Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Office of Security (OS). The Office oversees EOIR's security and emergency preparedness programs to assure the protection and readiness of it's personnel, assets, and information. OS is dedicated to delivering excellence through quality customer services, solutions, product and support.

The Security Specialist performs a variety of program tasks relating to personnel security programs, initiatives, policies, and issues.
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

This is a Competitive Service position; additional positions may be filled from this announcement within 90 days of certificate issuance.

Duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Reviews and processes requests for personnel security investigations including Background Investigations, National Agency Checks (NAC), National Agency Check with Inquiries (NACI), National Agency Checks with State Criminal History Repository (SCHR), Single Scope Background Investigations, Secret PRs, etc.).
• Determines eligibility of persons to occupy sensitive positions based on security concerns related to suitability for employment.
• Determines adequacy of investigations and adjudications related to position sensitivity.
• Reviews and evaluates forms submitted to initiate personnel security investigations.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
12

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• You must complete a background investigation, credit check, and drug test.
• Selective Service Registration is required, as applicable.
• Moving and Relocation Expenses are not authorized.
• Resume and supporting documents (See How To Apply section).
• Probationary Period may be required, if not already met.

Qualifications

TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-07 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-09 level. (Please submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. No Award or General Adjustment SF-50's will be accepted). Time-in-grade requirements also apply to VEOA applicants having held a GS position in the past year.

In order to qualify for the Security Specialist position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications:

GS-09

Specialized Experience: You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service performing the following:
processing requests for personnel security investigations; AND

• Adjudicating personnel security risks of applicants, staff and contractors;
• Determining eligibility for access to classified or sensitive information;
• Utilizing various personnel security information technology tools (i.e. e-QIP, Personnel Investigations Processing System (PIPS) and Justice Security Tracking and Adjudicating Record System (JSTARS), etc) to complete assigned tasks.
• Processing requests for personnel security investigations; AND
• Explaining results of investigations and clearance levels.

OR
Education: Master's Degree or equivalent graduate degree, or 2 full years (36 semester hours) of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, LL.B or J.D. with major course of study in a field directly related to the work of this position. NOTE: You MUST submit transcripts.

OR

Combination: A combination of specialized experience and graduate education as described directly above that total 100% when combined. First, determine total qualifying experience as a percentage of the specialized experience described above; then determine the education as a percentage of the graduate education described above; and then add the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. Only graduate education in excess of one year (18 semester hours) may be used when combining education and experience for this grade. NOTE: You MUST submit transcripts.

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

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here .

Education

ARE YOU USING EDUCATION TO QUALIFY: Education must be accredited by an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement). You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/search.aspx . All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. (Note: If you are selected for this position based on education, an official transcript will be required, prior to your first day.) You must meet all qualification requirements 07/02/2019, the closing date of this announcement. For further information, click here .

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, click here .

Translated transcripts are required.

Additional information

(Please submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. No Award or General Adjustment SF-50's will be accepted). Time-in-grade requirements also apply to VEOA applicants having held a GS position in the past year.

This position is open to Competitive Merit Promotion, Non-Competitive, and Special Hiring Authority eligibles. You must meet the requirements for one of the following categories to be eligible.

1. A current permanent competitive service employee; former Federal employee who achieved career status in the competitive service; or former Federal employee who served on a career conditional appointment without achieving career status in the competitive service who was separated less than three years ago. You must submit an SF-50 that reflects career or career-conditional (Tenure field is 1 or 2); AND status in the competitive service (Position Occupied field is 1).

2. A Veteran applying under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA), must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing an honorable discharge. To be eligible, a veteran must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed 3 or more years of active service. NOTE: Current career/career conditional federal employees applying under VEOA must submit a qualifying SF-50 to show they meet time-in-grade.

3. A 30% or more Disabled Veteran. You must submit your DD214, a completed SF-15, and letter from the VA dated 1991 or later.

4. Military spouses are eligible if their active duty military spouse: 1) receives a Permanent Change of Station move; 2) has a 100% disability rating; or 3) died while on active duty. Please submit supporting documentation.

5. Schedule A: DOJ welcomes and encourages applicants from persons with disabilities and is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advance on the basis of merit. Documentation of eligibility under Schedule A can be obtained from a licensed medical professional; a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist (i.e. state or private); or any Federal agency, state agency, or agency of the District of Columbia or a U.S. Territory that issues or provides disability benefits. This letter must be separate from any Veterans Preference documentation.

