Security clearance basics
What is a security clearance? Eligibility, access, and job requirements
A U.S. personnel security clearance is a government determination that a person is eligible for access to classified information or particular national-security duties. It is not a personal license, and eligibility alone does not provide a job, a badge, or permission to see every classified record.
Reviewed July 13, 2026. Definitions come from current DCSA, OPM, USAJOBS, and National Archives sources; Colorado job counts update from approved direct-employer listings.
The short answer
A position creates the need for a clearance. An authorized agency or employer initiates personnel vetting, the government decides eligibility, and an authorized organization grants access only when the person also has a job-based need-to-know. Not every federal job requires a clearance, although USAJOBS says every federal job requires a background check.
Current Colorado cleared-job market
These counts include only current approved direct-employer postings with a named Colorado workplace and an explicit Secret-or-higher requirement. They describe jobs, not any applicant's record.
Current openings
1050
Publication-safe Colorado listings with explicit requirements.
Hiring employers
14
Direct employers with at least one current matching posting.
Active required
532
Postings that state the clearance must already be active.
May be obtainable
518
Postings that explicitly allow obtainable timing.
Eligibility, access, and need-to-know are different
Eligibility
Position requirement
Access
Need-to-know
Is a security clearance the same as a background check?
No. USAJOBS explains that all federal jobs require a background check, while only some positions require the additional screening associated with a security clearance. OPM also separates an identity credential, a suitability or fitness decision, a national-security sensitivity determination, and a security-clearance decision.
Public Trust is another frequently confused term. It describes position risk and a trust determination, not a Confidential, Secret, or Top Secret clearance. Read the job announcement's security-clearance and position-sensitivity fields rather than assuming every federal or contractor role is cleared.
What are the security clearance levels?
Executive Order 13526 defines three classification levels—Confidential, Secret, and Top Secret—based on the expected damage from unauthorized disclosure. Job postings usually state the personnel eligibility or access requirement that corresponds to the work. TS/SCI adds an SCI requirement to Top Secret wording; SCI is not a fourth classification level.
How does a security clearance work?
A position requires classified access
The agency or authorized employer identifies the national-security duties, access need, and required level.
A sponsor initiates vetting
After or during selection, an authorized security office starts the appropriate process and provides secure instructions. A person cannot buy or independently apply for eligibility.
The applicant supplies requested information
The applicant completes the applicable questionnaire, releases, fingerprints, and follow-up through the authorized process.
Investigation and adjudication occur
Investigators gather relevant information, and the responsible government authority applies the governing adjudicative standards to make an eligibility decision.
The organization decides access
The security office verifies eligibility, the position and need-to-know, any special-program conditions, and required briefings before granting specific access.
Responsibilities continue
Reporting duties, security procedures, and continuous vetting can continue after the initial determination while the person remains in scope.
Cleared Colorado never asks for an SF-86, fingerprints, clearance proof, investigation details, or classified information. Follow sensitive-data instructions only from the hiring organization, agency, or authorized federal vetting system.
How to read a cleared-job posting
Required level
Clearance timing
Access and special programs
Workplace and work setting
Direct employer source
Status verification
What a clearance does not guarantee
- Not guaranteed: A job offer, start date, or continued employment.
- Not guaranteed: Access to every record at the eligible level.
- Not guaranteed: SCI, SAP, polygraph, or customer-specific approval.
- Not guaranteed: Automatic acceptance by a new agency or employer.
- Not guaranteed: A fixed lifetime or a public expiration date.
- Not guaranteed: A favorable prediction from a job board or recruiter.
Current Colorado security clearance jobs
These are the newest current jobs in the publication-safe inventory. Each row preserves the employer's explicit clearance level, timing, workplace, and any separately stated polygraph requirement.
$107,500 - $204,500
$107,500 - $204,500
$132,400 - $251,600
$86,800 - $165,200
Turn the definition into a precise search
Compare direct-employer Colorado openings by requirement, timing, polygraph, workplace, and freshness, then create an accountless alert for the exact search you want to watch.