Summary

This position is being filled under a stream-lined hiring authority, Title 21 of the United States Code (21 US Code 379d-3a) as amended by the 21st Century Cures Act of 2016, section 3072 and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, Section 3624. The candidate selected for this position will serve under a career or career-conditional appointment and be paid under the provisions of this authority. This position is being recruited based on the Title 21 Pay Table 7, Band E (GS-15 equivalent).

Duties

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• Serves as the Staff Director for the Special Operations Staff, providing authoritative expertise in national security and directing the day-to-day operational support for the planning, coordination, and execution of strategic security initiatives and operational activities within the Office of Security and Passport Operations.
• Supervises the activities related to the planning, development, administration, technical coordination and execution of the agency's national security, continuity of operations (COOP) and devolution, communication security (COMSEC), and foreign visitor programs.
• Provides supervisory direction to a staff and managerial oversight for all agency classified programs, information, facilities and COMSEC equipment, including collateral spaces, Special Access Programs (SAP), Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI), emergency preparedness plans, continuity of essential agency operations and testing, and visitor access requests.
• Manages and oversees the functions of the Special Security Officer (SSO), SCI Control Officer, COOP Program Manager, and HHS COMSEC Manager and provides subject matter specialized expertise that will mitigate risks, facilitate decision making, and comply with requirements.
• Develops, implements, and monitors the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) sensitive compartmented information, special security policies and procedures and ensures compliance with all aspects of the classified information/national security program.
• Manages and oversees the FDA's Emergency Notification System.
• Represents office and agency on national security, continuity, and devolution security matters across committees, working groups, and task forces.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship requirement or proof of being a U.S. National must be met by closing date.
• The candidate selected for this position will serve under a career or career-conditional appointment within the competitive service.
• Direct Deposit: You will be required to have all federal salary payments electronically deposited into a bank account with a financial institution of your choice.
• Males born after December 31, 1959, must be registered with the Selective Service. Please go to http://www.sss.gov for more information.
• Financial Disclosure may be required.
• Ethics Clearance may be required.
• Background Investigation Requirement: All employees must pass a security investigation. Failing to pass the background check may be grounds for removal or legal action. If hired, you may be subject to additional investigations at a later time.
• Certification of Accuracy: All information concerning eligibility and qualification is subject to investigation and verification. False representation may be grounds for non-consideration, non-selection, or appropriate legal action.
• Probationary periods are required for new employees appointed to competitive service positions for the first time; or reinstated employees who return after a break in service of 30-days or more and who have not completed a probationary period.
• A one-year supervisory probationary period may be required.

Qualifications

In order to qualify for the Supervisory Security Specialist (Staff Director) position which falls under the 0080 occupational Series, you must meet the following requirements by 11:59 pm EST on 08/13/2026:

RELEVANT YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess nine (9) years of comparable experience to qualify for the Supervisory Security Specialist, 0080 series, Band E position. Comparable experience includes: leading or overseeing national security or classified information security programs, such as Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI), Special Access Programs (SAP), Communications Security (COMSEC), classified facilities, or other classified security operations; developing and implementing continuity, emergency preparedness, or Continuity of Operations (COOP) programs; developing, implementing, and evaluating security policies and procedures to ensure compliance with executive orders, federal regulations, directives, and agency policies; and providing strategic security guidance to senior leadership and internal and external stakeholders.

Education

There is no education requirement or substitution for this position.

Additional information

The application limit for this advertisement is: 150 applications

Additional Conditions of Employment:

• Pre-employment physical required: No
• Drug testing required: Yes. All applicants tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment and be subject to random, reasonable suspicion, and post-accident drug testing upon hiring. Appointment to the position will be contingent upon a negative applicant drug test result.
• License required: No
• Mobility agreement required: No
• Immunization required: No
• Bargaining Unit: No
• Telework eligible position: Telework is at the discretion of the supervisor

• Financial disclosure statement, OGE-450, required: Please be advised that this position may be subject to FDA's prohibited financial interest regulation and may require the incumbent of this position to divest of certain financial interests. Applicants are advised to seek additional information on this requirement from the hiring official before accepting this position.

Additional Information:

• Additional selections may be made for similar positions within the commuting area(s) of the locations listed through this vacancy announcement.
• Incentives may be authorized; however, this is contingent upon funds availability. If authorized, certain incentives will require you to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a period of up to 3 years. Note: This statement does not imply nor guarantee an incentive will be offered and paid. Incentives include the following: moving expenses, recruitment or relocation incentive; student loan repayment, superior qualifications appointment, creditable service for annual leave for prior non-federal work experience or prior uniformed military service, etc.
• If you are serving, or have served in the last 5 years (from 08/13/2026) as an Executive Branch political, Schedule C, or Non-career SES appointee, HHS/FDA may be required to obtain approval by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) prior to beginning employment. You can find out if you have held one of these appointment types by looking at your Standard Form 50s in your Electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF), in Section 5 where the legal authorities are listed. If you have served or are currently serving, you must provide a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, documenting this appointment. In addition, you will be required to respond to the question in the assessment and certify your responses to the questionnaire. See Political Appointee FAQ - OPM for more.

Active-duty U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Officers are encouraged to apply. If selected, officers may either (1) remain on active duty assigned to the designated billet for PHS assignment, or (2) separate or retire from the Commissioned Corps before entering a Title 21 civilian appointment.

All requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement (08/13/2026); only experience gained by this date will be considered. You must continue to meet all requirements throughout the entire hiring process.

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.