Security Specialist

Summary This position is located in the Office of Management and Administrative Services, Office of the Associate Administrator for Administration, Maritime Administration (MARAD). Duties This position is established (1) to ensure the safeguard of information, personnel, and property from theft, loss, misuse, fraud, or disclosure; (2) assist in the development, establishment, recommendation, and evaluation of conformance with national policies for the headquarters and field elements of the Maritime Administration; and (3) provide both emergency and non emergency communications capability at headquarters and field locations in accordance with approved requirements.

The Security Specialist:

• Enforces MARAD's security program including personnel, information, physical and emergency security activities such as: clearance of applicants and employees for entry or retention in employment, and/or the clearance of employees and other persons for access to classified material.
• Provides assistance to officials on personnel security requirements. Briefs and debriefs employees and others on security requirements.
• Exercises responsibility for the receipt, custody, transmission, destruction, and control of all materials classified TOP SECRET or SECRET with the exception of physical custody of such material as is authorized to be under the custody of others under the provisions of Maritime Administrative Orders.
• Independently and as a member of a team, performs inspections of workplaces, storage areas, and administrative offices to identify and evaluate risk potential; determines the extent to which mechanical and physical conditions comply with required or accepted standards, adherence to established safety policies and procedures, and the effectiveness of the assigned program. Inspects contractor operations to insure safety regulations and standards are compiled with and to identify and insure correction of hazardous acts or conditions.
• Maintains liaison with the Office of Security in the Office of the Secretary of Transportation, on assigned security matters.
• Oversees and is responsible for the National Industrial Security Program, as well as the OPSEC and INFOSEC programs in MARAD.

The ideal candidate for this position will possess comprehensive knowledge of federal security principles, policies, regulations, and procedures necessary to administer and support an effective personnel, physical, information, and operational security program.

Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must (1) meet the Education Requirement for the series, (2) provide a copy of transcripts for verification, AND (3) meet either the education or experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration.

To qualify for the GS-11 on Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-09 it must include:

• Experience applying security principles, concepts, techniques, policies, and guidelines to administer and evaluate personnel, physical, information, and background investigations.

To qualify for the GS-11 on Education alone, you must have:

3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. You can also qualify based on a combination of higher level graduate education and experience. This must be fully supported by your resume and transcripts, provided with your application.

To qualify for the GS-12 on Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-11 it must include:

• Experience administering, evaluating, and improving personnel, physical, information, industrial, and emergency security programs and applying and interpreting federal security laws, regulations, policies, and directives to resolve security issues and develop effective solutions.
• Experience evaluating personnel security information, background investigations, and derogatory information to make determinations and recommendations concerning eligibility for access to classified or sensitive information.

You cannot qualify on education at the GS-12 level; you must have experience.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

• Technical Competence - Knowledge of personnel security principles and procedures, including security clearances, investigations, access determinations, reporting requirements, and adjudicative considerations.
• Problem Solving - Skill in researching and interpreting security laws, regulations, directives, policies and applying them to specific operational situations.
• Reasoning - Ability to analyze security-related information, evaluate risks and competing requirements, and reach logical conclusions to support security decisions and recommendations.

For all types of consideration, 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

For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/frequently-asked-questions/employment-faq/federal-hiring/how-do-i-apply-for-federal-jobs/

Students enrolled in a qualifying degree program can apply if the anticipated graduation date is within six months of closing date of the announcement. Graduation transcript must be received before start date.

Other applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Requirements

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance the organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

• SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
• BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: A background security investigation is required for all selected individuals. Appointment will be subject to the applicant’s successful completion of the security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
• DRUG TEST: This position has been determined to be a critical safety/security position as defined in the Department of Transportation (DOT) Order, DOT 3910.1D entitled "Drug and Alcohol-Free Departmental Workplace." Therefore, if selected for the position you will be required to submit to a pre-employment/pre-appointment drug test, you will also be subject to Random Drug Testing.
• PROBATIONARY PERIOD: You must complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).
• TIME-IN-GRADE: Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade in the competitive or excepted service in the executive branch to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions contained in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.

How you will be evaluated DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. To receive full credit during evaluation, your assessment responses must explicitly point back to your resume, as HR cannot make assumptions about your experience. You must write your narrative answers in full paragraph format, beginning each response with the exact position title, organization, employment dates (MM/YYYY–MM/YYYY), full-time/part-time, average hours worked per week, and federal series/grade (if applicable) as listed on your resume. Within the paragraph, clearly describe your specific individual duties, actions taken, tools used, and measurable outcomes to prove your level of expertise. HR will cross-check your narrative against your resume; if your resume does not fully support every detail and timeframe claimed in your written response, the claimed experience will be disallowed, which may result in an ineligible determination.

Eligible Federal employees also seeking consideration for noncompetitive reassignment for this position, must indicate interest in the assessment. Noncompetitive federal candidates must have competitive status on a SF-50, meet minimum qualifications, have served at the same grade or higher, and held or exceeded the promotion potential of this position.

All applicants: Your application will be reviewed in two phases determine how you move forward in the hiring process. Phase I: Your resume will be reviewed to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. ONLY two (2) pages of your resume will be reviewed. Additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume) will not be reviewed. Applicants passing “Phase I” will move on to the “Phase II” of the assessment process where your application will be reviewed and rated based on the KSAs/Competencies listed in the vacancy announcement by a Subject Matter Expert (SME).

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Benefits

How to apply You must submit a complete application package (including resume, vacancy questions and supporting documents) no later than 11:59 (EST) on the closing date of the announcement.

• To begin, click the Apply Online button on the job announcement.
• Follow the directions to register, submit all required documents and complete the assessment questionnaire.
• You may review your saved application(s) at https://help.usajobs.gov/

If you are having difficulty applying online, please contact the DOT Automated Staffing Office via email at: Transjobs@dot.gov.

Other information This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Transportation by email at, FairChanceAct@dot.gov. To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation