in
Drug Enforcement Administration

Supervisory Personnel Security Specialist

Drug Enforcement Administration See More Job Openings by This EmployerArrow
  • Full Time
  • $143,913 - $187,093/year
  • Arlington, VA
June 3, 2026 Criminal Law

Job Description

This position is located in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Inspection Division, Office of Security Programs. This position(s) primary purpose is to serve as the Unit Chief and is responsible for implementing the functions, and exercising the authority of, the Personnel Security Section Chief or the Suitability Section Chief, and the Deputy Chief Inspector for the Office of Security Programs in administering the security regulations.

Duties

As a Supervisory Personnel Security Specialist, your typical work assignments may include:

  • Formulating, managing, implementing, and administering personnel security policies and procedures.
  • Assisting the Section Chief in assessing the long-term effectiveness of program operations, by planning and conducting management surveys and/or research.
  • Advising and providing counsel to employees regarding policies, procedures, and directives of management.
  • Analyzing and evaluating quantitative or qualitative effectiveness of program operations in meeting established goals and objectives. Developing measurement criteria, procedures, and instruments to meet the needs of DEA clearance and suitability requirements.
  • Performing the full range of supervisory functions.

Salary
  • $143,913 - $187,093/year
Conditions of Employment
  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov/).
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: http://www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/.
  • Incumbent is subject to random drug testing.
  • Selectee may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period (OR 1-year OR 2-year trial period, as appropriate) during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest
  • Employment is subject to the successful completion of a background investigation. Must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
  • All applicants tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment.
Qualifications

For more information on eligibility requirements see: DEA Employment Eligibility

Applicants must meet all of the required qualification requirements described below by the closing of this announcement. If you are qualifying based on education or if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript with your application.

Applicants applying for the GS-14 must meet one of the following requirements:

A. Have at least one full year of qualifying specialized experience that is at least equivalent in difficulty and complexity to work performed at the GS-13 grade level. Specialized 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.

Qualifying experience must demonstrate the following: 1) Assigning work to subordinate employees based on organization priorities and consideration of difficulty and requirements of assignments such that the experience, training, and abilities of staff; 2) Formulating, managing, implementing, and administering personnel security policies and procedures; 3) Developing and presenting educational information or facilitates discussions about issue cases and related matters with other employees or with other personnel security professionals at training events and similar group settings; 4) Overseeing the reviews of the results of national security and public trust investigations of contract and federal personnel in connection with employment or continued employment; 5) Overseeing the development of justifications to support decisions involving complex adjudicative issues in the form of Statement of Reasons, Letter or Warnings, Suspension, Request for Additional Information, and Notices of Proposed Action.

Additional information on the position qualification requirements are located in the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Qualifications Standards Handbook.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants must meet time-in-grade and time after competitive appointment requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education Education requirements do not apply to this vacancy announcement. Other Information For reasonable accommodation at the Drug Enforcement Administration, please contact the Human Resources office listed in this announcement. Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA): To be eligible for a VEOA appointment under Merit Promotion procedures, the veteran must be a preference eligible or a veteran separated after 3 years or more of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions. Current or Former Political Appointees: 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. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to similar positions in any Division/Office listed in this announcement. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions. Recruitment and/or Relocation Incentives may be considered and approved under conditions specified provided the agency has determined that the position is likely to be difficult to fill in the absence of an incentive and funding for such an incentive is available. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period pr 2-year trial 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 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 or trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Required Documents

All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to our automated system by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

  1. Resume - must be no more than two pages in length; resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. Resume should include applicants' name, email address, phone number, relevant work/volunteer experience, education and training. Include the start and end dates (from month/year to month/year), work schedule (e.g. part or full-time), the number of hours per week worked/volunteered, job title and description of duties performed. Education/Certification/Licensure when relevant or required for position. See Guidance for Applicants on 2-Page Resume and visit the USAJOBS Help Center for more information.
  2. Transcripts, if applicable and you are qualifying based on education. See the Qualification and Education sections of this announcement for more information. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.
  3. SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action), if applicable: SF-50(s) must show the effective date, position title, series, grade, salary, tenure, competitive status, position occupied, full promotion potential, and name of agency. Multiple SF-50s may be needed to show all required information. Award SF-50s often do not show the required information. To verify the time in grade requirement, applicants must submit a SF-50 verifying the highest grade held for at least 52 weeks. Examples include, promotions with an effective date greater than one year, within grade increases demonstrating the highest grade held for at least 52 weeks or appointments/conversion of appointments with an effective date greater than one year.
  4. ICTAP/CTAP - Career Transition Assistance Program documentation, if applicable. This includes copies of your agency notice (e.g. Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal), most recent performance rating and more recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) noting current position, grade level and duty location.
  5. Veteran Documentation, if applicable.
  • Veterans who are preference eligible OR who have been separated from the Armed Forces under honorable conditions (honorable or general discharge) after 3 or more years of continuous active service may apply under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA). You must submit a DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (Member Copy 4 preferred) showing the dates you served as well as your type of discharge and qualifying service campaign medals OR if you are still on active duty, you MUST submit a certification on letterhead from your military branch which contains your military service dates, expected date of discharge or release, and the character of service to show that your military service was performed under honorable conditions. The expected date of discharge or release must be no later than 120 days after the certification is submitted for consideration for this job announcement. Current Federal employees applying under the VEOA must submit a qualifying SF-50 to show time-in-grade requirements.
  • If you are applying as a preference eligible with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more, you must submit the documentation required by the SF-15 (Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference) to support your claim (e.g., DD-214, official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs). For applicants claiming 10-point derived veterans' preference (i.e., spouses, widows/widowers or mothers of veterans), a completed SF-15 must be submitted with the application with all required supporting documents listed on the form.
  • For more veterans' preference information, visit the USAJOBS Help Center.
  1. Non-competitive or special hiring authority eligibility documentation, if applicable. Examples of such authorities include: Schedule A individuals with disabilities, returning Peace Corps or AmeriCorp VISTA volunteer, Fulbright/Gilman/CLS alumni, etc.
  2. Current or Former Land Management Employee documentation, if applicable. Visit the Forest Service's site for required documentation.
  3. Other Qualification Documentation (e.g. certificates, certifications, etc.), if applicable. See the Qualification section of this announcement for more information.

How to Apply

Prepare your application in USAJOBS

During the application process you can review, edit, delete, and update your information. We'll automatically save your progress as you go, so you won't lose any changes. You have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement to complete the application process.

STEP 1: Select the "Apply" button and follow the instructions to register or sign into USAJOBS.
STEP 2: Submit your resume. Resume must not exceed two pages. Please see the Required Documents section for specific information that should be outlined in your resume.
STEP 3: Complete the online assessment questions.
STEP 4: Submit all required documentation applicable to you, as listed in the Required Documents section.

Alternate Application Procedures: If applying online poses an extreme hardship, you may request alternate application procedures to submit your application package. Contact the Human Resources office listed on the announcement between the business hours of 8:15 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET at least 2 working days prior to the closing date of this announcement. The application package for alternate application procedures must be submitted and received in the Human Resources office no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on the closing date of this announcement. Paper applications and information sent by mail will not be accepted.



Have Questions?

Looking for a job or looking to hire? We're here to help! Get answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Justia Legal Jobs.