PERSONNEL SECURITY SPECIALIST

Summary

This announcement is open to current or former federal employees and specific hiring authorities.

Duties

• As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service. This position provides support for policy development, procedures, promulgation and administrative oversight, thereby establishing how security risks, threats and vulnerabilities are managed by the Department. The work includes personnel security case review and analysis affecting approximately 1,000 USTP federal personnel situated in USTP regional and field offices throughout the United States, as well as private trustees throughout the United States. The duties and responsibilities for a Personnel Security Specialist generally include, but are not limited to, the following: Planning and implementing major aspects of an organization's personnel security program. Making decisions/recommendations and adopting new techniques that impact future and long-term personnel security requirements. Determining position sensitivity levels based on review and analysis of the position's duties, responsibilities, and required access to sensitive or classified information. Reviewing and processing security documents for completeness, consistency, and compliance with regulation and procedure. Evaluating applicant suitability, when appropriate, and provides approving officials recommendations based on analysis of available information in relation to suitability standards published by the Department, the Office of Personnel Management, or another appropriate agency. Providing applicants and employees advice and assistance to ensure submissions are complete and comply with applicable procedures and processing requirements. Providing recommendations and reports on a variety of security projects.

Qualifications

To qualify for the position of PERSONNEL SECURITY SPECIALIST, at GS-0080-12, you must meet the basic qualification requirements listed below. To Qualify for GS-0080-12, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector adjudicating complex personnel security clearances; directing and coordinating personnel security investigations of applicants and employees to ensure they meet security standards; or overseeing and determining compliance with personnel security procedures and requirements. You MUST meet all qualification requirements, including Time-in-Grade, by the closing date of this announcement, 09/10/2026. Your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire and the qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating. See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume. ***Please limit your resume to 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 5 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.***

Education

If you are using education to qualify for this position, or education is required: You must submit a transcript, which may be unofficial, as long as it contains a full listing of courses, credit earned, grade and grade-point-average, subject area, degree(s) earned, and dates of award. Your transcript must come from a nationally accredited educational institution recognized by the Department of Education. Please do not submit electronic transcripts with documentation security protection. These may prevent our application system from accepting and processing the document. If submitting a foreign transcript, you must have the transcript reviewed by an approved foreign education review organization recognized by the Department of Education. Your transcript must also be in English or have an English translation included. If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements, please see the statements below: Education must be reviewed and certified by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, in order for it to be creditable towards your qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. 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. For more information about this requirement, please visit the U.S. Department of Education website for Foreign Education Evaluation. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

How to apply

***Continued from "Required Documents" Section: If you are a displaced Federal employee claiming eligibility under CTAP or ICTAP: You must submit your separation notice or agency RIF letter from your agency OR if you have not yet been separated, you can provide the letter of intent to separate you from the agency because of reduction-in-force. Submit a copy of your most recent performance appraisal and SF-50 showing current/former position, grade, promotion potential, and duty location OR Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal. To apply for this position, you must complete the online application questionnaire and submit your supporting documentation. Your complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 09/10/2026 to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: To begin the application process, click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on 09/10/2026. After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you via email notification. The email may be routed to your "Spam" or "Junk" folder. If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. Click here for Computer System Requirements (https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=USA_Hire_System_Requirements) Note, set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can re-use the URL sent to you via email and also found on the Additional Application Information page that can be located in the application record in your USAJOBS account. Need Help? If you need help with USAJOBs or the application process, please see the USAJOBS Help or Application Manager Online Help websites which includes information on managing your account, creating an application, uploading documents, etc. Reasonable Accommodation: To request reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please contact Joel Schielie at [email protected] or 202-702-5700 for assistance.