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Personnel Security Specialist (Senior Adjudicator)

Department of Defense
Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency
Personnel Vetting Directorate (PVD)

Summary

This position is looking for a dynamic Personnel Security Specialists to review, evaluate, and resolve routine adjudicative actions. This role requires a change agent with the ability to analyze investigation results and make recommendations to grant, deny, or revoke a security clearance.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Posted today · Apply by 07/08/26
Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 8, 2026
This job will close when we have received 100 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$106,437 - $172,980 per year
Pay scale & grade
GG 13
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Intermittent
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Term - NTE 1 Year; May Be Extended
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Excepted Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
Yes
Security clearance
Top Secret
Position sensitivity and risk
Special-Sensitive (SS)/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
DCSA-26-12995391-P
Control number
874712700

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to: All U.S. Citizens; Reemployed Annuitants; Retained Grade Preference (RGP) eligibles, and Military Reserve and National Guard Technician eligibles may also apply.

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Duties

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**THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL/REMOTE POSITION, YOU MUST RESIDE LOCALLY OR BE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE TO WORK AT A LOCAL DCSA FIELD OFFICE.**

This is a Term position NTE one year, one day; The position may be extended up to an additional three years, and may become permanent without further competition. Per DoDI 1400.25-V2005, term appointments terminate automatically upon the expiration date unless approval has been granted for an extension or the employee resigns or is separated at an earlier date. These appointments may be terminated at any time by the DoD Component.

As a Personnel Security Specialist (Senior Adjudicator) you will be responsible for the following duties:

- Performing in-depth analysis and evaluation of Personnel Security Investigations, security files and other information containing serious derogatory or extremely sensitive information impacting on initial or continuing clearance and access eligibility

- Reviewing, approving and signing all divisional Statement of Reasons, intended to deny or revoke an individual's security clearance eligibility.

- Reviewing responses to Statements of Reasons and rendering adjudicative determinations on an individual's security clearance eligibility.

- Approve requests for additional investigation and responds to unusual and/or complex issues raised by Commanding Officers, Special Security Officers, Security Managers and/or individuals affected by the agency actions.

- Review complex adjudicative decisions made by a large number of certified developmental and senior specialists whose sole purpose is to make security clearance eligibility and Suitability and Fitness determinations.

- Ensure sound interpretation and application of Personnel Security Program policy and procedures Responsible for favorable determinations of non-sensitive adjudications by established policy and law.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a US citizen
  • Selective Service Requirement: Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service. For more information http://www.sss.gov
  • Resume and supporting documents received by 11:59PM EST will be considered
  • This is a Drug Testing designated position
  • Position is a (DCIPS) position in the Excepted Service under U.S.C. 1601
  • Work Schedule: Intermittent; up to 80 hours a pay period.
  • Overtime: Occasionally
  • Tour of Duty: Flexible
  • PCS (Permanent Change of Station): Not Authorized
  • Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Exempt
  • Financial Disclosure: Not Required
  • Telework Eligibility: Supervisors may approve situational telework on a case-by-case, temporary basis for limited situations.
  • If selected, the incumbent must obtain and maintain appropriate security clearance as indicated in job announcement.

Qualifications

The experience described in your resume will be evaluated and screened from the Office of Personnel Management's (OPMs) basic qualifications requirements. See: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0000/security-administration-series-0080/ for OPM qualification standards, competencies and specialized experience needed to perform the duties of the position as described in the MAJOR DUTIES and QUALIFICATIONS sections of this announcement by 07/08/2026.

Applicant must have directly applicable experience that demonstrates the possession of the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies necessary for immediate success in the position. Qualifying experience may have been acquired in any public or private sector job, but will clearly demonstrate past experience in the application of the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to successfully perform the duties of the position.

You must have specialized experience sufficient to demonstrate that you have acquired all the competencies necessary to perform at a level equivalent in difficulty, responsibility, and complexity to the next lower grade GS/GG-12 in the Federal service and are prepared to take on greater responsibility.
Generally, this would include one year or more of such specialized experience.

