The Security Specialist (Compliance) serves as a technical expert for the Safety and Security Service on Physical Security related laws, regulations, function, security, policies and procedures. Evaluates the Medical Center security program based upon operating results, trends, statistics and problems; makes appropriate recommendations to Safety and Security Service Management.

Duties

The mission of the Security Specialist (Compliance) is to serve and protect Veterans, patients, employees, contractors, volunteers, affiliates, visitors, and others who frequent VA facilities. This is accomplished through crime prevention activities, typical law enforcement actions, emergency response capabilities, special training and tactics, weapons, and equipment and systems utilization. Major duties and responsibilities will include: Overseeing a physical security program by coordinating efforts or functions that impact multiple medical facilities and sites of care; Ensuring that individuals requiring access to the medical facility have been vetted; Evaluating risk and developing procedures and physical security measures designed to safeguard personnel, property, and operations from unauthorized access, espionage, terrorism, sabotage, damage and theft; Ensuring security requirements and appropriate safeguards, cameras, and panic and intrusion alarms are implemented; Monitoring and evaluating existing present and planned security projects to ensure timely and quality service conforms to statutory, contractual, and technical requirements; Collecting information and preparing reports on the facility's compliance with VA operations and regulations; Conducting system audits and evaluates reports of alleged security violations; Researching and recommending appropriate courses of action to correct physical and industrial security issues that impact an assigned area; Establishing, developing, and maintaining effective working relationships with other staff offices; Meeting and coordinating with key customers and officials to assess customer satisfaction, explain organization policy and procedure, and resolve problems that arise; Participating on special projects and initiatives, and performing special ad hoc assignments; Attending security meetings to gather and share new/changed security program information with security personnel; Developing documents, spreadsheets, graphs, reports and presentations using various automated systems and software packages; Entering, accessing, and retrieving information in the medical facility computer system; Maintaining a physical security tracking report to ensure physical security surveys are followed up promptly; Performing booking procedures, conferring with prosecutors, appearing before the grand jury and at preliminary hearings, and/or testifying at trial; Performing related duties as required. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8am - 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: not authorized Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Security Specialist - Compliance (non-uniform)/PD99728S and PD99728 S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/21/2024. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07 and for the GS-11 you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience GS-09: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Providing physical security and assistance to patients, employees, contractors, volunteers, affiliates, visitors, and others entering a medical/office facility or campus; developing procedures designed to safeguard personnel and property; knowledge of security administration and protection regulations, policies, procedures, and practices to develop and implement plans; knowledge of various security equipment and devices; communicating with a variety of people to make recommendations, participate on committees, share information, and engage visitors. This experience must be detailed in your resume to receive credit. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree OR 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL.B. or J.D., if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the graduate level. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-11: One year of specialized experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position. To be creditable, experience must have been equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience includes: overseeing a physical security program by coordinating efforts or functions that impact multiple medical centers and sites of care; providing physical security and assistance to employees, contractors, volunteers, affiliates, visitors, and others entering a facility or campus; managing a security program which ensures that individuals requiring access have been vetted; evaluating risk and developing procedures designed to safeguard personnel and property; knowledge of security administration and protection regulations, policies, procedures, and practices to develop and implement plans; knowledge of various security equipment and devices; communicating with a variety of people to make recommendations, participate on committees, share information, and engage visitors. This experience must be detailed in your resume to receive credit. ~OR~ EDUCATION: A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.M. in a related field. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. 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. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. Transcripts required. ~OR~ COMBINATION: An equivalent combination of specialized experience and higher-level graduate education as described that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. Transcripts required, and experience must be detailed in your resume to receive credit. 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; religions; 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. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position Administration and ManagementAnalytical ThinkingAuditingComplianceStrategic Thinking 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; religions; 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The work requires full use of extremities, normal hearing, and vision to conduct on-site security surveys, inspections, and assessments. The duties require prolonged standing, walking, crouching, bending, lifting, reaching, pushing, stooping, and climbing stairs and ladders both indoors and outdoors. On-site surveys, inspections, and assessments require exposure to a wide variety of working elements, both indoors and outside, and in general and specialized office space. Clothing is subject to being soiled when checking basements, crawl space, attics and other similar areas. Wearing of safety clothing and equipment when in construction or industrial areas is required. 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/.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Pittsburgh VA Medical Center 1010 Delafield Road Pittsburgh, PA 15215 US
• Name: Christene Ammoscato
• Phone: (570) 824-3521 X24536
• Email: [email protected]