Summary This position serves as the Deputy Chief of Police and is located in the Police Service of the Syracuse VA Medical Center located in Syracuse, New York. This position is organizationally known as the Deputy Chief of Police and reports to the Chief of Police. This position assists the Chief of Police in the management and direction of police and security programs to include managing the physical security of assets, information, buildings and people. Responsibilities Major duties and responsibilities include: Providing law enforcement and security services on property operated by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) and the National Cemetery Administration (NCA); Providing leadership on the operation of Police Service's law enforcement and physical security functions of the Medical Center and its off-site properties on a 24 hours a day, seven days a week basis; Serving and protecting Veterans, employees, and all others who access VA care and services; Managing the physical security of assets; Planning, assigning and explaining work requirements; Interpreting complex security policies and procedures and providing guidance to leadership and other managers within the Medical Center's catchment area; and Partnering with the Chief of Police to manage the law enforcement / security program. Work Schedule: Compressed/Flexible Schedule. Candidates must be willing to work weekends, irregular work hours and extended hours if determined by the needs of the service. Furthermore, candidates must be willing to be placed, detailed, or temporarily assigned to other related services and/or locations, if necessary. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Supervosory Security Specialist (Deputy Chief of Police)/PD99954A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment 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 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/28/2025. 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: One 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 the GS-9 grade level 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. -OR- SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE for the GS-11 Successful completion of a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.B or J.D, if related, from an accredited college or university. Such education must be directly related to the work of the position and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. -OR- COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE for the GS-11 Equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the second year) and specialized experience, as described above, which may be used to meet total experience requirements for this grade level. The education portion must include graduate courses directly related to the work of the position and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work and must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Education and Training Managing Human Resources Physical Security Security DESIGNATED DRUG-TESTING POSITION: 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. Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test result is received. Firearm Requirement: 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). Lautenberg Amendment: This position authorizes the incumbent to carry a firearm. Any person who has been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence cannot lawfully possess a firearm or ammunition (Title 18, U.S.C., Section 922(g)(91)). Candidates who have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence are not qualified for this position. Candidates under consideration will be required to certify whether they have ever been convicted of such an offense. 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: The position is required to exert considerable and strenuous physical effort on a regular basis while performing the functions of the position. These functions are normally performed while the position conducts security surveys and inspections, which require crawling in unusually confined building areas. May be called upon to defend themselves and members of staff, patients or the public against physical attack and may be required to exercise deadly force if necessary. Requirements of the position include maintaining firearms qualifications, climbing flights of stairs, carrying heavy equipment/patients during emergencies, running, bending, stooping, physical restraint of aggressive persons, being subjected to assaults by persons evading arrest. Inspections and audits of security systems, constructions sites, and full searches require the performance of duties in a variety of inclement weather conditions walking, crawling in wooded or over-grown field conditions in all elements of seasonal weather. 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/. Education Additional Information Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. 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/. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.
