Personnel Security Specialist

Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is open to VA employees and career transitional eligible .

Major Duties:

• Responsible for the Department's nationwide adjudication of the minor and no-issue background investigation cases and fingerprint results involving VA employee Security Clearances, VA employee Public Trust positions and for all suitability investigations for VA Contractors. Within delegated authority, adjudicates security clearances and forwards recommendations for security clearance denials.
• Maintains associated personnel suitability records.
• Contacts subject(s) of investigation regarding inconclusive or derogatory information developed to resolve disputed information.
• Incumbent must have the judgement and ability to recognize sensitive, personal issues and to avoid unwarranted concern or emotional responses in eliciting required additional information. To accomplish the mitigation, incumbent must have the judgement and ability to recognize sensitive, personal issues and to avoid unwarranted concern or emotional responses in eliciting required additional information.
• Documents findings, makes security and suitability determinations, and formulates case disposition recommendations or varies actions, including approval of employment, denial of employment, or retention in sensitive public trust positions.
• Ensures that adjudicative reviews and determinations are accomplished in an accurate, thorough, appropriate, and efficient manner pursuant to the most statutes and regulations governing personnel security clearances and personnel suitability.
• Recommends or takes action on cases where the facts are not completely ascertained or where there is contradictory evidence that is incomplete or inconclusive.
• Maintains associated personnel suitability records for VA employees in Public Trust positions and all contractor personnel.
• Performs work concerned with physical protection of documents, automation equipment and facility to protect them against espionage, sabotage, damage and theft.
• Analyzes needs for security controls, recommends systems, method, and procedures to increase physical security of personal information.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents).
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/07/2026.
Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
For a GS09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS07.
For a GS11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS09.
For a GS12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS11.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to some former Federal employees applying for reinstatement, as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. See the Required Document section below for more information regarding the SF-50s needed to verify time-in-grade.

In order to qualify for the GS-9, you must meet the following: You must demonstrate in your resume at least one year (52 weeks) of qualifying specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level in the Federal government, obtained in either the private or public sector, to include:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-07) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Performing High Risk, moderate and low risk adjudications; Applying policy direction to specific operating requirements and developing guidance for applying personnel security and suitability policy, procedures, techniques, and methods; Interpreting policy and providing authoritative interpretations and guidance to management officials and other personnel security officers at the same and lower levels.

• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education as shown above. Applicants with Superior Academic Achievement on their Bachelor's Degree may use all graduate level education when combining education and experience to qualify for this position. NOTE: Both the Bachelor's and Graduate Degree Transcripts must be submitted with the application package. Otherwise, ONLY Graduate education in excess of the first full year may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9.

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-9) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience include: knowledge of personnel security and suitability to ensure Position Risk/Sensitivities by analyzing duties and relating them to established position sensitivity criteria; determining the appropriate position risk/sensitivity level designed by OPM's Position Designation Tool (PDT) and investigation required for the position; serving as a PIV coordinator; initiating, addressing questions, and reviewing information submitted in e-QIP.

• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or a LL.M, if related. Such education demonstrates the knowledges, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position.

• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond a masters or 2 full years of graduate level education. For example, an applicant has 9 months of specialized experience equivalent to GS-9 and 2 1/2 years of creditable graduate level education. The applicant meets 75 percent of the required experience and 50 percent of the required education, i.e., the applicant has 1/2 year of graduate study beyond that required for GS-9. Therefore, the applicant exceeds the total requirement and is qualified for the position. (The applicant's first 2 years of graduate study are not qualifying for GS-11.)

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-11) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience include: knowledge of personnel security and suitability to serve as an expert advisor in personnel and suitability issues; applying and interpreting personnel security and suitability policy; establishing personnel security and suitability policies and procedures; preparing removal cases and representing the agency before the Merit Systems Protections Board (MSPB) on pre and post-employment suitability issues.

• Customer Service
• Quality Management
• Personnel Security
• Security

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; religions; 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.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Physical Requirements: Work is primarily sedentary and requires no special physical demands. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

How you will be evaluated

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

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING 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 for this position:

• Accountability
• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

Area of Consideration: Eligible applicants will be reviewed and referred in the following order:

• All other current, permanent VA employees
• All other applicants (if status)

During the application process, you will have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional position

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• Other (1)
• PCS Orders
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Proof of Marriage Status
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

• Most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which for current employees, must be effective the first pay period (01/11/2026 or later) of the current calendar year. The SF-50 should note your current position or most recently held position, tenure, type of position occupied (i.e., Excepted or Competitive), grade level and duty location. (Text version SF-50s or Request for Personnel Action SF-52s are not acceptable.) Non-GS employees (including Federal Wage System and pay band employees) who do not receive annual pay adjustments in January, must submit a SF-50 dated within one year of the closing date of this announcement.

• Official SF-50 that shows you hold or held the grade (or a higher grade) for the position you are applying for, or
• Official SF-50/s that show you held the next lower grade for at least one year for the position you are applying for. (Multiple SF-50s may need to be submitted to show this.)

• Resume
• Agency Reduction in Force notice;
• Most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location
• Most recent performance appraisal (must be fully successful or above)

Next steps