Summary

The Smithsonian Institution is a diverse museum and research complex dedicated to the increase and diffusion of knowledge. This position is located in Smithsonian Institution, Office of Protection Services. The Office of Protection Services is responsible for overseeing, a large museum/complex law enforcement and security program, and leading and providing protection throughout the Smithsonian Institution.

Learn more about this agency

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

This position is open to all U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals. More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

Duties

The Security Guard position provides physical protection of museum property and grounds and enforces Institution rules regarding safety and protection of staff and visitors within the Institution's boundaries.

In this position, you will:

Enforce a wide variety of federal and local laws, rules and regulations.
Remain alert for unusual conditions and incidents.
Deny admission to unauthorized persons. Prevents unauthorized removal of facility property.
Patrol to prevent or detect and deal with break-ins and trespassers, parking lost thefts and vandalism.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation
May need to complete a Probationary Period
Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer
Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.

Conditions of Employment

Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions on OPM website.

Incumbent must be able to stand and walk for long periods of time. Must be able to lift up to 50 lbs. without
assistance.

Incumbent must be available for work on evenings, weekends and holidays.

Incumbent must be able to obtain and maintain first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automatic electronic defibrillator (AED)
qualifications.

This position is restricted to applicants with veterans preference; however, applications will be accepted from non-preference eligibles who may be referred for employment consideration only in the absence of applicants with veterans preference.

This position requires a pre-employment drug screening.

This position requires bi-annual standard security force firearm certification to include firearms (handguns, rifles and shot guns), OC Spray and ASP Baton. This position requires selectee(s) to be able to wear and be able to employ all issued weapons while on duty. Must obtain and maintain CPR and AED qualifications. Failure to re-qualify will result in removal from the position.

This position requires selectee(s) to undergo and pass a recurring medical examination.

This position requires selectee(s) to participate in and pass a Defensive Tactics course.

Employment is subject to successful completion of a pre-employment requirements process that may consist of: structured interview, drug test, laboratory screening, medical evaluation, and background investigation.

Issuance of a final offer of employment from SI is contingent upon you successfully completing all pre-employment requirements, including a structured interview, drug test, laboratory screening, medical evaluation, and background investigation.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 and above): Experience such as work with a Federal, State, municipal, local, or private protective organization that involved the protection of property against such hazards as fire, theft, damage, accident, or trespass; or maintaining order and protecting life. Such experience must have provided a knowledge of protective systems and techniques. Acceptable experience includes service in the Armed Services or Coast Guard that involved the performance of guard duties on a regular or intermittent basis. For Security Guard positions in a hospital setting, experience as a psychiatric nursing assistant or a similar position safeguarding patients is qualifying.

Investigation of Fitness

A character investigation may be conducted on applicants selected for employment. The purpose of such an investigation is to secure evidence of the candidate's honesty, integrity, general character, and loyalty to the U.S. Government. Such investigations will be conducted under the security requirements of the hiring agency.

Medical Requirements

The duties of these positions require moderate to arduous physical exertion and/or duties of a hazardous nature. The following medical requirements apply to all applicants: good near and distant vision, ability to distinguish basic colors, and ability to hear the conversational voice. Agencies may establish additional, job-related physical or medical requirements provided that the specific position(s) involves the arduous or hazardous duties to which the requirements relate.

Applicants and employees must have the capacity to perform the essential functions of the position without risk to themselves or others. In most instances, a specific medical condition or impairment will not automatically disqualify an applicant or employee. A medical condition or impairment is disqualifying only if the condition, for good medical reason, precludes assignment to or warrants restriction from the duties of the specific position. For some positions, the loss or impairment of a specific function may be compensated for by the satisfactory use of a prosthesis or mechanical aid. Reasonable accommodation shall also be considered in determining an applicant's ability to perform the duties of a position. Reasonable accommodation may include, but is not limited to the use of assistive devices, job modification or restructuring, provision of readers and interpreters, or adjusted work schedules.

In addition to the basic qualification requirement listed above, you must also meet the specialized experience requirement below:

GS-05: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-04 level in the Federal Service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as:

1) Following written and oral instructions of security officer rules, procedures, and methods to perform security duties;

2) Preventing theft, vandalism and crimes against persons and/or property;

and/or

3) Gathering statements and facts to prepare reports regarding offenses and incidents.

GS-06: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 level in the Federal Service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as:

1) Following written and oral instructions of security officer rules, procedures, and methods to perform security duties;

2) Preventing theft, vandalism and crimes against persons and/or property;

3) Gathering statements and facts to prepare reports regarding offenses and incidents;

4) Answering inquiries from visitors and aids persons in distress;

and/or

5) Denying admission to undesirable or unauthorized persons.

Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages and should clearly demonstrate how your experience aligns with the responsibilities and specialized experience required for this position. Do not copy language directly from the vacancy announcement, as you will be deemed ineligible for consideration. Instead, provide detailed, descriptive information about your actual 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 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.

Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.

Education

There are no education requirements for this position.

Additional information

This position is included in the bargaining unit.

