Personnel Security Specialist

Duties
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• Responsible for assessing, evaluating, and reviewing background investigation documentation and information for contract workforce to determine reciprocity, interim eligibility, acceptable risk, and Line of Sight Supervision (LOSS).
• Maintain and update all Personnel Security systems.
• Apply Federal Law, Department of Defense (DoD) and agency regulations to determine the type of investigations; along with the impact of breaks in service for eligibility determinations.
• Evaluate the authenticity, veracity, and pertinence of the data to the case at hand and requests additional investigations, requests interrogatories, or develops other information if needed.
• Conducts day-to-day liaison with investigative and counterintelligence agencies of the DoD and other government agencies in performance of official duties.

Requirements
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Conditions of employment

• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Requirement.
• Proof of U.S. Citizenship required.
• Direct deposit of pay is required.
• One year trial or probationary period may be required.
• Appointment subject to a suitability/fitness determination, as determined by a background investigation.
• This position is designated Critical Sensitive (Top Secret) and requires a Tier 5 investigation favorably adjudicated.
• This position is a Testing Designated position subject to applicant testing and random drug testing. You will be required to sign a DA Form 5019 requiring participation in random drug urinalysis testing.
• May be required to submit to screening for illegal drug use prior to appointment and are subject to random testing thereafter. Appointment to this position may be contingent upon a negative drug test result

Qualifications

Who May Apply: U.S. Citizens

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application.

Specialized Experience GS-11: One year of specialized experience which includes demonstrating end-to-end ownership of case management and adjudication. This experience should include: adjudicating Tier 1 investigations with extra child care coverage while applying stringent suitability and fitness criteria for roles involving contact with children; processing Tier 2 (Moderate Risk Public Trust) and Tier 3 (Confidential) investigations and evaluating records against federal suitability, fitness, and security standards; and applying risk-management principles, such as Line of Sight Supervision (LOSS) protocols, by skillfully isolating derogatory information requiring escalation or further investigation across all case types. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09).
OR
Education GS-11: Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position.
OR
Combination of Education and Experience for GS-11: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages.

Specialized Experience GS-12: One year of specialized experience which includes focusing on the case management and initial adjudication of background investigations for personnel in childcare, public trust, and national security positions. This experience should include: managing the intake, initial review, and final adjudication of a diverse caseload including Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 investigations, culminating in the independent resolution of complex cases with significant derogatory and mitigating information. This experience should also include analyzing adverse information to make risk-based decisions on interim eligibility and Line of Sight Supervision (LOSS) and serving as an authoritative resource for complex questions on national security, public trust suitability, and the stringent standards governing childcare background investigations. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-11).

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show 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 further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Additional information

• Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
• Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
• Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
• Management may select at any of the grade levels announced. This recruitment provides promotion opportunity to the target grade of the position without further competition when selectee is eligible and recommended by management. Duties described reflect the full performance GS-12 level. If not selected at the full performance level, duties will be performed in a developmental capacity under close supervision.
• This position is not covered by a bargaining unit.
• If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet. I've added the blurb to the announcement templates and attached the information sheet link
• You may claim Military Spouse preference.
• This position is a TERM not to exceed three years, with provisions to extend up to eight years with provisions to be made permanent without further competition. To be eligible for conversion to a permanent career-conditional or career appointment, you must have:
  • completed at least 2 years of current continuous service under a term appointment in the competitive service
  • demonstrate successful job performance.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests : If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA 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, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire