Duties

Summary

Securing Travel, Protecting People - At the Transportation Security Administration, you will serve in a high-stakes environment to safeguard the American way of life. In cities across the country, you would secure airports, seaports, railroads, highways, and/or public transit systems, thus protecting America's transportation infrastructure and ensuring freedom of movement for people and commerce. For additional information about our agency please: Click Here

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Responsibilities

This Supervisory Transportation Security Specialist position is located in the Law Enforcement Federal Air Marshal Service (LE/FAMS), Flight Operations Division, Interagency Airspace Security and Authorizations Section, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Duties include but are not limited to:

• Directing and managing the work of Watch Officers who staff a 24/7/365 position serving as the TSA's on-scene manager within the National Capital Region Coordination Center (NCRCC). Assigns work, sets priorities, and reviews and evaluates work and performance of subordinates; approves leave; coaches and develops employees; recommends corrective or disciplinary actions. Assists in budget planning and projecting short-term needs; and, manages projects within assigned resources.
• Assisting the on-duty Command Duty Officer as one of the primary authorities for assigned shifts, responsible for evaluating, coordinating, and providing situational awareness for the TSA Administrator and the Administrator's staff on incidents involving the security of the nation's transportation infrastructure; providing incident management guidance and support, and developing initial recommended courses of action to the TSA Critical Incident Management Group (CIMG) and TSA senior leadership.
• Coordinating directly with and orchestrates interaction among eight interagency team leaders who supervise the non-TSA Watch Officers and represent their organizations in the NCRCC. Serves as the principal TSA focal point for all matters pertaining to daily operations, training, maintenance and the integration of new or improved systems into the Center.
• Serving as primary Office Emergency Coordinator for the NCRCC; maintains the Center's Continuity of Operations (COOP) and Devolution plans, and is responsible for the evaluation, planning and conduct of exercise and real-world COOP execution as necessary. Collaborates with TSA's Emergency Preparedness Section (EPS) and Office of Information Technology (OIT), and other agencies' equivalent offices, to ensure that the NCRCC has a fully capable Alternate Operating Facility (AOF).
• Acting as the principal TSA Operational Representative and liaison between external agencies and the TSA's OIT and Operations Support Section to ensure that required interagency systems including but not limited to the Advanced Airspace Detection System (AADS), Enhanced Traffic Management System (ETMS), Remote Tactical Air Picture (RTAP) and Defense Red Switch Network (DRSN) are provisioned and funded as required to support the NCRCC and other users in the TSA Freedom Center and AOF(s).
• Leading and participating in a variety of working groups, training, and exercises including inter- agency, regional, and national level events enhancing operational readiness, reinforcing core operational functionalities, improving mission performance, and achieving operational objectives. Conducts extensive outreach within the Agency and externally across governmental organizations, law enforcement entities, and transportation industry partners building and strengthening crucial security relationships.

Supervisory/Managerial duties include serving as a first line supervisor for the organization. This includes but is not limited to: assigning work, setting priorities, and reviewing and evaluating work and performance of subordinates; approving leave; coaching and developing employees; recommending corrective or disciplinary actions; assisting in budget planning and projecting short-term needs; managing projects within assigned resources; resolving routine problems that typically impact the objectives of the organizational unit; and when required, coordinating with customers outside the immediate organization.

**** It is anticipated that all TSA Headquarters personnel within the Washington, DC metropolitan area will begin relocating to Springfield, Virginia beginning Summer 2020. If you are selected for a Headquarters position currently located in this region, your duty location will change due to the TSA Headquarters Consolidation Plan. *****

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required

Supervisory status
Yes

Promotion Potential
J

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must complete a favorable Background Investigation (BI).
• 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.
• See additional "Conditions of Employment" and "Other Information" section
• You may be required to complete a one year Supervisory Trial Period.
• Selective Service registration is required.

Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS 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 Statement : To qualify for the SV-J Pay Band (equivalent to GS-14), you must have one year of specialized experience at the SV-I or GS-13 in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience is defined as:

• Experience coordinating with senior level government officials on transportation security matters; and
• Leading a team in a watch floor or emergency operation center environment; and
• Applying federal aviation and transportation security laws, rules, regulations, policies, and procedures; and
• Interpreting air traffic radar display information; and
• Utilizing automated information and communication systems.

