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Job Summary
Join VAs Infrastructure Operations (IO) to deliver and maintain secure high-availability IT and cloud solutions. Help protect and modernize mission-critical systems and support quality services for Veterans. Work in a dynamic innovative environment as an Engineering Technician located in Deputy Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology (VA). Apply Now!
- Install configure update maintain customize and support enterprise operating systems hardware system software and vendor software in production environments.
- Formulate maintain and enforce system maintenance schedules and operational procedures required to sustain reliable production computing services.
- Manage system and server resources including performance capacity availability serviceability and recoverability and initiate corrective actions when requirements are not met.
- Troubleshoot diagnose and independently resolve complex operating-system hardware system-software vendor-software and production-application malfunctions.
- Plan test document coordinate and implement operating-system and vendor-software changes patches fixes upgrades and production installations using established change-management controls.
- Communicate complex technical information clearly and concisely to management administrators programmers analysts vendors contractors and users during planning implementation and troubleshooting.
This is a Bargaining Unit Position.
This position is primarily aligned to the following NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework work roles:
NCWF Code: 651 Category. Work in this category includes performing OPM GDS Cybersecurity Category / Specialty Area: Research and Development Specialist SP-TRD-001 tasks as defined by the NIST SP 800-181 National Cyber skills Workforce Framework (NCWF). Develops and maintains business systems and information processes to support enterprise mission needs; develops information technology (IT) rules and requirements that describe baseline and target architectures.
For more information about these work roles where they fit within the larger Cyber Workforce and how they can support your unique career journey please visit the Cyber Career Pathways tool on the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies website: Schedule: Monday-Friday 8 am-4:30 pm
Compressed/Flexible: Available at Supervisors discretion.
Telework: ADHOC as determined by Agency Policy.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: IT Specialist/PD20171A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized
- You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
- Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
- Subject to background/security investigation
- May serve a probationary period.
- Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
- A complete application package; Resume SF-50s etc.
- Only resumes up to TWO total pages will be accepted. Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for position requirements listed in the job announcement. File size must not exceed 5MB.
Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( May 7 2025 drivers licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
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 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.
To qualify for this position applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement 10/09/2026.
You must meet the Basic Requirements (Individual Occupational Requirement) Specialized Experience and the Selective Placement Factor to qualify for this series as described below.
Basic Requirements (Individual Occupational Requirement):
Applicants must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the four competencies listed below at a proficiency level equivalent to the next lower grade level in federal service:
- Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.
- Customer Service - Works with clients and customers (that is any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit produces including the general public individuals who work in the agency other agencies or organizations outside the Government) to assess their needs provide information or assistance resolve their problems or satisfy their expectations; knows about available products and services; is committed to providing quality products and services.
- Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example technical sensitive controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others attends to nonverbal cues and responds appropriately.
- Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives and to make recommendations.
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Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized Experience is defined as experience serving as a senior systems administrator infrastructure administrator technical lead or subject matter expert responsible for the administration sustainment security performance and modernization of enterprise Linux operating systems and associated infrastructure in on-premises hybrid-cloud or multi-cloud environments. Qualifying experience must include independently installing configuring patching upgrading securing troubleshooting and optimizing Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) or equivalent Linux systems; administering Linux workloads and their associated compute storage networking identity monitoring backup and recovery services within AWS Microsoft Azure Google Cloud Platform Oracle Cloud Infrastructure or comparable enterprise cloud platforms; managing system performance capacity availability serviceability and recoverability; planning testing implementing documenting and validating operating system software configuration and production changes; developing or using automation and configuration-management technologies such as Ansible Red Hat Satellite shell scripting Git-based repositories or cloud-native automation services; implementing cybersecurity hardening privileged-access controls vulnerability remediation security patching and configuration compliance; diagnosing and resolving complex operating system infrastructure authentication storage networking application-interface and performance incidents; supporting disaster recovery contingency backup restoration and continuity-of-operations activities; developing technical standards operating procedures implementation plans run-books and system documentation; and providing authoritative technical guidance to administrators engineers application teams cybersecurity personnel contractors vendors customers and management to evaluate complex requirements mitigate operational and cybersecurity risk and ensure the availability security reliability performance and recoverability of mission-critical enterprise Linux and cloud infrastructure.
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Selective Placement Factor: In addition to the minimum qualifications described above you must meet the following requirement(s) to be considered qualified for the position: Direct hands-on experience performing production-level Linux administration and engineering duties (not including application support oversight-only training or certifications alone) where you independently managed troubleshot and maintained complex Linux environments in a business or operational setting and executed independent judgment immediate operational contribution and direct coordination with assigned customers and technical stakeholders.
PLEASE NOTE: General IT experience Linux administration application support training certifications or oversight-only responsibilities are not sufficient substitutes for direct production-level Linux administration and engineering experience. Applicants must clearly demonstrate qualifying experience in their resume by describing the duties personally performed level of responsibility and independence complexity and scale of the supported environment and measurable results achieved. Merely listing technologies certifications training or generalized familiarity will not satisfy the requirement. may be required to support planned or emergency maintenance respond to production outages participate in disaster-recovery activities and perform occasional after-hours or on-call work
Evidence of the selective placement factor must be reflected in your resume.
For more information on these qualification standards please visit the United States Office of Personnel Managements website at
There is no educational substitution at this grade level.
Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicants 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.
Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employees credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
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 OPMs Career Transition Resources website at should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government passionate about the ideals of our American republic and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Required Experience:
IC
