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Personnel Security Specialist

Department of Defense
Washington Headquarters Services
Security Enterprise Services Directorate, Personnel Vetting Operations Division

Summary

This position is located in the Personnel Vetting Operations Division (PVOD), Security Enterprise Services Directorate (SESD), Washington Headquarters Services (WHS). PVOD performs personnel vetting management and administration functions in direct support of the Office of the Secretary of War, Director of Administration and Management, WHS, and other clients.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
04/13/2026 to 04/20/2026
Salary
$70,623 - $133,142 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Alexandria, VA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel 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
Sensitive Compartmented Information
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Special-Sensitive (SS)/High Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
ST-12935024-26-KG
Control number
864969900

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Open to current Washington Headquarters Services (WHS) employees ONLY; and DoD PPP Military Spouse Preference applicants.

Duties

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As a Personnel Security Specialist, you will:

  • Lead and manage end-to-end personnel security clearance operations, implementing streamlined workflows to accelerate onboarding timelines while ensuring full compliance with DoD security protocols and federal investigative standards.

  • Serve as the primary liaison with external federal agencies (e.g., FBI, CIA, DCSA) to secure expedited reviews, negotiate "trust transfers" of existing clearances, and prioritize investigations for senior leaders and White House appointees.

  • Determine suitability and security eligibility for sensitive positions by analyzing background investigations, identifying and mitigating potential adverse findings, and issuing or withdrawing temporary security clearances based on a comprehensive risk assessment.

  • Administer due process by drafting and issuing detailed supporting rationales and official correspondence (such as Statements of Reason or Letters of Intent) to individuals, and provide guidance on responding to questions concerning derogatory information.

  • Function as a senior subject matter expert, advising organizational security managers and senior leadership on complex personnel security policies and procedures, and represent the organization in interagency working groups to resolve systemic issues.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/Home/Registration)
  • May be required to successfully complete a probationary/trial period
  • Must be determined suitable for federal employment
  • Required to participate in the direct deposit program
  • This position is subject to pre-employment and random drug testing
  • This position is subject to the DoD Priority Placement Program
  • This position requires you to obtain and maintain a Top-Secret security clearance with SCI and SAP components. A Special Background Investigation (SBI) is required with favorable adjudication by a determining authority
  • This position may require occasional overtime and occasional travel away from your normal duty station, up to 10%, for official business on military or commercial aircraft
  • Position requires the incumbent to obtain and maintain a Security Fundamental Professional Certification

Qualifications

Promotion Potential: If you are selected below the full performance level, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if performance is satisfactory, you successfully complete all requirements and are recommended by management. Promotion is not guaranteed, and no promise of promotion is implied.

In order to qualify for this position, you must meet the requirements described below.

You may qualify at the GS-09 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement:

One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (experience may have been gained in the private sector) that demonstrates your experience:

  1. Assisting in the processing of personnel security actions by inputting data into security systems; and
  2. Reviewing security forms for completeness, and 3) Preparing case files for review by a senior specialist.
OR
Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related.

OR
Combination of education and experience.

You may qualify at the GS-11 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement:

One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service (experience may have been gained in the private sector) that demonstrates your experience:
  1. Performing routine personnel security case management duties (such as reviewing completed background investigations to identify minor derogatory information and drafting initial case summaries or recommendations for a senior adjudicator); and
  2. Applying security regulations and procedures to process security clearance nominations.
OR
Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related.

OR
Combination of education and experience.

You may qualify at the GS-12 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement:

One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service (experience may have been gained in the private sector) that demonstrates your experience:
  1. Reviewing and evaluating completed security investigations to make preliminary determinations on suitability and security eligibility; and
  2. Providing guidance to security managers on established personnel security policies and procedures.

A combination of education and experience (GS-09 & GS-11 level): Equivalent combinations of education and experience may be used to meet the total qualification requirements. 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) by 18. Add the two percentages.

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.

All qualifications and education requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement and clearly documented in your resume. Your resume may not exceed two (2) pages. For qualifications determinations, it is recommended that applicants include their months and hours worked per week for each employment listed on their resume. If a determination is not able to be made about the duration of your creditable experience for qualification requirements, you will be removed from consideration.

Read more about what should I include in my federal resume at https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include

ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS: Federal agencies treat active duty service member as veterans, disabled veterans, and preference eligible, when they submit, as part of their application package, a "certification" of active service in lieu of a DD-214, indicating the service member is otherwise eligible and will be discharged or released within 120 days from the date of submission.. A "certification" letter should be on letterhead of the appropriate military branch of the service and contain (1) the military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; and (2) the character of service. This "certification" must include your rank, dates of active duty service, type of discharge and character of service (i.e. honorable), and date any terminal leave will begin. It must be signed by, or by direction of, the adjutant, personnel officer, or commander of your unit or higher headquarters. Active duty members that fail to provide a valid "certification" of service with their initial application will be found "not eligible". Members may be appointed before the effective date of their military retirement/separation if they are on terminal leave.

Current or Former Political Appointees: Agencies must seek prior approval from OPM before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level. If you are currently or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Human Resources Office.

Time-in-grade and education requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement and clearly documented in your resume.

Education

ARE YOU QUALIFYING BASED ON EDUCATION or A COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE AT THE GS-09 AND GS-11 LEVEL?
You must provide sufficient documentation of your education in your resume. You MUST provide a copy of official or unofficial transcripts or degrees in your application package. It may also be acceptable to document your applicable course listing in your resume (course number, credits earned, etc.). Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency. If selected, an official/sealed transcript will be required prior to appointment.

PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

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: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Additional information

Probationary Periods: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

  • your performance and conduct;
  • the needs and interests of the agency;
  • whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
  • whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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.

Reemployed Annuitants: Applicants in receipt of an annuity based on civilian employment in the Federal Service are subject to the DoD Policy on The Employment of Annuitants (DODI 1400.25, volume 300). http://www.esd.whs.mil/DD/DoD-Issuances/140025/

Nepotism: Under the provisions of 5 USC 3110, an individual may not be appointed into a position if the position is under the supervisory chain of command of a relative.

Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement.

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.

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position may requires an online USA Hire Competency Based Assessment. The USA Hire online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

Your eligibility and qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment(s) required for this position (if applicable). If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

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

The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

DOD PPP candidates using Application-Based Procedures:

Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible: Military Spouse Preference applicants, must be selected and placed at the highest grade level for which they have applied and been determined best qualified. You must include a completed copy of the Military Spouse PPP Self-Certification Checklist (DD-3145-4) dated within 30 days along with the documents identified on the checklist to verify your eligibility for Military Spouse Preference.

Washington Headquarters Services

The Washington Headquarters Services (WHS) is a world-class service organization, with a dynamic workforce and unwavering commitment to service excellence. WHS is the essential services provider for the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), Department of Defense (DoD) agencies, and offices in the National Capital Region.

Agency contact information

Washington HQ Services
Email
whs.job.application.assistance@mail.mil
Address
WHS Executive Services Directorate
Human Resources Directorate
4800 Mark Center Drive
Alexandria, VA 22350
US

Visit our careers page

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

https://www.whs.mil/

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