Personnel Security Specialist

Full Job Description

This position is located in the Department of Health and Human Services, Immediate Office of the Secretary, headquartered in Washington, District of Columbia.

This announcement has an applicant limit of 50 and will close on the day that 50 applications have been received, at 11:59 PM.

Please read the "How You'll be Evaluated" section for specific details regarding the evaluation process for this job.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR Minimum Qualifications: You must have one year specialized experience to perform successfully the duties of the position.

To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service performing at least ALL of the following: 1.

Analyzing personnel security issues to evaluate an individual's suitability for federal employment, including identifying discrepancies and recommending determinations. 2.

Conducting in-depth security interviews and clarifying significant issues affecting investigative findings to ensure accurate adjudicative submissions. 3.

Developing or contributing to updates and improvements to security policies, procedures, or techniques in response to newly issued federal guidance. 4.

Interpreting and utilizing SEAD 7 to make reciprocity determinations involving complex or non-routine cases. 5.

Evaluating investigative and adjudicative information in the Clearance Verification System or comparable systems to identify trends, inconsistencies, or adjudicative implications. OR B.

Must have a PhD or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in any field of study, or LL.M., if related.

An academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent one academic year of full time study.

This determination is made based on normal course loads for a full year of study in the graduate program.

If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours will satisfy the one year of full-time study requirement. OR C.

Must have a combination of experience and education as described above.

To combine education and experience, determine the total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level.

Then determine the education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level. Finally, add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify.

Please note that only graduate education in excess of the first two years may be used in this calculation. Documenting experience: IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC.

WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Qualifications are based on breadth/level of experience.

In addition to describing duties performed, applicants must provide the exact dates of each period of employment (from MM/YY to MM/YY) and the number of hours worked per week if part time.

As qualification determinations cannot be made when resumes do not include the required information, failure to provide this information may result in disqualification.

Applicants are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to develop their federal resume.

Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational application questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

In accordance with Office of Personnel Management policy, federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description.

Experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable, however, when documented by satisfactory evidence, such as a signed memorandum from the employee's supervisor or an SF-50 or SF-52 documenting an official detail or other official assignment.

The documentation must indicate whether the duties were performed full time or, if part time, the "percentage of times" the other duties were performed.

It is expected that this documentation is included in the employee's official personnel record.

In order to receive credit for experience in your resume that is not within the official series and grade level of your official position, you must provide a copy of the appropriate documentation of such experience as indicated above.

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; community; student; social).

Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to gain employment.

You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

If such experience is on a part-time basis, you must provide the average number of hours worked per week as well as the beginning and ending dates of the experience so it can be fully credited.

OPM Qualification General Policies Website Major Duties:

WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING DAY TO DAY As a Personnel Security Specialist, you will use your knowledge of and experience with the Office of National Security (ONS) to optimize business results and customer experience by: Reviewing and analyzing personnel security information using electronic security databases and systems to determine background investigation status and adjudicative outcomes, and resolving discrepancies by assessing data from security applications and investigative reports.

Assisting in analyzing and determining acceptance of reciprocity investigations in accordance with applicable regulations and established standards, and interpreting and applying personnel security policy to routine reciprocity and suitability determinations.

Assisting in conducting security interviews and obtaining additional information to clarify derogatory, conflicting, or incomplete investigative data, and communicating orally and in writing with applicants and stakeholders to resolve investigative processing issues.

Creating and directing requests for background investigations by preparing, submitting, and tracking electronic investigative applications, and coordinating with investigative agencies to ensure timely processing and documentation completion.

Reviewing personnel security packets for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with security guidelines, and analyzing the totality of information to make recommendations regarding basic employment eligibility and access.