Note: For positions requiring positive education requirements, or if you are using education to meet all or part of the qualification requirements, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or an itemized list of college courses from an accredited college or university, which includes equivalent information from the transcript (course title, semester/quarter hours, and grade/degree earned) in your resume. The information must be provided with the application by the closing date of the announcement. If selected, the applicant must supply a transcript or certification of degree.

NOTE: 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)

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

Education

None

Additional information

Conditions of Employment :

• Must be eligible to possess and maintain a Top Secret/SCI security clearance based upon a favorable SSBI
• This is an emergency essential position
• Incumbent is required to work full-time on a rotating 24-hour schedule, 7 days per week and may be required to work outside of the standard workday/workweek on short notice
• The incumbent will be on call 24 hours per day to cover emergency response needs
• Incumbent may be required to carry a paging device and/or mobile phone at all times

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: http://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.

It is the policy of the Government not to deny employment simply because an individual has been unemployed or has had financial difficulties that have arisen through no fault of the individual. Information about an individual's employment experience will be used only to determine the person's qualifications and to assess his or her relative level of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Although an individual's personal conduct may be relevant in any employment decision, including conduct during periods of unemployment or evidence of dishonesty in handling financial matters, financial difficulty that has arisen through no fault of the individual will generally not itself be the basis of an unfavorable suitability or fitness determination. For more information, click here .

Payment of relocation expenses (Permanent Change of Station) is not authorized.

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.

TSA policy requires verification of Selective Service registration for male applicants born after 12/31/59. For more information click here .

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 based on a comparison of the position requirements against the quality and extent of the experience and/or related education as reflected in your resume and supporting documentation. You are encouraged to ensure work experiences clearly show possession of the competencies required for this position. We will compare your resume and supporting documentation to your responses on the assessment questionnaire. If, after reviewing your resume and any supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your category placement may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Grouping procedures. Under Category Grouping, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories:

Best-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate high proficiency in all of the critical competencies as determined by the job analysis.

Well-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrates acceptable proficiency in all of the critical competencies as determined by the job analysis.

Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate basic proficiency in most of the critical competencies as determined by the job analysis.

If you are best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies that are relevant to the duties of this position and must be fully supported by information in your resume:

• Comprehensive expert-level knowledge aviation security and air defense policies and procedures, with emphasis on interagency planning and execution of airspace control measures in the National Capital Region and other National Defense Airspace.
• Expert knowledge of air navigation terminology, with the ability to clearly and accurately describe the position and movement of an object in three-dimensional space using parameters such as radial bearing and range from a fixed point, geographic position data (Latitude and Longitude), or approximate position based on a known landmark; plus, measured or estimated altitude, heading and speed.
• Expert knowledge of statutory authorities and the division of policy, program management and operational responsibilities within OLE/FAMS and the TSA as a whole.
• Detailed knowledge of the authorities and capabilities of the TSA's interagency partners, with particular emphasis on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the North American Aerospace Defense Command and United States Northern Command (NORAD-USNORTHCOM) and their constituent organizations, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Coast Guard (USCG), Secret Service (USSS), Capitol Police (USCP) and other agencies represented in the National Capital Region Coordination Center (NCRCC).
• Applies knowledge of TSA transportation security policies, directives, and regulations, including on-going regulations and new or emerging directives, as well as understanding of how to implement the policies, directives and regulations in local TSA airport and/or FAMS operations.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Top Secret

Drug test required
Yes

Required Documents

In addition to a resume and the assessment questions, you must submit copies of any of the following documents if you are applying based on being a current eligible TSA employee (which includes permanent employees and 5 year temporary employees), or education or a combination of education and experience:

Current TSA employees are not required to submit a SF-50 to support eligibility for consideration.

If you do not submit required documentation described in this job opportunity announcement, your application will be deemed incomplete and you will be ineligible for further consideration for this vacancy.

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.