Personnel Security Assistant

Personnel Security Assistant

Incumbent of this position serves as a Personnel Security Assistant and performs security-related functions in support of a Network Personnel Suitability and Credentialing Program. The program assures that all appointees have the appropriate level of security / suitability clearance commensurate with their assignment. Incumbent serves as an assistant to the Personnel Security Specialist.

This job is open to current, permanent federal employees (Competitive & Excepted Service), those eligible under CTAP / ICTAP, Veterans eligible for VEOA, VRA, 30%, those eligible under Schedule A, military spouses, prior Federal employees and those service members eligible for VOW.

Join the VISN 17 : VA Heart of Texas Health Care Network as a Personnel Security Assistant. This position serves as the Personnel Security Assistant and is a member of the VISN 17 PERSEC Service under the Human Resources Management Service. The primary purpose of this position is to maintain the integrity of the Personnel Suitability and Personnel Identity Verification programs by providing administrative support in Personnel Security. The duties of the position include but are not limited to : PIV Badging PIV Registrar Duties :

• Appoint, certify, and validate the identity of the Sponsor
• Document and maintain a list of all appointed and certified Sponsors
• Identity proofing of all applicants
• Determine if a temporary identity badge should be issued to an applicant pending results of the background investigation
• Capture fingerprints of the PIV applicant
• Send original documents to the PIV card issuer

PIV Printer & Activator Duties :

Advanced Personnel Security Assistant Duties in Suitability :

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 : Monday - Friday 8 : 00 a.m. - 4 : 30 p.m. (Alternate schedules may be necessary to meet the needs of the organization) Remote : This is not a remote position. Position Description / PD# : Personnel Security Assistant / PD99952S Relocation / Recruitment Incentives : Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS) : Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report : Not required

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Physical Requirements : The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. Subject to background / security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements. Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01 / 29 / 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-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. 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-5 Specialized Experience : You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-4 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include : performing administrative tasks associated with the authorization and issuance of the PIV card, a standardized identification badge designed to increase security related with physical access to Federal facilities and networks and logical access to computer systems; working with applicants who may be experiencing difficulties with completion of electronic forms related to the background screening process and working with Recruitment and Staffing to assure required background documents are complete and accurate as per policy.

OR Education : Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed 4 years above high school. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED)

OR Combination : Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) to be creditable. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED)

GS-6 Specialized Experience : You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include : reviewing position risk sensitivity levels as full assistant to the Personnel Security Specialist to ensure appropriate background investigation is initiated for specific positions; assisting in the execution of personnel security-related functions as they relate to VA subjects in Veterans Affairs Centralized Adjudication and Background Investigation System (VA-CABS); and performing minor PIV troubleshooting of the PIV System during malfunctions to resolve system issues.

GS-7 Specialized Experience : You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-6 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include : initiating, reviewing and releasing appointees background investigations in the Office of Personnel Management's Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (e-QIP) system or in conjunction with the VA- Adjudication Center (VA-AC) to meet OPM regulation standard; providing technical advice and guidance to employees, contractors, affiliates, and volunteers regarding matters pertaining to the PIV Program and maintaining required files related to the suitability process in accordance with OPM / agency guidelines.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position :

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.

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.

Candidates should be