Security Assistant

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Portland (OR); On-site; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a Security Assistant to support the Network Personnel Suitability and Credentialing Program within the SBU. The role involves handling highly confidential information and ensuring appointees hold appropriate security clearances.

Applicants must meet requirements within 30 days of the closing date. GS-05 to GS-07 levels describe experience with security ID cards, background information, data management, and credentialing processes;

Qualifications

• GS-05 requires 1 year of specialized experience or 4 years education beyond high school
• Education substitution allowed for GS-05 with 4 years education beyond high school
• GS-06 requires 1 year of specialized experience
• GS-07 requires 1 year of specialized experience at GS-06 level
• Transcript may be submitted if basing qualifications on education
• No education substitution for GS-06 and GS-07 levels

Skills

Security administration

Data entry

Record keeping

Clerical support

Auditing procedures

Background information

Education

4 years education beyond high school

Tools

Databases

Job description

This position serves as a Security Assistant and performs security-related functions in support of a Network Personnel Suitability and Credentialing Program (hereinafter, \"Personnel Security Program\") within the SBU. The Personnel Security Program assures that all appointees have the appropriate level of security/suitability clearance commensurate with their assignment. Work assigned is of a very confidential and highly sensitive nature. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 08/19/2026.

Preferred Experience

Personnel Security experience along with Personal Identification Verification (PIV) issuance.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

GS-05 grade level:

You must have at least one (1) full year of experience equivalent to at least the GS-04 level in the Federal Service. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: Extracting information from various sources that requires considering and applicability of information and the characteristics and quality of the source, issuing security ID cards, performing clerical assistance tasks in support of established programs (e.g., personnel, physical, information or industrial security) when such work requires, in addition to general administrative and/or clerical skills, practical knowledge of specific security administration.

OR

Education:

Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 4 years of education beyond high school. This education must have equipped you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position at this grade level.

OR

Combination:

Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-05. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

GS-06 Specialized Experience:

You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to using forms for administrative tasks associated with the authorization and issuance of the personal identification card, a standardized identification badge designed to increase security related with physical access to federal facilities, and networks and logical access to computer system, obtaining, inserting, and correcting missing and incorrect data in personnel security files and automated systems, assuring that paperwork related to the suitability process is forwarded for inclusion in the appropriate system of records, i.e., official personnel folders.

Education:

There is NO education substitution for this grade level.

GS-07 Specialized Experience:

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Collecting appropriate background security information, tracking and reviewing data, completion of reports, maintaining databases and processing, must have the ability to enter, extract, and evaluate employee information via access to various computer databases, initiating, reviewing, and approving background cases related to the completion of suitability investigations, completion of reports, maintaining databases and processing, position risks sensitivity levels, preemployment processes, log maintenance, electronic fingerprints, minor identification card troubleshooting, admin tasks associated with authorization of personal identification cards, special projects, performing audits, credentialing rules and regulations.

Education:

There is NO education substitution for this grade level.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.