Summary

The primary purpose of this Transportation Security Specialist responsible for serving as a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) watch officer and on-scene manager in the National Capital Region Coordination Center (NCRCC).

Duties

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This Transportation Security Specialist position is located in the Interagency Airspace Security (IAS), Operations Planning & Coordination (OPC),Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS), Law Enforcement (LE), Transportation Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Duties include but are not limited to:

• Independently speaks on behalf of the TSA in the NCRCC during all interagency activities concerning flight operations in the National Capital Region (NCR). Coordinates with other agencies' watch officers and oversees the operation of the center to ensure that all participants are receiving and sharing the most current and accurate information in order to effectively perform their missions in addition to assessing and interdicting airborne tracks of interest in the NCR.
• Identifies threats, sequences, and patterns of threat activity, correlates the impact of security threat activities, and minimizes risk to ongoing aviation operations in the NCR. Isolates indications of impending attacks and disseminates threat information in real time to provide threat alerts and decision support to senior TSA managers and other interagency representatives within the NCRCC. Work is reviewed rarely, typically though status reports and at project completion, to ensure technical compliance and alignment with the requirements of the project or other work activity.
• Maintains continuous daily situational awareness of transportation operations infrastructure including complex transportation systems, intra/inter modal coordination, open-source news monitoring, event correlation, multi-source fusion of operational information, and trend analysis in maintaining vigilance over NCR airspace and overall NCR security. Proactively facilitates the flow and sharing of information and security-related intelligence among NCRCC agencies and organizations.
• Provides detailed and grammatically correct incident reports that accurately describe each aviation security event that occurs during a shift and submits reports and events timelines for direct submission to TSA leadership and Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

1. You must possess U.S. Citizenship or be a U.S. National.
2. You must have reached the minimum age (18) at the time of application.
3. You must complete a favorable Background Investigation (BI).
4. Selective Service registration is required.
5. Special Sensitive/Top Secret

If you fail to meet the conditions of employment or any other pre-employment requirements, such as missing any of the scheduled appointments, the hiring agency may rescind their tentative offer of employment.

Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for TSA to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.

Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.

Qualifications

In addition to the minimum qualifications described above, you must meet the following specialized experience to be considered qualified for the position:

To qualify for the SV-I Pay Band (equivalent to GS-13), you must have one year of specialized experience at the SV-H or GS-12 in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Must have two of the specialized experience is defined as:

• Interpreting and applying aviation and transportation security laws, rules, regulations, policies and procedures related to transportation-related incidents sufficient to interpret, analyze, and coordinate action in a multi-agency team environment.
• Expert knowledge in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and TSA regulations pertaining to aviation security procedures and restrictions that apply to flight operations.
• Knowledge of security policies, regulations, and procedures in addition to threat assessment concepts, principles, and methods sufficient to assist in identifying threats, sequences, and patterns of threat activity, correlate the impact of security threat activities, and minimize risk to ongoing aviation operations.

To qualify for the SV-J Pay Band (equivalent to GS-14), you must have one year of specialized experience at the SV-I or GS-13 in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Must have two of the specialized experience is defined as:

• Creating incident reports that accurately describe each aviation security event that occurs and submits reports and events timelines to TSA leadership and Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
• Formulating responses to unusual situations or anomalies within the NCR airspace.
• Applying knowledge and experience of transportation security rules, regulations, policies, and overall TSA procedures to determine the appropriate response to a perceived transportation security threat.

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.

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.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

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

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: www.opm.gov/

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.

DHS offers competitive salaries and an attractive benefits package, including: health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance; retirement plan; Thrift Savings Plan [similar to a 401(k)]; Flexible Spending Account; Employee Assistance Program; personal leave days; and paid federal holidays. Other benefits may include flexible work schedules; situational telework may be permitted in accordance with departmental policy telework; tuition reimbursement; transportation subsidies; uniform allowance; health and wellness programs; and fitness centers. DHS is committed to employee development and offers a variety of employee training and developmental opportunities. For more information, go to the DHS Careers website and select "Benefits." Disabled veteran leave will be available to any Federal employee hired on or after November 5, 2016, who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or more.

Employees who transfer to TSA from an agency that allows employees to maintain an annual leave balance higher than the maximum accumulation for the appointed position will have their leave ceiling set to the maximum accumulation for the appointed position (e.g., United States duty location - 240 hours, foreign duty location - 360 hours, or TSES position - 720 hours). TSA will not make a monetary payment for any leave forfeited under these circumstances.

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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.