Duties

This TRANSPORTATION SECURITY SPECIALIST position is located in the Surface Division of Policy, Plans, and Engagement (PPE), Transportation Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Duties include but are not limited to:

• Partners with executive level industry stakeholders to define requirements and address challenges and roadblocks to advancing best practices, guidelines, policies, and mandates detected through analysis of industry security. Advises industry executives and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) senior leadership on impact and scope of shifting security protocol, priority or standard operating procedures based on intelligence of emerging threats and gap analysis. Proposes preventive actions and methods for ensuring TSA policies and practices align with emerging changes to surface transportation industry operations.
• Analyzes surface transportation security trends and identifies problems and factors most likely to impact operating costs, profitability, and continued compliance. Develops and executes highly complex and comprehensive analyses and makes recommendations to industry executives and TSA management using comprehensive technical knowledge and experience of best practices to encourage compliance with surface policies. Briefs high level TSA officials to support industry engagement discussions.
• Communicates and defends TSA policy to ensure stakeholder understanding and to facilitate stakeholder commitment, solicit sensitive input from industry stakeholders to support the development of TSA policy, and communicate industry feedback to TSA staff to ensure that industry concerns are considered. Evaluates current industry security compliance levels and facilitates the implementation of corrective actions incorporating industry stakeholder concerns.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

You must possess U.S. Citizenship or be a U.S. National.

You must have reached the minimum age (18) at the time of application.

You must complete a favorable Background Investigation (BI).

Selective Service registration is required.

Must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret Clearance

This is a testing Designated position. Employee required to pass drug screening prior to appointment and periodically as required during employment.

If you fail to meet the conditions of employment or any other pre-employment requirements, such as missing any of the scheduled appointments, the hiring agency may rescind their tentative offer of employment.

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

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 Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.

Qualifications

Specialized Experience : To qualify for the SV-I Pay Band (equivalent to GS-13), you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the SV-H or GS-12 Pay Band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position to be filled. Specialize experience is defined as:

• Conducting analysis of surface transportation security programs and policies; and
• Recommending changes to practices and procedures to better conform to surface transportation security policies, directives and regulations.

Specialized Experience : To qualify for the SV-J Pay Band (equivalent to GS-14), you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the SV-I or GS-13 Pay Band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position to be filled. Specialist experience is defined as:

• Conducting research or analysis of transportation security policies or processes in order to ensure compliance with rules and regulations; and
• Providing technical advice or guidance on surface transportation security laws, policies and regulations; and
• Assessing and distributing intelligence information related to transportation security threats.

Credit for experience is given based on a 40-hour workweek. Part-time experience is credited on a part-time ratio, i.e., working 20 hours per week for two months equals one month of experience. No additional credit is given for overtime.

National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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.

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.

Resumes must include the following:

Narrative description of duties with start and end dates (including the month and year) for work experience.

State the number of hours worked in a position (i.e. full-time or part-time). If part-time, state the total number of hours worked per week.

Performance level (i.e. band or grade)

Utilizing the USAJOBS Resume Builder and completing all available fields is strongly encouraged.

You must meet the qualification requirements for this position no later than the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

Additional information

Eligibility to apply for other Federal positions: TSA is an Excepted Service agency exempt from most of Title 5 United States Code, including regulations which apply to displaced Federal employees (CTAP/ICTAP) of other agencies, and employment with TSA does not confer "Competitive Status" that generally results from selection and service in Competitive Service agencies. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has established an Interchange Agreement, which allows most permanent TSA employees to apply and be considered for vacancies in Competitive Service agencies. Information from OPM on this or other Interchange Agreements is available at: www.opm.gov/

To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully pass a background investigation as a condition of placement into this position.

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 about E-Verify , including your rights and responsibilities.

If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for 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.

TSA employees who are absent for the purpose of performing military duty may apply for any vacancies announced in their absence.

More than one position may be filled from this announcement.

If you are entering TSA employment on an appointment without time limitations, you must serve a basic trial period unless you have already met the requirement.

DHS offers competitive salaries and an attractive benefits package, including: health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance; retirement plan; Thrift Savings Plan [similar to a 401(k)]; Flexible Spending Account; Employee Assistance Program; personal leave days; and paid federal holidays. Other benefits may include flexible work schedules; telework; tuition reimbursement; transportation subsidies; uniform allowance; health and wellness programs; and fitness centers. DHS is committed to employee development and offers a variety of employee training and developmental opportunities. For more information, go to the DHS Careers website and select "Benefits." Disabled veteran leave will be available to any Federal employee hired on or after November 5, 2016, who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or more.

Employees who transfer to TSA from an agency that allows employees to maintain an annual leave balance higher than the maximum accumulation for the appointed position will have their leave ceiling set to the maximum accumulation for the appointed position (e.g., United States duty location - 240 hours, foreign duty location - 360 hours, or TSES position - 720 hours). TSA will not make a monetary payment for any leave forfeited under these circumstances.