Duties

Summary

Securing Travel, Protecting People - At the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), we serve in a high-stakes environment to safeguard the American way of life. In cities across the country, we secure airports, seaports, railroads, highways, and public transit systems, thus protecting our transportation infrastructure and ensuring freedom of movement for people and commerce.
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Responsibilities

The Assistant Administrator (AA) for Investigations (INV) is the key management official responsible for ensuring an effective, viable investigations program. The responsibilities of the position have an agency-wide impact and influence, which includes providing innovative and expert leadership in the establishment and implementation of a comprehensive investigations strategy, and the development, coordination, and dissemination of plans, in accordance with applicable policies, procedures, laws and directives.

High level duties include:

• Overseeing criminal and administrative allegations and complaints made against TSA employees received from various sources and determines if an investigation is warranted. Reporting all allegations that warrant further investigation to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG). Issuing comprehensive investigative reports to the OIG at the DHS level. Oversees investigations regarding those matters that are not investigated by the OIG but warrant additional investigation including criminal and administrative matters. As appropriate, refers matters to TSA's Professional Responsibility or management officials for proper adjudication.
• Providing guidance and instruction both internally and externally to address diverse, highly complex issues which impact multiple organizations, projects, programs, and functional areas. Serving as an expert resource to the Administrator and Deputy Administrator on highly complex and potentially controversial investigations program activities.
• Making decisions and recommendations in situations complicated by uncertainty in approach, methodology and/or interpretation such as extreme sensitivity; existence of few or no precedents to follow; significantly unresolved issues; intense widespread public media or congressional interest; and, issues of multi-jurisdictional authority. Justifying, defending, negotiating, or settling matters involving significant or controversial issues and/or programs; developing innovative strategies, approaches or methods to serve as precedents or models for similar situations in the future.
• Developing, maintaining and enhancing critical working relationships with other Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies; as well as federally regulated transportation entities. Participating in conferences, meetings, hearings, or presentations about problems or issues of considerable consequence or importance. Persons contacted or involved in investigations typically have diverse viewpoints, goals or objectives which require the manager to achieve a common understanding of the problem and a satisfactory solution by convincing those involved, arriving at a compromise or developing suitable alternatives.
• Providing overall strategic planning and management direction for major investigations program and activities. Allocating funding and other resources to accomplish objectives effectively.
• Overseeing TSA's criminal and counterintelligence polygraph services to include pre-employment screening of applicants for key/sensitive TSA positions.
• Managing and directing the analysis of data to assist senior level management in identifying trends in allegations of misconduct and non-criminal behavior and activities.
• Managing the TSA Hotline for misconduct complaints and ensures appropriate action is taken based on the information collected.

Travel Required

25% or less - Travel may be required up to 25% percent of the time with little advance notice.

Supervisory status
Yes

Promotion Potential
01

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must possess U.S. Citizenship.
• You must complete a favorable Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI).
• You must pass Drug Screening, subject to random drug tests.
• You must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI clearance.
• Disclosure of your financial information is required.
• You must have prior experience in a primary law enforcement position.

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

Qualifications

As a basic requirement, applicants must demonstrate progressively responsible leadership experience that is indicative of senior executive level managerial capability and directly related to the skills and abilities outlined under the Professional/Technical Qualifications and Executive Core Qualifications listed below. Typically, experience of this nature will have been gained at or above the equivalent of the GS-15 grade level in the Federal service or its equivalent with state and local government, the private sector, or non-governmental organizations.

To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, you must show in your resume that you possess the five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and the Professional/Technical Qualifications (PTQs) listed below. We recommend that your resume emphasize your level of responsibilities, the scope and complexity of programs managed, and your program accomplishments, including results of your actions.

The application process used to recruit for this position is RESUME-ONLY. Therefore, evidence of each ECQ and PTQ must be CLEARLY REFLECTED in your resume.

If you are a current or reinstatement eligible Career SES/TSES member or a graduate of an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) approved SES Candidate Development Program (CDP) and your ECQs have been previously certified by OPM's Qualifications Review Board, you are not required to address the ECQs. However, you MUST address all PTQs in your resume. Current and reinstatement eligible SES/TSES members please include with your application a copy of your SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) documenting your career appointment to the SES/TSES. SES CDP graduates, please include a copy of your OPM certificate.

Professional/Technical Qualifications (PTQs) :

1. Experience leading an organization that conducts criminal investigations of alleged fraud and misconduct regulated by federal law. Experience conducting investigations of employee misconduct or adjudicating discipline based on such investigations.

2. Experience developing an organizational strategy, culture, and associated plans, responding to oversight as well as agency leadership interests. Experience managing and developing budgets.

Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) :

ECQ 1 - LEADING CHANGE. This core qualification involves the ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment.

ECQ 2 - LEADING PEOPLE. This core qualification involves the ability to lead people toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts.

ECQ 3 - RESULTS DRIVEN. This core qualification involves the ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks.