Recruitment Incentive: Recruitment incentive(s) may be authorized for this position. However, approval for incentives are contingent upon various availability. If authorized, certain incentives will require the incumbent to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a certain time period.

Note: This statement does not imply nor guarantee an incentive will be offered and paid.

Selections may be made for vacancies across the Smithsonian Institution (SI). By applying to this position, you agree to allow your application and other personal information to be shared with one or more SI hiring officials for employment consideration for same/similar positions within the location(s) identified in this announcement.

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

The Smithsonian offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, vacation and sick leave, holidays, health/life insurance, accident insurance, and excellent retirement program options.

Please see Benefits at https://www.si.edu/OHR/benefits for a complete description.

Flexible Spending Accounts - https://www.fsafeds.com/
Health Insurance - http://www.opm.gov/insure/health/index.asp
Leave - http://www.opm.gov/oca/leave/index.asp
Life Insurance - http://www.opm.gov/insure/life/index.asp
Long Term Care Insurance - http://www.ltcfeds.com
Retirement Program - https://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Applicants for this position may be evaluated in multiple stages. The first stage is an evaluation of your responses to the online multiple-choice questions that assess your experience, education, and/or training for the job related competencies below:

Law and Rule Enforcement
Emergency Management
Property Protection
Crime Prevention

Applicants who meet or exceed minimum qualifications will be assigned to one of three category groups based on job-related criteria:

Best Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and excels in most of the job related competencies above.
Better Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and satisfies most of the job related competencies above.
Good Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements, but does not satisfy most of the job related competencies above to a substantive degree.

This category rating process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three", but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. A selecting official may make selections from the highest quality category (Best Category) provided no preference eligible in that category is passed over to select a non-preference eligible in that category unless the requirements of 5 U.S.C. 3317(b) or 3318(b) are satisfied. Preference eligibles who meet minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-9 grade level or higher. Applicants who have not submitted a resume in the USAjobs system and/or have not answered all of the vacancy questions will not be considered for this position.

Important Note:

Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire or other assessment tool for consistency. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Your resume should provide sufficient information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.

You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

Your application package should include the following documents:

Resume - Your resume can be uploaded and attached to your application or created using the USA Jobs on-line resume builder. Ensure your resume contains the job title (including the occupational series and grade if it is Federal), job-related qualifications, starting and ending dates (month and year), and hours worked per week, for each employment period. It is your responsibility to ensure all information is submitted. Failure to include this information may result in disqualification for the position.
For assistance with creating a resume, please click USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job?
Proof of Veteran's Preference - DD214 (Member 4 Copy), if you are a veteran. Additionally, applicants claiming 10-point preference must complete Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, as well as additional documentation required by the SF-15, such as a VA letter.
Unofficial school transcripts, if the position has an education requirement or if you are using education to qualify. If selected for the position, you must provide an official transcript before appointment.
Proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study, if applicable.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

Click on the "Apply Online" button on the upper right side of the page. Please Note:

You must apply for this position online through the 'Apply Online' button and submit required supplemental documents (if they are relevant to you).
Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages.
You may submit required documents by uploading them online during the application process.
The complete application package, including any required documents, is due in the Smithsonian Office of Human Resources on the closing date of the announcement by 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
If you are unable to apply online, paper applications may be accepted with prior approval of the Contact Person listed below.

Agency contact information

LaToya Jones

Phone

202-633-6474

Fax

202-633-6401

JonesLM2@si.edu

Address

SMITHSONIAN
Office of Human Resources
POB 37012, 600 Maryland Avenue, MRC 517
Washington, District of Columbia 20013-7012
United States

Next steps

At the end of the application process you will be able to create and save a PDF file that contains your responses to the assessment questions. You may save this file as initial receipt of your application. After the job announcement closes, you will receive an email from the Smithsonian with confirmation of receipt. The Smithsonian receives many applications for each job. Each application is reviewed carefully which may take a few weeks. We will send you an e-mail to update you as we go through phases of the application review process. You may also check your application status by logging into www.usajobs.gov and selecting the tab "My USAJOBS;" e-mailing vacancy.info@si.edu; or by contacting the Office of Human Resources Representative listed. Additional Information:

Tips on applying for Smithsonian jobs are available at https://www.si.edu/OHR/howtoapply.
The Smithsonian does not pay relocation expenses but recruitment incentives may be authorized.
The Smithsonian Institution is an equal opportunity employer. Additional information can be found on our website at (www.si.edu/oeesd).

Overview

Accepting applications

Open & closing dates

03/23/2026 to 04/06/2026

Salary

$46,610 - $67,543 per year

Pay scale & grade

GS 05 - 06

Locations

FEW vacancies in the following locations:

Washington, DC

Edgewater, MD

New York, NY

Chantilly, VA

Remote job

Telework eligible

Travel Required

Not required

Relocation expenses reimbursed

Appointment type

Permanent - Federal

Work schedule

Full-time - Full-Time, Permanent

Service

Competitive

Promotion potential

Job family (Series)

0085 Security Guard

Supervisory status

Security clearance

Not Required

Drug test

Yes

Announcement number

26R-LJ-313720-DEU-OPS

Control number

862090700

US Smithsonian Institution

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