Looking for a job? Līhuʻe Airport is hiring security officers

The Transportation Security Administration is looking to hire 15 to 20 security screening officers at the Lihuʻe Airport, as a TSA spokesperson came to Kauaʻi this week to recruit residents and encourage people to apply.

“We’re really reaching out and trying to get people to come on board with us,” said TSA spokesperson Lorie Dankers in a recent interview at a security checkpoint at the Lihuʻe Airport.

Dankers, who is based in Seattle, represents the TSA throughout the entire West Coast of the United States.

“We are focused on hiring people from Kauaʻi to work at the airport on Kauaʻi. We think it’s better when we have local employees screening the travelers, who have either been here for vacation or who live here, because that’s that sense of community, that ‘ohana that we know that people enjoy about this island,” she said.

Dankers gave a tour of security operations at the Lihuʻe Airport on Tuesday, which included details of the various security technologies and screening procedures in place.

“I think that people’s impression of TSA is all we do is pat down people all day. All we do is go into their bags all day. Nothing is further from the truth. A TSA officer does a variety of duties,” Dankers said, explaining that officers work both in and out of the security checkpoint and rotate through different positions throughout the day.

Salaries for security officers start at $60,000 annually and come with full federal employee benefits, as well as a $2,000 hiring incentive for all new employees. The hiring incentive is to be paid when starting with the agency, and the second installment after one year of service.

“If you work overtime, you get that time and a half (pay). For work on Sundays or holidays, there’s additional differential, so many officers see their wages much higher than that entry-level,” she said. 

In July 2023, the TSA implemented a new pay system in an effort to bring the agency’s salaries in line with the rest of the federal government, which resulted in an average pay increase of 26%, with some salaries going up by 40%. 

“We’re looking to replace those employees who over time have left and right now our focus in Hawai‘i is on Kauaʻi because this airport is busy.

“We have two peak times each day when there’s a lot of people coming through the security checkpoints. We want to keep all the lanes open. But in order to do that we need to hire TSA officers,” Dankers said.

According to the TSA, the peak travel times at the security checkpoints are from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The busiest travel days each week are Thursday through Sunday.  

The TSA reports screening more than 877,000 departing travelers at the Līhuʻe Airport during the first six months of 2024, which marks a 1% decrease from the same period last year when officers screened 892,000 travelers. Throughout all of 2023, TSA screened over 1.8 million people in Līhuʻe.

TSA will host two hiring events, one July 31 and another on Aug. 21, where people will be able to come into the TSA administrative offices at 4280 Rice Street in Līhuʻe, to get their questions answered about the application and position.

“It’s a great way to apply for this position, to come join our team here,” Dankers said. 

Applicants do not need previous experience in security or law enforcement but need to be at least 18 years old and a U.S. citizen or national to apply. 

“Once you’re hired, you’re fully trained,” said Dankers, adding that officers will be mentored by TSA officers and go through two weeks of training at the TSA Academy in Las Vegas. 

“For a lot of people that’s a very formative experience for them. Maybe they’ve never met anybody from Duluth, Minnesota, or from Moreno, Texas, and those individuals will be there and then they become kind of their own class together. 

“There’s a great opportunity to do that. And so all that training is paid.”

According to Dankers, successful candidates include those who enjoy working as part of a larger team, like a fast-paced environment, and have a commitment to a mission. 

“Our mission every day is to make sure people can get to their destination safely and securely. And so if that’s important to you, as your friends and family travel, this might be right for you,” she said. 

Although 15 to 20 people will be hired for the position, those qualified but not selected will go into a pool to potentially hire at a later date.  Dankers noted that other openings will likely arise. 

Dankers said a benefit of the federal job includes employees being eligible to transfer to other federal jobs in Hawai’i or on the mainland. 

“We have a lot of employees at this airport who’ve been with us since the very beginning. They worked here for more than 20 years. Some of them have been promoted up from entry-level officer, and there’s always promotion opportunities, whether it’s within TSA, other parts of the Department of Homeland Security or the federal government at large,” she said.   

Dankers spoke highly of those working at the Lihuʻe Airport.

“This is a great airport for many reasons,” she said. “And it’s a very close-knit team. And I think that if anyone was to join the team, they would feel that.”

Those looking for more information about the position can reach out to TSA coordinator Tisha Rapozo-Soares at tisha.rapozo@tsa.dhs.gov or by phone at 808-241-4511.