Personnel Security Specialist Job in Glynco, GA

Vacancy No. FLETC-DD-25-12769411 Department Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers
Salary $61,111.00 to $115,213.00 Grade 9 to 12
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 7/24/2025 Close Date 7/30/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Glynco, GA


Summary

"The Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC), through strategic partnerships, prepares the federal law enforcement community to safeguard America's people, property, and institutions." We are a unique inter-agency organization preparing the next generation of law enforcement officers to meet our Nation's most pressing security challenges." Click here to learn more.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Current DHS employees serving under a career or career-conditional appointment in the competitive service. You must submit an SF-50 that shows you currently work for DHS.

Duties

Serving as a Personnel Security Specialist GS-0080-9/11/12 makes you a valuable member of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) team and mission. This position is within the Personnel Security Branch (PER), Deputy Chief Security Officer (DCSO), Chief
Security Office (CSO) under the Deputy Director's (DD) Office and located in Glynco, Georgia.

Typical duties include:

  • Performing pre-appointment vetting and post appointment adjudication reviews to determine suitability or fitness for employment for federal and contractor employees.
  • Conducting first level reviews of public trust and national security background investigations.
  • Reviewing and evaluating the questionnaire for public trust positions (SF85/SF85P) and the questionnaires for national security positions (SF86) for completeness and accuracy; and requesting information to clarify questionable or discrepant entries.
  • Reviewing, and evaluating pre-appointment packages on Federal and contractor candidates and making suitability/fitness determinations on clean cases; and making recommendations on cases with derogatory information.
  • Conducting additional Personal Identification Verification (PIV)/Suitability, Security Clearance, and Suitability Investigation checks.
  • Documenting all personnel suitability adjudicative determinations or recommendations in the relevant automated information systems.
  • Ensuring the Central Verification Systems (CVS) accurately reflects the suitability adjudicative determination.
  • Supporting the development and implementation of enterprise-wide Personnel Security Programs performance measures and conducting analyses on the results to develop better methods and policies.
  • Supporting CSO/DCSO/PER requirements in communicating with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other Federal, state, and local organizations that either impact or are affected by the FLETC's CSO Programs.
View common definitions of terms found in this announcement: Common Definitions.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • You will need to set up direct deposit so we can pay you.
  • Current and former federal employees within the General Schedule (GS) must meet the time-in-grade requirements outlined in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement.
  • This is a non-bargaining unit position.
  • Must possess and maintain a valid state issued driver's license to conduct official government business.
  • This position is eligible for telework based on agency policy.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top-Secret (3N – Critical Sensitive, High Risk) security clearance.
  • Occasional travel may be required.
  • Required to undergo initial and random drug testing for illegal drug use. Employment is contingent upon favorable results.

Qualifications

Please limit your resume to 5 pages. If more than 5 pages are submitted, only the first 5 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications. Please visit www.fletc.gov/site-page/employment-faqs website for further guidance regarding this page limit.

This vacancy is only open to current DHS employees serving under a career or career-conditional appointment in the competitive service. You must submit an SF-50 that shows you currently work for DHS.

Specialized Experience:

The qualification requirements listed below must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

You qualify for the GS-09 grade level if you possess one of the following:

One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the federal service making recommendations for pre-appointment determinations utilizing personnel security suitability/fitness factors, security guidelines, and additional considerations or reviewing reports of investigations and other data to make preliminary determinations; OR2. Successful completion of a 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., if directly to the work of the position to be filled; OR3. An equivalent combination of specialized experience and graduate level education. Only graduate education beyond the first 18 semester hours will be combined with the specialized experience.

If qualifying for this position based on education, you must submit college transcripts; copies are acceptable.

Time-in-Grade: Current and former GS federal employees must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07 grade level in the federal service. The time-in-grade requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

You qualify for the GS-11 grade level if you possess one of the following:

One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the federal service evaluating the performance measurements of programs and collecting data for reporting purposes; OR 2. Successful completion of a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if directly to the work of the position to be filled; OR3. An equivalent combination of graduate education and specialized experience. Only graduate education in excess of the first 36 semester hours may be combined with the specialized experience.

