Information Technology Specialist (Applications Software)

The following are the duties of this position at the full working level. If this vacancy includes more than one grade and you are selected at a lower grade level you will have the opportunity to learn to perform these duties and receive training to help you grow in this position.

The work of this position requires ensuring the integration of IT programs and services; developing solutions to integration/interoperability issues; designing developing and managing IT security systems that meet current and future business requirements and apply or extend enhance or optimize the existing architecture; managing assigned projects; communicating complex technical requirements to non-technical personnel; and preparing and presenting briefings to senior management officials on complex/controversial issues. Such work assignments include leading IT development projects in software analysis design development and implementation for a new system or major enhancement to an existing system. Specific assignment areas include work such as the following assignments:

• Identifying resource requirements and assigning tasks to project members reporting progress and ensuring customer and management involvement throughout the software development process.
• Revolving critical issues affecting the configuration of the IT infrastructure and coordinating the demonstration of new and enhanced applications to customers and management.
• Drafting project plans for a multifunctional development project in software analysis design development and implementation.
• Identifying and correcting weaknesses in critical performance parameters and variances in achieving cost schedule and performance goals.
• Investigating evaluating and selecting tools and methods for improving productivity and software quality throughout the life cycle.

Federal experience is not required. Experience may have been gained in the public sector private sector or through Volunteer Service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-timework is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year and indicate number of hours worked per week on your resume.

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

QUALIFICATION REQUIRMENTS: To qualify for this position you must meet the qualification requirements outlined below:

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADE 12 LEVEL UP (GS or Equivalent) You must have Information Technology related experience demonstrating each of the following nine competencies: 1) Attention to Detail 2) Customer Service 3) Decision Making 4) Information Management 5) Interpersonal Skills 6) Oral Communication 7) Problem Solving 8) Teamwork and 9) Technical Competence.

Specialized Experience GS-14 Level: You must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes:

• Leading or coordinating IT projects application-related efforts operational initiatives or system-related activities that affect multiple users teams programs or business processes.
• Applying advanced IT principles concepts methods and practices to evaluate requirements; resolve technical issues; guide system application or code testing and configuration decisions; and ensure technical documentation and federal cybersecurity privacy or regulatory requirements are addressed.
• Engaging customers stakeholders users product or business owners and technical teams to define business or technical requirements communicate technical impacts and guide delivery of secure reliable scalable IT solutions.
• Evaluating system service or application performance availability reliability security controls usability and operational effectiveness; identifying risks issues defects or gaps; and leading corrective actions or improvement efforts.
• Analyzing competing technical approaches and providing authoritative recommendations to management stakeholders or IT specialists on the selection design configuration implementation or improvement of IT solutions with organizational impact.
• Leading teams that design and develop agency-wide applications which included review and approval of technical requirements for projects; developing project plans.
• Providing guidance to team members and serving as primary liaison between customers and vendors and IT management throughout the development process.
• Leading coordinating or providing technical direction for the modernization design development integration testing deployment maintenance or enhancement of enterprise applications and related technology platforms.
• Guiding technical decisions involving APIs web services microservices application integrations databases automated testing strategies CI/CD and DevSecOps practices containerized or cloud-based architectures observability performance monitoring code quality vulnerability remediation and secure software development practices.
• Evaluating guiding or supporting the appropriate use of modern software engineering tools including approved AI-assisted development tools where appropriate to improve software delivery documentation testing code quality analysis or maintainability while ensuring alignment with federal cybersecurity privacy accessibility records management and organizational policy requirements.
• Advising management and stakeholders on technical strategy modernization opportunities risk mitigation architecture tradeoffs operational resilience scalability and long-term maintainability of agency-wide applications.

AND

You must also meet the following requirement(s):

• PERFORMANCE RATING: Current federal employees must have at least a fully successful or equivalent performance rating to receive consideration.
• TIME AFTER COMPETITIVE APPOINTMENT (TACA): By the closing date (or if this is an open continuous announcement by the cut-off date) specified in this job announcement current civilian employees must have completed at least 90 days of federal civilian service since their latest non-temporary appointment from a competitive referral certificate known as time after competitive appointment. For this requirement a competitive appointment is one where you applied to and were appointed from an announcement open to All US Citizens
• TIME IN GRADE (TIG): Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements. For positions above the GS-05applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year (52 weeks) at the next lower grade level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the grade you are applying for. For positions at the GS-05 you cannot advance to the GS-05 if you have held a GS-02 in the past 52 weeks. There is no TIG restriction for GS-02 03 or 04 positions.
• MINIMUM AGE REQUIREMENT: Minimum age for federal employment is 18 years old or at least 16 years old and have:
  • Graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or
  • Completed a formal vocational training program; or
  • Received a statement from school authorities agreeing with your preference for employment rather than continuing your education.

For more information on qualifications please refer to OPMs Qualifications Standards.