6. A Former Peace Corps or VISTA Volunteers Appointment. Please submit documentation to be considered.

7. Veterans eligible for a Veterans' Recruitment Appointment (VRA). You must submit a copy of your DD-214. NOTE: VRA only applies to positions at the GS-11 level and below.

8. Other non-competitive authorities (please see announcement language for applicable authorities).

9. A current or former Land Management Bureau employee who has served at least 24 months under a time-limited competitive appointment who is eligible for appointment under the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act.

Active Duty Service Members-You must submit a statement of discharge/certification of release or an official written document from the armed forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service under honorable conditions no later than 120 days from the date the certification is signed. Enlisted Record Briefs and military identification do NOT qualify as official documentation.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Applicants applying under merit promotion procedures will be rated in accordance with the EOIR's Merit Staffing plan. Once the application process is complete, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed in this announcement. If you are minimally qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the Occupational Questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

You will be rated based on the following knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs) or competencies:

• Oral Communication
• Planning and Evaluating
• Technical Competence
• Writing

In order to be rated as meeting the minimum qualifications, we must be able to determine from your application package that you have the education and/or specialized experience that is required. Your resume MUST contain your full name, address, phone number, and employment information such as:

• Employer name and location for each position held.
• From and to dates (or from date to present for current position), which include the month and year for each position held.
• Grade levels held for each federal position.
• Detailed descriptions of experience under each position held. (Applicants must provide specific supporting examples to show that they meet the qualifications of the position shown in the announcement.)
• Any submitted documents not required or requested for this vacancy will not be considered (i.e. training certificates, case filings, letter of recommendations, etc.).

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Top Secret

Drug test required
Yes

Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk

Trust determination process
Credentialing , National security

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package by the closing date of this announcement, which includes:
1. Your Resume showing relevant experience; cover letter optional. (Please see the How You Will Be Evaluated section)
2. A complete Assessment Questionnaire
3. Transcripts (include your name, college name/address, type of degree, major, date degree conferred, courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, G.P.A. etc.), if qualifying based on education
4. Other supporting documents (submit if applicable to you):

• Current and former Federal employees: Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) showing proof of status. This must include the type of service (competitive or excepted), career status (career or career conditional), and highest grade and step held on a permanent basis, and the highest full performance level (FPL or highest promotion potential) of held position(s).
• Merit Promotion and VEOA applicants: SF-50 reflecting time-in-grade requirements. This must include your position, title, series, grade, step, tenure, type of service (competitive or excepted) and career status (career or career conditional).Examples of appropriate SF-50s include promotions, within grade/range increases, and SF-50s one or more years old. General Adjustment and Time off or Cash Award SF-50's will not be accepted.

• If you are a veteran and you are claiming veterans' preference you must submit a DD214,"Certificate of Release from Active Duty," which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. For competitive service positions, active duty service members expecting to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions within 120 days: you may be granted tentative preference by submitting a "certification" document in lieu of a DD-214. This "certification" is any written document from the armed forces that certifies the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty service under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date of the submission of the certification. Veterans' preference must be verified prior to appointment. Without this documentation, you will not receive veterans' preference and your application will be evaluated based on the material(s) submitted.
• If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference based on service-connected disability, in addition to the DD214 or certification requirements (see above bullet), you must also submit an SF-15, "Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference," plus the proof of entitlement of this preference, which is normally an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability. For more information on veterans' preference, see http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/.
• Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP/ICTAP priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), most recent performance appraisal, SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, full performance level, and duty location with your application.
• To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and (for scored examining) score 85 or better on established ranking-criteria.

• Only U.S. Citizens and National are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review, Dual citizens of the U.S. and other country will be considered on a case-by-case basis. All DOJ applicants, both U.S. citizens and non-citizens, whose job locations is with the U.S. must meet the residency requirement. For a total of three (not necessarily consecutive years) of the five years immediately prior to applying for a position, the applicant must have: 1) resided in the U.S., 2) worked for the U.S. overseas in a Federal or military capacity; or 3) been a dependent of a Federal or military employee servicing overseas.

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.