If qualifying for this position based on education, you must submit college transcripts; copies are acceptable.

Time-in-Grade: Current and former GS federal employees must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 grade level in the federal service. The time-in-grade requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

You qualify for the GS-12 grade level if you possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the federal service, performing a full range of personnel security work in one or more of the following functional areas: investigations and reinvestigations for contractors and employees; suitability and clearance evaluations and adjudications; research, analysis and assessment of personnel security administrative and investigative issues; industrial security program administration; and customer-facing automated systems program administration.

Time-in-Grade: Current and former GS federal employees must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11 grade level in the federal service. The time-in-grade requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

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

Note: Current or former Federal employees MUST submit a copy of their SF-50 Form which shows competitive service appointment ("position occupied" block 34 on the SF-50 should show a "1"), tenure group (block 24 should show a 1 or 2), grade, and salary. If you are applying for a higher grade, please provide the SF-50 Form which shows the length of time you have been in your current/highest grade (examples of appropriate SF-50s include promotions, With-in Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s dated a year apart within the same grade/job). If you have promotion potential in your current position, please provide proof. IF YOU DO NOT SUBMIT ALL OF THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION, YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE CONSIDERATION AS A STATUS CANDIDATE.

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.

Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the Department of Homeland Security, you are not CTAP eligible. View information about CTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To be considered well qualified under CTAP, you must be rated at a minimum score of 85 for this position. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement.

Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, the FLETC requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully pass a background investigation for Top Secret as a condition of placement in this position. This review may include 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.

Work Environment: Work is normally performed in an office setting where no unusual safety precautions are required. However, during emergencies and natural disasters, working conditions may be austere. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, cooled, and ventilated. Position may; however, spend time in government, private, or on public transportation.

Physical Demands: The work is primarily sedentary. Some work may require walking and standing in conjunction with travel and attendance at meetings and conferences away from the work site. Driving a vehicle may be required. Trips to other elements within the organization are routine and trips to other government agencies or contractor sites may be required. Intense concentration and performance of duties at maximum capability are required to meet deadlines. No special or out of the ordinary physical effort is required.

Education

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications; applicant's resumes and supporting documentation should only reflect education received from schools accredited by such institutions. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following Website: https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home

You must submit a copy of your college transcript (unofficial is acceptable) from an accredited institution listing the college/university, degree confirmation date(s) and applicable courses for the position you are applying to.

If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency (a U.S. private organization's interpretation that such education has been deemed at least equivalent to conventional U.S. education programs) with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For more information regarding evaluation of foreign education for federal employment, please visit the U.S. Department of Education webpage on the Recognition of Foreign Qualifications.

Additional information

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) is not authorized.

This position may be filled at the GS-09, GS-11 or GS-12 level. If selection is made at the GS-09 or GS-11 level, promotion to the GS-12 level may occur without further competition.

The Department of Homeland Security 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 DHS 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 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.

Pursuant to Executive Order 12564 and FLETC policy, FLETC is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace and, therefore, conducts random and other drug testing of its employees in order to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. FLETC personnel in safety- or security-sensitive positions are subject to random drug testing and all applicants tentatively selected for employment at FLETC are subject to drug testing resulting in a negative test result.

Re-employed annuitants' annual salaries will be reduced by the amount of their retirement annuity and by further cost of living increases. FERS retirees receiving a FERS annuity supplement must also be aware that, like social security benefits, their FERS annuity supplement is subject to an earnings test and may be reduced if the salary earned is more than the social security exempt amount of earnings. Additional information is available on OPM's website or by contacting OPM.

If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration of Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment.

This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies during the next 90 days. This could result in a few or many vacancies being filled from this announcement.

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Homeland Security and its Components from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to fletc-jobinfo@fletc.dhs.gov.

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.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Please limit your resume to 5 pages. If more than 5 pages are submitted, only the first 5 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.

We will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the minimum qualification requirements. If met, we will use multiple assessments to determine the degree to which your experience, education, and training demonstrate the following competencies needed to perform this job:

Security and Technical Competence

The first assessment will consist of skilled-based questions designed to evaluate the degree to which you possess the skills needed to perform the duties of the positions being filled. These questions are scored, and you must score at least 85 out of 100 points in order to be evaluated in the second assessment.

