U.S. Army Corps of Engineers logo

Security Specialist

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Alexandria, VAFull-time$85–111K/yrPosted 1w ago

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At a glance

Compensation
$85–111K/yr
Location
Alexandria, VA
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
US work authorization required

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

Required Certification Or Recertification

Job overview

This Security Specialist position is in the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System at the U.S. Army Geospatial Center Security Office in Alexandria, Virginia. The specialist interprets security guidance, analyzes program issues, evaluates resources, and initiates programming, budgeting, and manpower actions. Applicants must meet one of the listed employment authority categories and qualify through specialized experience, graduate education, or a combination of education and experience.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Security Program AdministrationSecurity Program ImprovementSecurity Issue ResolutionSecurity Technical AdviceAccountabilityAttention to DetailCustomer ServiceDecision MakingFlexibilityIntegrity and HonestyInterpersonal SkillsLearningReading ComprehensionReasoningSelf-ManagementStress ToleranceTeamwork

Qualifications

One Year Specialized Experience or Education or CombinationDoctoral Degree or Three Years Graduate EducationU.S. CitizenshipRequired Certification or RecertificationCurrent Eligible Employment Authority

Full job description

Summary

About the Position: This position is in the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS). Employees occupying DCIPS positions are in the Excepted Service and must adhere to U.S. Code, Title 10, as well as Department of Defense Instruction 1400.25. This position is located at Headquarters U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army Geospatial Center (AGC), Security Office located in Alexandria, Virginia.

Duties

  • Interpret higher level guidance for supported U.S. Army Corps of Engineers security offices and activities.
  • Conduct analysis to identify program issues and recommend remedial actions and proposes changes consistent with security program objectives.
  • Evaluate security program resources within the Division or Center security office and subordinate activities.
  • Initiate programming, budgeting, and manpower actions to address requirements.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities. Current Army Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) Employee Current Department of Army Civilian Employees Current Department of Defense (DOD) Civilian Employee (non-Army) Current DoD Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) Employee (non-Army) Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) Interchange Agreement Non-Department of Defense (DoD) Transfer Army DCIPS positions apply Veteran's Preference to preference eligible candidates as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 U.S.C., in accordance with the procedures provided in DoD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 2005, DCIPS Employment and Placement. In order to qualify, you must meet the experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience. Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes: Independently administering and improving established security programs in one or more areas, such as information, industrial, personnel, foreign disclosure, antiterrorism, operations security (OPSEC), technology protection, or Security Education, Training, and Awareness (SETA); Resolving conventional security issues; and Providing security technical advice to security personnel and leadership. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GG/GS-09). OR Education: Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree 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 of the position, such as: Security Management, Homeland Security, Criminal Justice or Intelligence Studies. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements 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) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages. Specialized experience is progressively responsible intelligence-related security work directly related to the position being filled. Creditable experience may include previous military experience, experience gained in the private sector or in another government agency as long as it was at a level at least equivalent to the next lower band in the series.

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), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the online 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 Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork The USA Hire Assessments 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. 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. Other Information

This position requires a 2 year trial period during which the agency evaluates your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In making this determination, the agency may consider your performance and conduct; agency needs and interests; whether your continued employment supports organizational or Government goals; and whether it promotes the efficiency of the Federal service. Continued employment requires written certification that it advances the public interest. Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration. You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship. Direct Deposit of Pay is required. Incumbent (or Selectee) is required to satisfactorily complete the appropriate training and obtain the required certification/recertification for this position as outlined in DoD Publication 8570.01-M Information Assurance Workforce Improvement Program, dated 19 December 2005 (incorporating Change 1, 15 May 2008). Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees. If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet. This is an Intelligence (General) Career Program position aligned under the Operational Support Career Management Directorate. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. Salary includes applicable locality pay. Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest. This is a mission essential position that incumbent is required to report for duty during inclement weather, Natural Disasters, and other emergency situations as directed and may be required to remain on duty after the official shift ends, i.e., mandatory overtime; subject to recall to duty. Incumbent must maintain a functioning telephone at their residence to aid in contact during recall/emergency situations. 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://appsupport.usastaffing.gov/hc/en-us/sections/28980686389652-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information

How this job compares

Set against the 617 open Security Specialist jobs on Olive Jobs, counted October 31, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$85–111K/yr
  • Virginia median$92–125K/yr43 salary ranges
  • US median$81–116K/yr337 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $98K, is 14% below the Virginia median midpoint ($114K) — in the middle half of Security Specialist salary ranges in Virginia.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 72 open Security Specialist jobs in Virginia and 617 across the US. 1% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in Virginia
Experience
This posting asks for at least 1 year of experience; Security Specialist postings that state a minimum ask for 3 years at the median (405 postings).
Education
107 of the 617 open Security Specialist jobs (17%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on October 31, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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