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Personnel Security Specialist

Department of Homeland Security
DHS Headquarters
Federal Protective Service (FPS)

Summary

This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Protective Service (FPS), Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), Personnel Security Division (PSD), Springfield, Virginia.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
03/06/2026 to 03/12/2026
This job will close when we have received 100 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$57,736 to - $91,815 per year

Salary is within the above range and will be based on grade level upon selection.

Pay scale & grade
GS 7 - 9
Location
4 vacancies in the following location:
Springfield, VA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel 1-5 nights per month for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
ST-12900076-26-AB
Control number
860053200

Duties

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The primary purpose of this position is to support personnel security programs to ensure all federal and contractor personnel have and maintain the appropriate background investigations for suitability, fitness and national security clearance and credentials. This work is in support of the agency's mission to prevent, protect, respond to, and recover from terrorism, criminal acts, and other hazards threatening the U.S. Government's critical infrastructure, services, and the people who provide or receive them.

Duties performed:

  • Reviewing and analyzing background investigation forms and applications, fingerprint results and law enforcement agency checks to ensure correctness and resolve conflicting information.
  • Performing database checks, document reviews, and data entry to gather and record investigation information.
  • Utilizing various automated systems to manage the processing of security clearances, including receipt of security documents, initiation of background investigations, and adjudication of investigation findings.
  • Reviewing routine security documents submitted by applicants, employees, and contractors and following up to request additional information as necessary.
  • Conducting day to day liaison with investigative agencies and customers regarding security clearance and/or investigative actions.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
  • You must successfully pass a background investigation. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.
  • Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov/).
  • Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required
  • One-year probationary period may be required.
  • Must meet Time-In-Grade requirements.
  • This position requires a negative pre-employment drug test prior to appointment into the position.
  • If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application.
  • DHS uses e-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States.
  • All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
  • License required: No
  • Pre-employment physical required: No
  • This is a non-bargaining unit position.
  • Permanent Change of Duty Station (PCS) Expenses will not be paid.
  • Promotion Potential: When promotion potential is shown, the agency is not making a commitment and is not obligated to provide future promotions to you if you are selected. Future promotions will be dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the continuing need for an employee assigned to the higher level, and administrative approval.
  • This position may be designated as essential personnel. Essential personnel must be able to serve during continuity of operation events without regard to declarations of unscheduled leave or government closures due to weather, protests, and acts of terrorism or lack of funding. Failure to report for or remain in this position may result in disciplinary or adverse action in accordance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations (5 U.S.C. ยง 7501-7533 and 5 CFR Part 752, as applicable).
  • Travel: The work may require up to 10% of travel promoting the personnel security program and attending meetings/conferences located throughout the United States.
  • The incumbent of this position is subject to random drug testing.

Qualifications

Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the Minimum Qualification/Specialized Experience requirements as noted below.

Minimum Qualifications:
GS-07: Applicant must demonstrate one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors) performing the following duties:

  1. Gathering and organizing information to develop reports and records to support investigations;
  2. Reviewing investigation documents and applications to initiate preliminary investigative actions, such as verifying completeness, requesting information, determining the type or level of investigation, performing database checks, etc.; and
  3. Performing administrative actions in support of investigations (e.g., updating databases, contacting relevant parties, sending requests for information, maintaining records, drafting summaries, etc.).
OR
Have successfully completed one full year (18 semester hours or equivalent) of graduate education from an accredited college or university in a field that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Note: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted to support your claim.
OR
Have successfully completed a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university AND meet Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) based on ONE of the following: 1) Class standing -- Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, based on completed courses. -OR- 2) Grade-point average (G.P.A.) -- Applicants must have a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) 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. (Grade-point averages are to be rounded to one decimal place. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9.) -OR- 3) Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society -- Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies. Membership in a freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this provision. Note: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted to support your claim.
OR
Have a combination of some specialized experience, but less than one year; and some graduate education but less than one year as described in the paragraphs above, that when combined, equals at least 100% of the total requirement.


Minimum Qualifications:
GS-09: Applicant must demonstrate one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors) performing the following duties:
  1. Examining background investigation information to identify discrepancies or derogatory information for further review;
  2. Reviewing submitted documents, databases, and other investigative resources to support the processing of investigations; and
  3. Liaising with internal and/or external parties (e.g., senior adjudication specialists, supervisors, customers, other agencies, subjects of investigations, etc.) to facilitate the completion of investigations and rendering of decisions.
OR
Have successfully completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree; or two (2) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree; or L.L.B or J.D., if related, that provided the knowledge skills, and abilities necessary to perform this work. Note: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted to support your claim.
OR
Have a combination of specialized experience (less than one year) and graduate education (beyond one year of graduate education), that when combined equals 100% of the qualification requirement. Note: Only graduate education in excess of one year (generally 18 semester hours) may be used in this calculation. You must submit a copy of your college transcripts (official or unofficial) and your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet the experience to support your claim. NOTE: Your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement, otherwise you will be found ineligible. Only two page resumes will be accepted and used to make an eligibility/qualifications determination.

Time-in-Grade Requirements: Under competitive merit promotion procedures, any individual who is currently holding, or who has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under a non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet "time-in-grade" requirements (have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade of the grade for which you are applying). Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to current competitive service employees applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. NOTE: All current or former Federal employees must provide a copy of their SF-50 (you may need to submit more than one), "Notice of Personnel Action" that indicates proof of status and time-in-grade eligibility. The SF-50 must include your position, title, series, grade, step, tenure (1 or 2), and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). You may need to submit more than one SF-50 to comply.

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Qualification claims will be subject to verification.

NOTE: 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.

Education

If you are claiming education as any part of your qualifications for this position, you must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that 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. Failure to provide such documentation with your application will result in lost consideration. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

Note: DHS continues to take necessary steps to keep our workforce safe amid the COVID-19 pandemic. If you receive a final job offer to onboard, please complete the onboarding forms and submit them electronically in an expeditious manner. Your start date may be delayed if the action above is not completed.

Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of its mission, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requires each and every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully complete a background investigation for a Top-Secret clearance as a condition of placement in this Critical-Sensitive position. This review includes financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.

Pursuant to Executive Order 12654 and DHS policy, DHS is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace and, therefore, conducts random and other drug testing of its employees in order to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. Headquarters personnel in safety- or security-sensitive positions are subject to random drug testing and all applicants tentatively selected for employment at DHS Headquarters are subject to drug testing resulting in a negative test result.

Current or Former Political Appointees: 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.

Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP/CTAP): This program applies to Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed, or employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet eligibility criteria for CTAP or ICTAP; 2) be rated well-qualified for the position; and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. Well-Qualified includes those applicants whose knowledge, skills, and abilities clearly exceed the minimum qualification requirements for the position. For information on eligibility criteria and required documentation, go to: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp

Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov/).

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.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents) and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Accountability
  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork


Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

For Competitive Merit Promotion and Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) Applicants: The highest rated candidates will be referred to the hiring agency.

For Noncompetitive Appointment Eligibles: All qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring agency.

To preview the assessment questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12900076

Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA): To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, the veteran must 1) be a preference eligible; or 2) be a veteran separated after 3 or more years of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions (you must submit a DD214-member copy 4).

Veterans, Peace Corps/VISTA volunteers, 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 required documentation, click on the links above.

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