IT Specialist (PlcyPln)

Summary

This position, the IT Specialist (PLCYPLN) position, is organizationally aligned within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Information and Technology (OIT), End User Services (EUS), Enterprise Command Operations (ECO). The position supports the organization's mission and operational objectives by planning, coordinating, and executing information technology policies, programs, and initiatives.

Duties

Develop, maintain, and oversee execution of a technology plan that supports organizational needs and aligns the organization's technical vision with its business strategy. Provide expert-level technical policy and planning guidance and direction for national IT programs, cross-cutting initiatives, and portfolio management efforts. Analyze Federal, VA, industry, and technology trends and recommend strategies, policies, and new approaches to senior leadership. Provide substantive input to organizational goals, vision statements, official policies and directives, strategic artifacts, and other materials with Department-wide impact. Coordinate strategic planning and establish program goals, objectives, strategies, measures, and performance metrics for IT Policy and Planning programs. Independently track and evaluate the delivery, quality, effectiveness, and success or failure of Department-wide IT Policy and Planning services and new program implementation. Conduct qualitative and quantitative studies to assess organizational efficiency and effectiveness, program performance, and complex management processes and systems. Evaluate program resourcing and organizational metrics and recommend resource reallocations, restructuring, reassignment, outsourcing, closure, or other remedies. Serve as the senior technical authority for cross-cutting IT initiatives and portfolio management efforts, integrating technology strategy with enterprise business requirements. Evaluate new and emerging technologies and determine how they align with organizational business strategy, mission requirements, and future operational needs. Direct development and implementation of broad IT policies, procedures, automation and innovation programs, and standardized processes and tools to improve efficiency and service quality. Provide technical oversight for software and automation, information assurance and security, technology investments, design and engineering, systems and network integration, and architecture activities. Advise the Division Executive Director, associated Deputy Director, senior management, and stakeholders by providing expert technical advice, oversight, and direction for multiple national IT programs. Develop highly complex technical policy guidance and provide authoritative recommendations involving IT policy and planning, architecture, security, acquisition, program and project management, and IT capital planning. Analyze complex and rapidly evolving technical issues and develop solutions across disparate groups, programs, missions, and organizational boundaries. Prepare and present technical and analytical reports, findings, white papers, policy guidance, and recommendations to senior leadership, Federal officials, and other stakeholders. This position is primarily aligned to the following NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework work roles: 801 - Program Manager 805 - Program Auditor Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00AM - 4:30PM EST; Tour of duty may be subject to change based on organizational needs. Compressed/Flexible: As determined by the Agency Policy Telework: Adhoc telework may be authorized at management discretion. Virtual: This is NOT a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: IT Specialist (PlcyPln)/PD17738A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized Physical Demands: The work is sedentary. Some work may require walking and standing in conjunction with travel and to attendance at meetings and conferences away from the work site. Working Conditions: The work is performed in a typical office setting. Travel may be required 25% of the time.

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply. To be considered, you must complete all required steps, including the application, questionnaire, and an online assessment measuring key competencies for this job. You may need to serve a probationary period and complete a background/security investigation. If selected, you must finish an online onboarding process and provide acceptable identification for pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted or considered. USAJOBS will prevent uploading or building resumes beyond two pages, so update your profile before applying. Ensure resumes include relevant knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies for the position, as VA cannot assume qualifications not clearly listed. Resumes must be legible and clearly show eligibility, minimum qualifications, and other job requirements. Your resume must be must be 5MB or less. PDF is preferred; accepted formats are GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT, DOC, or DOCX (no PDF portfolio files). Use a sans-serif font and clear formatting; suggested fonts: Lato, Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Source Sans Pro, Roboto, or Noro Sans; consider 14pt for titles, 10pt for text, and 0.5" margins. The USAJOBS resume builder is available to assist in formatting. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will 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.

Qualifications and evaluation

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position: Accountability Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork USA Hire Assessments include 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. Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. 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; religions; 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. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

Education

There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level(s) of this announcement.

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 the initial online questionnaire and submission of the required documentation specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. To preview the application questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13069169. The application process is as follows: To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date, 09/29/2026. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. NOTE: Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. For more general information, system requirements, reasonable accommodation information, and to request assistance regarding the USA Hire Assessments, review the following resources: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=USA_Hire_Assessments To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. 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 that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a 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, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. 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 Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Required documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes: Resume Other accepted documents: Cover Letter DD-214/ Statement of Service Diploma/ GED Disability Letter (Schedule A) Disability Letter (VA) Separation Notice Other (2) Performance Appraisal Proof of Marriage Status Resume Separation Notice (RIF) SF-15 SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Transcript Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application. Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted. You will not be contacted for additional information. Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. All required documents must be uploaded at the time you submit your application. The system supports only one submission. Applicants will not be able to edit their application or upload additional documents once it has been submitted. Applications that are incomplete-including those missing required documentation-will not be considered. Applicants are responsible for reviewing the Required Documents section and ensuring all mandatory materials are included prior to submission. Note: Applicants will not be contacted for missing information. It is the applicant's responsibility to provide all documentation necessary to determine qualification and eligibility.

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. If selected you will be required to report to one of the following locations: Albany, NY Arlington, TX Atlanta, GA Austin, TX Baltimore, MD Bedford, MA Boston, MA Chicago, IL Cleveland, OH Dallas, TX Denver, CO Detroit, MI Eatontown, NJ Hines, IL Houston, TX Little Rock, AR Long Beach, CA Los Angeles, CA Martinsburg, WV Miami, FL Minneapolis, MN Nashville, TN Oakland, CA Orlando, FL Philadelphia, PA Phoenix, AZ Pittsburgh, PA Salt Lake City, UT San Antonio, TX San Francisco, CA Seattle, WA Shepherdstown, WV St. Louis, MO St. Petersburg, FL Tampa, FL Washington, DC This is not a remote position. OI&T has multiple worksites at various duty locations, and the individual(s) selected may be assigned to any federal government work site. This announcement will NOT be used for changing duty locations. If selected, and not on an approved exemption, you will continue to report to your current duty location. If space is not immediately available a temporary exception to telework may be granted. If/when workspace is identified, the employee is expected to report to their assigned duty location.