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Personnel Security Specialist

U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
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Summary

Through this shared cross-government announcement, we are hiring Personnel Security Specialists to join different agencies across the Federal government to transform and improve the way we serve the public and build, maintain, and measure trust in government. The Federal security community is committed to creating a collaborative environment to share best practices for analyzing personnel security information to make suitability, eligibility, and adjudication recommendations or determinations.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

 

All U.S. Citizens

 

The public

 

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

 

Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

 

Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.

Duties

 

As a Personnel Security Specialist, GS-0080-09 or 11, your typical work assignments may include the following:

  1. Reviewing documents submitted by agency candidates and current personnel to meet and maintain national security standards for employment, retention of employment, and/or eligibility for access to unclassified, sensitive, classified, or other national security information.
  2. Making initial determination as to scope of investigation required, considering such factors as sensitivity level of position, background information on individual, criteria for governing various classes of security clearances, etc.
  3. Conducting screening interviews of personnel to evaluate suitability.
  4. Performing a wide variety of security administration functions which may include, but are not limited to: preparing and maintaining security and incident report related rosters; updating and maintaining security related regulatory directives; maintaining security and incident report related databases; and preparing, publishing, and disseminating statistical data/reports as requested by leadership.

RequirementsConditions of Employment

 

  • This is a cross-government hiring action open to agencies across the Federal government in the competitive service.
  • Some agencies may have in-person work with or without telework options, and some may have remote (virtual/work-from-home) positions. Be sure to get clarification from the hiring agency about the duty location and remote or telework policies that apply for each job you consider.
  • Completion of the initial online application questionnaire and USA Hire Assessments, if required.
  • Completion of one-year probationary period.
  • May be covered by a bargaining unit.
  • May qualify for bonuses, incentives, and/or reimbursement of relocation expenses, in accordance with agency policy.
  • May require financial disclosure filing upon appointment and annually.
  • May require a pre-employment drug test and/or random drug testing during the period of employment.
  • Must be able to pass a background investigation and/or obtain and hold a security clearance, as determined by the hiring agency.
  • Must be a U.S. citizen or national.
  • Must provide resume and supporting documents (See Required Documents section below).
  • Must successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov.
  • Per Public Law 104-134, all Federal employees are required to have Federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
  • Promotion potential varies. May have promotion potential to higher grade levels.
  • Selective service registration is required, as applicable.
  • Travel and security clearance requirements vary.

 

Qualifications

 

This announcement will close at 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/20/2024, or 11:59 PM (ET) the day when 200 applications are received, which may be sooner than the closing date. Applicants must meet all eligibility and qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you meet the requirement for the grade level(s) to which you are applying.

You qualify for the GS-09 level if you possess one of the following:
Specialized Experience: Must have at least one full-time year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (or comparable level of experience from outside the Federal service) performing ALL of the following duties:

  1. Implementing basic principles, concepts, policies, practices and methods of personnel security administration;
  2. Gathering and coordinating records of evidence in support of personnel security and suitability actions and decisions; and
  3. Utilizing an automated system to obtain investigations and clearance information.

Your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement.
OR
Education: Successfully complete two (2) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree, or possess a master's degree, LL.B, or J.D., if related, from an accredited college or university in Criminal Justice, Homeland Security, Public Administration, Business or another closely related field which provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position. You must submit a copy of your college transcripts (official or unofficial).
OR
Combination: Possess less than one year of experience as described above and less than 2 years of education as described above. However, your combination of experience and education equals at least 100% of the total requirement. Only graduate-level education in excess of one year (generally 18 semester hours) may be used in this calculation. You must submit a copy of your college transcripts (official or unofficial), and your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet the experience.

You qualify for the GS-11 level if you possess one of the following:

Specialized Experience: Must have at least one full-time year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service (or comparable level of experience from outside the Federal service) performing ALL of the following duties:

  1. Reviewing a variety of position factors to determine the needed scope of an investigation;
  2. Performing preliminary investigations by checking records to make an initial determination of an individual's suitability, trustworthiness, or reliability; and
  3. Responding to inquiries regarding personnel security processes, status of background investigations, verification of clearance levels, or self-reported security information.

Your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement.
OR
Education: Successfully complete three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or possess a Ph.D. or LL.M., if related, from an accredited college or university in Criminal Justice, Homeland Security, Public Administration, Business or another closely related field which provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position. You must submit a copy of your college transcripts (official or unofficial).
OR
Combination: Possess less than one year of experience as described above and less than 3 years of education as described above. However, your combination of experience and education equals at least 100% of the total requirement. Only graduate-level education in excess of two years (generally 36 semester hours) may be used in this calculation. You must submit a copy of your college transcripts (official or unofficial), and your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet the experience.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).
A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.
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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Education

 

If you are claiming education as any part of your qualifications for this position, you must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Unofficial transcripts with the degree title, list of courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter or semester hours earned can be used as a substitute for the official transcripts at the time of application. If you are selected for a position, official transcripts will be required prior to entering on duty.

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications; applicants' resumes and supporting documentation should only reflect education received from schools accredited by such institutions. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program, or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. Failure to provide such documentation with your application will result in lost consideration. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

 

 

  • Agencies across the Federal government may participate in hiring applicants identified through this job cross-government posting.
  • Final duty station and pay will be determined by the hiring agency. Salaries listed in this announcement are an approximation and subject to duty station locality adjustment.
  • Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be available and will depend on the hiring agency.

Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations 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. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. To determine if you need a Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here.