Staff AI/ML Engineers design, implement, train and deploy AI/ML models and systems. They also provide key recommendations and insights to senior departmental leadership on the future uses and risks of key AI technologies.

Staff AI Security Engineers ensure the security and integrity of AI systems, address potential vulnerabilities, and implement and provide recommendations to senior leaders on cybersecurity measures.

Staff Software Engineers develop and integrate AI applications, ensuring applications that leverage AI technologies scale and optimized for performance, reliability, and security. Staff Software Engineers write at any level of the stack, including frontend, backend, infrastructure, or data engineering.

Senior Data Scientists lead data-driven projects to create AI models, as well as find key insights and develop recommendations and products that the Department can leverage to make stronger decisions or more efficient processes.

Senior designers apply HCD principles and research techniques to AI projects and create products, services, and processes that are insightful, accessible, and meet users’ needs.

Senior Policy Advisors develop and implement AI-related policies that align with the Department’s goals and federal laws and regulations. They are the advocates for policy initiatives that promote the safe, secure, and trustworthy use of AI technologies, while enhancing key areas such as procurement, privacy, civil right, and civil liberties.

Senior Product Managers manage AI solutions from concept to deployment and continuous improvement. They function at the center of prioritizing between program goals and user needs, while engaging with stakeholders and ensuring successful product rollouts. 

Senior Technologists leverage cross-functional skills that can include multiple domains including engineering, data science, design, cybersecurity, policy, and strategy. They apply their skills and knowledge of bureaucracy hacking to navigate complex organizations and deliver products and outcomes.

Federal benefits programs available to federal employees include: 

• Paid Time-Off (separate annual and sick leave balance + 11 paid federal holidays) 
• Health Insurance  
• Dental and Vision Benefits  
• Long-Term Care Insurance  
• Retirement Savings and Investment Plan (Thrift Savings Plan) 
• Federal Retirement Plan (retirement benefits from three different sources: Basic Benefit Plan, Social Security, and the Thrift Saving Plan) 
• Flexible Spending Account (tax-deferred savings account for eligible out-of-pocket medical or dependent care expenses)  
• Group Life Insurance  
• Other Benefits and Perks (flexible work schedules, telework and remote work, health and wellness programs, training and development). 

• DHS uses USAjobs.gov, the government’s official job board, to post job announcements and accept applications. To apply for an AI role at DHS, you need to use USAjobs.gov and must first create an account for Login.gov. 
• Job announcements for DHS jobs follow a standard format. The format ensures consistency in the type of information provided for each job announcement.    
  • Overview: appears on the right side of the job announcement and gives pertinent details about the role including location, salary, clearance, and more.    
  • Summary: explains the AI role DHS is hiring for.
  • Duties: describes at a high level what a person in the AI role will do. 
  • Qualifications: describes basic competencies and years of experience required for the AI role. 
  • Specialized Experience: describes the specific skills and the level of experience applying those skills required for the AI role. This is especially important for DHS’s AI roles.  

• Longer is not better. The job announcement on USAjobs.gov will specify that DHS only reviews the first few pages of a resume. Make sure the resume you submit with your application does not exceed the page number indicated for the announcement. 
• Be explicit. Include details about your experience and the length of time (month and year) spent applying skills, engaging in a specific experience, or serving in a particular job. Other details to explicitly include are job titles, duties, and accomplishments, and how they relate to the qualifications and specialized experience required for the AI role. 
• Show how you fit the role. Match your resume to the job announcement with the facts of your skills and experience that align with the qualifications and specialized experience required for the AI role. The information on your resume is the only information the reviewing human resource specialist has to determine if your resume should be forwarded to the hiring manager – they cannot look at any linked resources like a Git repository or LinkedIn profile!   
• Don’t get lost in translation. Some of the requirements and processes of federal hiring use terms or phrases that may be new to you or that have a different meaning outside of federal government. Be aware, don’t be discouraged, and use the information in the Resources for Applying for a Federal Job section to help you.

1. Apply for an AI role on USAjobs.gov – you will first need to create an account.
2. Application Review and Assessment – human resource specialists and AI subject matter experts review your application to determine whether you move on to the interview round. 
3. Interviews – the hiring team sets up telephone or video calls between DHS AI subject matter experts and the qualified applicants whose applications show a best fit with the AI role DHS is hiring for.  
4. Tentative Job Offer (TJO) – selected applicant(s) will receive a tentative job offer that is contingent on clearing a background investigation and a pre-employment drug test. The TJO will include your title, offered salary, and instructions on how to begin the background investigation. It will not have a start date yet. That will be determined after the background investigation completes.  
5. Background Investigation – prospective federal employees are subject to a preliminary background investigation, which can take 30-60 days. This part of the process starts with you filling out background investigation forms and a fingerprinting appointment. The TJO will contain specific instructions on this.
6. Final Job Offer – your new role, title, salary, start date and more!

• Read about how DHS is using AI to secure the homeland.   
• Explore AI use cases at DHS including AI techniques.
• Discover more about data at DHS.  
• Learn about other jobs at DHS.
• Read more about DHS Employee Benefits.