Security Clearances

If the job position requires you to obtain a security clearance:

• You must be willing to apply for and maintain the required security clearance (e.g., Secret, Top Secret)
  • Please review the security clearance eligibility guidelines carefully.
  • If you feel you cannot meet all eligibility guidelines, the Government could still grant a security clearance, but it could prolong the process by several months to even years.
    
    
• What is involved with obtaining a security clearance?
  • For a standard Secret or Top Secret clearance, you have to complete a Form SF86, which involves disclosures regarding residences, education, employment, foreign travel, finances, mental health, and criminal record.
  • For a Top Secret clearance with SCI access, additional customer specific paperwork will be required.
  • You must report all foreign contacts you have a continuous relationship with, including family.
  • You will be fingerprinted and undergo a background check.
  • The Government will interview you, your friends, your neighbors, and people you’ve worked with.
  • If the job requires SCI access, you may be subject to a counterintelligence or full-scope polygraph.
  • The time it takes to obtain a security clearance can vary greatly and is dependent on all the above information you truthfully provide.
    
    
• If granted a security clearance
  • The Government is placing significant trust in you to protect National Security information.
  • You must sign an NDA with the Government.
  • You will have continuous obligations:
    • You must immediately report any life events that could impact your security clearance. (ref. security clearance eligibility requirements)
    • You must report all foreign travel. If the job requires SCI access, you may need to ask permission to leave the country.
    • You must protect National Security information even after you no longer need your clearance.