
Security Specialist (PERSONNEL)
U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command
Charlottesville, VAFull-time$62–116K/yrPosted today
Most applications go out cold — see where you stand first. No sign-up to start.
You apply on the employer's site, with no Olive account needed.
Watch jobs like this. New roles like this one near Charlottesville, VA, by email.
Don't just apply. Show up ready.
Olive works from this exact posting.
At a glance
Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.
Requirements
Credentials this posting asks for.
Job overview
The Security Specialist (Personnel) serves at the National Ground Intelligence Center in Charlottesville, Virginia, administering its personnel security program. The role reviews investigations, makes clearance and investigation-scope determinations, coordinates actions involving suspended or revoked clearances, and oversees foreign travel and reporting. Applicants must qualify through one of the listed employment authorities and meet the specialized experience or education pathways for the advertised grade levels.
Skills & qualifications
Skills
Qualifications
Benefits
Full job description
Summary
About the Position: This position is in the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS). Employees occupying DCIPS positions are in the Excepted Service and must adhere to U.S. Code, Title 10, as well as Department of Defense Instruction 1400.25. This position is located at the National Ground Intelligence Center, Enterprise Directorate, Staff Management Division, S2 Security Office, Charlottesville, VA 22911.
Duties
- Serves as a Personnel Security Specialist with responsibility for implementing, administering and monitoring the National Ground Intelligence Center (NGIC) Personnel Security Program.
- Grants clearances and/or accesses based on results of background investigations and the application of knowledge of regulatory requirements that must be met for each level of security clearance.
- Reviews results of personnel security investigations and uses judgment and knowledge of Department of Defense (DoD) regulations and DoD Instructions to determine appropriate courses of action to take.
- Receives requests for personnel security investigations of individuals appointed or assigned to critical or sensitive positions requiring access to classified, unclassified but sensitive, cryptographic, and special access program information.
- Makes initial determination as to scope of investigation required, considering such factors as sensitivity level of position, background information on individual, criteria for governing various classes of security clearances, etc.
- Coordinates with affected agencies and personnel when an individual clearance has been suspended, denied, or revoked.
- Oversee the foreign travel and foreign reporting program IAW current regulation and guidance.
- Performs a wide variety of security administration functions which include, but are not limited to: managing the security data base.
Qualifications
Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities. 10-Point Other Veterans’ Rating 30 Percent or More Disabled Veterans 5-Point Veterans' Preference Current Army Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) Employee Current Department of Army Civilian Employees Current Department of Defense (DOD) Civilian Employee (non-Army) Current DoD Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) Employee (non-Army) Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) Interchange Agreement Disabled Veteran w/ a Service-Connected Disability, More than 10%, Less than 30% Non-Department of Defense (DoD) Transfer Prior Federal Service Employee Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible Priority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement Priority Placement Program, DoD Retained Grade Preference Eligible United States Citizen Applying to a DCIPS Position Army DCIPS positions apply Veteran's Preference to preference eligible candidates as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 U.S.C., in accordance with the procedures provided in DoD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 2005, DCIPS Employment and Placement. In order to qualify, you must meet the experience requirements described below. 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; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Department of Army employees who are fully qualified for this position and are already at the full performance level are ineligible. Specialized Experience GG-09: This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS/GG-07). Experience Utilizing electronic databases, tracking systems, or spreadsheets to input, update, verify, or retrieve sensitive personnel, background, or compliance records. AND experience reviewing incoming applications, forms, or questionnaires (such as SF-85, SF-86, or comparable commercial intake forms) for completeness, clerical accuracy, and signature requirements. AND experience administrative Customer Support: Assisting employees or customers with the process of completing standardized forms, submitting fingerprints, or providing routine status updates regarding pending actions. OR Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: Criminal Justice, Security Management, Public Administration, or Cybersecurity. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages. Specialized experience GG/GS-12: This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS/GG-11). experience administering and monitoring a personnel security program in accordance with federal, Department of Defense (DoD), or Intelligence Community regulations; and experience reviewing background investigations, analyzing derogatory information, and recommending eligibility determinations for security clearances (such as Secret, Top Secret, or SCI accesses); and experience utilizing personnel security databases to manage clearance workflows, process investigation requests, or track reporting requirements (such as foreign travel or reporting programs); and Experience conducting personnel security screenings, interviews, or briefings to provide guidance to employees or leadership. Specialized experience is progressively responsible intelligence-related security work directly related to the position being filled. Creditable experience may include previous military experience, experience gained in the private sector or in another government agency as long as it was at a level at least equivalent to the next lower band in the series.
Education
FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html 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 Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. 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. Other Information
This position requires a 2 year trial period during which the agency evaluates your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In making this determination, the agency may consider your performance and conduct; agency needs and interests; whether your continued employment supports organizational or Government goals; and whether it promotes the efficiency of the Federal service. Continued employment requires written certification that it advances the public interest. Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration. You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship. Direct Deposit of Pay is required. All INSCOM employees may be subject to extended TDY or worldwide deployments during crisis situations to perform mission essential functions as determined by management. Must be able to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI/SBI security clearance. Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees. If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet. This is a Physical Security and Law Enforcement Career Program CP 19 position aligned under the Operational Support Career Management Directorate. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement. Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest. Recruitment, Retention, and/or Relocation incentives may be authorized based on agency policy. Situational Telework may be authorized based on agency policy. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://appsupport.usastaffing.gov/hc/en-us/sections/28980686389652-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information
How this job compares
Set against the 541 open Security Specialist jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 4, 2026.
- Pay
- This posting$62–116K/yr
- Virginia median$97–125K/yr40 salary ranges
- US median$83–116K/yr302 salary ranges
This range's midpoint, $89K, is 18% below the Virginia median midpoint ($109K) — in the middle half of Security Specialist salary ranges in Virginia.
- Openings
- Olive Jobs lists 70 open Security Specialist jobs in Virginia and 541 across the US. 2% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
- Hiring the most in Virginia
- Serco18 open
- Amazon6 open
- NANA Regional Corporation4 open
- Experience
- Security Specialist postings that state a minimum ask for 3 years of experience at the median; the middle half ask for 1 to 6 years (363 postings).
- Education
- 103 of the 541 open Security Specialist jobs (19%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.
Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 4, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.
Prepare for this role
You've read the whole posting — now see how you match it.




