Summary 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 Responsibilities This Security Support Assistant position is located at Pittsburgh International Airport, Transportation Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security (DHS). As a Security Support Assistant, you will be engaged in activities to support Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) who provide passenger and baggage screening in aviation and other transportation modes. Duties may include but are not limited to: Provides assistance to superiors in the monitoring and flow of individuals through security check lane(s) to reduce wait times as much as possible, adjusts passenger traffic as necessary to ensure consistent and smooth flow of traffic. Moves checked baggage to and from X-ray conveyer systems during screening process. Ensures security check points are properly supplied with an appropriate supply of bins and organized to ensure a smooth flow of passenger traffic for screening operations. Provides information and assistance to passengers divesting items into storage bins. Develops skills necessary to maintain situational awareness at all times in order to effectively apply appropriate response based on the situation. Completes logs, forms, and other paperwork applicable to assigned duties. Takes appropriate steps to ensure all safety requirements are adhered to and suggests safety improvements as appropriate. Performs other job-related duties as assigned, to include: visitor escort, supply requisition and stocking, telephone support and area cleaning. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must possess U.S. Citizenship or be a U.S. National. You must have reached the minimum age (18) at the time of application. You must successfully pass a full Background Investigation (BI). Selective Service registration is required. Must be available to work various shifts and overtime, as needed. Must be proficient in English (e.g., reading, writing, speaking, comprehending). Exposure to potentially lethal devices and dangerous chemicals is inherent in this position. SSA hire must start the TSO Conversion process within 30 days. TSA IS A DRUG FREE AGENCY Physical Demands: Must meet and maintain physical requirements including, but not limited to, the following: 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. Visual acuity must be better than legally blind in at least one eye. 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-D pay band (equivalent to the GS-5/6), you must meet one of the qualification requirements (A OR B) outlined below: A. Experience: At least one year of full-time work experience in the security industry, aviation screening, or as an X-ray technician. OR B. Education: 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. 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. Resumes must include the following: Narrative description of duties with start and end dates (including the month and year) for work experience. State the number of hours worked in a position (i.e. full-time or part-time). If part-time, state the total number of hours worked per week. Performance level (i.e. band or grade) Utilizing the USAJOBS Resume Builder and completing all available fields is strongly encouraged. You must meet the qualification requirements for this position no later than the closing date of the vacancy announcement. Education 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: http://www.opm.gov. 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 E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities. If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, 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 DHS Careers website and select "Benefits." Disabled veteran leave 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.