcement.
Qualifications
You must demonstrate you meet the Specialized Experience requirements as noted below. Specialized Experience, GS-13: You must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the GS-12 level in the Federal service that included three (3) or more of the following: Administering security programs to protect personnel, information and/or other critical assets (e.g., physical, information, personnel, and/or industrial security). Analyzing security questions and problems to provide solutions. Leading a project involving the evaluation of security programs and operations. Developing security guidelines and procedures to support consistent administration of security requirements. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Qualification claims will be subject to verification. Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position. NOTE: 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. Current or Former Political Appointees: 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.
Major Duties
As a Security Specialist, you will perform the following duties: Consult with mid-level managers to plan, develop, implement, and administer internal security programs for ICE in accordance with Executive Orders, Federal laws and regulations. Apply knowledge of a wide range of security principles, concepts, and practices to establish and monitor security plans and programs and resolve a variety of security problems. Research and implement new and improved security methods and procedures, often tailoring security programs and requirements to special organizational needs. Formulate and recommend security requirements; develop guidelines, procedures and other materials for use by operating officials and other security personnel. Attend and represent the Security Unit at internal or external meetings at DHS or ICE, as necessary, to promote the goals of the Security Division.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. 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. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Accountability Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Technical Competence Security Decision Making Writing The USA Hire Assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. In accordance with the Executive Order 14170 issued Jan. 20, 2025, and the CHCO Memorandum Merit Hiring Plan issued May 29, 2025, this application includes four short answer narrative response questions. Responses of no more than 200 words should be submitted as part of the application questionnaire in a text box provided for each. (Additional instructions are included on the application.) Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Consideration will be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards as an indicator of quality of prior experience; no points will be assigned. Interviews may be required for this position. Failure to complete the interview may result in removal from further consideration. To preview the assessment questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12862348 For Competitive Merit Promotion and Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) Applicants: The highest rated candidates will be referred to the hiring agency. For Noncompetitive Appointment Eligibles: All qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring agency. Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA): To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, the veteran must 1) be a preference eligible; or 2) be a veteran separated after 3 or more years of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions (you must submit a DD214-member copy 4). Career Transition Assistance Program: This program applies to Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed, or employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet eligibility criteria for CTAP or ICTAP; 2) be rated well-qualified for the position; and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. Well-Qualified includes those applicants whose knowledge, skills, and abilities clearly exceed the minimum qualification requirements for the position. For information on eligibility criteria and required documentation, go to: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp
Additional Information
This position is at the full performance level. Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet these standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully obtain and maintain a background investigation for Top Secret as a condition of placement into this position. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs. Pursuant to Executive Order 12564, and the DHS Drug-Free Workplace Plan, ICE is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace and, therefore, personnel in safety- or security-sensitive positions (testing designated positions) are subject to random drug testing. Moreover, other drug testing of employees (e.g., reasonable suspicion drug test) may be conducted in order to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. All applicants tentatively selected for employment at ICE are subject to pre-employment drug testing and a final offer of employment is contingent upon a negative drug test result. 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.
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 submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: 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. 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. To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. 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.
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes: 1. Your resume showing relevant experience, education and training. Work experience must include: job title, duties, employer's name, employer's telephone number, employer's address, starting and ending dates (MM/YY), hours worked per week, and indicate whether or not we may contact your current supervisor. Please limit your resume to 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications. 2. Other supporting documents (only submit if applicable to you): Are you a current or former federal employee? Submit a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action that demonstrates your eligibility for consideration, e.g., length of time you have been in your current/highest grade (examples of appropriate SF-50s include promotions, with-in grade/range increases); your current promotion potential; proof of permanent appointment if applying based on an interchange agreement; etc. Are you a veteran? Submit Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 or other (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) or notice form. Those applying for 10-Point preference must fill out the SF-15 and provide an official document dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs or from a branch of the Armed Forces, and/or any other associated documentation based on your 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. Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP/CTAP)? If so, submit all of the following: A copy of your RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate, notice of disability annuity termination, or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement; A copy of your most recent SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action'', noting your positions, grade level, and duty location; A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential, if applicable. Are you eligible for a special noncompetitive hiring authority (e.g., Schedule A Disability, Peace Corps, Former Overseas Employees, etc.)? Submit documentation of proof that supports your eligibility under a special hiring authority. 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; and Beginning and ending dates of appointment. You may be asked to provide a copy of your recent performance appraisal and/or incentive awards.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the salary for the Security Specialist, Administrative Security (ADSEC) position at Immigration and Customs Enforcement?
The salary range for this position is $121,785 - $158,322/yr. This is a GS-13 position on the General Schedule pay scale. Actual pay may vary based on locality adjustments.
Where is the Security Specialist, Administrative Security (ADSEC) job located?
This position is located in Washington, District of Columbia. This is an on-site position.
What qualifications do I need?
You must demonstrate you meet the Specialized Experience requirements as noted below. Specialized Experience, GS-13: You must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the GS-12 level in the Federal service that included three (3) or more of the following: Administering security progra...
How do I apply for this position?
Apply through USAJobs.gov by clicking the 'Apply on USAJobs' button. You'll need a USAJobs account, a federal-style resume, and supporting documents. The deadline is Feb 12, 2026.
Is a security clearance required?
Yes, a Top Secret clearance is required.
What does GS-13 mean?
GS-13 refers to the General Schedule grade level. Higher grades require more experience and offer higher pay. Visit our GS Pay Scale page for full salary tables by grade and locality.
What benefits do federal employees receive?
Federal employees receive comprehensive benefits including health insurance (FEHB), retirement through FERS, Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) with government matching, paid annual and sick leave, paid parental leave, life insurance, and student loan repayment programs.