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Personnel Security Specialist

Executive Office of the President
Office of Administration
Office of the Chief Security Officer/Personnel Security Division

Summary

This position is located within the Executive Office of the President (EOP), Office of Administration (OA), Office of the Chief Security Officer (OCSO), Personnel Security Division (PSD). The incumbent serves as a Personnel Security Specialist, performing duties associated with the analysis of personnel security information to make suitability, eligibility, and adjudication recommendations or determinations.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Location
Few vacancies in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$57,736 - $91,815 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7 - 9
Promotion potential
11
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Not required
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
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.
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
EOP-OA-13039209-26-DLH-DE
Control number
882234000

Duties

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As a Personnel Security Specialist, GS-0080-7/9, your typical work assignments may include the following under supervision:

  • Serves as the operational expert to ensure Executive Office of the President (EOP) candidates and current EOP employees meet national standards for security, suitability, and credentialing for employment, retention of employment, and/or eligibility for physical and logical access to facilities and systems and classified national security information.
  • Makes initial determination as to scope of investigation required, considering such factors as sensitivity level of position, background information on individual, criteria for governing various classes of security clearances, etc.
  • Performs a preliminary investigation by making a local check of military and civilian records and makes an initial determination recommendation of individual's suitability, trustworthiness or reliability, to include analysis of credible derogatory information.
  • Processes of initiating, reviewing, and approving background cases for release to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in compliance with policies relating to completion of suitability investigations for Federal employees and others requiring background investigations.
  • Coordinates with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other agencies, to obtain completed investigations. In cases of compelling need, prepares package and makes an interim security clearance based on the review and analysis resulting from checks of available records after ensuring that an appropriate investigation packet has been initiated.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. citizen or national
  • Selective Service registration if a male born after December 31, 1959
  • Subject to pre-employment and random drug tests
  • Direct Deposit is required
  • RELOCATION EXPENSES WILL NOT BE PAID
  • Suitability for Federal employment
  • May be required to successfully complete a probationary period
  • Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.
  • This is a Drug Testing Designated Position (DTDP) and is covered by the Executive Office of the President Drug-Free Workplace Program.
  • More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: All applicants must meet the qualification requirements outlined below to be considered minimally qualified for this position. The qualification requirements are in accordance with the OPM Qualification Standards. ALL QUALIFICATIONS MUST BE MET BY THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must have a minimum of one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility comparable to the next lower grade or comparable pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector.

ALL QUALIFICATIONS MUST BE MET BY THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.

You may qualify at the GS-07 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement:

A. One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector that demonstrates: 1-Working with the basic principles, concepts, policies and methods of personnel security administration; and 2) Accessing automated systems to obtain investigations and clearance information. OR


B. Completion of a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree in a field of study that demonstrates the competencies required by this position with either (1) a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 based on a 4.0 scale; (2) a 3.5 GPA based on a 4.0 scale for all required courses completed in a qualifying major field of study at either the time of application or during the last two years of your undergraduate curriculum; (3) class standing of upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or a major subdivision of the college; or, (4) membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society certified by the Association of College Honor Societies, excluding freshman honor societies; OR


C. A combination of graduate level education and specialized experience. (Combinations of successfully completed education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements as specified above. May be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify.)

EDUCATION SUBSTITUTE: Education must demonstrate the applicant obtained the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university.

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

A. One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector that demonstrates: 1). Using automated filing system to track, maintain, and update or control secure and private information. 2) Gathering and coordinating records of evidence in support of proposed personnel security and suitability actions and decisions; and; 3) Submitting disposition requests to the appropriate court, law enforcement agency, or other source in order to obtain clarification or additional information regarding cases.

OR

B. A master's or equivalent graduate degree in an accredited or pre-accredited college or university; or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or possession of a LL.B. or J.D degree, if related. Graduate level education must demonstrate the competencies necessary to do the work of the position.

OR

C. A combination of graduate level education and specialized experience. (Combinations of successfully completed education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements as specified above. May be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify.)


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

ARE YOU USING YOUR EDUCATION TO QUALIFY? You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.

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

Additional information

Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA): To be eligible for a VEOA appointment under Merit Promotion procedures, you must be a preference eligible or a Veteran separated after 3 years or more of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions.

Active Duty Military Members MAY apply under this announcement due to the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act. You must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions along with your application for Federal employment. A certification is a document from the armed forces that certifies the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days from the date of application. If selected, appointment eligibility requirements must be met prior to the effective date of appointment.

Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/RegVer/wfRegistration.aspx).

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Programs & Career Transition Assistance Programs: These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above; and, (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp. For more information about ICTAP eligibility please review the following link: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/ictap/

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy Statement: http://www.eeoc.gov/federal/index.cfm

Employment Information Resources - Resource Center: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Main_Page

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternative Application.

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.

In order to qualify for this position, your resume must provide sufficient experience and/or education, knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are being considered. Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific when describing your experience.

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):

Security, Teamwork, and Technical Competence

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.

Category Rating Procedures: If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be placed in one of the following categories:

  1. Best-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate high proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all Selective Placement Factors (SPF) and appropriate Quality Ranking Factors (QRF) as determined by the job analysis.
  2. Well-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrates acceptable proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all SPFs and appropriate QRFs as determined by the job analysis.
  3. Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate basic proficiency in most of the critical competencies, including all SPFs and appropriate QRFs as determined by the job analysis.

Veterans: Qualified veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% are listed in the best-qualified category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level, or higher. This position is not considered scientific/professional. Other 10-point preference eligible and veterans with 5-point preference who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements are placed above non-preference eligible within the category in which they qualify. View information on www.fedshirevets.gov.If you are determined qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview.

Assessment Process:
Structured Resume Review (SRR)
Pass/Fail: Subject matter experts (SMEs) will evaluate your resume to assess your technical qualifications for the position, focusing specifically on the required specialized experience. They will only consider the first two pages of your resume, beginning with your work experience, and will not review any additional materials such as cover letters or links included in your resume. Candidates who successfully pass this structured resume review will advance to the next stage of the assessment process.

To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13039209

Office of Administration

Begin a challenging and exciting career with the Executive Office of the President (EOP) providing support to the President of the United States. The EOP is comprised of The White House Office, Executive Residence, Office of the Vice President, Office of the United States Trade Representatives, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Office of the National Cyber Director, Office of the National Drug Control Policy, Office of Management and Budget, Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, Office of Administration, National Security Council, Council on Environmental Quality, President's Intelligence Advisory Board, United States DOGE Service, and Council of Economic Advisers. The EOP has responsibility for tasks ranging from communicating the President's message to the American people to promoting our trade interests abroad.

Agency contact information

Client Services EOP - OA
Email
EOPJOBS@OA.EOP.GOV
Address
Office of Administration
725 17th Street
Washington, DC 20503
US

Visit our careers page

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

https://www.whitehouse.gov/eop/

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