The Secretary of The Department of Homeland Security oversees the third largest Cabinet Department and leads our nation's efforts to secure our country from terrorism to natural disasters. DHS has a vital mission to secure the nation from the many threats we face. This requires the dedication of more than 250,000 employees, in jobs that range from aviation and border security, to emergency response, from cybersecurity analyst to chemical facility inspector. DHS has five distinct mission areas related to securing the homeland, which includes the largest law enforcement population in the Federal Government.
Law enforcement careers involve protecting the President, Vice President, their families, heads of state and other designated individuals. These careers also involve securing the nation’s borders, interagency law enforcement training, and enforcing economic, transportation and infrastructure security. Related components:
Immigration and travel security careers involve protecting the nation’s transportation systems, as well as overseeing lawful immigration to the U.S. Related components:
Prevention and response careers protect the public, environment and U.S. economic and security interests. These careers also provide preparedness, protection, response, recovery and mitigation to reduce loss of life and property and protect the nation from all hazards. Related components:
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)
Mission support careers involve the following fields: medical, human resources, facilities, budget, procurement, science and technology, training, intelligence, public affairs, communication, planning and coordination, detection, civil rights, fraud detection and more. Related components:
- DHS Headquarters
- Science and Technology Directorate
- Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office (CWMD)
- Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC)
- Office of Operations Coordination
- Office of Intelligence and Analysis
- Office of Inspector General
- Executive Support Offices
- Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
- Privacy Office
- Office of Legislative Affairs
- Office of Partnership and Engagement
- Office of Public Affairs
- Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman
- Office of the General Counsel
- Office of the Executive Secretariat
- Office of the Deputy Secretary
- Military Advisor's Office
- Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans
- Management Directorate
- Office of the Chief Financial Officer
- Office of the Chief Information Officer
- Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer
- Office of the Chief Procurement Officer
- Office of the Chief Readiness Support Officer
- Office of the Chief Security Officer
- Office of the Biometric Identity Management
- Program Accountability and Risk Management
- Federal Protective Service
Cybersecurity careers help build the national capacity to defend against cyber attacks and work with the federal government to provide cybersecurity tools, incident response services and assessment capabilities to safeguard the ‘.gov’ networks that support the essential operations of partner departments and agencies.
Learn more about the DHS Cybersecurity Service and view descriptions for Department components and agencies.
Mission Critical Occupations are occupations that most directly affect the Department's mission success. Priority mission critical occupations listed below are identified as having the greatest impact on the Department’s goals and objectives
| Occupational Series | Component | Job Title | Responsibilities |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0083 | USSS | Police (Uniformed Division) | Protect facilities and venues secured for U.S. Secret Service protectees. Mandated by law to provide physical security for the White House Complex and the Vice President’s residence at the Naval Observatory. It also provides security for the Treasury Department building and foreign diplomatic missions in Washington, D.C. |
| 0089 | FEMA | Emergency Management Specialist | Involves preparing for and carrying out all emergency functions (excluding primary military forces functions) to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies and disasters; and to aid victims suffering from injury or damage resulting from disaster caused by natural and man-made hazards. |
| 1801 | CBP | Marine Interdiction Agent | Perform marine law enforcement operations involving the detection, prevention, interdiction and apprehension of terrorist, terrorist weapons and other contraband and persons from illegally entering or attacking the United States. |
| 1801 | FLETC | Law Enforcement Instructor | Requires extensive Law Enforcement experience. Instructors teach a variety of courses and specialty areas such as: behavioral sciences, computer and financial investigations, counter terrorism, driver training, enforcement operations, firearms, forensics and investigative technologies, legal, marine training, and physical techniques. |
| 1801 | ICE | Deportation Officer | Uphold U.S. immigration law at, within, and beyond our borders against those who present a danger to our national security, are a threat to public safety, or who otherwise undermine the integrity of our immigration system. |
| 1801 | TSA | Federal Air Marshal | Detects, deters and defeats hostile acts against aviation. Federal Air Marshals are armed federal law enforcement officers deployed on passenger flights worldwide to protect airline passengers and crew against the risk of criminal and terrorist violence. |
| 1802 | TSA | Transportation Security Officer | Conduct security screening of passengers, baggage and cargo at airports to prevent any deadly or dangerous objects from being transported onto an aircraft. |
| 1811 | ICE | Criminal Investigator | Protect the United States against terrorist and other criminal organizations that threaten our safety and national security. Also targets transnational criminal enterprises that seek to exploit America's legitimate trade, travel, and financial systems. |
| 1811 | USSS | Criminal Investigator | Special agents investigate violations of laws relating to financial crimes such as credit card and access device fraud, as well as computer-based attacks on the nation’s banking and telecommunications. In the field of protection Secret Service special agents develop and implement innovative strategies to mitigate threats to our nation’s leaders. |
| 1881/2181 | CBP | Air Interdiction Agent | Perform air law enforcement operations involving the detection, prevention, interdiction, and apprehension of terrorist, terrorist weapons and other contraband and persons from illegally entering or attacking the United States. |
| 1895 | CBP | Customs and Border Protection Officer | Responsible for border security, including anti-terrorism, immigration, anti-smuggling, trade compliance, and agriculture protection at U.S. ports of entry. |
| 1896 | CBP | Border Patrol Agent | Prevent terrorists and terrorists’ weapons from entering the United States by securing our land borders and coastal waters between ports of entry. |
| Multi-Series | All Components | Cybersecurity | The Cyber workforce encompasses the skills required to:
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