PERSONNEL SECURITY SPECIALIST (ADJUDICATOR)
About This Position
DCSA's Trust Decision (Adjudication) is looking for a Personnel Security Specialists to review, evaluate, and resolve in-depth adjudicative actions. This role requires a change agent with the ability to analyze investigation results and make recommendations to grant, deny, or revoke a security clearance.
Qualifications
The experience described in your resume will be evaluated and screened from the Office of Personnel Management's (OPMs) basic qualifications requirements. See: Security Administration Series - 0080 for OPM qualification standards, competencies and specialized experience needed to perform the duties of the position as described in the MAJOR DUTIES and QUALIFICATIONS sections of this announcement by 07/08/2026.
Applicant must have directly applicable experience that demonstrates the possession of the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies necessary for immediate success in the position. Qualifying experience may have been acquired in any public or private sector job, but will clearly demonstrate past experience in the application of the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to successfully perform the duties of the position.
You must have specialized experience sufficient to demonstrate that you have acquired all the competencies necessary to perform at a level equivalent in difficulty, responsibility, and complexity to the next lower grade GS/GG-11 in the Federal service and are prepared to take on greater responsibility. Generally, this would include one year or more of such specialized experience. Specialized experience for this position includes: 1. Applying personnel security practices and procedures to analyze questionnaires to determine recommendations on issues concerning national security; and
- Managing projects and correspondence for Continuous Evaluation and Personnel Security adjudication initiatives; and
- Participating in briefings to provide guidance, resolution of adjudicative issues, and assurance of coordinated/uniform personnel security operations; and
- Communicating with security personnel, agencies and incumbents to ensure pertinent information is obtained in accordance with due process procedures. Specifically you will be evaluated on the following competencies: 1. Decision Making
- Flexibility
- Self Management
- Writing
- Personnel Security
Major Duties
THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL/REMOTE POSITION, YOU MUST RESIDE LOCALLY OR BE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE TO WORK AT A LOCAL DCSA FIELD OFFICE. This is a Term position NTE one year, one day; The position may be extended up to an additional three years, and may become permanent without further competition. Per DoDI 1400.25-V2005, term appointments terminate automatically upon the expiration date unless approval has been granted for an extension or the employee resigns or is separated at an earlier date. These appointments may be terminated at any time by the DoD Component.
As a PERSONNEL SECURITY SPECIALIST (ADJUDICATOR) you will be responsible for the following duties: Reviews and evaluates personnel security investigations, incident reports, and continuous evaluation alerts for derogatory information. Research, interprets, analyzes, and applies various guidelines, policies, regulations, etc. Determines or makes a recommendation whether or not the granting, denial, or revocation of a clearance is in the best interest of national security.
Uses "whole person" concept when making such recommendations. Under HSPD-12, the incumbent reviews security related information and makes a recommendation on whether or not an individual is eligible for access to DoD controlled facilities and information systems. Determines the sufficiency of personnel security investigations.
Resolves situations complicated by discrepant or insufficient data, evidence, or testimony by initiating requests for (any of the following): additional investigations, drug/alcohol evaluations; medical/psychological evaluations; credit reports; military records; and/or subject interviews. Analyzes the results of subsequent investigations and makes a recommendation to grant, deny, or revoke a security clearance. Documents all personnel security determinations or recommendations in the relevant automated information systems.
Uses computer software such as analysis tools to research and facilitate work. Keeps abreast of emerging technologies and professional developments to remain current in the field and for application to work assignments. Maintains an Adjudicator Experiences Checklist.
Education
Substitution of education may not be used in lieu of specialized experience for this grade level.
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) and the responses you provide on the application questionnaire. EXCEPTED SERVICE PILOT REVIEW: Once the application process is complete, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. All applicants who meet the basic qualification requirements will be forwarded to the Selecting Official for consideration.
You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation. Top ranked candidates will be referred to the selecting official for further review and consideration.
A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified'. Please follow all instructions carefully.
Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment. All eligibility and qualifications requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
Additional Information
VETERANS PREFERENCE/CURRENT OR FORMER FEDERAL In accordance with DoD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 2005, veterans preference is not required to be applied when considering candidates with prior Federal competitive or excepted service who have completed a probationary or trial period and have not been separated for cause. Therefore, veterans preference will not be applied to applicants with current federal service, or former federal civilian service meeting the above criteria. Re-employed Annuitant: This position does meet criteria for re-employed annuitant.
