This position will serve as a Police Officer at the VA New Jersey Health Care System. The Police Officer will perform a full range of police duties by following and executing rules, regulations, or procedures covering law and rules enforcement, physical and personal security operations, patrol duties, control desk duty, coordination with local courts, and/or crime prevention activities for the local jurisdiction.

Duties

NOTE: This position involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed below represent the full performance level of GS-6. At the GS-5 grade level, you will perform assignments of a more limited scope and with less independence. You will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-6. Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher level work, and availability of funds. ***The VA New Jersey Health Care System consists of the East Orange VA Medical Center, Lyons VA Medical Center and 9 different Community Based Outpatient Clinics that you may be required to travel or could be assigned*** Major duties and responsibilities will include: Protects the civil rights of all individuals on VA controlled property; Prevents, detect and investigate crimes; Patrols assigned areas on foot or by motor vehicle; Subdues persons causing disturbance or who threaten harm to themselves or others; Follows rules/procedures concerning search and seizure of evidence and contraband; Obtains search and arrest warrants; Arrests violators; Provides basic first aid and CPR prior to arrival of emergency medical personnel; Prepares report of activities and events that occurred during shift; Performs traffic control; and Assists citizens in emergency situations; Performs other related duties as assigned. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. 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. This occupation is currently approved for a Veterans Health Administration enterprise-wide Critical Skills Incentive through 10/7/2024. Candidates may be eligible for a lump sum CSI for a pro-rated amount if onboard prior to the CSI expiration date. Eligible candidates will be required to sign a service agreement agreeing to an obligated service period and failure to complete the obligated service period may result in a debt for the unearned portion of the CSI. If you have already received a lump sum CSI for this occupation, you will not be eligible for an additional lump sum CSI. Work 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#: Police Officer/PD99925A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/29/2023. 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-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. For a GS-05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-04. 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. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: To meet the minimum qualifications for the GS-5 position, you must meet one of the following: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-4) in the federal service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Police Officer. Specialized experience is experience that provided knowledge of a body of basic laws and regulations, law enforcement operations, practices, and techniques and involved responsibility for maintaining order and protecting life and property. Creditable specialized experience may have been gained in work on a police force; through service as a military police officer; in work providing visitor protection and law enforcement in parks, forests, or other natural resource or recreational environments; in performing criminal investigative duties; or in other work that provided the required knowledge and skills. OR Experience as a security guard or corrections officer is generally NOT qualifying. EDUCATION: You must have successfully completed a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree in Police Science or a comparable degree program related to the work of the position. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR COMBINATION: Successfully completed a Federal, State, county, or municipal police academy or comparable training course that included at least 40 classroom hours of instruction in police department procedures and methods, and local law and regulations, to substitute a maximum of 3 months of specialized experience AND possess at least 9 months of specialized experience as identified above. NOTE: Appropriate documentation of completion must be submitted with your application materials. Specialized Experience for the GS-6: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-5) in the federal service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Police Officer. Specialized experience is experience that provided knowledge of a body of basic laws and regulations, law enforcement operations, practices, and techniques and involved responsibility for maintaining order and protecting life and property. Creditable specialized experience may have been gained in work on a police force; through service as a military police officer; in work providing visitor protection and law enforcement in parks, forests, or other natural resource or recreational environments; in performing criminal investigative duties; or in other work that provided the required knowledge and skills. Examples of qualifying specialized experience for this position include: Maintaining order to protect life and property; Taking initial complaints; Interviewing witnesses; Securing a crime scene and conducting limited searches; Responding to emergency situations; Making arrests and performing booking procedures; Gathering information and preparing reports; Conducting routine patrol, traffic control, and traffic accident investigations. Experience as a security guard or corrections officer is generally NOT qualifying. NOTE: You must provide detailed information of your experience performed. Information such as "I was a Patrolman", "I was a Police Officer for a number of years," or "I enforced Federal, State, county, and laws" is insufficient to determine your qualifications. Experience must be fully documented in your resume and must include job title, duties, month & year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. - AND- ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR POLICE OFFICER POSITION: Applicants must possess a current, valid State driver's license, have a safe driving record, and demonstrate that he or she is medically qualified to operate the appropriate motor vehicle safely. Applicants are required to successfully complete a comprehensive medical and psychological examination prior to entering on duty to determine fitness for duty as a Police Officer. Applicants must undergo a background investigation, which may include the administration of a polygraph examination. Applicants are required to undergo and successfully pass a pre-employment drug screening test and must submit to random drug testing after employment. New VA Police Officers are required to attend an 8-week course at the VA Law Enforcement Training Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. Satisfactory completion of this course is a condition of continued employment. VA Police Officers may be expected to continue irregular duty hours either at the Medical Center, local police offices, or at court especially during investigations of serious criminal incidents. This type of working schedule may negatively affect or burden family responsibilities. VA Police Officers encounter people experiencing extreme poverty and personal hardship, such as separation from family who are difficult, hostile or distressed. Investigators also may witness drownings, vehicle accidents, and other tragedies. VA Police Officers are occasionally exposed to people who carry infectious diseases. IMPORTANT NOTES: (1) As a condition of employment, must qualify to be issued a firearm and semi-annually with assigned firearm, annually with an expandable Straight Baton (MEB), maintain a valid State or Commonwealth Driver's License and pass annual physical and psychosocial assessment. 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). You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: ArrestCriminal InvestigationFirst ResponseInterpersonal SkillsPublic Safety and SecuritySecurity 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. 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

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address VA New Jersey Health Care System 385 Tremont Avenue East Orange, NJ 07018 US
• Name: Victoria Moersdorf
• Phone: 908-536-9812
• Email: [email protected]