Program Assistant

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.

Overview

• Accepting applications

• Open & closing dates

  11/29/2024 to 12/05/2024

• Salary
  

  $59,966 – $77,955 per year
  Salary range listed includes Locality Pay of 16.82%.

  
  
• Pay scale & grade
  

  SV F

• Location

  1 vacancy in the following location:

  
  
• Remote job
  

  No

• Telework eligible

  Yes-as determined by the agency policy.

  
  
• Travel Required

  Occasional travel – You may be expected to travel for this position.

• Relocation expenses reimbursed
  

  No

• Appointment type
  

  Permanent

• Work schedule
  

  Full-time

• Service
  

  Excepted

• Promotion potential
  

  None

• Job family (Series)
• Supervisory status
  

  No

• Security clearance
• Drug test
  

  No

• Position sensitivity and risk
• Trust determination process
• Financial disclosure
  

  No

• Bargaining unit status
• Announcement number

  MEM-24-787127-12624635-I

  
  
• Control number
  

  821535000

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Duties

This Program Assistant position is located Memphis International Airport (MEM), Transportation Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Duties include but are not limited to:

• Providing a range of diverse administrative support assignments that include spending a minimum of 25% of time assisting managers in evaluating programs and their effectiveness in delivering services. You will perform a combination of routine and multiple and varying assignments in support of management efforts to evaluate, administer, and improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and productivity of organizations and programs.
• Providing assistance to a program area which may include finance, human resources, model workplace, scheduling, or other core functional area. Work activities typically support multiple projects/programs and contribute to one or more organizational units and major subdivisions.
• Assisting managers and other employees in day-to-day operations of the office.
• Compiling, tracking, and analyzing data. Applying analytical techniques and methods to perform a variety of administrative and analytical duties in support of TSA field operations.
• Coordinating the implementation of new office policies and systems and writing policy and internal procedural guidance after clarifying applicability of past practice, emerging guidance, and established policies and procedures with seniors or subject-matter experts.
• Interacting with internal staff and external customers including managers and employees. Contacts involve exchanging information, tracking status, and coordinating efforts.
• Acting as a lead for other support staff to coordinate multiple assignments.
• Preparing complex and sensitive correspondence including evaluation and assessment of the impact of changes to policy, practices, or program characteristics in assigned area.
• Providing advanced computer assistance.
• Undertaking complete analytical studies of limited scope under the direction of a senior, supervisor, or manager
• Reviewing work of lower level administrative support staff for accuracy and completeness.
• Scheduling meetings including conducting analyses of agenda items and proposing recommendations for a range of administrative or program matters for which precedents have been established.
• Providing advice and guidance to employees, timekeepers, supervisors, financial management specialists, and human resource specialists on rules, regulations, and procedures relating to pay, including unusual situations where the guidelines require considerable interpretation and/or research of past precedents. Training staff to enter time-card data. Certifying time-cards and corrections each pay period and conducting random audits, to include the most difficult payroll issues.
• Acting as a point-of-contact with the National Finance Center (NFC) to resolve employee payroll issues.

Requirements
Conditions of Employment

1. You must possess U.S. Citizenship or be a U.S. National.
2. You must complete a favorable Background Investigation (BI).
3. Selective Service registration is required.

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-9-10), you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the SV-E Pay Band or GS-8 in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Such experience includes:

• Providing payroll or timekeeping support, AND
• At least two (2) of the following:
  • Assisting with the development of reports;
  • Formulating recommendations based on findings of analyses or reports;
  • Monitoring metrics; OR
  • Researching files, records, and electronic systems
  
  

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.

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

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.

• Benefits
  

  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. .

  
  
  

  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

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:

• 0344 Management and Program Clerical and Assistance
• Administrative Procedures and Tasks
• Technology Application

You may preview the questions for this vacancy here:

• Benefits
  

  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. .

  
  
  

  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

• Required Documents

  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have – whether you’re a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you’re eligible under their policies.

  
  
  

  Resume: Your resume must include the following details when applying to a TSA job vacancy announcement on USAJOBS. If your resume does not contain this information, your application will be marked as insufficient, and you will not receive consideration for this position:

  • Narrative description of duties for each job entry with start and end dates, including month and year (i.e. 8/2023 – 8/2024 or 8/2024 – present) for work experience.
  • Number of hours worked in a position (i.e., full-time or part-time) for each job entry. If part-time, state the total number of hours worked per week.
  • Performance level for federal civilian positions which include pay band, series and grade (i.e. SV-1801-I) for each job entry.
  
  

  Utilizing the and completing all available fields is strongly encouraged.

  
  
  

  Note: Do NOT include photographs (or links to social media such as LinkedIn), inappropriate content, nor personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number, etc. on your resume.

  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:

  
  

  TSA Current Employees- 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 .

  TSA Displaced Employees- If you indicate eligibility for this priority consideration and exemption from Area of Consideration restrictions, you must submit a copy of the official notification that supports this eligibility at the time of application.

  
  

  If you do not submit required documentation described in this job opportunity announcement, your application will be deemed incomplete and you will be ineligible for further consideration for this vacancy.

  If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

  
  
  

  Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from .

  Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

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