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Security Specialist

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Headquarters, NASA
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Office of Protective Services, Personnel Security Division is seeking a dynamic individual to join our team. As a Security Specialist (Personnel Security), you will be responsible for reviewing and releasing background investigations to the Investigation Service Provider, processing reciprocity for fitness as well as fitness adjudications for the Agency. In addition, ensuring all requirements are met prior to the authorization of a PIV or Agency specific badge.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open date: 05/09/2023
Closed date: 05/15/2023
Location
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$98,496 - $158,432 per year

Salary range reflects the lowest and highest potential salaries of NASA locations. Actual salary range varies by selectee(s) location.

Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Promotion potential
13
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Drug test
Yes
Security clearance
Sensitive Compartmented Information
Position sensitivity and risk
Special-Sensitive (SS)/High Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Announcement number
HQ-23-IMP-11947654-MG
Control number
723360000

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Current NASA federal employee serving on a career, career-conditional, VRA, Schedule A for individuals with disabilities, or NASA term appointment that provides eligibility to convert to a permanent appointment.

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Duties

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  • Provide advice and support to leadership, to include Branch Chiefs and Director, regarding inquiries for case status and program issues.
  • Provide input on how to best resolve complex concerns regarding the processing and adjudication of PIV and fitness cases to leadership.
  • Prepare case summaries, recommendations at the conclusions of personnel investigative evaluations and prepares appropriate letters/correspondence for signature
  • Utilize and maintain various computer applications, personnel security systems and databases.
  • Review background investigations/documents to ensure all required information is provided and request missing information when needed. Ensure all required information is present in background investigations for the appropriate adjudicative decision.
  • Independently review background investigations and make decisions regarding suitability for federal employment, fitness for performance under contracts with the federal government, or eligibility for a security clearance.
  • Manage workflow to ensure timely processing of cases to ensure compliance with government performance and accountability requirements. Keep team lead or management abreast of recurring problems or systemic deficiencies.
  • Provide customer service, advice and expertise related to personnel security.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Current Federal employees must meet qualifications, time in grade, and 90 days after competitive appointment requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
  • Financial Disclosure, Drug Testing, and/or the Travel Requirements for this position may differ and be required based on the duty location/NASA Center requirements.
  • Duty location will be determined upon selection and will be at one of the locations listed on the announcement. Selectee(s) will be required to work onsite at the duty location selected.
  • Position subject to pre-employment background investigation or higher-level clearance. Investigation/Clearance may differ and be required based on the duties/location-NASA Center requirements.

Qualifications

Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular ability, skill, and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of this position and is typically in or related to this line of work.

To qualify for GS-13, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level:

  • preparing complete and grammatically accurate letters of advisement and letters of revocation for fitness determinations to address issues of concern;
  • processing centralized background checks and making suitability, fitness, and credentialing determinations;
  • interpreting adjudication guidance, policies, and regulations; and
  • preparing detailed written adjudicative analysis, citing applicable provisions of suitability, fitness, and credentialing guidance.
Your resume must include a clear and detailed narrative description, in your own words, of how you meet the required specialized experience. Experience statements copied from a position description, vacancy announcement or other reference material constitutes plagiarism and may result in disqualification and losing consideration for the job.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

Additional selections may be made for similar positions across NASA within the local commuting area(s) of the location(s) identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) within NASA. CTAP/ICTAP will be cleared for any additional selection from this announcement.

If you are a current federal employee, you must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible for this position. To be eligible, you must have completed a minimum of 52 weeks in a position no more than 1 grade lower than the advertised position. (Please submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. If your eligibility for both merit promotion and/or time-in-grade cannot be determined, your application will be rated ineligible.

Note: Time-in-grade requirements also apply to applicants who have held a non-temporary, competitive service GS position in the past year.

If you have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), you must:
- Indicate your eligibility when applying for a position. The questionnaire asks you to identify your ICTAP/CTAP eligibility.
- Be well qualified for this position to receive consideration. Candidates rated in the 'Best Qualified' category are considered well-qualified. Please see 'How You Will Be Evaluated' for more information.
- Submit proof that you meet the requirements for CTAP/ICTAP as indicated in 'Required Documents'

For additional information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, click here - https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/#ictap.

Qualified NASA term employees who have term conversion eligibility (Term Appointments | NASA) under the NASA Flexibility Act of 2004 will be referred and considered equally with other NASA permanent employees under internal competitive placement procedures.

Depending on position assignment, position may or may not be in a bargaining unit. To learn more about bargaining units at NASA please click here NASA Unions (Bargaining Units) | NASA.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated for this position based on how well you meet the qualifications and eligibility requirements listed in this vacancy announcement. To determine your qualifications and referral status, we may review your resume and supporting documentation and compare it against your responses to the vacancy questionnaire. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.

You will be assessed on the following competencies:

  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Oral Communication
  • Partnering
  • Writing
  • Personnel Security

NASA considers 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.

Under NASA's quality grouping process, applicants will be assessed on the position competencies and placed in one of three groups identified and defined below:
  • Best Qualified Group - Applicants who demonstrate a superior level of all evaluation criteria.
  • Highly Qualified Group - Applicants who demonstrate a satisfactory level of the evaluation criteria.
  • Qualified Group - Applicants who demonstrate the basic qualifications, with general knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Candidates eligible for ICTAP/CTAP, reemployment priority or priority consideration will be referred before other candidates, as necessary. If no such candidates apply or are eligible to be referred, the following candidates will be sent to the hiring official for employment consideration:
  • Best Qualified merit promotion candidates. Highly Qualified merit promotion candidates may also be referred, if additional candidates are needed.
  • Qualified candidates eligible for consideration under Schedule A or VRA in accordance with veterans' preference rules, as applicable.
  • Qualified candidates that are eligible for special hiring authorities or non-competitive hiring authorities.

Headquarters, NASA

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Explore the extraordinary, every day; explore a career at NASA!

Agency contact information

NASA Shared Services Contact Center
Phone
1-877-677-2123
Fax
1-866-779-6772
Email
nssc-contactcenter@mail.nasa.gov
Address
NASA Headquarters
300 E St SW
Washington, DC 20546
US

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Learn more about what it's like to work at Headquarters, NASA, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

https://www.nasa.gov/careers

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