Physical Security Specialist

Summary

This position is within the Physical Security (NNT) organization of Security and Continuity of Operations (NN), under the Chief Administrative Office (N) at Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). Advance your career by serving as a key expert, shaping the strategy and policies that protect our critical national infrastructure. You’ll develop innovative security solutions to safeguard BPA’s mission and ensure regulatory compliance.

Duties

• Protect Our Power: Advance Your Career as a Key Security Strategist Leverage your experience and take the next major step in your career.
• This senior Physical Security Specialist role is a unique opportunity for a seasoned professional to transition into a high-impact, strategic position.
• Move beyond established procedures and become a primary architect of our security future, with the visibility and influence to protect our mission at the highest level.
• This role will elevate your career by empowering you to: Step into a high-visibility advisory role, providing direct counsel to the Physical Security Manager and shaping the direction and effectiveness of BPA's entire security program.
• Transition from applying existing methods to true innovation, developing new theories and pioneering creative solutions to protect our critical infrastructure from complex and evolving threats.
• Take full ownership of major security initiatives, driving them from concept to completion by developing the business cases, financial justifications, and capital investment plans for multi-million dollar projects.
• Expand your influence beyond BPA by representing the agency on interagency committees, helping to analyze and shape the national policies and legislation that govern our industry.
• Become a designated technical authority on critical infrastructure protection, serving as BPA's expert voice in regional and national collaborations with partners like the DOE, DHS, and NERC.
• Lead the charge on our most critical compliance programs, overseeing all aspects of NERC CIP assessments and acting as the primary point of contact during high-stakes audits and inspections.
• Serve as the go-to expert for our most complex security challenges, leading specialized studies to resolve severe or unusual issues and negotiating solutions with senior management.
• Elevate your focus from daily operations to long-term vision by directing the studies that create our 5-10 year security plans and forecasts, positioning BPA for future success.

Requirements

In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answer to these questions is not scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration. When you apply you will be asked a series of questions to determine your eligibility for employment and your qualification for this position specifically.

You must answer all of these questions completely and truthfully. Key Requirements: You must be a United States Citizen. This employer participates in the e-Verify program. Males must abide by Selective Service registration requirements.

You will be required to report in person to the official duty location. Conditions of Employment: This position requires an initial drug test prior to appointment and random drug or drug and alcohol testing thereafter. Failure to test or a positive result on random drug or drug and alcohol tests conducted after appointment may result in removal from Federal employment. This position has been designated as High Risk and requires a security clearance at the DOE “Q” level; the incumbent will be required to access, process, use, and safeguard classified information.

The incumbent is required to obtain and maintain this clearance level; failure to do so may result in separation from federal service.

Education

There are no specific education requirements or substitution of education for experience for this position.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements above. Once the announcement closes, we will conduct a review of your application package to verify your eligibility and qualifications. If you are found qualified, your application will move forward to additional phases of the review process. Minimum Qualifications: Once the application process is complete, the Human Resources Offices or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will review your two-page resume and supporting documentation to determine whether you meet the minimum job qualifications.

Selection will be based on skills and competencies, not educational credentials or self-reported experience. Merit Promotion & VEOA Procedures: If you are minimally qualified for this job, your will be assessed and evaluated to determine if you are a best qualified candidate. Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements and current employees must have at least a fully successful or equivalent performance rating to receive consideration. Your qualifications will be evaluated 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 Career Transition Assistance Programs: To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet the eligibility criteria; and 2) be rated “well-qualified”, which is defined as having a score of 85 or better.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date (06/24/2026) of this announcement. To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12944253 USAHire: To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

The USA Hire Assessment includes a cut score. USA Hire cut scores are based on the minimum level of proficiency required to perform the job for a specific series and grade. 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.

The cut score is set at a government-wide level and not at the agency or individual vacancy level for USA Hire standard assessments. In accordance with 5 CFR 300.201(a), the U.S. Office of Personnel Management does not release testing and examination materials, scoring criteria including the specific cut score requirements, or other information used solely to determine individual qualifications, so as not to compromise the objectivity of the testing process.

Required Documents

• To apply for this position, you MUST provide a complete application package which includes: Your two (2) page RESUME showing all relevant work experience (paid and unpaid) including: duties performed; full name and address of each employer; start and end dates (month/day/year); work schedule (part-time, full-time, number of hours if intermittent); salary; and any completed education and training (program title, subject area, number of hours completed, and completion date).
• Information on how to create a federal resume https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/account/documents/resume Cover Letter, optional, expressing additional information not covered in your resume.
• Transcripts, if specific educational requirements are indicated in this job announcement.
• Unofficial transcripts or any report listing institution, course title, credits earned (semester or quarter hour) and final grade is acceptable.
• It is your responsibility to provide adequate proof that you meet the educational requirements.
• Submit one or more of the following to support your eligibility(s) to apply to this job announcement: SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" (current/former federal employees): Most recent Promotion, Within Rate Increase (WRI/WGI), or Appointment/Conversion SF-50 or Notification of Personnel Action showing you are/were in the competitive service and the highest grade or promotion potential held.
• Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program documentation, if applicable (e.g., Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.) For more information see the OPM Guide to Career Transition.
• Failure to submit any of the above mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package.
• It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.
• If selected for the position you MUST submit: A copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and incentive awards, you received in the last 5 years.
• The assigned HR Specialist will verify review this documentation to ensure selectee has at least a satisfactory performance rating before setting the entrance on duty date.
• If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, you will be asked to submit a statement as to why it is not available.