Clarification from the agency

See Requirements section of this announcement for information on who may apply.

**Duties quoted at GS-11 level; If selected at the GS-07 or GS-09, candidate will have non-competitive promotion potential to the GS-11.**

The Security Specialist performs a variety of security tasks in the resilience and security programs.

• Represents OCSO as an expert source for personnel suitability information and program management to AOC jurisdiction.
• Conducts staff visits to provide on-site training/assistance for the AOC Personnel Suitability Screening and Full-Time Employee (FTE) / Contractor Badge Tracking Portal.
• Performs personnel suitability and controlled unclassified information security inspections of AOC jurisdictions, as required.
• Represents OCSO at a variety of external meetings to discuss personnel suitability matters, provides guidance or instruction and/or resolves discrepancies or issues.
• Responsible for the destruction of classified material for the AOC and briefs officials on their duties and responsibilities regarding such matters.
• Maintains records of classified material destroyed. In the absence of the designated Security Officer, accomplishes all tasks incident to the classification, downgrading, declassification, marking, physical protection and destruction of classified material generated in or furnished to the AOC.
• Serves as classified custodian for the receiving, controlling and destroying of all classified material up to and including Top Secret.

Applicants must follow all relevant safety rules, regulations and standard operating procedures; Also must utilize knowledge of and must comply with all OSHA safety rules and regulations to ensure that work progresses in a safe manner. Provides or receives training, either on-the-job or through classroom training, to ensure that all safety practices and equipment are fully utilized. Uses required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Performs other related duties as assigned.

** Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top-Secret security clearance.**

Conditions of employment

• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• You must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret Security clearance.
• Your resume and question responses must demonstrate the job-related KSAs.
• You must meet the definition of specialized experience.

“To be employed by the Architect of the Capitol in a paid position, an individual must meet
one of the categories below:

• A citizen of the United States;
• A person who is lawfully admitted for permanent residence and is seeking citizenship as outlined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)(B);
• A person who is admitted as a refugee under 8 U.S.C. 1157 or is granted asylum under 8 U.S.C. 1158 and has filed a declaration of intention to become a lawful permanent resident and then a citizen when eligible;
• A person who owes allegiance to the United States (nationals of American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Northern Mariana Islands, and nationals who meet other requirements described in 8 U.S.C. 1408); or
• A person who is currently an officer or employee of the Government of the United States.”

Qualifications

You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on the OPM web site at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications.

Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, an applicant's one full year of specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.

To qualify at the GS-07 level, your resume must clearly demonstrate that you have one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-05 level in the federal service. Examples of qualifying experience include the following types of tasks performed on a regular and recurring basis:

• Applying knowledge of security and resilience policies and procedures;
• Working with and protecting sensitive information about personnel; and
• Providing administrative support for a security office.

OR

A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and meet one of the requirements for Superior Academic Achievement based on one of the following:

1. Class Standing: you must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision; or
2. Grade-Point Average: You must have a GPA of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 as recorded on your transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.; OR
3. Honor Society Membership - You may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies.

OR

One (1) full academic year of graduate level education in a related field of study. 

OR

Combination of education and experience:  Have an equivalent combination of the above specialized experience AND higher level graduate education that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.

To qualify at the GS-09 level, your resume must clearly demonstrate that you have one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-07 level in the federal service. Examples of qualifying experience include the following types of tasks performed on a regular and recurring basis:

• Applying knowledge of security and resilience policies and procedures;
• Assisting with the coordination and planning or personnel or physical security risks and procedures within an organization;
• Reviewing sensitive personnel information and documents; and 
• Providing administrative support for a security office.

OR

A Master's degree from an accredited college or university or have least two (2) full academic years of graduate level education in a related field of study.

OR

Combination of education and experience:  Have an equivalent combination of the above specialized experience AND higher level graduate education that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.

To qualify at the GS-11 level, your resume must clearly demonstrate that you have one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-09 level in the federal service. Examples of qualifying experience include the following types of tasks performed on a regular and recurring basis:

• Detailed knowledge of wide range security and resilience policies and procedures;
• Assisting with identifying personnel security and classified information vulnerabilities; and 
• Coordinating the handling and safeguarding

OR

Have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or at least 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or an LL.M.

OR

Combination of education and experience:  Have an equivalent combination of the above specialized experience AND higher level graduate education that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.

How you will be evaluated

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

Review your resume and responses carefully. Your eligibility for consideration and qualifications for the position will be determined based upon a review of your detailed resume and your responses to job specific self-assessment questions. 

Your resume will be evaluated based on evidence of your ability to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) for this position, possession of any specialized experience, and how well your background and experience relates to the self-assessment questions in the job announcement. The self-assessment questions relate to the following knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies:

• Knowledge of security concepts, principles and practices to plan and implement security procedures for security programs within the organization.
• Ability to effectively write and orally communicate security information to various audiences, to include line staff and management.
• Ability to establish effective professional working relationships with coworkers, contributing to a cooperative working environment and successful accomplishment of the mission.
• Ability to interact with personnel at all levels of the Agency in all kinds of situations, to include processing very sensitive information about personnel.

Your responses to the self-assessment questions serve as the basis for your initial rating. You will receive a numerical score based on your responses to these questions.  Next, your responses will be evaluated by a Human Resources Specialist and/or a subject matter expert against the information provided in your resume and optional cover letter. Your resume must support your answers to the self-assessment questions. Falsifying your background, education and/or experience is cause for non-selection or disqualification from further consideration.

Please note that a complete application is required for consideration. (Please review the “Required Documents” section of this job announcement to see what must be included in a complete application).