DSSA: SOP 134C2

BUREAU OF GLOBAL TALENT MANAGEMENT
OFFICE OF TALENT ACQUISITION

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE (SOP) NOTICE NO. 134C2

(This SOP replaces and supersedes all prior versions of SOP 134C)

SUBJECT: Salary Standards for Entry-Level Diplomatic Security Special Agent Candidates, effective February 28, 2022

(SOP 134B provides procedures for all other Foreign Service Specialist)

PURPOSE: To provide procedures for determining the entry-level salary for Diplomatic Security Special Agent Candidates at the time of appointment in accordance with 3 FAM 3121.1-2.

AUTHORITY: 22 USC 3964 and Section 404 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 authorize the Secretary to assign all Foreign Service personnel “to appropriate salary classes in the Foreign Service Schedule.”
3 FAM 3121.1-2 governs salary assignments for Foreign Service Specialists.

PROCEDURE:

The Office of the Registrar is responsible for determining the entry-level salary (grade and step) that the candidate is offered, based on the candidate’s qualifying work experience, education, and current salary. Salary review/appeal procedures are covered by Salary Review Procedures SOP No. 134D.

Determination of Entry-level Grade and Step

For all Diplomatic Security (DS) Special Agents (SA), the minimum entry-level salary is set at FP-6, Step 4 and the maximum is set at FP-6, Step 14. All new DS Special Agents will enter on duty at the FP-6 Step 4 level, unless awarded additional steps for certain education, experience, or matching salary considerations identified below.

Education: To be considered, a degree must be conferred prior to appointment by a nationally accredited college or university. The accrediting institution or association must be one recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. A degree received after the Registrar has sent a Confirmed Offer of Employment Letter (that is, an offer to join a specific orientation class with a specified starting date), but before the candidate has been sworn into the Foreign Service, will be credited for grade and salary determination upon submission of evidence of the degree to the Registrar. Education completed at foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet education requirements if the candidate can show that the foreign education is comparable to education received in the United States.

Candidates will be awarded one additional step (above FP6, Step 4) for an advanced degree (master’s or doctorate) in a security related field (e.g., criminal justice), or a law degree. A minor or focus in a related field as part of a non-related field (e.g., foreign affairs or international relations) will not qualify for an additional step.

Directly Related Experience

Directly Related Experience is professional experience related to the functions of the DS Special Agent position that the applicant has acquired. Directly related experience will be credited only as follows:

    • 1)

Military Service

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      • a) Specialized military service as a Special Agent in CID, OSI, NCIS and/or Coast Guard Intelligence.
      • b) Specialized experience in military organizations equivalent to those named above in which the primary duties are directly related to the functions of a DS Special Agent. No credit will be given for service as a Marine Security Guard watchstander, a police patrolman or a Military Police officer without investigative or protective detail responsibilities.
      • c) It will be incumbent on the applicant to provide all the following supporting documentation:

        • i) Military document showing a Military Occupational Specialty, Skill Code, or Designator which denotes a military specialty directly related to the DS Special Agent position.
        • ii) Copy of military orders showing applicant’s assignment to a unit in which the primary mission is the conduct of investigations, personal/protective security functions, or management of security programs.
      • iii) Copy of a fitness/performance report from unit in question demonstrating that functions performed are directly related to those of a DS Special Agent, and that the candidate performed them satisfactorily.
    • 2)

Law Enforcement

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  • a) Specialized, directly related experience as a detective, criminal investigator, personal protective specialist (e.g., Governor’s/Mayor’s Detail), or a Special Agent in a state or federal law enforcement organization.
    • 3)

Other Categories

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    • a) Additional salary steps are not awarded for work experience which is not directly related to the functions of the DS Special Agent position.

Calculation of Directly Related Experience:

An additional step may be granted for each year of work experience directly related to the functions of the DS Special Agent position. In no case will more than 40 hours of directly related experience be credited for a one-week period, regardless of the type of work performed, the number of jobs held, the hours worked or the employment status (self-employed or other). Directly related experience that is part-time work will be prorated. When all of a candidate’s directly related experience is totaled, no credit will be given for periods of less than a year, e.g., a total of four years and eleven months of directly related experience is credited as four years.

Salary Matching Considerations

Once the candidate’s grade and step are determined based on education and experience, the Registrar will compare the candidate’s “current salary” (defined below) with the base salary at the projected grade and step. If the candidate’s current salary is higher than the candidate’s projected grade and step salary as provided in the Foreign Service “Base” Salary Schedule, the candidate’s starting salary will be raised to the step in the grade for which they are qualified that is closest to, but not less than, their current salary. If the current salary is too high to be matched in the Foreign Service grade for which the candidate is qualified, step 14 of that grade is the starting salary. The candidate’s salary rate is then set at that grade and step as provided in the Foreign Service “Overseas Comparability Pay” Salary Schedule.

For purposes of this SOP, “current salary” means base salary earned for at least 90 days prior to appointment as a Diplomatic Security Special Agent Career Candidate. Candidates must submit proof of their current salary, e.g., a copy of 90 days’ worth of earnings statements; a signed statement on letterhead from the Human Resources Office of their most recent employer; (for federal civilian employees only) an SF-50 Notification of Personnel Action for most recent promotion, cost of living adjustment, or within-grade-increase; and/or other appropriate personnel documentation.

For DS Special Agent candidates with current or previous federal employment, only base salary will be considered for the purposes of salary matching. Locality pay or other special differentials will not be considered part of “current salary.” The highest federal base salary held for at least 90 days may be considered for purposes of salary matching regardless of how long ago the position was held.

For all other (non-federal) candidates, there must not be a break in service of more than 45 calendar days between the candidate’s most recent employment and the date of appointment as a Foreign Service Career Candidate for salary matching considerations to apply.