Supervisory Law Enforcement Specialist (Chief of Police)

Summary

The mission for the Supervisory Law Enforcement Specialist is to provide law enforcement, protective services, and investigative services to the VA Community, which includes Veterans, federal employees, affiliates, contractors, visitors, and others who receive services, work, or visit VA (VHA, VBA, & VCA) facilities nationwide. Serves as the Field Chief, senior law enforcement authority for the VA Police Service.

Duties

The Supervisory Law Enforcement Specialist provides executive leadership and strategic oversight of law enforcement operations, physical security, crisis intervention programs, and compliance activities across a multi-facility catchment area. Promote to the Veterans Affairs community and community partners in Public Safety, an integrated national approach to crisis intervention, suicide prevention, and Veteran Centric Law Enforcement strategies. Major Duties for the position include but not limited to: Supervisory and Personnel Management (55%) Oversees systemic compliance reviews, vulnerability assessments, and physical security surveys, approves corrective action plans, and monitors resolution of deficiencies. Directs investigations of major incidents, criminal activity, and security breaches, ensuring evidentiary integrity and legal sufficiency of case packages. Implements enterprise risk management strategies to mitigate threats and enhance security posture across all facilities. Provides executive leadership and guidance to subordinate supervisors and managers in implementing policies, procedures, and directives of senior management. Establishes and interprets performance standards for organizational units and ensures subordinate supervisors effectively communicate expectations and provide feedback to their teams. Identifies organizational training needs and ensures supervisors facilitate employee development opportunities to maintain and enhance workforce capabilities. Monitors workplace climate and takes proactive steps to resolve systemic issues and maintain employee engagement. Enforcement and Investigations (15%) Provides executive leadership and strategic oversight for all law enforcement and investigative operations within the established geographic area. Establishes policies and operational standards for enforcement activities, ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local laws, VA directives. Reviews and approves investigative reports and recommendations for administrative or legal actions, and ensures timely resolution of compliance issues. Crisis Intervention/Suicide Prevention (15%) Develops policies and protocols for responding to Veterans experiencing mental health crises. Represents the Office of Security and Law Enforcement in interagency forums to strengthen collaboration with federal, state, and local public safety agencies. Compliance and Inspections (15%) Establishes policies and operational standards for inspections, vulnerability assessments, and security surveys. Reviews and approves inspection findings and corrective action plans, and coordinates with Contracting Officer's Technical Representatives (COTRs). Analyzes trends and systemic issues in physical security compliance, recommending policy updates and resource allocations to enhance program effectiveness. Ensures subordinate managers maintain accurate documentation and reporting standards in accordance with VA directives and federal guidelines. Serves as a key advisor on physical security policy, compliance risk, and strategic planning to safeguard VA facilities, personnel, and assets. Work Schedule: Full-time; Monday - Friday; 07:00am-5:30pm Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Ad-hoc only Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Law Enforcement Specialist (Chief of Police)/PD00251A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/09/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position. To be creditable, experience must have been equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-12) in the Federal service. Specialized experience includes: Operating, directing, and controlling law enforcement and physical security activities; assessing situations and determining appropriate responses; responding to active threat situations; delegating work and evaluating performance of police personnel; providing training on equipment and security systems; conducting arrests, investigating criminal activities, and protecting crime scenes; and ensuring the safety of staff and visitors while on facility property. This experience must be detailed in your resume to receive credit. Motor Vehicle Operation: Applicants must possess a valid, must possess and maintain a valid automobile driver's license and be available for frequent travel. Applicants are required to pass agency Government Vehicle Drivers physical examination. NOTE: We cannot accept photographs, therefore; please do not submit a copy of your driver's license with your application package. If an interview is requested, you may be required to provide a copy of your valid state-issued driver's license. Firearm Requirement: The incumbent will be required to carry a firearm or firearms while performing the duties of this position. Maintaining firearm proficiency is also mandatory. VA Police Officers are required to carry agency-approved firearms while on duty on VA property. Officers must achieve and maintain qualification/certification with the agency-approved firearms as condition of gaining and continuing employment as a Police Officer. Applicants must be able to possess firearms under the terms of the Gun Control Act of 1968, as amended (18 U.S.C. 922(g)(9)). Physical Demands and Work Environment:: Prior to appointment, the person selected for this position must be determined physically fit by an authorized government physician to perform strenuous and physically demanding duties, which may include protecting citizens, taking suspects into custody using reasonable physical force in the face of physical resistance, and responding to situations requiring physical agility and quick and legally sufficient decision making. Also successfully pass a pre-employment medical examination (which includes, but is not limited to, vision, hearing, cardiovascular, physical, psychological exam, and mobility of extremities) given by an authorized government physician. This position may be subject to periodic incumbent examinations in the future. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Education and Training Managing Human Resources Physical Security Security 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; religions; 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: Work involves on-site work requiring prolonged walking over flat and even surfaces, working in confined spaces, crouching, bending, crawling, standing, and climbing. The work requires outside exposure to altemperatures. Also requires moderate to arduous physical exertion and possible exposure to personal danger. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Evaluations

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment. The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position. For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document. Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members. Area of Consideration First consideration: Current and permanent employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Second Consideration. Second Consideration: Other federal agencies, ICTAP, CTAP, those eligible for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA), Family of overseas, Individuals with disabilities, Land & base management, Mility spouses, Peace Corps & AmeriCorps Vista.

How to apply All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/09/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13055659. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed. Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started. Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume: Prioritize most relevant and recent experience Use concise, results focused language Align language from the job announcement Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies Remove outdated or unrelated experience Use the USAJOBS resume builder Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at: https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/merit-hiring-plan-resources/applicant-guidance-on-the-two-page-resume-limit/ The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

Other information This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.