Information Technology Specialist

Lorton, VA, United States

Summary This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Lorton, Virginia. Responsibilities The primary purpose of this position is to serve as a technical authority providing advice and guidance on a wide range and variety of complex IT issues. Duties performed: Develops long range spending plans for information systems within the Office. Evaluates proposals to include protected funding requirements and the impact to existing business processes, policies, and procedures. Develops policies, guidelines and standards for planning, development, integration, implementation and evaluation of information technology systems and subsystems. Ensures Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) compliance for the office. Assures technology applications align with mission needs. Manages network systems as well as initiatives in analyzing and resolving software challenges. Develops logical data models to be translated into workable physical database designs. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position. You must successfully pass a background investigation. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs. Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov/). Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required One-year probationary period may be required. Must meet Time-In-Grade requirements. A pre-employment drug test will be required and the employee will be subject to random testing while employed with the Department. If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application. DHS uses e-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing. License required: No Pre-employment physical required: No This is a non-bargaining unit position. Permanent Change of Duty Station (PCS) Expenses will not be paid. Promotion Potential: This position is at the full performance level. Qualifications In order to qualify for this position at the GS-14 level you must meet the four IT Competencies AND Specialized Experience below: IT Competencies: Attention to Detail- Identifying trends contained within information technology data. Customer Service- Assisting with identifying the requirements of customer's information technology systems. Oral Communication- Collaborating with others while integrating information technology programs. Problem Solving- Resolving information technology security problems associated with system changes. Specialized Experience: GS-14: Applicant must demonstrate one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-13 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors) performing the following duties: Evaluating IT policies to recommend new approaches for delivering IT services. Supporting operating system projects (i.e., installation of new operating environments or implementation of new operating system patches, upgrades and releases. Diagnosing data management problems to ensure correction of malfunctions. NOTE: Your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement, otherwise you will be found ineligible. NOTE: Your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement, otherwise you will be found ineligible. Only the first five pages of your resume will be used to make an eligibility/qualifications determination. Time-in-Grade Requirements: Under competitive merit promotion procedures, any individual who is currently holding, or who has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under a non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet "time-in-grade" requirements (have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade of the grade for which you are applying). Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to current competitive service employees applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. NOTE: All current or former Federal employees must provide a copy of their SF-50 (you may need to submit more than one), "Notice of Personnel Action" that indicates proof of status and time-in-grade eligibility. The SF-50 must include your position, title, series, grade, step, tenure (1 or 2), and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). You may need to submit more than one SF-50 to comply. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Qualification claims will be subject to verification. NOTE: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Education Additional Information Note: DHS continues to take necessary steps to keep our workforce safe amid the COVID-19 pandemic. If you receive a final job offer to onboard, please complete the onboarding forms and submit them electronically in an expeditious manner. Your start date may be delayed if the action above is not completed. Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of its mission, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requires each and every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully complete a background investigation for a Top Secret/SCI clearance as a condition of placement in this Special Sensitive/High Risk position. This review includes financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs. Pursuant to Executive Order 12654 and DHS policy, DHS is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace and, therefore, conducts random and other drug testing of its employees in order to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. Headquarters personnel in safety- or security-sensitive positions are subject to random drug testing and all applicants tentatively selected for employment at DHS Headquarters are subject to drug testing resulting in a negative test result. Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office. Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP/CTAP): This program applies to Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed, or employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet eligibility criteria for CTAP or ICTAP; 2) be rated well-qualified for the position; and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. Well-Qualified includes those applicants whose knowledge, skills, and abilities clearly exceed the minimum qualification requirements for the position. For information on eligibility criteria and required documentation, go to: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov/).