Personnel Security Assistant

Personnel Security Assistant

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Salisbury, North Carolina, Salem, Virginia

Salary Range: $40736 - $67062 Per Year

Job Summary: The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has adopted the HR Modernization and Shared Services Implementation, which is a new model of organizing and consolidating essential Human Resource functions and services to the Veterans Integrated Services Network (VISN) level. This position serves as a Security Assistant and performs security-related functions in support of a Network Personnel Suitability and Credentialing Program hereinafter, "Personnel Security Program" within a shared services unit.

Major Duties:

• The duties include but are not limited too: GS-5 performs standard and non- standard assignments involving different and unrelated processes or methods in varying sequence work requires extensive knowledge of rules, operations, or business practices follows accepted practices in resolving non-recurring problems and meeting deadlines completed products are evaluated for effectiveness in meeting goals extensive guidelines in the form of instructions, manuals, and regulations are applied GS-6 uses initiative and works independently within the framework established by the Supervisor in carrying out recurring assignments such as obtaining, inserting, and correcting missing and incorrect data in Personnel Security files and automated systems follows established procedures or instructions that specifically describe how the work is to be done and the kind of modifications or exceptions that can be made refers specific problems not covered by the Supervisor's instructions or standard operating procedures to Supervisor or Lead Personnel Security Specialist for assistance and/or a decision GS-7 Review position risk sensitivity levels as full assistant to the Personnel Security Specialist. Assemble position descriptions and functional statements for the Personnel Security Specialist for review. Track electronically the level assigned and the appropriate background investigation needed. For pre-employment processes, serves as the initial point of contact for new appointees including but not limited to paid or without compensation employees, volunteers, students, residents, and contractors. Reviews information submitted by the requesting office to validate level of background required, enters appointee information into a local data base tracking system and refers appointee for fingerprinting. Initiates, reviews and releases appointees background investigations in the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) National Background Investigations Service Electronic Application (eAPP) Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (eQIP) system or in conjunction with the VA- Personnel Security and Adjudication Center (PSAC) Regularly monitors the status of specific pending items, compiles data to produce reports, follows up to determine status and records results. Reports are produced on a regular basis (weekly) to keep top level management apprised of the status of the Suitability/Security Program and for performance management/performance improvement initiatives Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: 8:00am-16:30pm Telework: Not eligible for Telework Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Personnel Security Assistant/PD99952S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Qualifications: To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/04/2026. 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-5 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-4. For a GS-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. For a GS-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6. 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-05: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: use of various computer, automation systems; computer skills in terms of data entry, compiling information, preparing and submitting reports, and database maintenance and management; ability to maintain confidentiality of information, both electronic and print; and communication and interpersonal relation skills sufficient to appropriately and courteously relate to internal and external customers both verbally and in writing. OR, EDUCATION SUBSTITUTION (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) Successfully completed 4 years above high school in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. This education was obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. OR, COMBINATION: Possess an equivalent combination of specialized experience and post high school education as described above that demonstrates my ability to perform the duties of this position. For the GS-05, only education in excess of 60 semester hours (2 years) is creditable. GS-06: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: signing forms administrative tasks associated with the authorization and issuance of the personal identification card, a standardized identification badge designed to increase security related with physical access to Federal facilities and networks and logical access to computer systems. Obtaining, inserting, and correcting missing and incorrect data in Personnel Security files and automated systems. Assuring that paperwork related to the suitability process is forwarded for inclusion in the appropriate system of records, i.e., official personnel folders. GS-07: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Collecting appropriate background security information, tracking and reviewing data, completion of reports, maintaining databases and processing, must have the ability to enter, extract, and evaluate employee information via access to various computer databases, initiating, reviewing, and approving background cases related to the completion of suitability investigations, completion of reports, maintaining databases and processing, position risks sensitivity levels, pre-employment processes, log maintenance, electronic fingerprints, minor identification card troubleshooting, admin tasks associated with authorization of personal identification cards, special projects, performing audits, credentialing rules and regulations. This specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-6 grade level in the Federal service. 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; religions; 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items such as papers, small boxes, or books. 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/.

How to Apply: Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online questionnaire and submission of the required documentation specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. To preview the application questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12898680. The application process is as follows: To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date, 03/04/2026. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. NOTE: Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed. Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started.Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume: Prioritize most relevant and recent experience Use concise, results focused language Align language from the job announcement Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies Remove outdated or unrelated experience Use the USAJOBS resume builder Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit

Application Deadline: 2026-03-04