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

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

If you are selected for this position, you will serve as a Supervisory Transportation Security Inspector (STSI) for Security Operations (SO), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS). As a STSI, you will serve as the principal advisor to the Federal Security Director (FSD) on all matters concerning enforcement and compliance with security directives, laws, and regulations pertaining to transportation security.
Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Preparing, planning, coordinating and managing an inspection program for compliance by regulated parties, tenants and business interests with transportation security policies and requirements.
• Identifying and responding to security incidents, threats, violations or potential violations. Responding to transportation security incidents and other incidents as defined by the National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) or as directed by the FSD. Responding expeditiously on foot, or in a designated vehicle, for incident response to provide command and control presence and technical expertise.
• Overseeing and conducting assessments and investigations of transportation modes to determine security posture; monitoring compliance with applicable transportation security policies, regulations and agreements. Providing technical guidance to transportation stakeholders on the development and modification of security plans to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Determining when enforcement action should be initiated and recommending the type of action and level of penalty. Reviewing and analyzing assessment reports and testing results with special attention given to identifying trends which appear to have potential for developing a security problem.
• Gathering, receiving and disseminating transportation security intelligence. Cooperating and participating in the Joint Terrorism Task Force and other Federal, state or local government/law enforcement or industry consortia addressing transportation security as required by agency policy or at the FSD's direction.
• Conferring with the FSD, Headquarters and project staff personnel to outline work plans, providing technical advice, resolving problems, reviewing status reports and modifying schedules to accomplish duties. Directing the work of supervisors, program managers and other subordinate employees. Hiring, disciplining and mentoring subordinates. Advising FSD on managerial or personnel disciplinary issues as they arise.
• Exercising discretion and sound judgment in dealing with human resources matters or issues.
• Maintaining the minimum standards required of Transportation Security Inspectors under your supervision, including experience in at least one primary and secondary mode of specialty as required by TSA Headquarters policy and training plans.

Supervisory/Managerial duties includes 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.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - A minimum of one (1) week of travel in a full-time duty status will be required within 90-days of entry on duty to complete TSA's in residence New Hire Training. This training will occur away from the employee's duty station of record. Employees will be paid for compensable hours and reimbursed for authorized travel expenses per TSA Travel Policy.

Supervisory status
Yes

Promotion Potential
K

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must possess U.S. Citizenship or be a U.S. National.
• You must complete a favorable Background Investigation (BI).
• Must pass pre-employment drug screening AND random drug/alcohol testing.
• You must successfully complete a training course.
• Selective Service registration is required.
• See additional "Conditions of Employment" and "Other Information" sections.

Conditions of Employment include but are not limited to:

• Arduous conditions such as traversing rough terrain and uneven surfaces; prolonged standing, bending, and stooping to observe work operations; climbing into aircraft baggage holds, rail cars, aircraft, and other transportation equipment.
• Work may require driving or traveling by motor vehicle and occasionally involves regular and recurring exposure to moderate risk of discomforts that require special safety precautions.
• You must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret Clearance.
• You must hold a valid driver's license.
• You must be available for "on call" work and be available for duty within the United States and possibly worldwide to protect United States transportation interests.
• You must be available to work various shifts, including frequently changing and uncommon tours of duty.
• You must be willing to undertake extensive travel, at times overnight, as required.
• You ust pass pre-employment drug screening AND random drug/alcohol testing.
• Disclosure of your financial information is required.

Basic Security Inspections Course: Unless previously completed, you must complete a training course in Oklahoma City, OK. The Basic Security Inspections Course provides students with the fundamental knowledge and skills necessary to conduct inspections and assessments, including using legal and regulatory documents that govern transportation security.

Supervisory/Managerial Trial Period Requirements: Unless previously completed, you must satisfactorily complete a one-year supervisory trial period to continue in this supervisory/managerial position.

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

Qualifications

To qualify for the SV-K Pay Band, (equivalent to GS-15), you must have one year at the SV-J pay band or GS-14 (or equivalent) in the Federal Government or the private sector that demonstrates the ability to perform the critical competencies necessary to supervise a staff that conducts multiple, varying comprehensive assessments and investigations of multiple transportation modes (e.g., airport and air carriers, rail and other surface, etc.) to determine security posture; and to monitor compliance with applicable transportation security policies, regulations, and agreements. Competencies required for this position include, but are not limited to the ability to:

• Understand, instruct, and apply the concepts, principles, and methods of transportation security programs and policies, including inspection, compliance and enforcement;
• Identify a range of security issues and potential regulatory violations in a complex environment; and
• Provide leadership and direction in managing and overseeing a diverse workforce of professional and support staff performing inspection and regulatory compliance work.

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.

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.

Education

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: 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.

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.

Qualified non-competitive eligible candidates may be referred for consideration on a separate, unranked list.

More than one position may be filled from this announcement.

This position is within the Technical category of TSA's Core Compensation Plan.

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.

Veterans 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 documentation that is required, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of 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, including all Selective Placement Factors (SPF) and appropriate Desirable (Quality Ranking) Factors 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, including all SPFs 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, including all SPFs as determined by the job analysis.
To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Secret

Drug test required
Yes

Required Documents

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

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.