Transportation Security Officer

Transportation Security Administration•Fort Leonard Wood, MO

11d•Onsite

About The Position

Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) work within the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Department of Homeland Security, providing security and protection for air travelers, airports, and aircraft in a courteous and professional manner. Duties may also extend to protecting transportation systems, high-profile events, and important figures. TSOs use screening equipment and technology to identify dangerous objects in baggage, cargo, and on passengers; conduct searches and screenings, including pat-downs and property searches; control terminal entry and exit points; and respond to public inquiries. The role requires maintaining focus and sound judgment in a stressful, noisy environment with distractions, time pressure, and potentially disruptive passengers. Officers apply critical thinking and risk-based screening protocols, follow applicable Standard Operating Procedures, and adapt to new information and changing circumstances. The position is at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri (TBN - Waynesville-Saint Robert Regional Airport). The salary range is $40,736 to $56,844, or $19.52 to $27.24 per hour, including 17.06% locality pay. Work schedules are determined by the airport and may include shift work, irregular hours, nights, holidays, overtime, extended shifts, and weekends. Full-time positions require 40 hours per week. Mandatory travel for new-hire training and occasional additional travel may be required. Candidates must meet the stated citizenship, age, English proficiency, screening, medical, background, and physical requirements. New hires must complete training and certification, and employees must maintain certification and fitness for duty. Frontline employees may be required to wear TSA-issued personal protective equipment. This is a permanent, excepted-service federal position in the AFGE bargaining unit and is not a law enforcement position.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. national.
Must be at least 18 years old at the time of application.
Must meet Selective Service registration requirements, where applicable.
Must pass a structured interview, drug screening, medical evaluation, and background investigation; subject to post-employment random drug and/or alcohol testing.
Must be proficient in English, including reading, writing, speaking, and comprehending.
Must be available to work various shifts and overtime as needed.
Must meet and maintain physical requirements, including the ability to squat and bend, repeatedly lift and manipulate objects weighing approximately 50 pounds, walk up to three miles during a shift, and stand for prolonged periods of up to four hours.
Must meet the stated residency requirement: residence in the United States for three of the five years immediately preceding application, subject to listed exceptions.
Applicants must not have delinquent federal or state taxes or past-due child support payments.
Must complete mandatory new-hire training, which may require at least three weeks and up to six weeks of full-time travel away from the airport of record; occasional additional travel may be required.
Must maintain certification and fitness for duty, pass background and credit checks, and pass randomly administered drug and alcohol screening tests.
Must comply with TSA dress and appearance requirements under the applicable Master Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Must meet one of the following qualification paths: at least one year of full-time work experience in the security industry, aviation screening, or as an X-ray technician; or a high school diploma, GED, HiSET, or TASC high school equivalency certificate.

Responsibilities

Operate screening equipment and technology to identify dangerous objects in baggage, cargo, and on passengers, and prevent them from being transported onto aircraft.
Conduct searches and screenings, including physical interaction with passengers such as pat-downs and searches of property.
Search bags and lift or carry bags, bins, and property weighing up to 50 pounds.
Control terminal entry and exit points.
Interact with the public, provide directions, and respond to inquiries.
Maintain focus and awareness in a stressful environment to identify and locate potentially life-threatening or mass-destruction devices and make effective decisions in crisis and routine situations.
Develop and apply critical-thinking skills to mitigate actual and potential security threats.
Apply risk-based security screening protocols as required by program requirements.
Retain and implement knowledge of applicable Standard Operating Procedures.
Demonstrate responsible and dependable behavior and adapt to new information or unexpected obstacles.
Complete classroom training, on-the-job training, certification testing, recurrent and specialized training, and periodic recertification.
Maintain the required standard of certification and fitness for duty.