Personnel Security Specialist

About the role

Securing Travel, Protecting People - At the Transportation Security Administration, you will serve in a high-stakes environment to safeguard the American way of life.

In cities across the country, you would secure airports, seaports, railroads, highways, and/or public transit systems, thus protecting America's transportation infrastructure and ensuring freedom of movement for people and commerce.

What you will do

• This Personnel Security Specialist position is located in the Personnel Security Section (PSS), Chief Security Office (CSO), Law Enforcement (LE), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
• Duties include but are not limited to: Reviewing security forms to identify the presence or absence of derogatory information, evaluates the impact of various kinds of derogatory information on the granting, denying, or revoking of security clearances and Federal employment eligibility, and makes EOD determinations for TSA applicants.
• Reviewing requests for personnel or facility security clearances to assure that all required information is provided, requesting missing information from the originators, and granting clearances when derogatory information is absent or mitigated.
• Adjudicating complex reports of background investigations while interpreting and applying suitability (fitness) factors and adjudicative guidelines and making recommendations affecting final suitability (fitness) and security clearance eligibility.
• Managing individual caseloads and ensuring metrics and timelines are satisfied.
• Communicating with field offices to provide case information or to resolve issues related to personnel security requirements or procedures.
• Preparing written correspondence to include but not limited to letters of interrogatories, case summaries, eligibility notifications, and notices of adverse actions.
• Enrollment and unenrollment processing into designated programs.
• Reviews and validates all alerts and takes necessary action on actionable alerts to include the final adjudication, as applicable.
• The major duties described above reflect the full performance level of this position.
• Typically, the lower pay band (F and G Band) performs the same duties but will receive more guidance and training; and/or projects/work assignments may be less complex.

Requirements

• You must possess U.S. Citizenship.
• You must have reached the minimum age (18) at the time of application.
• You must complete a favorable Background Investigation (BI).
• Selective Service registration is required.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance.
• Must successfully pass both pre- and post-employment drug testing.
• If you fail to meet the conditions of employment or any other pre-employment requirements, such as missing any of the scheduled appointments, the hiring agency may rescind their tentative offer of employment.
• Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for TSA to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.
• Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring.
• These authorities are subject to change.

Education

For positions requiring positive education requirements, or if you are using education to meet all or part of the qualification requirements, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or an itemized list of college courses from an accredited college or university, which includes equivalent information from the transcript (course title, semester/quarter hours, and grade/degree earned) in your resume.

The information must be provided with the application by the closing date of the announcement. If selected, the applicant must supply a transcript or certification of degree.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Reading Comprehension Decision Making Attention to Detail Customer Service Honesty/Integrity Self Management Reasoning Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.

Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. You may preview the questions for this vacancy here: ***

