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Senior Personnel Security Specialist

Department of Energy
National Nuclear Security Administration
Naval Reactors Headquarters

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-03 pay band is equivalent to the GS-13/14 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
Posted today · Apply by 07/09/26
Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 9, 2026
This job will close when we have received 75 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Location
2 vacancies in the following locations:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$109,810 - $187,093 per year

Washington, DC $121,785-$187,093; Schenectady, NY $109,810.00-$168,696.00; Pittsburgh, PA - $110,047.00-$169,060.00

Pay scale & grade
NQ 3
Promotion potential
None
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
Q Access Authorization
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
26-NA30-39-12982963-MP
Control number
874459800

Duties

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As a Senior Personnel Security Specialist, NQ-0080-03, you will:

  • Adjudicate personnel security cases of significant difficulty, involving sensitive issues such as sabotage, espionage, and mental disorders, particularly for individuals in high-level positions with access to critical national security programs.
  • Lead and execute quality assurance activities for Personnel Security functions, ensuring compliance with national-level guidance and establishing long- and short-range plans to maintain program consistency.
  • Analyze and evaluate personnel security operations and existing policies to recommend modifications that enhance security measures, while developing standard procedures applicable across Naval Reactors sites.
  • Approve and authorize medical evaluations, administrative reviews, and requests for additional information, thoroughly evaluating cases with substantial derogatory information to ensure informed adjudication.
  • Review, analyze, and assess existing or proposed security policies and objectives to determine impact on current Nuclear Reactors personnel security policies and operations in order to evaluate the impact on Nuclear Reactors personnel security operations and advise senior security program managers.
  • Serve as a staff analyst, developing and analyzing new or modified program policies and objectives, and creating management tools for self-assessments related to personnel security, thereby supporting department objectives.
  • Lead the Personnel Security training and development program by designing, coordinating, and overseeing training initiatives that support Personnel Security mission requirements.

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 NQ-02 (GS-12) in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as meeting ALL of the following:

  • Developing and reviewing personnel security policies and procedures to ensure compliance with regulatory standards;
  • Applying personnel security principles in conducting quality reviews, training, conduct of surveys and self-assessments for a personnel security program or related field;
  • Facilitating training sessions on personnel security protocols to enhance employee understanding and compliance; and
  • Serving as a mentor or trainer, guiding staff in personnel security, and promoting professional development within the team.


Please ensure that your resume does not exceed two (2) pages in length. If you submit more than two pages, only the first two will be reviewed to determine your eligibility and qualifications. Your full resume will be shared with the hiring manager if you are referred.

You can find the qualification standards for the announced position on the Office of Personnel Management website.

Administrative and Management Positions: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=GS-ADMIN

National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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.

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 (GS) position under a non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service at the, must meet "time-in-grade" requirements (have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade of the grade for which you are applying). Few exceptions are outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b). NOTE: Current or former GS federal civilian employees, applying for a position under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) must meet time-in-grade requirements.

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, and year (e.g. June 2007 to April 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)

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

Education

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 on the application questionnaire for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

The competencies for the Senior Personnel Security Specialist are:
  • Personnel Security
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Problem Solving
  • Technical Competence


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.

All qualified applicants, including Non-Competitive, Merit Promotion and Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) applicants, will be referred to the hiring office for consideration.

Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Program (I/CTAP) Eligibles: View information about I/CTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. In order to be considered under the I/CTAP program, your application must score within the pre-established "well qualified" category. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section.

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. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement. (Note: Veteran's preference does not apply under Merit Promotion procedures.)

The Department of Energy (DOE) encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR 213.3102(u), and or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps, VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DOE 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 a non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.

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' or 'not qualified'.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date (07/09/2026) of this announcement.

To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12982963.

National Nuclear Security Administration

Agency contact information

Rachel Rapp
Email
rachel.rapp@unnpp.gov
Address
Deputy Administrator for Naval Reactors
814 Pittsburgh-McKeesport Boulevard
West Mifflin, PA 15122
US

Visit our careers page

Learn more about what it's like to work at National Nuclear Security Administration, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

http://www.nnsa.energy.gov/ourmission/poweringnavy

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