What Careers are in the Federal Protective Service?

There are both office and field careers in the Federal Protective Service (FPS), which exists to protect and serve Federal facilities, visitors and their occupants. Personnel provide protective security and law enforcement services to a variety of government and private sector partners. Here are three common jobs found within the Federal Protective Service, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Physical Security Specialist

Physical security specialists provide security guard monitoring and coordination services. They provide event support, escort assistance and building access control. They may escort regular visitors or employees who are either terminated or locked out of their offices. They help facilitate new employee on-boarding by issue keys, badges and providing training and escort support. They issue temporary ID cards to partners or contractors entering long-term duties and perform random key and badge audits.

Those who work in the office are responsible and accountable for the maintenance of CCTV cameras and access control systems, which means that they change keys, locks and combinations. Some serve as active members of support teams who plan events and ensure that security needs meet protocols. Physical security specialists respond to security concerns, provide customer service to staff and respond to security assistance calls.

Federal Protective Service Supervisor

Federal Protective Service supervisors direct, review and coordinate the performance of internal intelligence programs, criminal investigative assignments and security and law enforcement activities. They monitor security systems that protect lives and property within federally controlled facilities. They maintain law and order through enforcing applicable statutes and regulations related to the operation of public buildings. FPS supervisors apply the techniques of business analysis, quality improvement and performance measurement.

FPS supervisors analyze and evaluate the work of agents and security specialists in order to maintain equitable workload balances and ensure that the proper priority is given to critical and sensitive cases. They direct the work of subordinates, plan and adjust priorities, determine risk levels and recommend specific personnel actions. They work closely with other state and federal agencies to reach objectives, coordinate resources and maintain safety and security.

Program Analyst

Program analysts in the Federal Protective Service are responsible for collecting, researching and analyzing data related to various FPS programs. They perform analyst functions such as interviewing, data modeling and creating performance measurements of target objectives. They collect and analyze data to detect poor controls, non-compliance issues and wasted efforts. They apply analytic expertise and experience to security topics related to facility security, risk evaluations and threat management.

Program analysts review and document various security process flows in order to benchmark efficiency and recommend improvements. They prepare detailed performance reports that are presented to regional leadership. Program analysts forecast resource requirements of security programs to identify potential errors, limitations or redundancies. Some specialize in financial operations and apply their analytic knowledge to budget topics and accounting practices. They prepare and track funding documents, maintain compliance with federal financial systems and estimate time frames and budget constraints.

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Alternative careers in the Federal Protective Service include criminal investigator, security technician, program manager and mission support specialist.