Personnel Security Specialist

Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for DC

Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for DC - Agency Wide

Office of Security

Summary

This position is located in the Office of Security at the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA). The Agency is responsible for creating and maintaining coherent and effective programs that increase public safety, prevent crime, reduce recidivism, and support the fair administration of justice. The Office of Security is responsible for ensuring that all personnel have obtained a favorable background investigation and other effective security programs are implemented at CSOSA.

This job is open to

Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of the hiring agency that posted the job announcement.

Clarification from the agency

Status Candidates (Merit Promotion Eligibles): Applications will be accepted from current agency employees.

Duties

Conduct and adjudicate personnel security investigations by reviewing background checks, analyzing investigative reports, and determining the suitability or eligibility of applicants, employees, and contractors for employment or access to sensitive information.

Implement personnel security policies and procedures, including initiating investigations, reviewing clearance requests, conducting subject interviews, and preparing case summaries on derogatory information for senior management review.

Administer identity verification processes, including fingerprinting, identity-proofing, and enrolling individuals in the agency's credentialing and Personal Identity Verification (PIV) systems.

Issue and manage PIV credentials and coordinate with the General Services Administration (GSA) and agency officials to ensure proper credential activation, data migration, and access control integration.

Monitor reinvestigation requirements, track investigation status, and ensure compliance with federal and agency personnel security standards, including National Agency Checks and other investigative requirements.

Maintain personnel security records, verify prior investigations, and ensure accurate, complete, and timely documentation is submitted to OPM and other investigative partners.

Collaborate with law enforcement agencies, federal partners, and interagency working groups to resolve security issues, clarify investigative information, and support national security or suitability determinations.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service , if applicable.
Background security investigation, drug test, and favorable adjudication.
May be required to successfully complete a one year probationary period (unless already completed.)
Time-in-grade requirements must be met within 30 calendar day of the closing date of this announcement.
This is not a virtual or remote position; you must live within or be willing to relocate within a commutable distance of the duty location which is Washington D.C. (District of Columbia).
Bargaining Unit Status: Not Eligible

Qualifications

Time-in-Grade: Current or former federal employees who have held a GS position in the preceding 52 weeks, must meet the time in grade requirement. Applicant must have served 52 weeks as a GS-11 or higher grade in Federal Service. Your most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action," showing your competitive service status and the highest grade or promotion potential held must be submitted to verify time-in-grade eligibility.

You may qualify at the GS-12 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement:

Applicants must have specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as conducting or supporting personnel security investigations; reviewing and adjudicating background checks and investigative reports to determine suitability or eligibility for employment or access to sensitive information; implementing personnel security policies and procedures, including fingerprinting, identity verification, and issuing PIV credentials; analyzing conflicting or insufficient security information and recommending additional investigative steps; and maintaining personnel security records while coordinating with law enforcement, OPM, and other stakeholders to resolve security issues.

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

Education is not substitutable for specialized experience at this grade level.

Additional information

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)

If you are an eligible Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) applicant, you may apply for special selection over other applicants for this position. Individuals who have special priority selection rights under the CTAP or ICTAP must be well qualified for the position. To be well qualified, applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and meet the mid-level (scoring between 85 and 89) of the rating criteria for all factors or the established cutoff score. CTAP/ICTAP eligibles must submit one of the following as proof of eligibility for the special selection priority: a separation notice; a "Notice of Personnel Action" (SF-50) documenting separation; an agency certification that you cannot be placed after injury compensation has been terminated; an OPM notification that your disability annuity has been terminated; OR a Military Department or National Guard Bureau notification that you are retired under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456. Additional information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is at: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

This vacancy announcement may be used to fill future vacancies for identical positions within the next year.

Relocation expenses are not authorized.

Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement and before placement in the position.

CSOSA is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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.

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.

Your application will be evaluated according to the extent and quality of experience, education, and training. If you meet the basic qualification requirements, your resume, online questionnaire and the documentation you submitted to support your responses will be evaluated against the knowledge, skills, and abilities and the result of the additional assessments required for this position. The assessments measure the critical competencies that are required to successfully perform the job. This evaluation determines which candidates will be referred to the selecting official for consideration.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

Accountability
Attention to Detail
Communications Security Management
Customer Service
Decision Making
Flexibility
Influencing/Negotiating
Integrity/Honesty
Interpersonal Skills
Learning
Oral Communication
Reading Comprehension
Reasoning
Self-Management
Stress Tolerance
Teamwork
Technical Competence

The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

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.

Required Documents

You must submit a complete Application Package which includes:
1. Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (this is completed automatically during the apply online process).
2. Your resume showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed.
3. Other supporting documents:
- Cover Letter, optional
- College transcript(s), if qualifying based on education
- Most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" showing you are/were in the competitive service and the highest grade or promotion potential held (if applying as a status candidate with current or former Federal Service)
- DD-214, SF-15 Form and VA letter, or certification of expected discharge or release from active duty from Veterans for consideration under Veteran hiring authorities. https://www.usajobs.gov/Veterans.
- Noncompetitive appointment authority documentation, if applicable
- Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program Documentation, if applicable (e.g. Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.)

Note: Failure to submit all applicable required documents will result in an incomplete application package and removal from further review.

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

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:

Click the Apply Online button.
Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice.
Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.
Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
Set aside about two (2) hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link.
Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused.

Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us.

To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.

Agency contact information

Kiran Dasti

Phone: 202 220-5765
Email: kiran.dasti@csosa.gov

Address: CSOSA
800 North Capitol Street NW Suite 700
Washington DC, DC 20002
US

Next steps

Based on your application and your responses to the application questionnaire, you may be presented with instructions on how to access the USA Hire system to complete the online assessments. The online assessments must be completed within 48 hours following the close of this announcement. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation for the assessment should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.

Your assessment results will be kept on record for one year and used toward future positions for which you might apply that require the same assessments.

To be considered for the position, you must meet all qualifications, including meeting or exceeding the cut score on the required assessments.

Personnel Security Specialist Job in Washington, DC