Department of Justice

Personnel Security Specialist (Adjudicator)

Washington, District of Columbia Full time

Personnel Security Specialist (Adjudicator)

Department: Department of Justice

Location(s): Washington, District of Columbia

Salary Range: $69923 - $109975 Per Year

Job Summary: ATF is a law enforcement agency in the U.S. Department of Justice that protects our communities from violent criminals/criminal organizations, illegal use/trafficking of firearms, illegal use/storage of explosives, acts of arson/bombings, acts of terrorism, and illegal diversion of alcohol/tobacco products. We partner with communities, industries, law enforcement, and public safety agencies to safeguard the public through information sharing, training, research, & technology. Visit www.atf.gov

Major Duties:

  • This position is located under the Office of Professional Responsibility and Security Operations, Personnel Security Division, Adjudications Branch in Washington, District of Columbia. As a Personnel Security Specialist (Adjudicator), GS-0080-09, your typical work assignments may include: Reviews information developed during a background investigation and continuous evaluation to determine if investigation and/or information is adequate and complete. Evaluates validity, truthfulness and relevance of the data. Conducts review of information to recommend whether to grant, suspend, or revoke security clearance and/or access to the agency. Corresponds with applicants and employees to resolve suitability or security issues. As a Personnel Security Specialist (Adjudicator), GS-0080-11, your typical work assignments may include: Reviews information developed during a background investigation and continuous evaluation to determine if investigation and/or information is adequate and complete. Evaluates validity, truthfulness and relevance of the data. Conducts review of information to recommend whether to grant, suspend, or revoke security clearance and/or access to the agency. Corresponds with applicants and employees to resolve suitability or security issues. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progresses.

Qualifications: Additional Conditions of Employment: To qualify for GS-09, candidates must also have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-07. GS-09 - You qualify if you possess one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal, State, or Local government or equivalent public or private sector experience, performing the following duties: Apply knowledge of suitability factors and security adjudicative guidelines; AND Apply knowledge of the Continuous Vetting program; AND Communicate effectively in writing. OR Completion of a master's or equivalent graduate degree or at least 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related to the requirements of the position. To qualify for GS-11, candidates must also have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-09. GS-11 - You qualify if you possess one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal, State, or Local government or equivalent public or private sector experience, performing the following duties: Apply knowledge of suitability factors and security adjudicative guidelines; AND Apply knowledge of the Continuous Vetting program; AND Interpret and apply a wide range of personnel security regulations, policies, procedures, and principles; AND Communicate effectively in writing. OR Completion of a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or at least 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related to the requirements of the position. Experience must be in the normal line of progression or must be related to the work of the position advertised and must be reflected in resume. The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and score 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/career-transition/. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and score 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/career-transition/ Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) allows eligible veterans to apply and compete for positions announced under merit promotion procedures when the hiring agency is recruiting from outside its own workforce. To be eligible for a Veteran Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) appointment, a veteran must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed three (3) or more years of continuous active military service. If you are applying for a Merit Promotion announcement and wish to be considered under the VEOA, you must submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214, in addition to any other required documents listed on this announcement.

How to Apply: Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online assessment and submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. You must submit a complete application package by 11:59 PM (ET) on 12/05/2025 to be considered. The application process is as follows: To begin the application process, click the Apply Online button. 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. After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you via email notification. The email may be routed to your "Spam" or "Junk" folder. If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. Click here for Computer System Requirements Note, set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can re-use the URL sent to you via email and also found in your USAJOBS account under the Track this application link for the corresponding application. To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period return to your USAJOBS account. There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Edit My Application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement is closed. To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account. Your applications will appear on the Welcome page. Navigate to the job application and click Track this application to view your application status. The link will take you to the hiring agency application system, which has the most up-to-date status of your application. There you can review any notifications sent to you related to this application, including the invitation to take the USA Hire assessment. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means click here.

Application Deadline: 2025-12-05