Summary
About the Position: This position supports the mission of the Defense Health Agency (DHA) Administration Security Division, Personnel Security Branch and is located in Falls Church, VA. This is not a virtual/remote position. You must live within or be willing to relocate within a commutable distance of the identified duty location (Falls Church, VA).
Duties
Serve as the final adjudicative authority for suitability or fitness determinations for federal employment.
Advise DHA personnel on the status of background investigations and onboarding timelines to support their staffing needs.
Provide clear, accurate guidance to applicants and current personnel regarding complex security clearance requirements, fingerprinting processes, and appeal procedures.
Evaluate complex cases containing derogatory information (e.g., criminal history, financial issues) and making definitive, timely "pass/fail" risk decisions to protect the agency.
Prioritize and reassign casework among subordinate specialists to meet urgent, mission-critical deployment or hiring deadlines.
Adapt agency Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and local policies rapidly in response to sudden changes in Office of Personnel Management (OPM) or Department of Defense (DoD) vetting mandates.
Manage workflows and balance workloads across geographically separated offices to account for staffing shortages or sudden surges in investigation requests.
Provide day-to-day supervision, mentorship, and performance feedback to a team of security specialists, fostering a cohesive team environment despite geographic separation.
Analyze conflicting or incomplete information within National Agency Checks or Single Scope Background Investigations to determine the true nature of a security risk.
Identify systemic bottlenecks or delays within the DHA personnel vetting pipeline and implementing procedural improvements to reduce overall processing and onboarding times.
Formulate comprehensive personnel security policies to ensure organizational compliance with federal regulations.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the online assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Accountability Customer Service Decisiveness Flexibility Interpersonal Skills Problem Solving Resilience Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. You may claim Military Spouse preference. You may claim Priority Placement Program (PPP) preference. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority for this position. To receive selection priority, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria (2) be rated well-qualified for the position and; (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. To be considered well-qualified and receive selection priority applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a score of 90 or above. Additional information about the program is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website.