Supervisory Government Information Specialist

Summary

The Traveler Engagement Division (TED) provides information to the traveling public on TSA programs and activities and responds to their inquiries, requests, compliments, or complaints. TED supports the Agency's work to improve the U.S. Government's engagements with the public and supports the TSA workforce by managing public expectations. TED is comprised of the Redress Branch; Traveler Civil Rights and Engagement Branch; Customer Experience Branch; and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Branch.

Duties

The incumbent serves as a Supervisory Government Information Specialist (FOIA Branch Manager) for the Traveler Engagement Division, Civil Rights & Liberties, Ombudsman and Traveler Engagement (CRL/OTE), Office of the Administrator. In this role, the incumbent: Provides overall leadership and supervision for the FOIA Branch, including assigning and monitoring caseloads, shifting resources to meet demand, ensuring staff training and development, conducting quality compliance reviews, and reviewing staff decisions for legal and regulatory compliance. Formulates agency-wide policies, directives, and guidelines ensuring compliance with statutory mandates and executive orders. Develops agency positions and issues final determinations on FOIA and Privacy Act matters. Makes decisions regarding the release or redaction of sensitive, controversial, and complex records with significant legal, political, or operational implications. Manages conflicting interests (public transparency vs. national security/privacy) and oversees concurrent agency-wide projects. Coordinates stakeholder inputs, facilitates consensus, develops agency positions, and issues final determinations. Consults with information owners and collaborates with offices, such as Chief Counsel, Privacy Officer, and Sensitive Security Information office. Serves as primary liaison to DHS Chief FOIA Officer, TSA Chief Counsel, and TSA senior leaders on FOIA matters. Develops and delivers training for TSA personnel at headquarters and in the field. Ensures timely and accurate production of documents and compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements. Directs preparation and publication of documents to the TSA FOIA Reading Room. Develops and submits annual FOIA reports for inclusion in DHS's report to Congress and the public. Provides regular internal reports to inform CRL/OTE, TSA, and DHS leadership of case statistics and major issues. Establishes and maintains contact with Chief Counsel, Sensitive Security Information office, executive leadership, planning, budgeting, and accountability staff. Serves as agency liaison with other federal agencies, audit and budgeting agencies, and TSA Legislative Affairs. Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

You must possess U.S. citizenship or be a U.S. National. You must have reached the minimum age (18) at the time of application. Selective Service registration is required. You must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret Clearance. You must complete a favorable Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI). Supervisory/Managerial Probationary Period Requirements: Unless previously completed, you must satisfactorily complete a one-year supervisory probationary period to continue in this supervisory/managerial position. If you fail to meet the conditions of employment or any other pre-employment requirements, such as missing any of the scheduled appointments, the hiring agency may rescind their tentative offer of employment. Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for TSA to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions. Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.

Qualifications and evaluation

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. The evaluation includes: A comparison of the position requirements against the quality and extent of the experience and/or related education as reflected in your resume and supporting documentation. A rating of competency-based accomplishments that you will be required to provide as part of your application. These accomplishments are to demonstrate your abilities in job-related competencies. The following competencies will be evaluated: Decisiveness Problem Solving Creativity & Innovation The competency-based accomplishments will be rated by trained raters against pre-established benchmarks. Those ratings will be used to rate and rank candidates into one of three Category Groupings: Best-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate high proficiency in all of the critical competencies as determined by the job analysis. Well-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrates acceptable proficiency in all of the critical competencies as determined by the job analysis. Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate basic proficiency in most of the critical competencies as determined by the job analysis. If you are best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration

Education

This position does not have a positive education requirement.

Benefits

DHS offers competitive salaries and an attractive benefits package, including: health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance; retirement plan; Thrift Savings Plan [similar to a 401(k)]; Flexible Spending Account; Employee Assistance Program; personal leave days; and paid federal holidays. Other benefits may include flexible work schedules; telework; tuition reimbursement; transportation subsidies; uniform allowance; health and wellness programs; and fitness centers. DHS is committed to employee development and offers a variety of employee training and developmental opportunities. For more information, go to the DHS Careers website and select "Benefits." Disabled veteran leave will be available to any Federal employee hired on or after November 5, 2016, who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or more. Employees who transfer to TSA from an agency that allows employees to maintain an annual leave balance higher than the maximum accumulation for the appointed position will have their leave ceiling set to the maximum accumulation for the appointed position (e.g., United States duty location - 240 hours, foreign duty location - 360 hours, or TSES position - 720 hours). TSA will not make a monetary payment for any leave forfeited under these circumstances.

