Transportation Security Officer (TSO)

Duties
For more information on working at Riverton Regional Airport , 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 70lbs.
• 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.

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.

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.

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, past due child support payments, and must not have defaulted on $7,500 or more in delinquent debt (except for some bankruptcies).

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.

BENEFITS
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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: uniform allowance; health and wellness programs; transportation subsidies; and tuition reimbursement. 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 “Employee Benefits.”

TSA also provides part-time TSOs the opportunity to take advantage of receiving Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) while only paying the same low cost as full-time employees.

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). TSA will not make a monetary payment for any leave forfeited under these circumstances.

Starting a career with TSA as a TSO may lead to promotion possibilities within DHS.

Other 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.

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 HRAccess Help Desk at 1-877-872-7990 or TTY 1-877-872-7992.

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 must be covered at all times and not visible to the public (visible tattoos are defined as those present on the body anywhere outside of the standard long-sleeved TSO uniform). Each airport’s Federal Security Director has the discretion whether to permit exceptions and allow visible tattoos to be covered by an acceptable band or skin-colored make-up that does not detract from the TSO uniform.

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

• Part-time shifts generally range from 16-32 hours per week
• Part-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