Transportation Security Officer

Transportation Security Administration (TSA); Monroe (LA); On-site; USD 40,332 - 56,282; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and dental insurance

Retirement plan

Flexible work schedules

Paid federal holidays

Job summary

A government agency is looking for a Transportation Security Officer to ensure the safety of travelers in all transportation sectors. Responsibilities include operating screening equipment, interacting with the public, and maintaining focus in a stressful environment. The role demands physical agility and capability to work various shifts. This part-time position offers competitive salaries and benefits.

Qualifications

• Must be 18 years or older.
• Must be proficient in English.
• Must have a minimum of one year of full-time work experience in security or aviation screening.

Responsibilities

• Operate screening equipment to identify dangerous objects.
• Control terminal entry and exit points.
• Engage in continuous development of critical thinking skills.

Skills

Critical thinking

Public interaction

Physical agility

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Job description

Join to apply for the Transportation Security Officer role at Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

Overview

Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) provide security and protection of travelers across all transportation sectors in a courteous and professional manner. Their duties may also extend to securing high‑profile events, important figures, and any activity that includes or impacts our transportation systems.

Duties

• Operating various screening equipment and technology to identify dangerous objects in baggage, cargo, and on passengers, and preventing those objects from being transported onto aircraft.
• Performing searches and screening, which may include physical interaction with passengers (e.g., pat‑downs, search of property, etc.), conducting bag searches and lifting/carrying bags, bins, and property weighing up to 50 lbs.
• Controlling terminal entry and exit points.
• Interacting with the public, giving directions and responding to inquiries.
• Maintaining focus and awareness while working in a stressful environment that includes noise from alarms, machinery, people, crowd distractions, time pressure, and disruptive passengers, in order to preserve the professional ability to identify and locate potentially life‑threatening or mass destruction devices, and to make effective decisions in both crisis and routine situations.
• Engaging in continuous development of critical thinking skills, necessary to mitigate actual and potential security threats, by identifying, evaluating, and applying appropriate situational options and approaches. This may include application of risk‑based security screening protocols that vary based on program requirements.
• Retaining and implementing knowledge of all applicable Standard Operating Procedures, demonstrating responsible and dependable behavior, and being open to change and adapting to new information or unexpected obstacles.

Salary

The salary range for Monroe, LA (MLU – Monroe Regional Airport) is $40,332 to $56,282 or $19.33 to $26.97 per hour and includes locality pay of 17.06%.

Realistic Job Preview

The Realistic Job Preview gives you an honest, objective and vivid portrait of what it means to work as a Transportation Security Officer (TSO) and provides employee testimonials about both the good and the challenging aspects of being a TSO. To view the video, please click here.

Requirements / Conditions of Employment

• You must possess U.S. Citizenship or be a U.S. National.
• You must have reached the minimum age of 18 at the time of application.
• Selective Service registration is required.
• Must pass a structured interview, drug screening, medical evaluation, and background investigation.
• Subject to post‑employment random drug and/or alcohol testing.
• Must be available to work various shifts and overtime, as needed.
• Must be proficient in English (reading, writing, speaking, comprehending).
• Mandatory travel for training and occasional travel may be required.
• Exposure to potentially lethal devices and dangerous chemicals is inherent in this position.

Physical Demands

• Maintain physical agility to ensure ability to squat and bend.
• Ability to repeatedly lift and manipulate baggage, containers, weighing approximately 50 pounds and other objects subject to security processing.
• Ability to walk up to three (3) miles during a shift and stand for prolonged periods (up to 4 hours) of time.

Qualifications

• Experience (A): At least one year of full‑time work experience in the security industry, aviation screening, or as an X‑ray technician.
• Education (B): Have a high school diploma, General Educational Development (GED), High School Equivalency Test (HiSET), or Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) high school equivalency certificate.

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.

Additional Requirements

Occasional Travel Required: A minimum of three (3) weeks of travel in a full‑time duty status may be required to complete TSA's New Hire training. New Hire training and travel requirements vary by duty location and may require up to six (6) weeks of full‑time duty status travel. This training will occur away from the employee's airport of record. Employees will be paid for compensable hours and reimbursed for authorized travel expenses per TSA Travel Policy. While employed with TSA, other occasional travel may be required.

Selective Service Registration Requirement: TSA policy requires verification of Selective Service registration for male applicants born after 12/31/59. Credit Check: Applicants must not have delinquent Federal or State taxes, or past‑due child support payments. Residency Requirement: Applicants are required to have resided within the United States for three of the last five years immediately prior to applying for this position. Exceptions may be granted under specific circumstances.

Dress and Appearance Responsibilities

TSOs must adhere to the current Master Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) regarding jewelry, piercings, and visible tattoos. Specific limits and requirements are detailed in the CBA, including restrictions on earrings, nose or tongue piercings, and tattoos that extend beyond certain areas or are deemed indecent.

Work Schedules

• Full‑time positions require 40 hours per week and may include irregular hours, nights, holidays, overtime, extended shifts, weekend shifts, changing shifts, and split shifts. A "split‑shift" consists of any two work shifts, each lasting at least two (2) hours in one 24‑hour period, with at least two (2) hours between work shifts.
• Part‑time positions generally range from 16–32 hours per week and follow the same shift patterns as full‑time positions, including split shifts as defined above.

Maintaining Employment

All TSOs must maintain the standard level of certification and fitness for duty, which includes:

• Completing classroom training, on‑the‑job training, and all initial certification testing.
• Recurrent and specialized training and recertification tests on a periodic basis.
• Passing background investigations, including a criminal check and credit check, and all randomly administered drug and alcohol screening tests.

Salary & 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; Flexible Spending Account; Employee Assistance Program; personal leave days; paid federal holidays; and additional benefits such as flexible work schedules, telework, tuition reimbursement, transportation subsidies, uniform allowance, health and wellness programs, and fitness centers. Disabled veteran leave will be available to eligible federal employees. Employees who transfer from another agency may be subject to leave ceiling restrictions.

Seniority Level

Entry level

Employment Type

Part‑time

Job Function

Other, Information Technology, and Management

Industries

Government Administration

Additional EEO & Information

TSA may apply a sex‑specific (male or female) hiring preference to fill TSO positions in order to meet security mission and same‑sex pat‑down job‑related requirements. At airport locations where it is necessary to apply the hiring preference, candidates of the needed sex will be provided preference in scheduling of the computer‑based aptitude test, airport assessments, processing, and selection.

The term "sex" refers to an individual's immutable biological classification as either male or female. Sex is not a synonym for or does not include the concept of "gender identity". The term "female" refers to the person that produces the large reproductive cell, while the term "male" refers to the person that produces the small reproductive cell.

Eligibility to apply for other Federal positions: TSA is an Excepted Service agency exempt from most of Title 5 United States Code. 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.