Clarification from the agency

This position is open to all current Department of Energy (including employees of BPA, WAPA, SEPA, SWPA, NNSA) employees on a career or career-conditional competitive service appointment. DOE employees participating in either the OPM or DOE Deferred Resignation Program (DRP) are not eligible to apply for this announcement. DRP participants are not considered active DOE employees because they have agreed to separate from the agency.

At the full performance level, Security Specialist (Nuclear Security Compliance), GS-0080-15, you will:

• Lead teams of subject matter experts in the planning, execution, and reporting of comprehensive security assessments ensuring timely and quality work performance.
• Develop and contribute to appraisal reports, articulating strengths and weaknesses, making judgments that impact security policy, and communicating results orally and in writing to senior officials.
• Serve as a senior subject matter expert in conducting complex evaluations of safeguards and security (S&S) programs to assess the protection of special nuclear materials, radiological, chemical, and biological assets, classified information, government property, and personnel to identify vulnerabilities and areas of non-compliance.
• Provide recommendations and authoritative advice to various levels of management on the development, operation, and direction of security programs, as well as changes to policy and requirements.
• Maintain continuous liaison with various DOE/NNSA staff elements, other federal departments, agencies, and industry personnel to exchange information on security requirements.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a United States Citizen.
• This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
• If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.
• If selected, you may be required to complete a one year probationary period.
• If selected, your appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• This position does not support 100% remote work. You will be required to report physically to the official reporting worksite as specified in this announcement. Situational telework may be available in accordance with agency policy.
• Relocation Incentive may be considered for a highly qualified candidate.
• This position is not remote, the selectee will be expected to physically report to the duty station(s) listed. Situational telework may be approved in accordance with the agency's policy.
• This position will be located in one of the following locations: Germantown, MD; Washington, DC; Albuquerque, NM.
• This position has been designated as critical-sensitive, high risk and requires security clearance at the "Q" level. The incumbent is required to obtain and maintain this clearance; failure to do so may result in separation from federal service.
• Work is performed in areas where potentially harmful physical, variety of industrial, special nuclear materials, radiological, and chemical assets are present.
• You will be required to wear protective clothing or equipment, such as dosimeters, safety glasses, or hard hats continuously for the duration of the work shift.
• You may be required to travel up to 50% of the time to attend meetings and conduct site visits to assess and evaluate the effectiveness of safeguards and security programs with possibility of overnight travel depending on budget availability.
• This position is included in the Department of Energy's Technical Qualifications Program (TQP). Selectees are required to complete the TQP requirements within 18 months of entering the program of 12 months if previously qualified.
• This position requires the incumbent to submit a Financial Disclosure Statement, OGE-450, Executive Branch Personnel Confidential Financial Disclosure Report upon entering the position and annually.
• This position is a Testing Designated Position (TDP) subject to applicant testing and random drug testing. Applicants who are tentatively selected for appointments to this position will participate in drug urinalysis testing.
• In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to the four short, free responses, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answers to these questions are not scored or rated.
• Your answers to the essay questions will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration.
• This position is not included in a Bargaining Unit.

Qualifications

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.

GS-14: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-13 in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as meeting ALL of the following:

1. Conducting assessments and evaluations of safeguards and security (S&S) programs critical infrastructure, or highly sensitive assets to identify vulnerabilities and areas of non-compliance.
2. Analyzing security data, assessment findings, or audit results to determine systemic issues, root causes, and associated risks within security programs.
3. Preparing detailed reports and briefings for senior officials on security findings, influencing security policy, and providing authoritative advice to strengthen security posture.

Education cannot be substituted for specialized experience at the GS-14 grade level.

GS-15: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-14 in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as meeting ALL of the following:

1. Leading multidisciplinary teams in planning, executing, and reporting comprehensive safeguards and security (S&S) assessments of federal and contractor operations.
2. Applying safeguards and security (S&S) principles to analyze complex, interrelated security data, identify systemic vulnerabilities, and assess high-level risks in constantly evolving threat environments.
3. Present, justify, and defend controversial security findings and strategic recommendations to leadership and external stakeholders, often encounter resistance due to conflicting organizational goals or resource issues.
4. Interpreting broad policy guidelines with considerable judgment, developing innovative assessment methodologies, and devise new approaches to address novel security challenges and changing threats.

Education cannot be substituted for specialized experience at the GS-15 grade level.

"Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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.

Limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages. If more than two pages are submitted, only the first two pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility and qualifications. Your full resume will be made available to the hiring manager if you are referred.

Time-in-Grade: Current Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement to receive consideration.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement, as demonstrated in your application and your responses to all assessments required for this position. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application or cheating on the assessment may result in removal from consideration. Responses to assessments must be prepared solely by the applicant. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, CoPilot) to draft, edit, or generate responses is strictly prohibited and may result in removal from consideration.

Your application will be assessed based on your responses to an online job knowledge assessment. For applicants applying under Merit Promotion or VEOA procedures, your score on this assessment will determine if you are considered a 'best qualified' candidate. The online job knowledge assessment primarily consists of multiple-choice questions designed to evaluate your understanding of key concepts relevant to this position.

Your application and resume should demonstrate that you possess the following competencies. Do not provide a separate narrative written statement. Rather, you must describe in your resume how your past work experience demonstrates that you possess the competencies identified below. Use specific examples of employment or experience contained in your resume and describe how this experience has prepared you to successfully perform the duties of this position.

• Compliance
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Leadership
• Problem Solving
• Security
• Strategic Thinking

Non-competitive Procedures: If you are applying under a non-competitive or special hiring authority, you will still be required to complete the assessment. However, you will not be evaluated against the rating and ranking criteria. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine if you are minimally qualified for this job. Veterans' Preference will be applied when required by the hiring authority (e.g., VRA, Schedule A).
Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements and current employees must have at least a fully successful or equivalent performance rating to receive consideration.

All qualified Non-competitive applicants and the best qualified Merit Promotion and VEOA applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.

Career Transition Assistance Programs: To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet the eligibility criteria; and 2) be rated "well-qualified", which is defined as having a score of 85 or better.

Shared Certificates: The Department of Energy shares lists of applicants among its internal Departmental Elements and organizations. You may be referred for consideration to other DOE Hiring Managers throughout the Department for more than one position based on this application. By applying to this announcement, you understand your application materials may be shared with multiple Hiring Mangers throughout DOE. If additional positions are filled from this announcement conditions of employment may differ. You will be notified if you are referred for additional positions.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date ( 01/12/2026) of this announcement.

To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12853666.

To apply for this position, you MUST provide a complete application package which includes:

• Your two (2) pageRESUME showing all relevant work experience (paid and unpaid) including: duties performed; full name and address of the each employer; start and end dates (month/day/year); work schedule (part-time, full-time, number of hours if intermittent); salary; and any completed education and training (program title, subject area, number of hours completed, and completion date).
• Cover Letter, optional, expressing additional information not covered in your resume.
• Transcripts, if specific educational requirements are indicated in this job announcement. Unofficial transcripts or any report listing institution, course title, credits earned (semester or quarter hour) and final grade is acceptable. It is your responsibility to provide adequate proof that you meet the educational requirements.

Submit one or more of the following to support your eligibility(s) to apply to this job announcement:

• SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" (current/former federal employees): Most recent Promotion, Within Rate Increase (WRI/WGI), or Appointment/Conversion SF-50 or Notification of Personnel Action showing you are/were in the competitive service and the highest grade or promotion potential held.

Failure to submit the above mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted. Do not provide photos or list a Social Security Number or date of birth on any attachment.

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