The DoD criteria for hiring Re-employed Annuitants can be found at: https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/140025/1400.25-V300.pdf Applicants selected from this announcement may be required to serve a two-year trial period. If selected, Federal employees currently serving in the competitive service must acknowledge that they will voluntarily leave the competitive service by accepting an offer of employment for a DCIPS excepted service positions. If selected, non-DCIPS candidates must acknowledge in writing that the position they have been selected for is in the excepted service and covered by DCIPS.
All Defense Intelligence positions under the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) are in the excepted service by specific statue, 10 U.S.C. 1601.
This position is in the excepted service and does not confer competitive status. For more information on the DCIPS occupational structure click here. For more information about career advancement in DCIPS click here.
This position is subject to an initial drug screening, and random testing thereafter. A negative drug test result must be received by HR within 30 calendar days after the EOD (i.e., start date). The selectee's inability successfully pass; or refusal to conduct the test may result in: 1) the tentative or FJO being withdrawn during the recruitment process; or 2) subsequently being removed from Federal service for failure to meet a condition of employment.
You may be required to sign a "Drug Test Statement of Understanding" if you are selected for this position.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply Online to access an online application.
Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents.
You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account.
You will be taken to an online application.
Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application.
NOTE: Resumes up to a total of two pages will be accepted. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration.
You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, https://www.usajobs.gov, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application.
Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To preview the questionnaire, please go to https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12995296. Please review the General Application Information and Definitions at: https://www.dla.mil/Portals/104/Documents/Careers/downloads/DoDGenAppInfo%2012-1-2020.pdf?ver=ECNbdsHtGilTd3OENN4A0Q%3d%3d As required by 5 C.F.R. § 302.106., DLA will provide Section 508 conformant ICT to employees with disabilities.
All ICT interfaces with the public related to vacancy announcements and career transition opportunities must conform to the applicable requirements in the current ICT Standards and Guidelines (36 C.F.R. § 1194).
Required Documents
The documents you are required to submit vary based on the authority you are using to apply (i.e., applying as a veteran, applying as a current permanent Federal employee, applying as a reinstatement, etc.).
Your complete application includes your COMPLETE resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further. The following documents are REQUIRED: 1.
Your resume: IMPORTANT UPDATE: Your resume must not exceed two (2) pages. If your resume exceeds the two-page limit, you will be removed from consideration for this announcement. The resume and required supporting documentation should provide the minimum qualifications and relevant experience for the announced position.
Must include the work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment, and duties performed. If multiple resumes are submitted by an applicant, only the last resume submitted will be reviewed for qualifications and referred for selection consideration, if eligible. The resume must not be more than 5MB and should be saved and uploaded 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. Page margins should be 0.5 inches, and font styles must be legible. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text.
We recommend using a font like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Additional guidance on writing a federal resume can be found at: USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job?
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. If you submit more than one copy of your resume, only the most recent version will be reviewed. The latest timestamp will be used to determine which version of your resume is "most recent." If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you will not be considered for this vacancy.
Narrative responses in the assessment questionnaire do not replace content in your resume or vise a versa. Experience must be described in both places for qualification determinations.
Resumes should NOT include: Classified information/SSN/Photo of yourself/personal information (gender, religion, affiliation etc., Encrypted digitally signed docs). Resumes with this prohibited information will be automatically ineligible for consideration. For qualifications determinations your resume must contain the dates of employment (i.e., Month/Year to present.
Hours per Week). If your resume does not clearly outline details for each position as noted, you may be deemed "not referred" for this position. Additional guidance on writing a federal resume can be found at: USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job?
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.
- SF50 All current and former civilian Federal employees must submit a copy of your MOST RECENT SF50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing your tenure, grade and step, salary, and type of position occupied (i.e., Excepted or Competitive); or similar Notification of Personnel Action documentation, i.e., Transcript of Service, Form 1150, etc. Failure to provide latest SF50 may result in you being rated ineligible for this position.
- Veteran's Documents: If applying using veteran's preference or under a Veteran's hiring authority you must submit the following documents: DD214 showing character of service, SF-15 Form and VA letter showing final percentage, or certification of expected discharge or release from active duty.
NOTE: Active duty military members are not eligible for appointment unless currently on terminal leave. PLEASE REVIEW THE BELOW LINK FOR OTHER SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS needed for proof of eligibility: https://www.dla.mil/Portals/104/Documents/Careers/downloads/DODCustomersRequiredSupportingDocumentation.pdf