Supervisory Personnel Security Specialist

This Supervisory Personnel Security Specialist position is with Veterans Health Administration (Department of Veterans Affairs) in Phoenix, AZ. The incumbent of this position serves as a Supervisory Personnel Security Specialist, and the work assigned is of a very confidential, complex and highly sensitive nature. This position performs security-related functions in support of a Network Personnel Suitability and Credentialing Program (hereinafter, "Personnel Security Program") within a Shared Services Unit, and assures that all appointees have the appropriate level of security/suitability clearance commensurate with their assignment. Key duties: • The incumbent is responsible for the following: - Performs High Risk, moderate and low risk adjudications in cases of facility upper management and Network office personnel and/or subordinate organizations as applicable. - Provides expert advice to subordinate organizations when servicing affiliates, clinical trainees on time limit appointments, contractors, and without compensation employees. - Assists managers as needed of Personal Identification Cards (PIV) Card Issuing (PCI) managers to ensure uniformity in the interpretation of Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) and the issuance and revocation the Personal Identification Card (PIV). - Processes adverse actions as they relate to suitability issues up to, but not limited to the development of suitability and employee relation case files that document contact with the applicant, appointee or employee in the processing of the request for personnel action. - Processes agency requests to Pass-Over a Preference Eligible or Object to an Eligible as it relates to Suitability IAW: Title 5 CFR 731.202 or Title 5CFR 315.805. Communicates directly with the Delegated Examining Unit (DEU) and VACO's Personnel Security and Credential Management Office to ensure that all required documentation meets their standards involving Pass-Over Request. - Establishes, gathers, and coordinates record of evidence in support of proposed personnel security and suitability actions and decisions. This includes submitting disposition requests to the appropriate court, law enforcement agency, or other source to obtain clarification or additional information regarding a case. The employee prepares removal cases and represents the facility before Merit Systems Protection Board on pre and post-employment suitability issues. - Serves as the Network e-APP administrator providing expert advice to Human Resource personnel responsible for initiating and reviewing background investigations at facilities within the Network. The employee regularly addresses system and technical issues and resolves problems for Network staff. - Serves as a major authoritative source of the PIV Program and is responsible for interpreting policy originating from higher organizational levels (or national policy), developing local policy and implementing instructions, providing authoritative interpretations and guidance to management officials and other personnel security officers at the same and lower levels, and for resolving issues involving conflicting requirements. - Plans and directs staffing section operations. Provides guidance and renders decisions on complex determinations unresolved by subordinates on a continuous basis through review of completed work and assessment of results obtained. Recommends/makes selections for subordinate nonsupervisory work/group leaders and other staff members. Effects minor disciplinary measures, such as warnings and reprimands, recommending other action in more serious cases and identifies and arranges development and other training needs of employees. Counsels subordinates, develops performance standards, and rates staff. Encourages and acts upon employee suggestions for work improvement. Schedules vacations and approves leave of subordinates. Maintains a high level of work production in the section. - The incumbent oversees the daily operation of the unit and ensures that agency policies and priorities are being followed. Provides advice, counsel, and instruction to employees on both work and administrative matters. The incumbent hears and resolves minor complaints from employees; refers group grievances and more serious unresolved complaints to a higher-level supervisor or manager; effects minor disciplinary measures such as warnings and reprimands and recommends action in more serious cases. - Responsible for furthering the goals of equal employment opportunity (EEO) by taking positive steps to assure the accomplishment of affirmative action objectives and by adhering to nondiscriminatory employment practices in regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or handicap. Specifically, incumbent initiates nondiscriminatory practices and affirmative action for the area under their supervision in the following: (1) merit promotion of employees and recruitment and hiring of applicants; (2) fair treatment of all employees; (3) encouragement and recognition of employee achievements; (4) career development of employees; and (5) full utilization of their skills. - Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: AD-HOC Telework available (According to agency policy) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary and is usually accomplished while the employee is comfortably seated at a desk or table. Qualifications: To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/28/2026. 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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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 as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Knowledge of the regulations, policies, procedures, principles, and concepts that govern VA's Personnel Security and Suitability Program, OPM's e-APP System and the PIV Program. Additionally, the employee must know how to interpret and apply these regulations, policies, procedures, principles, and concepts in order to meet established program objectives, carry out assignments, and develop skills by performing limited independent tasks. Extensive knowledge of applicable equipment and programs to include, but not limited to USAccess, PIPS, QART, US ACCESS, USA STAFFING, etc. Knowledge of a wide range of personnel security and suitability concepts, principles, and practices to independently review, analyze, and resolve difficult and complex problems. Such work situations may involve, for example, conflicting testimony, sources, or degrees of significant information in clearance adjudication cases, overlapping and conflicting requirements, agreements with other organizations and/or agencies for resources and responsibility sharing, Interpreting new policy issuances for application in a variety of environments and locations, adjudicating personnel clearances and/or developing guidelines for applying general criteria covering derogatory information that requires extensive experience and personal judgment to resolve, or planning and recommending the installation of multi-layered security systems which may involve personnel access controls and other measures. Knowledge of personnel security and suitability program interrelationships to coordinate the objectives and plans of multiple, specialized programs, make accommodations in study or survey recommendations to allow for differing program requirements, develop and/or implement practices and procedures to cover multiple objectives, Serve on inter- organization and/or inter- agency committees and groups to identify, resolve, or assign responsibilities for resolving outstanding issues, or perform similar work. Knowledge of the requirements (e.g. forms, documentation, fingerprints, etc.) necessary to obtain any type of background investigation (e.g. T1/NACI, T2/MBI, T4/Bl, etc.) and the ability to assist employees, contractors, affiliates, and volunteers with any questions they may have about these requirements. Knowledge of other security specialties in resolving major conflicts in facility security policy and program objectives, and to perform key decision making and policy-developing work that includes planning for significantly new or far reaching security program requirements. Knowledgeable in MSPB case law and understand policies and procedures required to remove employees for post-employment suitability issues.. 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/. View the full announcement and apply on USAJOBS.gov.