Transportation Security Officer (TSO)

Overview

Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
01/26/2021 to 05/28/2021

Service
Excepted

Pay scale & grade
SV D

Salary
$44,498 to $61,284 per year

Appointment type
Permanent

Work schedule
Full-Time

Help

Location

Lihue, HI MANY vacancies

Relocation expenses reimbursed
No

Telework eligible
No

Duties

Summary

Transportation Security Officers are responsible for providing 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/or anything that includes or impacts our transportation systems. Learn more about the Transportation Security Officer (TSO) role on the TSA Careers Website.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

For more information on working at Lihue Airport, please Click Here.

Salary Information: The salary range listed above includes locality pay of 19.56%, COLA pay of 10.28% and a retention incentive of 15% of basic pay that is unique to this duty location. In order to recruit and retain highly qualified employees at this location, TSA has approved the payment of a bi-weekly retention incentive. The current starting hourly rate for this position is $21.32. The continuation of the incentive portion of this hourly rate is contingent upon annual approval and funding.

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

DHS components work collectively to prevent terrorism, secure borders, enforce and administer immigration laws, safeguard cyberspace and ensure resilience to disasters.

Securing Travel, Protecting People-At the TSA, you will serve in a high-stakes environment to safeguard the American way of life. Across the nation, you will be on the front line of the DHS’s TSA team as they secure airports, seaports, railroads, highways, and public transit systems, thus protecting our transportation infrastructure and ensuring freedom of movement for people and commerce.

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 testimonies about both the good and the challenging aspects of being a TSO. To view the video, please Click Here.

Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) provide security and protection of air travelers, airports and aircraft in a courteous and professional manner. This includes:

• 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 50lbs.

• 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 which includes noise from alarms, machinery and people, crowd distractions, time pressure, and disruptive and angry 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 is open to change and adapts to new information or unexpected obstacles.

NOTE: Employees occupying frontline positions, i.e., individuals performing security screening operations and occupying positions that involve contact with the traveling public on a regular and recurring basis, are required to wear TSA approved and issued personal protective equipment (PPE). This requirement is in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic and comply with Executive Order 13991 and TSA’s Pandemic and Emerging Infectious Disease and Workforce Protection Plan. PPE includes TSA issued surgical masks, face shields, and nitrile gloves. At TSA, the health and safety of our employees is a top priority.

Travel Required

Occasional travel – A minimum of two (2) weeks of travel in a full-time duty status will 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.

Supervisory status

No

Promotion Potential

E

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National and at least 18 years of age
• Pass a drug screening, medical evaluation, and background investigation
• Subject to post-employment random drug and/or alcohol testing
• Must be registered for Selective Service (males born after 12/31/59)
• Must be available to work various shifts and overtime, as needed
• Mandatory travel for training and occasional travel may be required

The qualification requirements listed above must be met at the time of application submission.

• Veterans’ Preference: TSA will provide employment preference to eligible veterans by applying veterans’ preference as defined in the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (PL 107-71) and to those eligible under the provisions of Title 5, United States Code (USC), Section 2108. Learn more about TSA’s commitment to providing employment opportunities for qualified, eligible veterans.
• Selective Service Registration Requirement: TSA policy requires verification of Selective Service registration for male applicants born after 12/31/59. To find out if you initially meet the Selective Service registration requirement for TSA employment, please Click Here.
• Credit: Applicants must not have delinquent Federal or State taxes, or past due child support payments.
• E-Verify: 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 E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.
• Residency Requirement: To ensure adequate background investigative coverage, applicants are required to have resided within the United States for three of the last five years immediately prior to applying for this position. For those applicants who do not meet this residency requirement, an exception may be granted under the following circumstances – (1) applicant worked for U.S. Government in foreign countries in federal civilian or military capacities; (2) applicant was or is a dependent accompanying a federal civilian or military employee serving in foreign countries; (3) applicant who studied abroad at a U.S. affiliated college or university; or (4) applicant who has a current and adequate federal background investigation completed for a federal or Government contractor position.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet these qualifications in order to be further evaluated in the TSO hiring process:

• Have a high school diploma, General Educational Development (GED), High School Equivalency Test (HiSET), or Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) credential OR at least one year of full-time work experience in the security industry, aviation screening, or as an X-ray technician

• Be proficient in the English language (i.e., able to read, write, speak, and comprehend)

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.

