Program Support Specialist 1

This Program Support Specialist assignment will provide support to the Personnel and Information Security organization, performing work related to Personnel Security (PERSEC) policy and guidance from Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 12, Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and General Services Administration (GSA). Promote Personnel Security’s procedures, requirements and policies by providing advice and guidance to corporate personnel regarding the need for observing and adhering to personnel and information security requirements; provide clear-cut explanations of policies, regulations, and procedures; escalating questions/inquiries to appropriate corporate manager / personnel as needed.

Job Title: Program Support Specialist 1
Job Number: 12132
Location: Hybrid - Portland, OR – onsite 2 days per week (Mondays and Wednesdays)
Travel: Up to 5% for local meetings and travel
OT: 10% anticipated
Length: 1+ yrs, up to 5 years
MUST be US Citizen to be eligible to apply for Federal Background Check
Real ID or Passport REQUIRED for in-person interviews and onboarding
 
OVERVIEW
This Program Support Specialist assignment will provide support to the Personnel and Information Security organization, performing work related to Personnel Security (PERSEC) policy and guidance from Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 12, Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and General Services Administration (GSA). This assignment will perform a variety of well-established tasks with confidentiality in support of the corporation’s implementation of the DOE Personnel Security Program, including providing program support and customer service to Personnel Security staff, corporate personnel and newly hired/selected federal and contract workers. The assignment will also provide direct support to the Personnel Security function, performing work related to HSPD 12 and North American Reliability Corporation (NERC) Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP). Support includes performing duties related to onboarding, badging and access issuance and revocation, assistance with audits and assessments, and overall program support.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Monitor, track, and maintain all required personnel security records and filing per established guidelines and procedures, as well as monitor and coordinate the daily transactions of the Personnel Security on-boarding program including day-to-day troubleshooting and problem resolution with electronic systems/databases, organization personnel and on-boarding workers. 
• With oversight of the corporate manager / personnel and using established guidelines and procedures, initiate, review and process applicants through the e-APP system, while verifying complete and accurate information received before submission to OPM.
• Perform duties, per established guidelines and procedures, associated with the corporation’s implementation of the personal identification verification (PIV) program as mandated for all Federal agencies; to include capturing fingerprints and review of identity documents.
• Analyze, model, document, and recommend solutions for efficiency improvements; present findings and recommendations to appropriate corporate manager / personnel for review, consideration and adoption.
• Monitor and track program metrics and tasks utilizing information technology tools such as. SharePoint, Excel, MS Project; provide status updates to applicable corporate manager / personnel as requested.
• Respond to inquiries related to access, credentialing, on-boarding, personnel and information security, and other program projects and/or initiatives via e-mail, telephone and in person; escalating questions/inquiries to appropriate corporate manager / personnel as needed.
• Communicate and work directly with OPM regarding submission of fingerprints, criminal history check results, e-APP documents, and clarification of discrepant information as per established guidelines and procedures. 
• Develop and draft processes and procedures for performance testing and evaluating corporate adherence to established policies and procedures including physical access granting and revoking, badge issuance, Foreign National Visits & Assignments and the division’s (organizational) Library management. Present recommendations and drafted materials to corporate staff for review and approval.
• Develop, update, draft and maintain program process documents and e-mail templates for use in PIV procedures. Present drafted and/or revised materials to appropriate corporate manager / personnel for final review and approval.
• Update, track, and maintain integrity of all data in the USAccess, HSPD-12, and badging/access control systems. 
• As requested by appropriate corporate manager / personnel, may act as point of contact to organize, coordinate and facilitate team efforts to develop, draft and present improvement recommendations related to: goals for tracking program progress; data validation; and, objectives and milestones in support of corporate -wide PERSEC/INFOSEC implementation schedule(s). Present recommendations to corporate manager / personnel for review and approval.
• Support effective program management and project plan coordination by providing strong organizational and communication techniques (use of project plans, meeting minutes, updates, FAQs, etc.).
• Collect, combine, and submit all necessary audit artifacts required during audits and compliance certification to applicable corporate manager / personnel as requested.
• Review and evaluate compliance processes and artifacts for adherence to standards and completeness; alert appropriate corporate manager / personnel of any concerns and provide recommendations for corrective actions.
• As requested by, and with guidance from, corporate manager / personnel, assist in, and/or serve as point of contact for, both internal and external audits and assessments of records and files to document adherence to program requirements including Foreign National Program.
• Participate in the corporation’s implementation of the Personnel & Information Security compliance program requirements mandated for all Federal agencies and activities by demonstrating knowledge of documented processes and procedures.
• Utilizing existing operating procedures and guidance, develop, draft and recommend investigative questions for use in assessment reviews of mandatory documentation files.  Plan and conduct in-depth review of files and document results; provide findings and corrective action recommendations to appropriate corporate manager / personnel.
• Perform analysis of in-place technical and non-technical access management, credentialing and personnel risk assessment security controls. Provide recommendations for improvements, increased controls, etc. to corporate manager / personnel for review and approval.
• Assist and collaborate with corporate manager / personnel on matters related to USAccess and Smart Card discrepancies or issuance delays and potential and/or recommended corrective action plans. 
• Assist corporate manager / personnel with the oversight and maintenance of required personnel security records and files, to include tracking and accountability of badges issued.
• Participate in meetings and ad hoc committees to develop, draft and recommend local PERSEC related implementation plans and instructions based on well-defined program objectives; provide recommendations to appropriate corporate manager / personnel for review and approval / acceptance. 
• Participate in Incident Reviews (IR) and Rapid Response Team (RRT) meetings, representing the Personnel Security Office as requested by, and with guidance from, the appropriate corporate manager, providing information, evidence and artifacts that apply to compliance incidents. 
• Review, learn and apply DOE directives, guidelines, and manuals to validate the corporation’s implementation and compliance efforts are properly aligned including Foreign National Visits and Assignments; escalate concerns and questions to corporate manager / personnel as needed.
• Promote Personnel Security’s procedures, requirements and policies by providing advice and guidance to corporate personnel regarding the need for observing and adhering to personnel and information security requirements; provide clear-cut explanations of policies, regulations, and procedures; escalating questions/inquiries to appropriate corporate manager / personnel as needed.
• Perform USAccess enrollments and tasks associated with badging/access compliance requirements per established corporate guidelines.
• With oversight of the corporate manager / personnel and using established guidelines and procedures assist in managing the physical access privilege processing, following strict NERC and corporate guidelines.
• Provide and/or verify subject-matter expert (SME) reviews in security, including cyber, technical, and information security (including Operations Security), export control, and technology transfer, counterintelligence and intelligence are conducted as required by DOE directives for all foreign visits and assignments requests. 
• Validate closeout information is documented in the DOE Foreign Access Central Tracking System (FACTS).
• Validate all access requests for foreign nationals are entered in FACTS, as required, prior to access.
• Validate indices checks are completed as required. Alert appropriate corporate manager / personnel of any concerns and provide recommendations for corrective actions.
• Using established guidelines and procedures work with Alarm Monitoring Station to resolve physical access issues.
• Using established guidelines and procedures work as part of the badging team, to revoke physical access in a timely manner.
• At corporate manager’s request, cross train co-workers in performing various Personnel Security duties as per established guidelines and procedures.

