Personnel Security Specialist

Summary

These positions are located at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Administrative & Financial Management's Human Resources Division (HRD), Office of the Deputy Director for Human Resources Operations, Personnel Security and Suitability Branch (PSSB). In these positions, you will provide direct technical support, as well as advice and guidance on various programmatic and operational issues related to personnel suitability and security.

Duties

• •Receives and processes background investigation forms and ensures the form is complete.
• •Performs adjudications/determinations for the suitability, fitness, and/or credentialing of employees, contractors and/or applicants for initial and continuous vetting; interprets and applies suitability factors.
• •Accesses the National Background Investigation Services (NBIS) or Defense Information System for Security (DISS) secure portal or its successor and initiates the background investigation via electronic application (eApp).
• •Captures and transmits fingerprints for applicants, employees, and contractors, or when the FBI returns fingerprints unclassifiable for various reasons, as needed.
• •Determines the eligibility of individuals for entry and retention in federal and contractor positions, in accordance with regulations, as to whether they meet the suitability or fitness requirements for employment.
• •Accesses the automated systems for security/suitability investigations to determine if there is an existing adjudication or investigation that meets the current need.
• •Ensures all investigative files are available prior to reviewing and rendering a suitability adjudicative/determination in accordance with suitability guidance and guidelines.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement, 10/15/2026, including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Time in Grade: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet the time in grade requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. GS-09 Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-09 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-07 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience receiving and processing background investigation forms; determining which applicants and incumbents meet suitability requirements; and updating personnel vetting information in automated systems. OR Education: Successful completion of a master's degree 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. Related degrees may include Security Management, Criminal Justice, Law, or Homeland Security. OR A combination of graduate level education and experience as described above. GS-11 Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-11 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-09 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience managing and maintaining suitability and personnel security activities; providing guidance on suitability and security matters; and preparing summaries and responses to investigative security inquiries. OR Education: Successful completion of a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or an LL.M., if related. Related degrees may include Security Management, Criminal Justice, Law, or Homeland Security. OR A combination of Ph.D. level education and experience as described above. GS-12 Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-12 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-11 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience ensuring appropriate security paperwork is accurately completed and appropriately maintained; performing adjudications/determinations for the suitability, fitness, or credentialing of employees; and developing policies and procedures for a security program. 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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.