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Supervisory Physical Security Specialist (Assistant Branch Chief)

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Phoenix, AZFull-time$106–154K/yrPosted today

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At a glance

Compensation
$106–154K/yr
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
Not specified

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

Job overview

The Supervisory Physical Security Specialist serves as an agency expert for the APHIS Security Program, overseeing security functions and workplace-violence prevention for employees, property, and facilities nationwide and overseas. The role includes investigations, security and threat assessments, security policy and procedure development, briefings, and support for firearms qualification and agency-wide security awareness programs.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Intrusion Detection Systems, requiredProtective Methods, requiredSecurity Procedures, requiredAgency Liaison, requiredComplex Investigations, requiredData Analysis, requiredLeadership, requiredAccountability, nice to haveCustomer Service, nice to haveDecisiveness, nice to haveFlexibility, nice to haveInterpersonal Skills, nice to haveProblem Solving, nice to haveResilience, nice to have

Qualifications

One Year Specialized Experience, required52 Weeks Time-in-Grade, required

Full job description

Summary

This position is in the Emergency Regulatory and Compliance Services (MRPBS), Emergency Management Safety and Security Division (EMSSD), Security Branch. The incumbent plans, organizes, directs, and reviews a wide range of security functions and prevention of workplace violence for APHIS employees, property, and facilities nationwide and overseas.

Duties

  • The duties may include, but are not limited to:
  • The incumbent serves as an Agency expert and point of contact pertaining to the APHIS Security Program.
  • Conducts investigations related to external threats to agency employees.
  • Conducts security assessments and threat assessments related to APHIS facilities, programs, and personnel.
  • Assists with the firearms qualification program for the Veterinary Services Tick Inspector program.
  • Responsible for developing, implementing, and monitoring security policy and procedures intended to safeguard the physical security of APHIS employees.
  • Provides safety and security briefings for programs within APHIS.
  • Assists with the implementation of a security awareness program to be implemented on an Agency-wide basis.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. TIME-IN-GRADE: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. FOR THE GS-13 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-12 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates: Monitored a variety of intrusion detection systems and devices used in planning and implementing protective methods and security procedures. Utilizing the ability to effectively liaison with outside agencies and enlist and coordinate assistance from these agencies. Effectively planning, organizing, conducting, and concluding complex and sensitive investigations. Quickly gathering, synthesizing, and analyzing data to make recommendations, and provide leadership in matters and functions pertaining to Agency security. Note: There is no education substitution for this grade level. 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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

This position does not have an education qualification requirement. How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by your experience, education, training, responses to the application questionnaire and the responses to all assessments required for this position demonstrated in your application package to determine the degree to which you possess the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies listed below: Accountability Customer Service Decisiveness Flexibility Interpersonal Skills Problem Solving Resilience Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Additional Information - USA Hire Online Assessment All applicants are required to complete the online USA Hire assessment to be considered for the position for this vacancy. Applicants will not be given the opportunity to complete the online USA Hire assessment outside of the assigned assessment window for this vacancy. The assessment window closes 48 hours after the posted closing date and time of the announcement. The assessment window closes 48 hours after the posted closing date and time of the announcement. To preview the application questionnaire, please visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13112611 Other Information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Reemployment Priority List (RPL): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP or RPL. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. CTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100 to receive selection priority. Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expense associated with reporting for duty will be the responsibility of the selected employee. Locality pay will vary based upon the selectee's duty location. A final salary determination will be made upon selection. 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.

How this job compares

Set against the 593 open Security Specialist jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 10, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$106–154K/yr
  • US median$85–121K/yr333 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $130K, is 24% above the US median midpoint ($105K) — in the middle half of Security Specialist salary ranges across the US.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 12 open Security Specialist jobs in Arizona and 593 across the US. 1% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most across the US
Experience
This posting asks for at least 1 year of experience; Security Specialist postings that state a minimum ask for 4 years at the median (425 postings).
Education
133 of the 593 open Security Specialist jobs (22%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 10, 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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