Acquisition Professional Career Program (APCP)

Overview

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Program Status

Executive Order 13562, issued December 27, 2010, superseded and revoked Executive Order 13162, which provides the hiring authority (FCIP) under which the Acquisition Professional Career Program functions. Executive Order 13562 also directed the creation of a new hiring policy to replace FCIP.

View the Executive Order.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will be providing policy guidelines to federal agencies on the specifics of the new hiring authority and how to implement it over the coming months. In the interim, as the hiring authority has been rescinded, applications for the Acquisition Professional Career Program (APCP) cannot be processed.

We appreciate your interest in the APCP, and we encourage you to subscribe to the update function available at the top and bottom of this website so you can be informed as soon as updated eligibility requirements and application procedures are published.

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Why Work for the Department of Homeland Security?

The Department of Homeland Security was established on March 1, 2003, a mixture of 22 new and existing agencies dedicated to the mission of leading the unified national effort to secure America. Together, the Department works to prevent and deter terrorist attacks, protect against threats and hazards to the nation, and secures our borders while promoting the free flow of visitors and commerce.

Approximately 230,000 Department of Homeland Security employees perform that mission every day. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents patrol our borders and guard our ports of entry against dangerous people and cargo. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deploys relief supplies to disaster areas, helping people get back on their feet after floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and fires. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screeners ensure the safety of air and rail travelers. United States Secret Service (USSS) agents put their lives on the line protecting the President of the United States.

These are just a few of the thousands of activities Department personnel perform each and every day in pursuit of a safer America. What makes the Department able to perform them is acquisition.

Acquisition is more than the purchasing of goods and services; it’s the managed invention of complex systems and technologies that don’t exist yet to better perform the Department's vital mission. Cargo scanners, mobile command centers, chemical detectors and the custom Cadillac limousine that transports the President were all just ideas on a drawing board until they were planned, developed, tested and deployed through the acquisition process.

The future of the Department depends on the systems and technologies that can be imagined today. To develop them, the Department will need knowledge, expertise and you.

At the Department, you can find more than just a job, you'll find a career as a vital part of the solution to our country's security challenges for the 21st century. Are you a motivated and talented individual who is ready to take on this challenge?

The Department needs exceptional individuals for mission-critical positions in the acquisition workforce. You will be part of a team that acquires over $20 billion worth of goods and services annually, the third largest acquisition budget in the federal government.

As a member of the Department's acquisition team, you will put your education and experience to work. You will directly impact the mission every day by procuring everything from IT hardware and software to ships and aircraft.

If you are selected for the Acquisition Professional Career Program (APCP), you will be given structured, specialized training from the first day of your new career. Mentorship and guidance from experienced professionals in your field will give you the tools you need to perform the vital responsibilities you will be entrusted with as a rising leader in the federal government. This accelerated program will put you on a path to professional success well ahead of your peers in the private sector.

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How Does the Program Work?

APCP participants work in one of six career fields, each of which plays a vital role in Department Acquisition.

• Contract Specialists gather requirements, solicit proposals from industry, determine the best value between proposals, and negotiate and sign contracts on behalf of the federal government. This career field is suited to any major, particularly business majors, though participants without 24 business credits are highly encouraged to complete those 24 credits by the end of the 3-year program (tuition assistance is provided).
• Program Managers manage the day-to-day operations of government contractors. They ensure that work is being completed on time and on budget, milestones are being met, and provide federal government oversight. This field is suited to any major.
• Systems Engineers work with program managers in the day-to-day management of contractor work, acting as technical advisors. They also assist contract specialists in writing highly technical requirement documents and analyzing contractor proposals. This career field is suited to engineering, science, and math majors.
• Industrial Engineers work with program managers in the specialized field of conducting cost estimating analysis, developing simulations using mathematical modeling. They design costing methods, perform research and development of estimating relationships, assess how these affect overall project costs and make recommendations for improvement. This career field is suited to industrial engineering majors.
• Logisticians work with both acquisition personnel and front-line operational personnel to properly arrange and execute the life cycle logistics of a project. They analyze project sustainment needs and costs, such as repair work, replacement part needs and requirements for user training or disposal costs, and then make recommendations to meet those needs or how to improve existing arrangements. This career field is suited to business majors, particularly those with a logistics or supply chain management concentration.
• Information Technology Specialists, similar to systems engineers, provide their technical expertise to program managers in the day-to-day management of contractor work on information technology projects or to contract specialists in the research and negotiation processes of IT-related contracts. This career field is suited to computer science and computer engineering majors, as well as other IT-related fields.

