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Personnel Security Specialist

Department of Energy
National Nuclear Security Administration
Naval Reactors

Summary

This position is part of the Deputy Administrator for Naval Reactors, Department of Energy.


National Nuclear Security Administration Demonstration Project:
This position is covered by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Demonstration Project. The NQ-02 pay band is equivalent to the GS-09 to GS-12 grade levels. For more information on the NNSA Demonstration Project and Pay Band/Salary Tables, review. http://www.energy.gov/nnsa/nnsas-demo-pay-system-compared-general-schedule,

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
02/04/2026 to 02/12/2026
Salary
$70,623 to - $133,142 per year
Pay scale & grade
NQ 2
Location
2 vacancies in the following location:
Washington, DC
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position, on average, 2-4 time per year.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—A relocation or recruitment incentive may be authorized for highly qualified candidates, and dependent upon availability of funding.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Q Access Authorization
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
26-NA30-06-12877231-MP
Control number
856407300

Duties

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As a Personnel Security Specialist, you will:

  • Evaluate cases, make determinations as to whether information is clear or if derogatory information exists.
  • Obtain and evaluate personnel security information through written correspondence and making recommendations for further action.
  • Grant access authorizations in cases involving no or non-substantially derogatory information.
  • Thoroughly evaluate cases involving substantially derogatory information.
  • Obtain evaluations from expert consultants and develop recommendations for supervisor concurrence.
  • Develop Administrative Review actions and correspondence, achieve senior staff concurrences, distribute, and support subsequent actions through conclusion.
  • Ensure compliance with regulations and policies, recognize areas of noncompliance and take appropriate corrective action.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen.
  • This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service. See www.sss.gov.
  • You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final DOE Q level security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
  • Successful completion of a pre-employment drug test (including marijuana) is required. A tentative offer of employment may be rescinded if you fail to report to the drug test appointment or pass the test. You will be subject to random testing.
  • A one year probationary period may be required. Employees serving on probationary period may be terminated at any time during the probationary for performance, conduct, or business-related reasons in the interest of Federal service.
  • Probationary periods are required for new employees appointed to competitive service positions for the first time.
  • Reinstated employees who returned to Federal service after a break in service of 30-days or more and who have not completed a probation will be required to complete a new probationary period.
  • Compliance with Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD-12) governing personal identity which will require that you provide two forms of identification.
  • Your answers to the essay questions will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration.
  • This position does not support 100% remote work. You will be required to report physically to the official reporting worksite as specified in this announcement. Situational telework may be approved.
  • This position is a Testing Designated Position (TDP) subject to applicant testing and random drug testing. Failure to test or a positive result on random drug tests conducted after appointment may result in removal from Federal employment.
  • Hiring incentives may be authorized for a highly qualified candidate based on budget availability and in accordance with federal regulations.
  • Resumes may not exceed two pages. Please see additional information in the "How to Apply" and "Required Documents" section of the job announcement.

Qualifications

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-7) in the Federal service.

Specialized experience for this position is defined as meeting the following:

Demonstrated knowledge of personnel clearance policies and procedures, personnel security interviewing techniques and practices sufficient to grant various types of clearances or make sound recommendations when questionable or derogatory information exists.

OR
  • Master's degree or equivalent graduate degree in a related field. (OR)
  • 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a related field. (OR)
  • LL.B. or J.D., if related. (OR)
  • A combination of education and specialized experience. (Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at the GS-9 level.)

Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website: IOR: Professional and Scientific Positions: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=GS-PROF

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (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.

Limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages. If more than two pages are submitted, only the first two pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility and qualifications. Your full resume will be made available to the hiring manager if you are referred.

Time-in-Grade: Current career or career-conditional GS employees of the Federal government, or former career or career-conditional GS employees, who have a break in service of less than one year, are required to meet the time-in-grade restriction of one year of Federal experience at the next lower grade, with few exceptions outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b). Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to current career or career-conditional federal employees applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

Please ensure EACH work history includes ALL of the following information:

  • Job Title (include series and grade if Federal Job)
  • Duties (be specific in describing your duties, we cannot make assumptions regarding your experience)
  • Employer's name and address
  • Supervisor name and phone number
  • Start and end dates including month, day and year (e.g. June 18 2007 to April 05 2008)
  • Start and end dates for each grade/pay level if you've held a federal position.
  • Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)
  • Salary

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: There is no educational individual occupational (IOR) requirement for this position. If you are substituting education for experience, Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, and you MUST provide supporting documentation (transcripts).

For this position, Education may be substituted for experience as follows:
  • Master's degree or equivalent graduate degree in a related field. (OR)
  • 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a related field. (OR)
  • LL.B. or J.D., if related. (OR)
  • A combination of education and specialized experience. (Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at the GS-9 level.)

Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website.

Additional information

  • This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across DOE.
  • As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.
  • In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to the four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answers to these questions are not scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration.
  • If you believe that you are eligible for the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), please visit the OPM ICTAP/CTAP website for more information. In order to be considered under the ICTAP program, your application must score within the pre-established "well qualified" category as stated in the Qualifications section.
  • Employees or applicants may request Reasonable Accommodation (RA) for assistance, when applying or competing for a job or performing a job due to their medical condition or to exercise their religious beliefs. If you need reasonable accommodation in the application or selection process, please contact the Staffing Specialist listed on this vacancy announcement.
  • The Fair Chance Act prohibits specific inquiries concerning an applicant's criminal or credit background unless the hiring agency has made a conditional offer of employment to the applicant. An applicant may submit a complaint to the agency within 30 calendar days of the date of alleged noncompliance by completing the Fair Chance Act Intake Form and submitting it to the Administrative Investigations Program at AdministrativeInvestigations@hq.doe.gov.
EEO Policy: Click HERE.
Reasonable Accommodation Policy: Click HERE.
Veterans Information: Click HERE.
Selective Service Registration: Click HERE.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the application process is complete, the first two pages of your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications.

Structured Resume Review: After it has been determined that you meet the minimum qualifications, Subject matter experts (SMEs) will review the first two pages of your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required competencies. Additional documentation (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume) may not be considered. Once the announcement closes, we will conduct a review of your application package to verify your eligibility and qualifications. If you are found qualified, your application will move forward to additional phases of the review process.


The competencies for the Personnel Security Specialist are:
  • Attention to Detail
  • Communication
  • Personnel Security
  • Problem Solving


All qualified applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.

Career Transition Assistance Programs: To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet the eligibility criteria; and 2) be rated "well-qualified".

If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses you provided in your online questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified'.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date (02/12/2026) of this announcement.

Shared Certificates: The Department of Energy shares lists of applicants among its internal Departmental Elements and organizations. You may be referred for consideration to other DOE Hiring Managers throughout the Department for more than one position based on this application. By applying to this announcement, you understand your application materials may be shared with multiple Hiring Mangers throughout DOE. If additional positions are filled from this announcement conditions of employment may differ. You will be notified if you are referred for additional positions.

To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12877231.

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