Education

Additional information

No moving, relocation or pre-employment travel expenses will be paid for this position, or while in application for this position. This position is not a law enforcement position and therefore, is not covered by Law Enforcement Availability Pay or Law Enforcement Retirement. Per the President’s 2014 Fair Employment memo, TSA policy is to not adversely consider a candidate based on unemployment or financial difficulty through no fault of their own. For more information on the Fair Employment policy, see “Additional Resources” here.

TSA is an excepted service agency. Employment with TSA does not confer the “Competitive Status” that generally results from selection and service in Competitive Service agencies. However, permanent employees who have at least one year of continuous service with TSA will be eligible to apply for positions in other Federal agencies under the OPM-DHS Interchange Agreement.

Reasonable Accommodation: Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the TSA Help Desk at 1-877-872-7990 or Federal Relay 711.

Bargaining Unit Status: This position is in the bargaining unit for which the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the exclusive representative.

Reemployed Annuitants: Since the TSO position is permanent, it does not meet the eligibility requirement for a salary offset waiver under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2010. Therefore, former Federal or Postal Service employees who are receiving a civilian retirement annuity may have their salary reduced by the amount of their pension, which could result in a biweekly net pay as low as zero dollars ($0.00) or a debt owed to the Federal Government.

TSO Dress and Appearance Responsibilities: TSOs are required to adhere to the Personal Appearance Standard that requires a neat, clean and professional appearance while on duty or while wearing a uniform. This includes adherence to policies on accessories and grooming. For example, with the exception of 1/4 inch stud-type earrings, body and/or tongue piercing may not be visible to the public. In addition, tattoos of any kind on the head, face, and exposed areas of the neck must be covered at all times and not visible to the general public. TSA issued and approved items such as turtlenecks or dickies may be used to cover tattoos on the lower neck..

Work Schedules for Full-time Positions: Specific work shifts and schedules will be determined by the airport.

• Full-time positions require 40 hours per week;
• Full-time work consists of shift-work on any day from Sunday through Saturday, which may include irregular hours, nights, holidays, overtime, extended shifts and 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.

Maintaining Employment: All TSOs must maintain the standard level of certification and fitness for duty, to include:

• 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

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

If you meet the minimum qualifications, you may be invited to take a Computer Based Test (CBT) to confirm English language proficiency and evaluate x-ray interpretation aptitude. Upon passing the CBT, you will be eligible to be scheduled for additional assessments, which include: (1) a structured interview to determine, among other qualities, your decision making skill and your ability to work with teams and the general public; (2) a drug screening; and, (3) a job related medical evaluation that includes a color vision test, vision exam, hearing exam, and adequate joint mobility exam (in part to determine the physical potential to repeatedly lift and/or carry up to 50 pounds, to stand for prolonged periods (e.g. 3-4 hours) of time without a break, and to walk up to three miles during a shift). Upon passing these assessments, you will be subject to a pre-hire background investigation. Based upon passing the pre-hire background investigation and a qualitative evaluation of the criteria above, you will be placed in one of the following categories:

Best Qualified: Applicants demonstrating a superior level of all evaluation criteria.
Highly Qualified: Applicants demonstrating a more than satisfactory level of the evaluation criteria.
Qualified: Applicants demonstrating minimal or basic satisfactory qualifications, with general knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Open to All U.S. Citizens and U.S. Nationals

For further information concerning U.S. citizenship, please Click Here.

For more information on TSO medical requirements, please Click Here.

For more information on TSO eligibility standards and background requirements, please Click Here.

For definitions of terms found in this announcement, please Click Here.

To preview questions please click here.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance

Not Required

Drug test required

Yes