Specialized experience for this position includes:

  • Experience performing in-depth analysis and evaluation of Personnel Security Investigations, security files and other information containing serious derogatory or extremely sensitive information impacting on initial or continuing clearance and access eligibility; Drafting Statement of Reasons (SORs), Letter of Denials (LODs) and Letter of Revocations (LORs) for the purpose of denying or revoking an individual's security eligibility and/or assignment to sensitive and non-sensitive duties on DoD personnel (military and civilian) as well as contractor personnel affiliated with DoD who are in need of, eligible for, or currently maintain Secret, Top-Secret clearance and/or SCI access;
  • Providing advice, guidance, and direction on a wide range or security, counter-intelligence, adjudications, and administrative issues;
  • Providing a second level review on cases with significant derogatory information, approving/disapproving, and signing Letters of Intent to Deny or Revoke security clearances and/or assignment to sensitive and non-sensitive duties;
  • Analyzing responses to Letters of Intent to Deny or Revoke Security Clearance and render adjudicative determination if the response mitigates the security concern or if the response does not mitigate the security concern;
  • Preparing Letter of Denial or Letter of Revocation of Security Clearance;
  • Evaluating reports by analyzing facts and performing appropriate research and preparing detailed responses.

Specifically you will be evaluated on the following competencies:
1.Experience in Personnel Security Adjudication

2.Analytical experience in reviewing various sources of information and making a security clearance determination

3.Coaching/Mentoring of junior personnel in Personnel Security Functions and Regulations

4.Demonstrated skill in preparing Letters of Intent to Deny/Revoke Security Clearance and preparing Letters of Denial/Revocation of Security Clearance

5. Demonstrated skill in written and oral communication

Education

Substitution of education may not be used in lieu of specialized experience for this grade level.

Additional information

VETERANS PREFERENCE/CURRENT OR FORMER FEDERAL
In accordance with DoD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 2005, veterans preference is not required to be applied when considering candidates with prior Federal competitive or excepted service who have completed a probationary or trial period and have not been separated for cause. Therefore, veterans preference will not be applied to applicants with current federal service, or former federal civilian service meeting the above criteria.

Re-employed Annuitant: This position does meet criteria for re-employed annuitant. The DoD criteria for hiring Re-employed Annuitants can be found at: https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/140025/1400.25-V300.pdf

Applicants selected from this announcement may be required to serve a two-year trial period.

If selected, Federal employees currently serving in the competitive service must acknowledge that they will voluntarily leave the competitive service by accepting an offer of employment for a DCIPS excepted service positions.

If selected, non-DCIPS candidates must acknowledge in writing that the position they have been selected for is in the excepted service and covered by DCIPS.

All Defense Intelligence positions under the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) are in the excepted service by specific statue, 10 U.S.C. 1601. This position is in the excepted service and does not confer competitive status.

For more information on the DCIPS occupational structure click here.

For more information about career advancement in DCIPS click here.


This position is subject to an initial drug screening, and random testing thereafter. A negative drug test result must be received by HR within 30 calendar days after the EOD (i.e., start date). The selectee's inability successfully pass; or refusal to conduct the test may result in: 1) the tentative or FJO being withdrawn during the recruitment process; or 2) subsequently being removed from Federal service for failure to meet a condition of employment.
You may be required to sign a "Drug Test Statement of Understanding" if you are selected for this position.

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 the responses you provide on the application questionnaire.

EXCEPTED SERVICE PILOT REVIEW: Once the application process is complete, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. All applicants who meet the basic qualification requirements will be forwarded to the Selecting Official for consideration.

You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

Top ranked candidates will be referred to the selecting official for further review and consideration.

A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified'.

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

All eligibility and qualifications requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency

Mission Statement
The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) is a separate Agency of the Department of Defense (DoD) under the direction, authority, and control of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security (USD (I&S). The mission of the DCSA is as follows:

- Deliver efficient and effective background investigations, adjudications and continuous vetting to safeguard the integrity and trustworthiness of an agile federal and contractor workforce, and preserve military readiness and warfighting capabilities
- Identify and neutralize foreign intelligence threats to the USG's trusted workforce and critical technologies
- Develop and articulate holistic threat picture of risk posed by foreign intelligence entities and hostile insiders, enabling the USG to strengthen our security posture, continuously protect against the evolving threat, and enable action agencies to more effectively counter adversaries
- Contribute meaningful analysis to the Intelligence Community (IC)-Manage the National Industrial Security Program (NISP) on behalf of the Secretary of Defense by clearing industrial facilities, personnel, and associated IT systems
- Identify and defeat threats presented to critical technologies and through the supply chain
- Provide education, training, research, and security awareness to DoD, other federal government organizations, and industry
- Execute enterprise management responsibilities for DoD Security and Insider Threat Programs.

Agency contact information

DCSA Servicing Team
Phone
614-693-4444
Email
DHRS-DDCSA@dla.mil
Address
Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency
27130 Telegraph Road
Quantico, VA 22134
US

Visit our careers page

Learn more about what it's like to work at Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

http://www.dcsa.mil

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