ECQ 4 - BUSINESS ACUMEN. This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically.

ECQ 5 - BUILDING COALITIONS. This core qualification involves the ability to build coalitions internally and with other Federal agencies, state and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals.

FAILURE TO MEET OR FULLY ADDRESS EACH EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATION AND PROFESSIONAL/TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS IN THE RESUME WILL ELIMINATE A CANDIDATE FROM FURTHER CONSIDERATION.

CURRENT OR FORMER POLITICAL APPOINTEES: 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.

DRUG TESTING: You must pass a pre-employment drug test. In addition, you may be subject to random drug testing during employment.

SECURITY CLEARANCE: This position requires a TS/SCI (Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information) clearance that must be completed prior to appointment. You will be subject to a 5-year periodic investigation and must be able to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI clearance.

MOBILITY: The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created in the wake of 9/11 to strengthen the security of the nation's transportation systems while ensuring the freedom of movement for people and commerce. TSA employs a risk-based strategy to secure U.S. transportation systems, with nearly 50,000 Transportation Security Officers, each day at more than 450 airports nationwide. The agency continuously sets the standard for excellence in transportation security through its people, processes, technologies and use of intelligence to drive operations.

As a member of the TSES, you may be subject to frequent changes in posts of duty and positions. Mobility is a condition of employment, so you must be prepared to accept, without objection, the judgment of your superiors concerning reassignments for operational and/or career development purposes, or for other reasons determined to be in the best interest of the Transportation Security Administration.

Education

Additional information

• This is a secondary law enforcement position, and as such, provides for the continuation of law enforcement retirement coverage for those currently encumbering a covered position. Provisions for continued law enforcement retirement coverage include: Applicants currently covered by the Civil Service Retirement System who are in a primary or secondary position under 5 U.S.C. 8336(c) must transfer to this secondary law enforcement position without a break in service exceeding 3 days, in order to maintain their law enforcement retirement coverage. Applicants currently covered by the Federal Employees' Retirement System in a rigorous position under 5 U.S.C. 8412(d) must have been in that position for at least 3 years before transferring directly, without a break in service exceeding 3 days, to this secondary position. All candidates currently covered by Federal law enforcement retirement coverage as cited in this notice are subject to mandatory separation age requirements in accordance with applicable statutes.
• The TSA, an excepted service agency, was established by Public Law 107-71, the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA), on November 19, 2001. ATSA provides TSA with the authority to modify and develop its own human capital program, provided such modifications are consistent with 49 USC 40122.
• This is an excepted service position. However, there is an interchange agreement with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and TSA that enables Career TSES members who have been approved by the Qualifications Review Board at OPM to qualify for Senior Executive Service (SES) positions without additional competition.
• You will be required to serve a probationary period of one year unless you previously completed the probationary period in a SES/TSES position.
• When you enter on duty, you will be required to complete a Public Financial Disclosure Report, OGE Form 278. You will need to provide this information annually.
• Veteran's Preference does NOT apply to SES/TSES positions.
• View common definitions of terms found in 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 on the quality and extent to which your resume shows that you possess the Professional/Technical Qualifications (PTQs) and Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) outlined in the "Qualifications" section of the Job Opportunity Announcement. Your resume may be evaluated by an SES/TSES rating and ranking panel, and afterwards, highly qualified candidates may undergo an interview and a reference check. The TSA Executive Resources Council (ERC) will review results and make recommendations on final selections to the appointing authority. Only the selectee will be required to write Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) narratives. Unless you have already been certified by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Review Board (QRB) in the past, your ECQs must be certified by the QRB before appointment can occur.

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Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Sensitive Compartmented Information

Drug test required
Yes

Required Documents

1. Your Resume which incorporates both Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and Professional Technical Qualifications (PTQs) responses.

2. Associated Questionnaire.

3. Current SES/TSES members: You must provide a copy of the specific SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which documents conversion or appointment, without time limitation, to the SES/TSES (except current TSA employees).

4. Reinstatement Eligible SES/TSES members: You must provide a copy of the specific SF-50 which documents conversion or appointment, without time limitation, to your formal SES/TSES position as well as any Federal agency document which confirms your successful completion of an SES/TSES probationary period. (Note: a second SF-50 dated more than a year after SES/TSES conversion or appointment, which documents continued unlimited assignment to the same SES/TSES position, will suffice to document completion of the SES/TSES probationary period).

5. Graduates of an OPM approved Candidate Development Program (CDP) which resulted in certification by the OPM QRB: You must provide a copy of a QRB endorsed program graduation certificate.

6. If you are a current or reinstatement eligible Career SES/TSES member or a graduate of an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) approved SES Candidate Development Program (CDP) and your ECQs have been previously certified by OPM's Qualifications Review Board, you are not required to address the ECQs.

7. Non-SES/TSES members: You must provide a copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (except current TSA employees).

NOTE: An award SF-50 (i.e. cash or time off award) does not indicate grade, pay band or level and will not be accepted.

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.