Duties

Summary

These positions are located in Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard, Deputy Commandant for Mission Support (DCMS), Office of Security Policy and Management (DCMS-34), Security Services Division (DCMS-342), Chesapeake, VA.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

As a Security Specialist, this position is responsible for processing routine security investigations for sensitive positions. Follows prescribed procedures for taking action on routine cases, or recommending action on cases where the facts are not completely ascertained, or where there is contradictory evidence or incomplete inconclusive, or controversial material.

Being a CG civilian makes you a valuable member of the CG team. Typical work assignments include:

• Receiving requests for appointment to sensitive positions.
• Determining the appropriate investigation required for the positions.
• Ensuring the required paperwork is submitted, conducts personnel security interviews.
• Forwarding the investigation and other information to the proper investigative authority.
• Notifying proper management officials when pertinent suitability information appears in investigative reports.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
09

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• The applicant is subject to pre-appointment and random drug testing.
• This position requires a Top Secret clearance.
• A final offer of employment is contingent upon a negative drug test result.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

Qualifications

To qualify for the GS-09 level, applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the federal sector. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular abilities, skills and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of this position.

Examples of specialized experience at this grade level is experience which demonstrates knowledge of general security administration programs and policy requirements in order to identify and report conflicts in procedural issues; experience assisting in making security clearance, adjudication, and suitability determinations and recommendations; determining eligibility for access to classified or sensitive information and granting personnel security clearances/accesses in the presence of minor derogatory information; experience responding to questions involving Personnel Security and Suitability for service-related matters.

In lieu of experience, you may qualify for this position based on your education if you have at least the following: - Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related; OR - A combination of specialized experience and graduate level education that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position. This can be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for this grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9.

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.

Education

This position does not have a positive education requirement. If you are including education on your resume, report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. See Required Documents section for detail.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet Federal qualification requirements if you can show that your foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence with your application. See Recognition of Foreign Qualifications click here

Additional information

Applicants will be required to complete questions contained on the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) at the time a tentative job offer is made. Certain responses on the form could pose a problem with suitability for employment determinations. If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete/make updates to the OF-306 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, or imprisonment.

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 at click here

Recruitment incentives may be authorized.

All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit.

The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR § 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR § 315.707. Veterans , Peace Corps / VISTA volunteers , and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.

More than 1 selection may be made from this announcement if additional identical vacancies in the same title, series, grade, and unit occur within 45 days from the date the certificate was issued.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for the application and hiring process, please contact 202-795-6291. Decisions on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Visit Reasonable Accommodation

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

We will review your résumé and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be referred for consideration. The following competencies or knowledge, skills, and abilities are needed to perform this job:

Knowledge of wide range of principles, concepts, policies, practices, and methods of security administration in one or more of the security functional specialties.

Skill in weighing the impact of variables such as cost; critical personnel qualifications; variations in building construction characteristics; access and entry restrictions; equipment availability; and other issues that influence the course of actions taken in resolving security questions or issues.

Knowledge of criteria, equipment, or techniques for at least one area of security specialization (personnel, physical, etc.) to resolve well-defined questions or conditions.

Knowledge of standard applications or established variations in security criteria involving considerations; such as, clearance level required; adjudication of security clearances when clear­cut derogatory information is present in the investigative information; nature of materials or information to be protected; cost-benefit relationships for security devised or equipment systems; and similar considerations.

Knowledge of security programs, methods, and techniques to serve as participants in meetings and ad hoc committees developing local implementing plans and instructions.

To preview questions please click here .

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 , Suitability/Fitness , National security

Required Documents

1. Your resume
2. If you are claiming special priority selection rights under the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), submit a copy of your agency notice, most recent performance rating and most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, noting your current position, grade level and duty location. If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not ICTAP eligible. To be considered eligible, you must be placed in the well-qualified category for this position. Please see ICTAP eligibility.
3. OPM must authorize employment offers for former or current Political Appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information. Submit proof of your former or current status, such as your SF-50. Please see here.

All documentation as outlined above must be received by the closing date of the announcement. If you are unable to submit your documents electronically, you may fax or mail the documents. A fax cover sheet will be provided to you from the system, with fax number and instructions to transmit the requested documents. The required documents will also be accepted by mail and must be received by the closing date of the announcement. The mailing address is COMMANDANT (CG-123SE) ATTN OFFICE OF CIVILIAN HUMAN RESOURCES (JOBS), US COAST GUARD, 2703 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR AVE SE STOP 7912, WASHINGTON, DC 20593-7912.

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.