Personnel Security Specialist

The Personnel Security Specialist will be assigned to one of the eight (8) VISN 22 PIV Offices within VISN 22 Desert Pacific Healthcare Network (Health Service Area 53). The primary purpose of this position is to perform the security related functions in support of a Network Personnel Suitability and Credentialing Program. Location is negotiable and must be able to report to the nearest VHA Facility within a 50 mile radius. Qualifications: To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/22/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-09 position, you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. For a GS-11 position, you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. Selective Placement Factor (SPF) Note: This position has SPF. The SPF is applied in addition to minimum qualifications. Applicants who do not meet the criteria for the SPF are ineligible for further consideration. To meet the Selective Placement Factor requirement, applicants must have completed the OPM Adjudicator Course. Applicants MUST submit their Certification of Completion in OPM Adjudicator Course of selective placement factor by the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to provide the requested information, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you WILL lose consideration for this position. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-09 Personnel Security Specialist Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Experience in applying knowledge of standardized applications or established variations in security criteria involving considerations such as clearance level required, adjudication of security clearances when clear-cut derogatory information is present in the investigative information, nature of materials or information to the protected, cost-benefit relationships for security devices or equipment systems, and similar considerations. OR; Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related (Unofficial Transcripts Required) OR; Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond one year of graduate school. GS-11 Personnel Security Specialist Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Experience in applying knowledge of Federal law, regulations, agency policies, management practices, and information technology procedures sufficient to recognize areas of interaction and overlap between existing and proposed allocations. Interpreting policy originating from higher organizational levels for local adaptation. Resolving difficult and complex security problems; applying knowledge of safety and service level risk assessment procedures to handle these functions as a personnel Security Specialist and ensure compliance. OR; Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. (Unofficial Transcripts Required). OR; Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond two years of graduate school. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.