Washington, February 10 (RHC)-- The deputy director of the U.S. Secret Service, charged with protecting the president, will resign from his post following several high-profile security lapses. The Secret Service said in a statement on Monday that Alvin "A.T." Smith will resign effective Tuesday, but he will be allowed to accept another federal job within the Homeland Security Department.

Smith was appointed to the No. 2 job in the agency in April 2012. He managed day-to-day operations, including 6,500 employees, during scandals that badly damaged the agency's image. "Deputy Director Smith has had an exceptional law enforcement career spanning nearly 29 years within the United States Secret Service. His contributions to the agency have been invaluable," said Secret Service Acting Director Joseph P. Clancy.

Last month, the agency forced four senior officials to step down while another chose to accept retirement. The shakeup comes as the Secret Service is recovering from a series of embarrassing security breaches.

On January 26, a small drone crashed into the White House grounds, prompting officials to declare a security lockdown.

The drone was reportedly operated by a government employee who told the Secret Service he did not mean to fly it over the White House complex.

In September, a U.S. war veteran was able to reach deep into the White House with a knife before being apprehended by Secret Service agents, an unprecedented security breach in recent decades.

According to a report by the Washington Post, it took the Secret Service five days to discover that a man had shot seven bullets at the White House in 2011.

A string of security lapses and misjudgments by the Secret Service led to the resignation of the head of the agency, Julia Pierson, in October.