Program Analyst

Summary

Securing Travel, Protecting People - At the Transportation Security Administration, you will serve in a high-stakes environment to safeguard the American way of life. In cities across the country, you would secure airports, seaports, railroads, highways, and/or public transit systems, thus protecting America's transportation infrastructure and ensuring freedom of movement for people and commerce.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Government-Wide: Current and former permanent civilian Federal employees. Applications also accepted from Individuals with Disabilities; Veterans' Preference eligibles OR Veterans who were or will honorably discharge from the Armed Forces after completing at least 3 years of continuous active duty by the closing date of this announcement. Veterans' Preference eligibles will compete under TSA's Merit Promotion procedures for which Veterans' Preference is not a factor in the selection process.

Duties

This Program Analyst position is located Acquisition Program Management, Transportation Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Duties include but are not limited to:

Analyzes systems, processes and procedures for assigned program area(s). Guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs) exist and can be directly applied to the program operations; judgement is used to select which guidelines(s) is most appropriate, and when minor deviations may be considered.

Applies fundamental methods, principles and practices of qualitative and quantitative analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to identify issues that impact effectiveness and efficiency of program operations.

Coordinates Employee On-boarding/Off -boarding (seating, IT equipment, IT/physical access, etc.) to include coordination with hiring managers, IT, physical security and facilities staff to ensure new hire is equipped to support the mission upon arrival.

Reviews and provides data inputs used for the preparation of budget forecasts, justification and impact statements for funds to support wireless services, shared printer/copier and IT peripheral supplies for staff located across three sites as well as remotely.

Serves as a technical specialist and assists with conducting outreach and liaison activities with stakeholders for assigned program(s); monitors and responds to questions and inquiries about assigned program(s) from Agency personnel and external individuals and entities.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

Must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.

Incumbent must possess and maintain a valid driver's license. 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

To qualify for the SV-F Pay Band (equivalent to GS-5/7/9), you must meet one of the qualification requirements (A, B, OR C) outlined below:

A. Experience: For those qualifying using experience, your application must clearly outline three (3) years of general experience, one year of which was equivalent to at least the SV-E pay band or the GS-4 grade level in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Such experience will demonstrate the following:

- Analyze problems to identify significant factors, gather pertinent data, and recognize solutions;

- Plan and organize work; and

- Communicate effectively orally and in writing.

OR

B. Education: A Bachelor's or higher-level degree in any field from an accredited college or university.

OR

C. Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for this position and may be computed by first determining your total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the band level; then determining your education as a percentage of the education required for the band level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent.

To qualify for the SV-G pay band (equivalent to GS-11 grade level), an applicant must meet one of the qualification requirements (A, B, or C) outlined below:

A. Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience at the SV-F pay band or the GS-9 grade level in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience for this position is:

- Conducting studies of work processes and identifying, analyzing, and recommending solutions to improve operational efficiency and effectiveness; and

- Researching, evaluating and analyzing a variety of information and materials from a wide range of sources; and

- Using standard office automation programs and systems, databases, and computer applications to support data collection, analysis, and reporting.

OR

B. Education: Completion of a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; OR 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; OR LL.M., if related.

OR

C. Combination of Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification may be computed by first determining the total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the pay band; then determining the education as a percentage of the education required for the pay band; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for the pay band.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: Education at the graduate level in an accredited college or university in the amounts indicated above meets the requirements for this position. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement.

Credit for experience is given based on a 40-hour workweek. Part-time experience is credited on a part-time ratio, i.e., working 20 hours per week for two months equals one month of experience. No additional credit is given for overtime.

National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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). 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.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Resumes must include the following:

Narrative description of duties with start and end dates (including the month and year) for work experience.

State the number of hours worked in a position (i.e. full-time or part-time). If part-time, state the total number of hours worked per week.

Performance level (i.e. band or grade) Utilizing the and completing all available fields is strongly encouraged.

You must meet the qualification requirements for this position no later than the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

Education

For positions requiring positive education requirements, or if you are using education to meet all or part of the qualification requirements, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or an itemized list of college courses from an accredited college or university, which includes equivalent information from the transcript (course title, semester/quarter hours, and grade/degree earned) in your resume. The information must be provided with the application by the closing date of the announcement. If selected, the applicant must supply a transcript or certification of degree.

Additional information

Eligibility to apply for other Federal positions: TSA is an Excepted Service agency exempt from most of Title 5 United States Code, including regulations which apply to displaced Federal employees (CTAP/ICTAP) of other agencies, and employment with TSA does not confer "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:

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, including your rights and responsibilities.

If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an, 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.

More than one position may be filled from this announcement.

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.

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 website and select "Benefits." 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 You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated based on 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. You are encouraged to ensure work experiences clearly show possession of the competencies required for this position. We will compare your resume and supporting documentation to your responses on the assessment questionnaire. If, after reviewing your resume and any supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your category placement may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Grouping procedures. Under Category Grouping, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories:

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. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies that are relevant to the duties of this position and must be fully supported by information in your resume:

0343 Management and Program Analysis

Administration and Management

Data Analysis

External Awareness

Organizational Awareness

You may preview the questions for this vacancy here:

Required Documents

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 current or former Federal Government Status, Veterans' Preference or eligible Veterans' Service (a veteran who was honorably discharged from the armed forces after completing at least three (3) years of continuous active duty service), or education or a combination of education and experience:

SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action - Current TSA employees are strongly encouraged to submit the most recent non-Award SF-50, 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 .

If you are not a current TSA employee: you must submit your most recent Notification of Personnel Action SF-50 (or equivalent document) to support your eligibility for Status consideration.

NOTE: An award SF-50 (i.e. cash or time off award) does not indicate grade or level (i.e. pay band) or tenure to determine your eligibility for this position and will not be accepted.

DD-214 - If you are claiming Veterans' Preference or eligible Veterans' Service, provide a copy of your DD-214 (Member Copy 4)