Personnel Security Specialist

The incumbent will serve as a Personnel Security Specialist in the Security Programs staff located in the Criminal Division, Office of Administration. The Security Programs staff is responsible for personnel security, physical security, information security, and emergency management programs in the Criminal Division.

Duties

As a Personnel Security Specialist, some of your duties may include:

• Conducting and reviewing investigative checks; reviewing background investigation paperwork for completeness, errors, and derogatory information.
• Providing recommendations to team lead and supervisor regarding the assessment and resolution of severe derogatory information.
• Reviewing, evaluating, and making complex adjudicative decisions within established timelines.
• Collaborating with a team of personnel on resolving difficult security matters.
• Serving as a liaison to coordinate security-related activities within the organization.
• Completing day-to-day operational activities to support the security program.
• Assisting with implementing operational policies, procedures, programs, and standards.

Salary

• $102,415 - $158,322/year

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to qualify for this position.
• You must undergo a pre-employment security investigation.
• Selective Service Registration is required, as applicable.
• You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
• You must meet status eligibility for this announcement.
• Direct Deposit: All federal employees are required to have federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• The Criminal Division participates in the Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program. E-Verify helps employers to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. For more information, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
• A one-year probationary period may be required.

Qualifications

To qualify for the GS-12 level, applicants must have one year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-11 federal grade level. Examples of specialized experience include: initiating and processing security investigations for employees and contractors; independently reviewing waivers, evaluating investigation results, assessing fitness, and adjudicating cases under established guidelines; and assisting in developing SOPs, analyzing policy changes, and preparing recurring reports.

To qualify at the GS-13 level, applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-12 Federal grade level. Examples of specialized experience include: managing security investigations for employees and contractors as well as the continuous evaluation/vetting processes; reviewing and resolving complex derogatory information and discrepancies in investigations; assisting in developing SOPs, interpreting policy changes, and recommending strategic solutions to program issues; and advising managers and applicants on complex or non-standard issues and supporting major liaison activities.

Time-in-Grade: Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements for consideration by the closing date of this announcement.

Education There is no education requirement for this position. Other Information ELIGIBILITY: You are eligible under merit promotion procedures, if you meet one of the following criteria: Current DOJ employees with career or career-conditional appointments in the competitive service; or Displaced Federal employees requesting special priority selection consideration under the Career transition Assistance Plan (CTAP). Additional selections may be made from this vacancy announcement to fill vacancies that occur subsequent to this announcement. EEO Statement: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. Additional information on DOJ's EEO policy can be found on our website. Career Transition Programs (CTAP): This program applies to DOJ employees who meet the definition of surplus or displaced from a position in the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: Meet CTAP eligibility criteria; Be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above based on the competencies listed above; and Submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP eligibility. If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, please reach out to criminal.crmjobs@usdoj.gov or (202) 514-0361 for alternative application procedures. Required Documents

You are strongly encouraged to convert your resume to an Adobe PDF file prior to submitting your application, especially if you are submitting using a Mac system. Resumes not pre-converted to a PDF will undergo system conversion that may cause some formatting changes to your resume, including line and page break errors.

You must provide a complete application package which includes:

1. Resume (cover letter is optional) - Applicants will be evaluated based on a comparison of the position requirements against the quality and extent of experience or related education as reflected in their resume. Applicants are encouraged to ensure work experiences clearly show the possession of knowledge of the subject matter pertinent to the position and the technical skills to successfully perform the duties of the position. Your resume must be no more than 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications. Please ensure all information you believe is qualifying for the position is contained in the first two pages, or you may be marked ineligible. Additionally, your resume must include the following information for each job listed: month and year, start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008), and full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week).
2. SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applying as a status candidate with current or former federal service) which shows type of service appointment, tenure group, grade, and salary. If you are applying for a higher grade, please provide the SF-50 Form which shows the length of time you have been in your current/highest grade (examples of appropriate SF-50s include Promotions, Within Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s over one year old).
3. Most Recent Performance Appraisal (if applicable).
4. Any Relevant Performance Award (must attach SF-50)(if applicable).
5. Documentation of Eligibility for Special Hiring Authorities (if applicable) to prove appointment eligibility. Examples include: Peace Corps volunteer letter, military spouse hiring authority documentation, etc.
6. Current or Former Political Appointees (if applicable) - Please note on your resume and attach an SF-50. 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, or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office.
7. Schedule A Documentation (if applicable) - The Criminal Division welcomes and encourages applications from persons with disabilities and is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within DOJ. The Criminal Division also encourages eligible Schedule A applicants to submit their resumes directly to the Criminal Division disability POC at crm.schedulea@usdoj.gov.
8. CTAP Documentation (if applicable) - If you are a displaced Federal employee claiming eligibility under CTAP:
   • A copy of the agency notice (i.e., letter of intent, separation notice, or agency RIF letter);
   • Your most recent performance appraisal; and
   • Your most recent SF-50 showing your current/former position title and series, grade, promotion potential, and duty location.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete application package which includes the assessment questionnaire and the required documents indicated below. The application package must be received by 11:59 PM, Eastern Time, on 07/23/2026.

We recommend that you preview the online questions for this announcement before you start the application process. You may preview the assessment questionnaire by clicking https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12995369.

To begin the process, click the Apply Online button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account. Follow the prompts to complete the assessment questionnaire. Please ensure you click the "Submit My Answers" button at the end of the process.

To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://www.usajobs.gov/, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

Reasonable Accommodation Statement: Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the Human Resources team at CRM.RA@usdoj.gov. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.