TSA hiring officers at Upstate airports

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is looking to hire TSA officers at airports across upstate New York.

The airports include Syracuse Hancock International, Ogdensburg International, Ithaca Tompkins International, Greater Binghamton, and Watertown International within the next few months. The TSA is also hiring at the airports serving Albany, Buffalo, and Plattsburgh.

Some of the airports have one vacancy and others have a “handful of openings,” the agency said.

People who join TSA will receive a $500 hiring bonus and an additional $500 bonus after one year of service with the TSA.

Starting pay “differs slightly” in each area due to locality pay initiatives. TSA offers new employees’ opportunities for pay increases after six months.

TSA benefits for both part- and full-time employees include paid training, annual and sick leave, and “strong” health-care plans.

TSA officers screen thousands of airline travelers daily. TSA expects to screen a greater volume of travelers regularly by next summer and needs additional officers to support its security mission, the agency said.

Based on anticipated seasonal travel trends in the months ahead and the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations for the general public, TSA has launched efforts to recruit new employees in support of screening operations in airports across New York in addition to many of the agency’s other airports nationwide.

“Applicants do not need previous experience working in security or law enforcement fields. Our officers will receive extensive training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, and they are paid while undergoing training,” Bart Johnson, TSA’s federal security director for the airports in upstate New York, said.