IT Specialist (Infrastructure Engineer) Direct Hire

Summary

Positions under this announcement are being filled using a Direct Hire Authority (DHA), open to all U.S. citizens. Selection(s) made under this bulletin will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Current civil service employees would, therefore, be given new appointments to the civil service and may be required to serve a new probationary period. Under the provisions of the Direct Hire Authority, Veterans Preference and the "Rule of Three" do not apply.

Duties

This announcement serves as public notice. Applications submitted be placed into a pool and will remain on file for selection as positions become available. Vacancies may be filled for up to 6 months after the closing date of this announcement. Applicants may not receive notifications of referral status until the full 6-month eligibility period has elapsed. Applications may be gathered from additional recruitment sources. These will be added to the pool created by this announcement. Positions filled with applications from this pool will be placed into positions where cybersecurity duties occupy the majority of the work performed. Incumbent serves as an Information Technology (IT) Specialist and performs a wide range of duties which involves the design, documentation, modification, testing, installation, and maintenance of new or existing applications software. Supports OIG’s mission in the development and implementation of standards via the software development lifecycle. Serves as a technical advisor for systems planning and development projects which require the adoption of new technologies and coordination of long-range system design plans in an assigned area of expertise. Develops workplans, detailed systems analysis and design of new or existing major systems or subsystems and oversees software development, testing and implementation activities for programmatic and administrative systems. Provides expertise in the development of planning disciplines, priorities, and analytical approaches for the design, development, testing and implementation of programmatic and administrative systems. Provides expertise in the planning, installation, testing, operation, troubleshooting, integrating, and maintenance of COTS hardware and software systems. Provides client/server and/or web-based application support, including troubleshooting and diagnosis and performs technical analysis of problems and their resolution. Performs software integration to develop applications, designs data models and frameworks, and collates business requirements. Provides authoritative advice to executive level managers in OIG about the area of expertise. Troubleshoots complex technical hardware and software problems and formulates solutions to ensure OIG applications continue working effectively/efficiently. Serves as an agency-wide resource person in providing technical support and advice concerning OIG’s programmatic and administrative systems development.

Qualifications and evaluation

The evaluation you receive is based on your responses to the online assessments completed during the application process. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Reading Comprehension Decision Making Accountability Attention to Detail Customer Service Teamwork Reasoning The assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. Please make sure you answer all questions and follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your evaluation. Cheating on the online assessment may result in your removal from consideration.

Education

There is no substitution of education for experience at this grade level.

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: To begin the application process, click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you both on screen and via email notification. The email may be routed to your "Spam" or "Junk" folder. If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. You may check Computer System Requirements here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=USA_Hire_System_Requirements. Note: Set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can re-use the URL sent to you via email and also found in your USAJOBS account under the "Track my application" link for the corresponding application. You may update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period by returning to your USAJOBS account. There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account. On the Home page, scroll down and locate your job application. Once the job has been located, click the "Track this application" link on the right under the application date. The page will refresh to display the Agency's Application Information page where you can scroll down and review any notifications the agency has sent you. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. If you use assistive software or an adaptive device, or you are experiencing some other type of technical difficulty and/or otherwise require assistance with the application process, please email HR.Staffing2.Team8.Mailbox@ssa.gov. Individuals with hearing or speech disabilities may use the listed email to request TTY-based Telecommunications Relay Services. Due to our security procedures, our office will not accept any applications submitted via email or standard mail. The email address is listed only for inquiries about the position or the How to Apply process.

Required documents

You must also submit ALL supporting documentation by the closing date of the vacancy announcement to claim certain types of preference. Resumes exceeding two pages will not be considered. To be considered, your resume must: Clearly demonstrate your qualifications for the position. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience. Please ensure that your resume includes the grade (if you are a current or previous federal employee) and month, day, and year that you began and ended each position held. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. Without this information, the experience gained while in that position may not be credited toward meeting the qualifications requirements. Include your contact information We recommend using a clear, easy-to-read format and focusing on information most relevant to the job announcement. For additional information see: What to include in your resume. You must also submit ALL supporting documentation by the closing date of the vacancy announcement to claim certain types of preference. INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP): ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority for competitive service vacancies. To receive selection priority, candidates must meet the requirements for the Well Qualified category as described in the vacancy announcement. Candidates must also provide: proof of eligibility with your application. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation Notice of Personnel Action, (SF-50); and proof of your most recent performance rating of at least "fully successful" (Level III) or equivalent. For more information visit http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp.

Additional information

This announcement serves as public notice. Applications submitted are placed into a pool and will remain on file for selection if additional positions become available. This Direct Hire announcement may be used to fill the same or similar position in another office. Salary range listed is under 'Rest of U.S. (RUS)' locality pay table. Selectee's actual salary will vary depending on location being filled. To find out the salary range for your selected location, you can view the salary for each locality pay table here: Salaries & Wages. Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request an RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. RESUME: Resumes cannot exceed two pages; please visit the new resume guidance for more information. Your resume must provide specific details as to how your experience meets the qualifications for this position. Experience statements (i.e., duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire) copied from this announcement and pasted into your resume will not be considered as a demonstration of your qualifications for this position. The resume should indicate if the work is full-time or part-time. Part-time work is prorated (e.g., if you work 20 hours per week for a 12-month period, you will be credited with 6 months of experience).