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Personnel Security Specialist

Department of Homeland Security
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR)

Summary

Organizational Location: These positions are located in the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), in Farmers Branch, Texas.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Posted yesterday · Apply by 06/22/26
Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on June 22, 2026
This job will close when we have received 250 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Location
Many vacancies in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—situational, as determined by the agency policy.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$67,100 - $105,547 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 11
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
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
Yes
Security clearance
Secret
Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
OPM-ICE-12984132-MP-DR
Control number
872938200

Duties

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As a Personnel Security Specialist, at the full performance level, you will perform the following duties:

  • Adjudicate credentialing, fitness, suitability, and national security eligibility of individuals for entry and retention in sensitive, non-sensitive, and/or public trust positions.
  • Serve as a technical authority in making credentialing, fitness/suitability, and national security eligibility decisions.
  • Train and provide guidance to entry-level personnel and others.
  • Evaluate requests for personnel security investigations and security clearances on applicants, employees and contractors.
  • Ensure that the appropriate processing and record keeping related to personnel security cases/investigations is followed.

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.
  • Selective Service: 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 USA Hire Assessment, if required.
  • One-year probationary period may be required.
  • Must meet Time-In-Grade requirements.
  • A pre-employment drug test will be required.
  • 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.
  • Incentives may be authorized; however, this is contingent upon funds availability.
  • Bargaining Unit Position: No
  • Requirements by Closing Date: Unless otherwise noted, you must meet all requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications for GS-09:
Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service that included at least 3 or more of the following:

  1. Reviewing documents for accuracy and completeness.
  2. Obtaining missing information required for paperwork completion.
  3. Verifying previous background investigations of applicants or other personnel.
  4. Responding to requests for personnel security information or assistance.
  5. Researching personnel security guidelines, polices, and procedures.
OR
Education:
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. in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position.
OR
Combination of Education and Experience: 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%.

Minimum Qualifications for GS-11:
Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service that included at least 3 or more of the following:
  1. Reviewing personnel security questionnaires or documents for completeness and accuracy.
  2. Initiating contact with personnel to resolve information discrepancies.
  3. Compiling summaries of issues that impact credentialing, fitness, suitability, or security eligibility determinations.
  4. Assisting in the evaluation and recommendation of suitability and security determinations.
OR
Education:
Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M. in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position.
OR
Combination of Education and Experience: 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%.

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 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).

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Qualification claims will be subject to verification. Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

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.

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.

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

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.

Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet these standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully obtain and maintain a background investigation for Secret Clearance as a condition of placement into this position. This may include a credit check, a review of 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.

Applicant Cap Cutoff -This announcement will close automatically on 06/22/2026, or when the first 250 applications are received, whichever occurs first. If the application cap is reached on the opening day, the announcement will close at 11:59 PM Eastern Time on that day. All applications submitted on the day the cap is reached will be accepted.

Pursuant to Executive Order 12564, and the DHS Drug-Free Workplace Plan, ICE is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace and, therefore, personnel in safety- or security-sensitive positions (testing designated positions) are subject to random drug testing. Moreover, other drug testing of employees (e.g., reasonable suspicion drug test) may be conducted in order to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. All applicants tentatively selected for employment at ICE are subject to pre-employment drug testing and a final offer of employment is contingent upon a negative drug test result.

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.
(https://appsupport.usastaffing.gov/hc/en-us/sections/28980686389652-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information)

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), your responses on the application questionnaire, 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



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.

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

In accordance with the Executive Order 14170 issued Jan. 20, 2025, and the CHCO Memorandum Merit Hiring Plan issued May 29, 2025, this application includes four short answer narrative response questions. Responses of no more than 200 words should be submitted as part of the application questionnaire in a text box provided for each. (Additional instructions are included on the application.)

Consideration will be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards as an indicator of quality of prior experience; no points will be assigned.

Interviews may be required for this position. Failure to complete the interview may result in removal from further consideration.

To preview the assessment questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12984132

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.

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).

Career Transition Assistance Program: 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

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is calling on those who want to help protect American interests and secure our Nation. DHS components work collectively to prevent terrorism; secure borders and our transportation systems; protect the President and other dignitaries; enforce and administer immigration laws, safeguard cyberspace; and ensure resilience to disasters. We achieve these vital missions through a diverse workforce spanning hundreds of occupations. Make an impact; join DHS.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the principal investigative arm of DHS and the second largest investigative agency in the Federal government. Created in 2003 through a merger of the investigative and interior enforcement elements of the U.S. Customs Service and the Immigration and Naturalization Service, ICE now has more than 20,000 employees in more than 400 offices in the United States and 46 foreign countries around the world. ICE is a key component of the DHS layered defense approach to protecting our nation. For additional information about ICE and career opportunities go to www.ice.gov.

View Common Definitions of terms found in this announcement.

Agency contact information

STAFF ACQUISITION (ASB)
Email
SAG-Mailbox@OPM.GOV
Address
PERSONNEL SECURITY
8222 N Beltline Rd
Irving, TX 75063
US

Visit our careers page

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

https://www.ice.gov/

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