The second assessment will be a SME Structured Resume Review. Applicants who score a minimum of 85% on the assessment questionnaire will be evaluated to further assess an applicant's technical proficiency as it relates to the position. More information will be provided to applicants as they progress through the application process.

Preview the job questionnaire https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12769411

If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have overstated your qualifications and/or experience, you may be removed from consideration or your score may be lowered.

Due weight will be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards in merit promotion selection decisions in accordance with 5 CFR 335.103(b)(3).

Required Documents

  1. Your resume (click the link for information on what to include). If you are a current or former Federal employee, your resume must indicate the GS or pay band level for each position held. Please limit your resume to 5 pages. If more than 5 pages are submitted, only the first 5 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.
  2. Your responses to the job questionnaire https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12769411
  3. Are you qualifying based on education? Submit a copy of your college transcript (unofficial is acceptable) from an accredited institution listing the college/university, degree confirmation date(s) and applicable courses. Once selected and prior to appointment, applicants must provide an official college transcript. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet Federal qualification requirements if you can show that your foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States. For example, specific courses accepted for college-level credit by an accredited U.S. college or university, or foreign education evaluated by an organization recognized for accreditation by the Department of Education as education equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. college or university. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence with your application. See Recognition of Foreign Qualifications for more information.
  4. Are you current Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employee? Submit a copy of your most recent SF-50 showing your current grade and tenure; An SF-50 showing highest (permanent) grade ever held, if different from your current grade. Please note: Performance award, Details, and Realignments are not acceptable SF-50s. If you are applying for a higher grade, please provide an SF-50 or SF-50s which show the length of time in the current/highest grade (examples of appropriate SF50s include promotions, With-in Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s dated one year apart within the same grade/job) to support meeting time-in-grade requirements.
  5. Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the DHS Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP)? Submit the following:
    • A copy of your agency notice,
    • A copy of your most recent performance rating, and
    • A copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, noting your current position, grade level, and duty location.
  6. You may be asked to provide a copy of your recent performance appraisal and/or incentive awards.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

To begin your online application, click "Apply Online" to create a USAJOBS account and follow the prompts or log in to your existing account. Your application packet must include a completed assessment questionnaire, a resume, and any applicable and or required supporting documentation. Please see the "Required Documents" section for additional information. All application materials, including transcripts, must be in English.

We strongly encourage you to apply online. If you cannot apply online, you may contact the individual listed in the "Agency Contact Information" section of this job opportunity announcement between the hours of 7:30AM and 4:30PM ET (excluding Federal holidays) prior to the closing date of this announcement to receive assistance. When e-mailing, please include the vacancy announcement number in the subject line.

Applications and supporting documentation will not be accepted by mail or email. The address below is for inquiries only. Y You must submit your resume, your online questionnaire, and any supporting documents by 11:59 PM eastern standard time on the date the announcement closes.

It is your responsibility to verify that any information entered or uploaded is received and is accurate. Human Resources will not modify or change any part of your application. Determining your eligibility and qualifications is dependent on the supporting documentation and information provided, which may impact your referral for further consideration. If a document is not legible, you will not be able to view it in your application.

To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

Applicants must submit all required documentation to properly qualify for this position.

Agency contact information

Melva Mottu

Next steps

Once you submit your application, we will assess your experience and training, identify the best-qualified applicants, and refer those applications to the hiring manager for further consideration and interviews. We will notify you by email after each of these steps has been completed. Your status will also be updated on USAJOBS throughout the process. To check your status, log on to your USAJOBS account, click on "Application Status," and then click "More Information." We expect to make a job offer with 60 after the deadline for applications. If you are selected, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation. View more information on applying for federal employment.

Note: If you receive a final job offer to onboard, please complete the onboarding forms and submit them electronically in an expeditious manner. Your start date may be delayed if the action above is not completed.

DHS uses E-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more aboutE-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.

Any Offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Personnel Management guidance and U.S. Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.

Multiple selections may be made from this announcement.

Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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