Documents you must provide

• The following documents are required and must be provided with your application.
• Applicants who do not submit required documentation to determine eligibility and qualifications will be eliminated from consideration.
• Documentation is needed to verify the eligibilities you are claiming.
• NOTE: Your resume must clearly demonstrate how you meet this requirement; otherwise, you will be deemed ineligible.
• Additionally, copying and pasting information from the announcement into your resume will not adequately convey your qualifications.
• All applicants are required to submit a resume limited to two (2) pages.
• The USAJOBS database will not allow an applicant to submit an application that includes a resume over two pages.
• Narrative description of duties with start and end dates (including month and year) for work experience.
• Number of hours worked in a position (i.e., full-time or part-time).
• If part-time, (i.e., less than 40 hours per week) state the total number of hours worked per week.
• If you are a current Federal employee or previous Federal employee, provide your performance level for federal civilian positions (i.e., band or grade).
• If your resume does not contain this information, your application will be marked as insufficient, and you will not receive consideration for this position.
• Do NOT include photographs (or links to social media such as LinkedIn), inappropriate content, classified information, or personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number, etc. on your resume.
• Utilizing the USAJOBS Resume Builder and completing all available fields is strongly encouraged.
• Detail Documentation: Eligible applicants who wish to qualify for this position based upon experience obtained while serving on a detail with TSA must submit signed copies of the corresponding TSA form 1160, Terms And Conditions For Temporary Internal Assignment -Detail, or an SF-52, Request for Personnel Action, as supporting documentation along with their application otherwise the experience cannot be credited.
• Transcripts: If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed under the Qualifications and Evaluations section, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript(s) with your application.
• If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.
• Veterans: If claiming VEOA or Veterans Preference- submit a copy of the official DD-214, which must include the character of service (i.e., with an Honorable or General discharge).
• If no DD-214 is available, please submit a memo/certification of military service as outlined in the VOW Act.
• This will be annotated in block 24 on member copy 2,4, or 7 of the DD-214.
• If claiming veterans' consideration which involves considering your disability rating, you must submit a VA Letter or a disability determination from a branch of the Armed Forces.
• Note: All veterans claiming 10-point preference must also submit a SF-15.
• TSA Employees: Current TSA employees are strongly encouraged to submit the most recent non-Award SF-50, at the time of application, to support eligibility for Status consideration.
• TSA employees who do not submit the SF-50 with the application must document their current TSA position in their resume and may be required to provide the SF-50 document during the selection process.
• TSA employees may obtain a copy of their most recent non-Award SF-50 at ***
• Current or Former Federal Civilian employees (Non-TSA): You must submit a legible copy of a SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action.
• The SF-50 block 24 must contain a "1" or "2" AND block 34 must contain a "1" or "2." Individuals with Disabilities: Documentation of eligibility for employment under this hiring authority can be obtained from a licensed medical professional (e.g., a physician or other medical professional certified by a state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory to practice medicine); a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist (i.e., state or private); or any Federal agency, state agency, or agency of the District of Columbia or a U.S. territory that issues or provides disability benefits.
• Documentation is used to verify that the individual being hired is indeed a person with an intellectual disability, severe physical disability, or psychiatric disability.
• Military Spouse Preference: If you are eligible based on one of the below, please submit the following: (1) spouse of an active-duty member of the armed forces: DD214 of spouse, marriage license, and PCS orders showing dependency (if applicable) (2) a spouse of a service member who is 100% disabled due to a service-connected injury: DD214 of spouse, marriage license, and VA Letter or disability determination showing 100% (3) spouse of a service member killed while on active duty: DD214 of spouse, marriage license, documentation from the Armed Forces casualty office

Benefits

DHS offers competitive salaries and an attractive benefits package, including: health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance; retirement plan; Thrift Savings Plan [similar to a 401(k)]; Flexible Spending Account; Employee Assistance Program; personal leave days; and paid federal holidays.

Other benefits may include flexible work schedules; telework; tuition reimbursement; transportation subsidies; uniform allowance; health and wellness programs; and fitness centers. DHS is committed to employee development and offers a variety of employee training and developmental opportunities.

For more information, go to the DHS Careers website and select "Benefits." Disabled veteran leave will be available to any Federal employee hired on or after November 5, 2016, who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or more.

Employees who transfer to TSA from an agency that allows employees to maintain an annual leave balance higher than the maximum accumulation for the appointed position will have their leave ceiling set to the maximum accumulation for the appointed position (e.g., United States duty location - 240 hours, foreign duty location - 360 hours, or TSES position - 720 hours).

TSA will not make a monetary payment for any leave forfeited under these circumstances.

What to expect next

If needed, applicants may request a religious accommodation as part of the hiring process from the designated contact noted in the vacancy announcement (for contact information please see 'Agency Contact Information' listed within the 'How to Apply' section of this job announcement).

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (***), 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: ***

Additional information

Eligibility to apply for other Federal positions: TSA is an Excepted Service agency exempt from most of Title 5 United States Code, including regulations which apply to displaced Federal employees (CTAP/ICTAP) of other agencies, and employment with TSA does not confer "Competitive Status" that generally results from selection and service in Competitive Service agencies.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has established an Interchange Agreement, which allows most permanent TSA employees to apply and be considered for vacancies in Competitive Service agencies.

Information from OPM on this or other Interchange Agreements is available at: *** To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully pass a background investigation as a condition of placement into this position.

DHS uses E-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.

If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty.

False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment. TSA employees who are absent for the purpose of performing military duty may apply for any vacancies announced in their absence. More than one position may be filled from this announcement.

If you are entering TSA employment on an appointment without time limitations, you must serve a basic trial period unless you have already met the requirement.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application.

Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis.

If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision.

You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement.

To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (***)