Starting at the GS-7 grade level, you will be appointed to three one-year rotational assignments at the Washington, D.C. offices of the component organizations listed below, giving you the opportunity to gain experience in a wide variety of work environments.

A small number of Contract Specialist positions are also available in selected component regional field offices. Currently, no regional field office opportunities are accepting applications, but this website will be updated as additional regional field office opportunities become available.

The following Department components currently participate in the APCP:

• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
• Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
• U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
• Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
• U.S. Secret Service (USSS)
• Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC)
• Office of Procurement Operations (OPO)
• Office of Selective Acquisitions (OSA)

You may work in short-notice disaster relief planning efforts with FEMA, long-term ship design projects with the Coast Guard, ongoing screening and detection equipment development, testing, and deployment for the TSA, or other exciting and vital programs throughout the Department. The experience you gain, combined with the training and mentorship you receive, will enhance your understanding and comprehension of your acquisition career specialty, preparing you for virtually any situation you may encounter in the course of your career. Your rotational assignments will give you a broader perspective into the many missions going on simultaneously within the Department, allowing you to see both the parts and the whole that work towards the larger Department mission: protecting against and responding to threats and hazards to the nation.

Upon successful completion of the program, you will be placed into a permanent full-time position with promotion potential up to a GS-13. Regional field position promotion potential may vary.

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Beneficial Training

Our intensive training program, using interspersed classroom, online and on-the-job training, will provide you with the skills and training necessary to become a sought-after expert in the field of acquisition. As you progress through the APCP, you will receive progressively higher certifications within your acquisition career field. These certifications are recognized across the federal government and will serve as your professional credentials, making you a recognized expert in your field.

Additionally, program participants receive management and leadership training. This, combined with your expertise within your career field, will give you the foundation necessary to become a future leader in tomorrow's government.

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Mentorship

Within your first 90 days, you will be partnered with a senior expert in your acquisition field who will provide you with positive guidance on how to reach your full potential. Along with the experienced professionals you will work alongside and learn from on a day-to-day basis, you will also be able to turn to your mentor for frank discussion, advice and career planning. Together, you will assess your professional strengths and weaknesses to develop a plan for laying out your long-term career goals and aspirations. Your mentor will work with you over the length of your participation in the APCP, helping you on the road to your professional success.

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Outstanding Benefits

• Personal leave days for vacation
  • 13 days per year for first 3 years
  • 20 days per year for years 4-15
  • 26 days per year for years 15 or more
• 10 paid holidays per year
• 13 paid sick days per year
• Wide choice of health insurance programs
• Flexible work schedules
• Fully portable Thrift Savings Plan (similar to a 401K) with matching contributions up to 5%
• Non-taxable Flexible Spending Accounts for out-of-pocket medical or dependent care expenses
• Paid training
• Transportation subsidy
• Employee recognition program
• Life and long-term care insurance

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Position at a Glance

POSITION INFORMATION: Full Time Federal Excepted Service employee.
DUTY LOCATIONS: Washington, D.C. (metropolitan area)
STARTING GRADE: GS-07
STARTING SALARY: $42,209 per year
PROMOTION POTENTIAL: Up to GS-13, $89,033-$115,742 per year

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APCP Recruiting Events

APCP recruiting is currently suspended. Updated recruiting information will be published as it becomes available.

Subscribe to get e-mail updates when the APCP recruiting schedule is revised.

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The Department of Homeland Security is an Equal Opportunity Employer.