REQUIREMENTS
Education & Corresponding Experience 

• Associate’s degree in Business Administration, Business Management, Criminal Justice, Computer Science or a related field is highly preferred. 
• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Business Management, Criminal Justice, Project Management or a related field is preferred. 
  • With an Associate’s degree in applicable fields: 1+ years of directly related experience is required. 
  • With a Bachelor’s degree in applicable fields: 3+ years of directly related experience is required.
  • No degree: 5+ years of directly related experience is required.
• Experience includes a combination of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training and should be consistent with specific requirements of program/project support and progressively more technical in nature.

Required Technical Skills & Experience  

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite products, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint
• General working experience with MS Project, Access, Windows Explorer, and File Manager

Preferred Skills & Experience  

• Intermediate proficiency in SharePoint is highly desired sufficient to update, track and report. 
• Intermediate level experience PowerPoint for project tracking and reporting

Additional Requirements  

• Valid U.S. Driver’s License is required.

 
Pre-Employment Requirement
All employment offers are contingent upon successful completion of our pre-employment screening that may include drug testing, background/criminal check, and if applicable, must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.
 
APR Staffing is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
 
About APR Staffing
APR Staffing was born from the merger of two well-respected technical staffing firms in Portland. ieSolutions and Data Resource Group. Both companies have been recent award winners for the Portland Business Journal's Fastest-Growing Private Companies. The two firms, now as APR Staffing, make for one of the fastest-growing and most-respected professional and technical staffing companies in Oregon and Southwest Washington.
 
Collaborating with our customers, we augment their workforce with technical and administrative professionals. We provide only high-caliber, professional-grade resources throughout the Pacific Northwest.