To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:
- Specialized Experience GS-05: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: receiving and compiling information from various sources relating to police and emergency incidents; taking appropriate action regarding fire alarms, intrusion, duress and hold-up alarms; operating a variety of communications equipment, such as computers, alarm processors, radio consoles, SSTV system, remote controllers, card access, time lapse video tape recorders and related peripherals; compiling and preparing reports relating to events occurring in the operation of a police operations office; monitoring security surveillance cameras and detects criminal activity in progress, suspicious behavior patterns, observes suspects, and known offenders; serving as a pseudo information desk, as visitors, patients, and employees frequently stop by the highly visible office to ask general questions about the facility.
OR,
- Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed 4 years of education above high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. (This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school.)
TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED IF YOU ARE USING EDUCATION TO QUALIFY OR,
- Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education such as: education that is less than described above, and specialized experience that is less than described above. (For GS-5 level positions, only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience.
TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED IF YOU ARE USING EDUCATION TO QUALIFY
Applicants for This Position Must be Able to Pass Certain Background Requirements as Outlined Below
Security Assistants need to be eligible to gain access to, and maintain access to, the Pennsylvania Justice Network and connected systems (CLEAN/NCIC). Users of these system may not have Significant Convictions, which are defined as:
- Conviction or under indictment for any felony
- Conviction for any misdemeanor 1 (M1) or equivalently graded crimes code classification
- Conviction and incarceration for any misdemeanors within last ten years
- Conviction for any two misdemeanors within the last ten years
- Conviction for any computer related crime, tampering with public records, or unlawful access to stored communications
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: The work is primarily sedentary in nature in an office environment. Most duties can be accomplished from a sitting position. The mental stress is much more demanding than the physical stress because of the split decisions that must be made as a police or fire alarm activates, telephones ringing, and radio communication requesting instructions or information. Must have a keen sense of hearing in responding to numerous audible/visual signals of wire communication receivers, and occasionally weak radio transmissions or signals. Must be able to multi-task in a stressful environment.
Work Environment: Performs duties in a temperature and humidity-controlled environment at a radio/telephone console with associated equipment. Systems and equipment are electronic in nature, emitting signals, and tones of varying degrees of intensity. The area is confining, with a normal noise level. The room is subject to being cooler than normal because of glass exterior walls, and fans to cool the SSTV Systems.
For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.
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