Protocol Officer

Department of the Army › Army Tank-Automotive and Armament Command (TACOM) (57 current openings)

Watervliet, New York

Full-time Security Clearance: Secret

Application Deadline:

2026-08-28

Posted:

2026-08-18

About 1 week left

Apply on usajobs.gov

Salary: $92,344 – $120,050 per year (GS-12)

Salary context

Based on 441 annual-salary jobs in the same occupational series. This role pays around the middle of similar positions.

Job Details

Position Overview

This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) solicitation utilizing the DHA for Domestic Defense Industrial Base (DIB) & Major Range and Test Facilities Base (MRTFB) in DoD to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service.

Duties

Plans, directs, coordinates, executes, and manages the conduct of official visits (both foreign and domestic) to the Watervliet Arsenal.
Responsible for the planning, development, maintenance, and presentation of Command overview briefings as well as VIP/orientation briefings to distinguished visitors and Continuity of Operations groups.
Supports Public Affairs by serving as a media relations escort, updating Watervliet Arsenal websites and associated social media portals.
Responsible for planning, directing, managing, monitoring, and evaluating comprehensive public affairs, protocol, and visitor support programs.
Determines proper protocol in connection with ceremonies, receptions, official luncheons, and dinners; determines menus based on research or own knowledge of cultural, religious, or other background peculiar to a distinguished visit/visitor.
Prepares and presents briefings to the Commander regarding the protocol portion of events/visits.
Assists with executive assistant duties by providing administrative support to the Commander and executive leaders.

Qualifications & Requirements

Who May Apply: US Citizens

In order to qualify, you must meet the Experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Specialized Experience:

GS-12 Level: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service which includes: (1) Overseeing the planning and execution of official or social events/functions for a large organization/Command; (2) Identifying potential program initiatives or special projects that could improve the use of protocol services and/or resources; (3) Communicating (verbally and written) with senior level leaders/staff within an organization and with external customers in order to provide information/guidance on protocol policy; and (4) Working knowledge and understanding of national and international rules, procedures and diplomatic customs, courtesies, and etiquette.

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this grade level, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

Conditions of Employment

Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
This position requires the incumbent be able to obtain and maintain a determination of eligibility for a Secret security clearance or access for the duration of employment.
This position has a Temporary Duty (TDY) or business travel requirement of 25% of the time for business purposes.
Position may be converted to permanent without further competition.

Evaluations

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position.

Veterans and Military Spouses will be considered along with all other candidates.

Required Documents

The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist for Public Announcements.

As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

1. Your resume:

Your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration.
For each relevant work experience, make sure you include the employer's name, job title, start and end dates (include month and year), for qualifications purposes, the number of hours worked per week, and a brief description that show you can perform the tasks at the required level listed in the job announcement. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete, and you may not receive consideration for this position.
Use plain language. Avoid using acronyms and terms that are not easily understood. The hiring agency will not make assumptions about what's in your resume.
If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations, and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
For additional information, to include formatting tips, see: What to include in your resume.

2. Other supporting documents:

Cover Letter, optional
Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable

NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 08/28/2026 to receive consideration

Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. As a reminder, your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. For additional information, refer to the 'Required Documents' section.
You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. Your resume selected in USAJOBS will be included, but you must re-select other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application may be incomplete.
It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center.

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://www.usajobs.gov/applicant/profile/dashboard/), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status. If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking (as applicable) for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration.

Source: Data sourced from USAJOBS