Supervisory Personnel Security Specialist

Summary

About the Position: This position supports the mission of the Defense Health Agency (DHA) Administration Security Division, Personnel Security Branch and is located in Falls Church, VA. This is not a virtual/remote position. You must live within or be willing to relocate within a commutable distance of the identified duty location (Falls Church, VA).

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Duties

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• Serve as the final adjudicative authority for suitability or fitness determinations for federal employment.
• Advise DHA personnel on the status of background investigations and onboarding timelines to support their staffing needs.
• Provide clear, accurate guidance to applicants and current personnel regarding complex security clearance requirements, fingerprinting processes, and appeal procedures.
• Evaluate complex cases containing derogatory information (e.g., criminal history, financial issues) and making definitive, timely "pass/fail" risk decisions to protect the agency.
• Prioritize and reassign casework among subordinate specialists to meet urgent, mission-critical deployment or hiring deadlines.
• Adapt agency Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and local policies rapidly in response to sudden changes in Office of Personnel Management (OPM) or Department of Defense (DoD) vetting mandates.
• Manage workflows and balance workloads across geographically separated offices to account for staffing shortages or sudden surges in investigation requests.
• Provide day-to-day supervision, mentorship, and performance feedback to a team of security specialists, fostering a cohesive team environment despite geographic separation.
• Analyze conflicting or incomplete information within National Agency Checks or Single Scope Background Investigations to determine the true nature of a security risk.
• Identify systemic bottlenecks or delays within the DHA personnel vetting pipeline and implementing procedural improvements to reduce overall processing and onboarding times.
• Formulate comprehensive personnel security policies to ensure organizational compliance with federal regulations.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• This position requires the incumbent be able to obtain and maintain a determination of eligibility for a Top-Secret/SCI security clearance or access. A pre-employment and recurring comprehensive background investigations are required.
• One-year supervisory probationary period required. A one-year probationary period is required if the selectee has not previously met this requirement.
• This position is a Testing Designated Position subject to pre-employment screening and random drug testing. Selectees will be required to consent to participation in random drug urinalysis testing.
• This position is identified for the Security Professional Education Development (SPeD) Certification Program requiring incumbent obtain the core Security Fundamentals Professional Certification (SFPC) within their first two years of employment.
• DoD Personnel Security Adjudications and Defense Information System for Security (DISS) Joint Verification System (JVS) Training for Security Professional courses required within first two years of employment.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected.

• Current Civilian Employees of the Defense Health Agency (DHA)
• Current Permanent Department of Defense (DoD) Civilian Employee
• Domestic Defense Industrial Base/Major Range and Test Facilities Base Civilian Personnel Workforce
• Executive Order (E.O.) 12721
• Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan
• Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act
• Military Spouses, under Executive Order (E.O.) 13473
• Non-Appropriated Fund Instrumentality (NAFI)
• Non-Department of Defense (DoD) Transfer
• Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Interchange Agreement Eligible
• People with Disabilities, Schedule A
• Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible
• Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible
• Priority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement
• Priority Placement Program, DoD Retained Grade Preference Eligible
• Reinstatement
• Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) of 1998

In order to qualify, you must meet the experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes directing personnel security programs to maintain national security compliance; developing personnel security vetting policies to standardize adjudication procedures; AND leading personnel by performing duties such as assigning tasks, reviewing work, providing technical guidance, mentoring junior staff, etc. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-13).

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience aloneno substitution of education for experience is permitted.

Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-13).

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
• You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
• This position requires a 1 year probationary period during which the agency evaluates your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In making this determination, the agency may consider your performance and conduct; agency needs and interests; whether your continued employment supports organizational or Government goals; and whether it promotes the efficiency of the Federal service. Continued employment requires written certification that it advances the public interest.
• Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
• Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
• Recruitment or relocation incentives MAY be authorized for highly qualified candidates.
• Salary negotiation may be available for those candidates who are new to Federal service.
• Leave accrual negotiation may be available for those candidates who are new to Federal service.
• Student Loan repayment may be authorized.
• Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
• Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
• If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
• Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here:

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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