Special Assistant

Summary

Protect your homeland and defend your culture. Join USCIS, America's frontline defense against illegal foreign infiltration and fraud. As an Special Assistant, you will perform a wide range of administrative and management duties to support senior leaders. These duties include providing recommendations, drafting communications, and creating projects that have a significant impact on directorate program.

Duties

• •Serve as a consultant and principal advisor to senior leadership on a wide range of critical projects and programs that have broad scopeand directorate wide impact.
• •Direct special projects to include gathering data, analyses, and detailed reports concerning a variety of management processes.
• •Identify and propose solutions to a variety of management related issues for which previous studies and established techniques are frequently inadequate.
• •Identify vulnerabilities, gaps, patterns, and trends in local management processes and techniques; propose training and development programs and objectives; coach leadership in management development efforts.
• •Participate in planning, reviewing, and implementing new developments or policies in a variety of administrative areas tailored to the unique needs of the directorate.
• •Counsel senior leadership on issues specifically related to center wide communication and strategy.

Qualifications

The qualifications for this position must be met by 11:59 PM (Eastern Time) on 10/09/2026. Current Federal employees must have served 52 weeks at the lower grade or equivalent grade band in the Federal service. The Time-in-Grade requirement must be met by 11:59 PM (Eastern Time) on 10/09/2026. GS-14: You qualify at the GS-14 level if you possess one (1) year of specialized experience, which is equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the federal government, that equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. You must have experience performing the majority of the following duties: Interpreting complex legislative, regulatory, and policy guidance to prepare recommendations for senior leadership; Determining areas of procedural and regulatory deficiencies and providing recommendations for change; Analyzing and evaluating data to make recommendations to senior leadership for the solution of a wide variety of administrative, operational, or programmatic problems; Providing sound advice to leadership on mission, goals, objectives, and management programs. Please read the following important information to ensure you submit everything we need to consider your application: It is your responsibility to ensure that you submit your responses and appropriate documentation prior to 10/09/2026. You must upload your resume under the "Resume" category. Resumes submitted under the "Other Documents" category will not be considered. Your most recently submitted resume will be used to determine your qualifications for the position advertised in this announcement. Therefore, your resume must highlight your most relevant, significant experience related to the requirements found in the qualification section of this announcement, as well as any applicable education. Limit your resume to no more than two pages. The USAJOBS database will not allow an applicant to submit an application that includes a resume over two pages. To help ensure your resume remains clear and easy to read, we recommend using margins of at least 0.8 inches and a font size of at least 11 point. Be clear and specific when describing your work history since Human Resources cannot make assumptions regarding your experience. Your application will be rated and ranked based on your responses to the online questions. Please ensure EACH work history includes ALL of the following information: Job Title (include series and grade if Federal Job) Duties (be specific in describing your duties) Employer's name and address Supervisor name and phone number Start and end dates including month, day and year (e.g. June 18 2007 to April 05 2008) Start and end dates for each grade/pay level if you've held a federal position. Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week) Salary Determining length of General or Specialized Experience is dependent on the above information and failure to provide the above information may result in a finding of ineligible. Note: Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Federal Experience: If you are using current or prior federal experience as a basis for qualifying for this position, the grade levels and length of employment (mm/dd/year) at each grade level must be listed in your work history. This information will be further validated if selected for this position. National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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 criteria 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 service.

Education

EDUCATIONAL SUBSTITUTION: There is no educational substitution at this grade level. Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP): Per 5 CFR 576.202, An employee who receives a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP) and later accepts employment for compensation with the Government of the United States within 5 years of the date of the separation on which the VSIP is based, including work under a personal services contract or other direct contract, must repay the entire amount of the VSIP to the agency that paid it (proof of payment is required) before the individual's first day of reemployment. Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Personnel Management guidance and U.S. Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change. Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions. Common definitions for hiring terms found in this announcement.