Supervisory Personnel Security Specialist

Summary

The primary purpose of this Supervisory Personnel Security Specialist and is responsible for determining employment suitability/fitness and national security eligibility; supports the personnel security program; and assists others in all aspects of the work necessary to complete background investigations.

Duties

• This Supervisory Personnel Security Specialist position is located in the Chief Security Office (CSO), Security and Operations Management (SOM), Law Enforcement (LE), Transportation Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Duties include but are not limited to: Serves as an authority on the adjudication of personnel security cases and provides oversight for suitability/fitness and national security eligibility adjudications for all TSA employees and contractors. Also serves as technical authority for developing investigative plans for special inquiry investigations on current employees to resolve sensitive allegations of misconduct, or incidents that impact the proper protection and safety of people, property, and/or information. Directs security program functions to assure compliance with agency policies in security and establishes guidance for internal and external activities. Assigns case work and develops investigative approaches, ensures that investigations meet federal investigative standards and that security issues are identified and resolved. Maintains liaison with the Office of Investigations, Human Capital, Counterintelligence, Insider Threat, and Office of Chief Counsel; thereby ensuring collaboration/sharing of information with regards to processing PerSec adverse actions and ensuring legal sufficiency reviews while preparing clear, concise policies, regulations, supplements, messages, briefings, and oral presentations for all levels of the Division and for senior leadership and officials from within or outside TSA. Performs supervisory duties to include: coaching, mentoring, assignment and review of work, performance review, approval of leave and disciplinary action.

Qualifications

In addition to the minimum qualifications described above, you must meet the following specialized experience to be considered qualified for the position: To qualify for the SV-J Pay Band (equivalent to GS-14), you must have one year of specialized experience at the SV-I or GS-13 in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience is defined as at least two if the following: Understanding of policies, applicable legislation, statues, executive orders and other regulatory directives for suitability, fitness, and national security eligibility determinations Including E.O. 12968 and 5CFR 731, 732, and 1400 to provide oversight over personnel security program and to serve as advisor on complex adjudication decisions. Resolves highly complex personnel security concerns which often cross organizational boundaries and impact the accomplishment of TSA strategic objectives. Comprehensive experience in identifying the suitability, fitness, and national security eligibility due process, the legal impact on civil rights and the ability to write the documentation required to ensure agency compliance and complete the action. 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. 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 TOP SECRET security clearance. This position is subject to the supervisory probationary period, unless the incumbent has previously completed the probationary requirement. 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.

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. The vacancy questionnaire includes four short, free-response essay questions. This provides an opportunity for you to highlight your dedication to public service for the hiring manager and agency leadership (or designee(s)). While your responses are not required and will not be scored, we encourage you to thoughtfully address each question. Please provide a response of 200 words or less to each question. You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot. 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 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.