How to apply

All of the following must be received in our office by 11:59 PM EST (Eastern Standard time) on the closing date of this announcement. If we do not receive all required information by the closing date, your application may not be considered. To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. Your application must include: Resume Manual Assessment for this position Applicable supporting documents (see Required Documents Section) To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Follow the prompts to select your résumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account, or your application will be incomplete. It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan. Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center. We encourage you to apply online. If you have any questions, please see Agency Contact Information for further assistance. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, manual assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.

Required documents

NOTE: Your resume must clearly demonstrate how you meet this requirement; otherwise, you will be deemed ineligible. Additionally, copying and pasting information from the announcement into your resume will not adequately convey your qualifications. Resume Requirements: All applicants are required to submit a resume limited to two (2) pages. The USAJOBS database will not allow an applicant to submit an application that includes a resume over two pages. Narrative description of duties with start and end dates (including month and year) for work experience. Number of hours worked in a position (i.e., full-time or part-time). If part-time, (i.e., less than 40 hours per week) state the total number of hours worked per week. If you are a current Federal employee or previous Federal employee, provide your performance level for federal civilian positions (i.e., band or grade). If your resume does not contain this information, your application will be marked as insufficient, and you will not receive consideration for this position. Do NOT include photographs (or links to social media such as LinkedIn), inappropriate content, classified information, nor personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number, etc. on your resume. Utilizing the USAJOBS Resume Builder and completing all available fields is strongly encouraged. In addition to a resume and the assessment questions, you must submit copies of any of the following documents if you are applying based on being a current eligible TSA employee (which includes permanent employees and 5 year temporary employees), or education or a combination of education and experience: Detail Documentation: Eligible applicants who wish to qualify for this position based upon experience obtained while serving on a detail with TSA must submit signed copies of the corresponding TSA Form 1160, Terms And Conditions For Temporary Internal Assignment - Detail, or an SF 52, Request for Personnel Action, as supporting documentation along with their application otherwise the experience cannot be credited. Veterans: If claiming VEOA or Veterans Preference, submit a copy of the official DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, which must include the character of service (i.e., with an Honorable or General discharge). If no DD Form 214 is available, please submit a memo/certification of military service as outlined in the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act. This will be annotated in block 24 on member copy 2,4, or 7 of the DD Form 214. If claiming veterans' consideration which involves considering your disability rating, you must submit a VA Letter or a disability determination from a branch of the Armed Forces. Note: All veterans claiming 10-point preference must also submit a SF 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference. TSA Employees: Current TSA employees are strongly encouraged to submit the most recent non-Award SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, at the time of application, to support eligibility for Status consideration. TSA employees who do not submit the SF-50 with the application must document their current TSA position in their resume and may be required to provide the SF-50 document during the selection process. TSA employees may obtain a copy of their most recent non-Award SF-50 at https://eopf.opm.gov/dhs/. Current or Former Federal Civilian employees (Non-TSA): You must submit a legible copy of a SF-50. The SF-50 block 24 must contain a "1" or "2" AND block 34 must contain a "1" or "2." Individuals with Disabilities: Documentation of eligibility for employment under this hiring authority can be obtained from a licensed medical professional (e.g., a physician or other medical professional certified by a state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory to practice medicine); a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist (i.e., state or private); or any Federal agency, state agency, or agency of the District of Columbia or a U.S. territory that issues or provides disability benefits. Documentation is used to verify that the individual being hired is indeed a person with an intellectual disability, severe physical disability, or psychiatric disability. Military Spouse Preference: If you are eligible based on one of the below, please submit the following: Spouse of an active-duty member of the armed forces: DD Form 214 of spouse, marriage license, and PCS orders showing dependency (if applicable). Spouse of a service member who is 100% disabled due to a service-connected injury: DD Form 214 of spouse, marriage license, and VA Letter or disability determination showing 100%. Spouse of a service member killed while on active duty: DD Form 214 of spouse, marriage license, documentation from the Armed Forces casualty office.

Additional information

Eligibility to apply for other Federal positions: TSA is an Excepted Service agency exempt from most of Title 5 United States Code; therefore, employment with TSA does not confer the "Competitive Status" that generally results from selection and service in Competitive Service agencies. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has established an Interchange Agreement, which allows most permanent TSA employees to apply and be considered for vacancies in Competitive Service agencies. Information from OPM on this or other Interchange Agreements is available at: http://www.opm.gov. To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully pass a background investigation as a condition of placement into this position. DHS uses E-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities. If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment. TSA employees who are absent for the purpose of performing military duty may apply for any vacancies announced in their absence. If you are entering TSA employment on an appointment without time limitations, you must serve a basic trial period unless you have already met the requirement. 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. 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://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire. Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.