Transportation Security Specialist

Summary

Vetting Analysis Division (VAD) conducts vetting and pre-screening of transportation related credential holders and applicants, passengers, and cargo to identify and report potential terrorism-nexus and national security threats. National Transportation Vetting Center (NTVC) operates 24/7 across 3 locations to conduct comprehensive vetting, risk assessment, and analysis of passengers, credentialed transportation workers, and cargo-identifying and confirming high-risk individuals and shipments.

Duties

• This Transportation Security Specialist position is located in the NTVC East and West Branches, Technology & Systems, Vetting Operations, Vetting Analysis Division, Transportation Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Duties include but are not limited to: Interprets vetting match results produced by an automated vetting system using classified and unclassified databases and computer-aided tools. Conducts extensive research, including interpretation and evaluation, of complex multi-source data to determine whether an identity being vetted is a match to an identity on a terrorism-related watchlist. Conducts intelligence research using various open-source resources and using a computer user interface to produce analytically sound oral and written referral reports that describe the nature of significant valid matches to terrorism and national security watchlists. Prepares and distributes standard security reports to internal and external government agencies. These reports reference subjects that may be a match to security/terrorism databases. Provides guidance and assists in developing plans responsive to intelligence regarding emerging threats, makes inputs to project planning sessions, coordinates with airport stakeholders and partners in obtaining relevant information. Please note: The major duties described above reflect the full performance level of this position. Typically, the lower pay band (G band) performs the same duties but will receive more guidance and training, and the project or work assignments may be less complex. Ideal Candidate Statement: The ideal candidate would have experience utilizing Background Investigative Systems to evaluate and interpret data that may reveal possible terrorist and experience utilizing various criminal and intelligence databases to conduct research and verify vetting results.

Qualifications

In addition to the minimum qualifications described above, you must meet the following specialized experience and/or the education requirement to be considered qualified for the position: To qualify for the SV-G pay band (equivalent to the GS-5/7/9), you must meet one of the qualification requirements (A, B, OR C) outlined below: A. Education: 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university; OR B. Experience: 3 years of general experience, 1 year of which was equivalent to at least the SV-F or GS-4 grade level in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector performing duties such as: Analyzing problems to identify significant factors, gathering pertinent data, and recognizing solutions; and Planning and organizing work; and Communicating effectively orally and in writing. OR C. Combining of Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the grade level, and may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. This must be fully supported by your resume and transcripts, provided with your application. If you are attempting to qualify based on education, in whole or in part, you MUST submit a copy of your transcript(s) from an accredited college or university (for each school attended) to establish qualifications based upon education. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable at the time of application. Official transcripts may be required at a later date. Credit for experience is given based on a 40-hour workweek. Part-time experience is credited on a part-time ratio, i.e., working 20 hours per week for two months equals one month of experience. No additional credit is given for overtime. National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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. 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. You must meet the qualification requirements for this position no later than the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

Requirements

You must possess U.S. Citizenship or be a U.S. National. 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. This position is part of a 24/7/365 mission critical operational center and requires shift work including evenings, nights, weekends, and/or holidays as determined by operational needs.. You must be able to obtain and maintain a Top-Secret security clearance based on a Special Background Investigation (SBI) with eligibility for Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI). May require Temporary Duty (TDY) or business travel up to 25% of the time. This is a testing Designated position. Employee required to pass drug screening prior to appointment and periodically as required during employment. This position is Emergency Essential. 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 to apply

All of the following must be received in our office by 11:59 PM EST (Eastern Standard time) on the closing date of this announcement. If we do not receive all required information by the closing date, your application may not be considered. To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. Your application must include: Resume USAHire-Assessment Questionnaire for this position Applicable supporting documents (see Required Documents Section) To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Follow the prompts to select your résumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside about two (2) hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. Veterans and Persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the documentation that is required, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.