Summary

This position is located in the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer.

Duties

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HUD's Mission

The mission of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is to foster strong communities by supporting access to quality, affordable housing, expanding the housing supply, and unlocking homeownership opportunities for the American people. The Department is committed to furthering the promise of self-sufficiency in every American while promoting economic development to revitalize rural, tribal, and urban communities across the country.

This position is located in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO), Office of Human Capital Services (HCS). HCS provides essential workforce support and operational HR solutions through the following Department-wide functions: Strategic and Operational Classification, Recruitment, and Staffing services; Payroll, Benefits, and Retirement services; Career/Life balance programs such as Employee Health & Wellness and Reasonable Accommodations; and Personnel Security Services.

The following are the duties of this position at the GS-13. If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties, and will receive training to help you grow in this position.

As a Personnel Security Specialist, you will:

• Review and analyze difficult and complex results of personnel background investigations, including those of high prominence, conducted by the Department of Defense, Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA). Enroll personnel into RAPBack and Trusted Workforce, as appropriate.
• Review, evaluate, and adjudicate reports of investigations, personnel files, and other records to determine whether to grant, deny, revoke, suspend or restrict security clearances consistent with suitability issues. Determine the adequacy and completeness of the investigation and other means by which data were collected.
• Independently evaluate favorable and derogatory information developed to determine eligibility for credentialing and update both USAccess and other repositories with the appropriate data.
• Using eApp, initiate background investigations for prospective new hires, contractors, detailees, etc., and complete personnel vetting process, using transfer of trust, when appropriate.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

The official duty station for this position will be in Alexandria, Virginia. Failure to report to duty at this location may be grounds for a disciplinary action, including removal.

Key Requirements:

• Must be U.S. Citizen or U.S. National.
• A probationary or trial period may be required. Continued employment is contingent upon supervisory certification that continued employment will benefit the Federal Service; the certification will occur no less than 30 days before the end of the probationary/trial period.
• Must successfully complete a background investigation.
• Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
• Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
• If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
• Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form i-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
• Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
• Please refer to "Additional Information Section for additional Conditions of Employment."

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

Specialized Experience:

For the GS-12 grade level, you must have one year (52 full weeks) of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized Experience for this position includes:

• Making suitability or fitness determinations or recommending adjudications for background investigations; AND
• Maintaining effective partnerships, communication and collaboration with a variety of personnel; AND
• Providing assistance regarding the status of personnel security investigations.

For the GS-11 grade level, you must have one year (52 full weeks) of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized Experience for this position includes:

• Providing Personnel Security services including initiating background investigations; AND
• Maintaining and utilizing electronic security databases; AND
• Processing security clearance briefings/debriefings (i.e. conducting security screening interviews and new employee security briefings).

OR Education: You may substitute education for general or specialized experience as follows:

• 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.; in order to be qualifying, education must be in a related field.

OR Combination: You may qualify by a combination of experience and education. To combine education and experience, the total percentage of experience at the required grade level compared to the specialized experience requirement, as well as the percentage of completed education compared to the education requirement must equal at least 100 percent.

The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your resume.

Time-in-Grade: In addition to the above requirements, you must meet the following time-in-grade requirement, if applicable:

For the GS-12 you must have been at the GS-11 level for 52 weeks.

For the GS-11 you must have been at the GS-09 level for 52 weeks.

Time After Competitive Appointment: Candidates who are current Federal employees serving on a non-temporary competitive appointment must have served at least three months in that appointment.

Education

The education generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.

EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION: For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.

Additional information

OTHER INFORMATION:

• We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
• Relocation expenses will not be paid.
• Relocation incentive will not be paid.
• Recruitment incentive will not be paid.
• This is a non-bargaining unit position.
• This position is Exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
• HUD offers alternative and flexible work schedules.
• This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies for similar positions across HUD. During the online application process, you will be asked to specify if you would like your application information shared with other hiring managers in the Program Office listed in this announcement or in other HUD Program Offices. Opting to share your application information will not impact your application for this announcement, nor will it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT (CONTINUED):

HUD employees are subject to a number of government-wide and HUD specific ethics laws and regulations, including restrictions on working in a real estate related business, and having Section 8 tenants, along with other prohibited interests and activities. To review applicable ethics rules and HUD specific restrictions, please visit https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/general_counsel/ethics.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION REQUESTS:

If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations 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. 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 Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire

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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.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.