The U.S. Department of State is developing a rank-order list of eligible hires for a limited number of Foreign Service Security Engineering Officer (SEO) vacancies based on the needs of the Department. Learn more about a career in the Foreign Service and the Bureau of Diplomatic Security.

Joining the Foreign Service is more than just salary. Refer to the Benefits section for more on total compensation.

This is a 2501 Foreign Service position equivalent to the 0855 Civil Service series.

Responsibilities

Foreign Service Security Engineering Officers (SEOs) are members of the Diplomatic Security team who protect Department of State personnel, facilities, and sensitive information against acts of crime, terrorism, and technical espionage. Security Engineering Officers carry out this mission at over 275 U.S. embassies and consulates around the world, as well as offices in the metropolitan Washington, DC area and Fort Lauderdale, FL.

SEOs are deemed essential security personnel whose duties can vary according to the size of the U.S. presence, the requirements of the specific diplomatic facility, and known threats. The following are examples of the types of duties and responsibilities assigned to SEOs. This list is neither exhaustive, nor in priority order:

• Lead the Department in technical solutions to emerging and evolving threats domestically and overseas.
• Manage technical and information security programs, projects, and resources at U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide.
• Interface with and represent the Department’s interests and policy with regards to technical security and countermeasures within the international Intelligence Community.
• Perform technical security assessments and recommend security upgrades to deter terrorism and technical espionage.
• Plan and conduct technical surveillance countermeasures (TSCM) surveys to detect, report, and nullify technical penetrations, hazards, or vulnerabilities of Department of State facilities.
• Identify, analyze, and manage security risks to personnel, facilities, or sensitive information and, in-turn, specify system requirements and/or procedural measures to ensure the integrity of facilities, networks, computers, automated information systems, and perimeter security.
• Apply IT best practices to monitor and troubleshoot networking equipment, workstations, servers, and applications.
• Manage high value projects and act as Contracting Officer Representative (COR) or Government Technical Monitor (GTM) overseas and domestically.
• Evaluate a wide variety of equipment, systems, and products for security vulnerabilities.
• Plan and conduct certification tests, as well as maintain the security requirements for information processing and secure conferencing facilities.
• Produce a variety of written documents including well-crafted management memoranda, trip reports, budget justifications, presentations, and engineering surveys or technical reports detailing specific engineering services planned or performed.
• Plan, budget, coordinate, and perform extensive travel throughout the world to service overseas embassies and consulates, often in remote locations, including the transport of technical supplies and materials (and on occasion, diplomatic pouches) by vehicle, airplane, train, and other public transportation.
• Support USG Officials and foreign dignitaries by providing technical security support when requested.
• Maintain a clean and safe workspace, storeroom, and accurate equipment inventory.
• Engage in work that ranges from delicate cutting-edge system operation to dirty and/or physically demanding.
• Specify, design, maintain, evaluate, procure, install, and certify equipment and/or products for technical security systems, such as:
  • Security video systems, emergency notification systems, radiofrequency (RF) communication systems, vehicle arrest systems, intrusion detection systems, locking devices, access control and denial systems, countermeasures equipment, innovative protective technologies, and acoustic or RF attenuation technologies.
  • Computer systems, encryption, firewalls, computer forensics, network intrusion monitoring and prevention, and system security audit products.
• Act as the Subject Matter Expert on technical counterintelligence, technical security policy matters, and advise non-technical personnel on mitigation and compliance efforts.
• Supervise, train, manage, and lead a diverse team of technicians, contractors, U.S. Navy Seabees, office managers, logisticians, and locally employed staff.
• Mentor employees and non-technical Foreign Service colleagues on technical security best practices and requirements.
• Develop and maintain current leadership and management skills, applying them as a supervisor or when assisting in the hiring process.
• Model the Department of State’s six core values (accountability, character, community, diversity, loyalty, service) and the Department’s Leadership and Management Principles; observe and implement EEO principles.
• Review and revise Departmental technical security policy to ensure current, accurate, and clear guidance.

Travel Required

50% or less – An SEO generally spends about half of his/her career assigned to the Department of State’s overseas missions and at times, lives away from family and/or in difficult or isolated conditions. Selected applicants will be notified of a Written and Oral Assessment (OA) requirement in Washington D.C. For selected applicants, all travel and other expenses incurred in connection with the OA are the sole responsibility of the applicant.