Security Assistant

Summary

Veterans Integrated Service Network 10 Human Resources Management Service (VISN 10 HRMS) is currently recruiting for multiple, full-time Personnel Security Assistant, GS-0086-5/6/7. The incumbents will be part of the network's medical center's Strategic Business Units (SBU) located in Cleveland, OH.

Duties

• Personnel Security, e-QIP, PIV, Use of Automated Integrated Systems (70%): The Personnel Security Assistant performs work related to the collection, organization and/or tracking of information in support of the Personnel Security Program. The Personnel Security Program includes the processes of initiating, reviewing, and approving background cases for release to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in compliance with policies relating to completion of suitability investigations for Federal employees and others requiring background investigations for non-sensitive and public trust positions. The work of this position centers on assisting the Personnel Security Specialist in collecting appropriate background information, tracking and reviewing data, completion of reports, maintaining databases and processing follow-up actions on various security related matters and assisting with suitability adjudications. The work of the Personnel Security Assistant has a direct impact on the accomplishment of national and local performance measures with regard to timeliness of actions and following are the major duties of this position: Review position risk sensitivity levels as full assistant to the Personnel Security Specialist. Assemble position descriptions and functional statements for the Personnel Security Specialist for review. Track electronically the level assigned and the appropriate background investigation needed. For pre-employment processes, serves as the initial point of contact for new appointees including but not limited to paid or without compensation employees, volunteers, students, residents, and contractors. Reviews information submitted by the requesting office to validate level of background required, enters appointee information into a local data base tracking system and refers appointee for fingerprinting. Initiates, reviews and releases appointees background investigations in the Office of Personnel Managements Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (e- QIP) system or in conjunction with the VA- Adjudication Center (VA-AC). Responsible for assisting in the execution of personnel security-related functions as they relate to VA Subjects in Veterans Affairs Centralized Adjudication and Background Investigation System (VA-CABS). Has basic knowledge of the application and training on using VA-CABS. Support the programming of PIV cards after being manufactured. Perform minor PIV troubleshooting of the PIV System during malfunctions and resolve system issues. Local Consultation, Performs Audits, Maintains Privacy of Information, Reviews technical regulations, policy, guidance (30%) In conjunction with the Personnel Security Specialist and/or lead/supervisor, presents training/briefings for supervisors, managers, and employees related to various aspects of the Personnel Security Program. Assures that paperwork related to the suitability process is forwarded for inclusion in the appropriate system of records, i.e., official personnel folders, records related to fee basis employees, contract personnel, volunteers, or without compensation employees. Maintains required files related to the suitability process in accordance with OPM/agency guidelines. Requests information from various law enforcement agencies and courts. Assures that the approving official is kept informed of these actions. Reviews applicant's data ensuring that the submitted information matches the demographic data and that all required information has been provided. Accepts/rejects applicants Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Compressed/Flexible: Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Security Assistant/PD99952S

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/21/2026. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: For the GS-05 Grade Level: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Performing clerical assistance tasks in support of established programs; general administrative and/or clerical tasks; maintaining reports and logs; researching applicable regulations. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 4 years of education beyond high school. This education must have equipped you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position at this grade level. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience. For the GS-06 Grade Level: You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically but are not limited to: Completing forms associated with administrative tasks; assisting with the completion of background investigations, reviews, or checks; Serve as the initial point of contact for new customers, employees, volunteers, students, and or residents. Regularly monitor the status of specific spending items and or tasks, compiling data to produce reports, following up to determine status and record results. Maintaining reports and logs; handling access requests for identification and/or access cards. For the GS-07 Grade Level: You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include: Use of automated systems for the issuance of access cards and/or identification cards; properly obtaining and entering required background information into automated systems; utilizing proper regulations for the security determination process; Provide a positive customer/security relationships through frequent customer/security support calls; performing audits of security programs; and providing consultative services to managers regarding security programs and regulations. Preferred Experience: Confirm applicants have customer service experience as well as experience with Microsoft office specifically Excel and Word. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online questionnaire and submission of the required documentation specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. To preview the application questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13055027. The application process is as follows: To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date, 09/21/2026. 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 at least 3 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. NOTE: 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: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to. 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. Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed. Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started. Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume: Prioritize most relevant and recent experience Use concise, results focused language Align language from the job announcement Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies Remove outdated or unrelated experience Use the USAJOBS resume builder Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit.