Clarification from the agency

VEOA, VRA, 30% Disabled, Schedule A. Current or former employees at a land management agency who were initially hired under competitive procedures in a time-limited appointment.

As an IT Specialist, you will perform the following duties:

• Provide support services to the Alaska Region Headquarters and the field offices by using helpdesk automation ticketing systems and proving technical assistance via telephone, email, remote connection or in person.
• Provide guidance to users for Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) software, diagnosis of hardware issues and general user support.
• Provision new desktops by utilizing baseline images, apply desktop upgrades and software deployments and provide desktop operating system support as well as provision and encrypt mobile devices to include laptops and smartphones.
• Conduct analysis for new systems or modifications to existing systems by testing security requirements from Federal, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and regulatory guidance, higher level policies and unique system configurations.

These duties are described at the Full Performance Level GS-09; the GS-07 is developmental leading to such performance.

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National to apply.
• Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
• Must be suitable for Federal employment.
• Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov).
• Time-in-grade/band must be met by closing date of announcement.

This position requires a Public Trust Security Clearance.

* A one year probationary period may be required.

* Payment of relocation expenses is not authorized.

* This position is in the bargaining unit.

Applicants must meet ALL application requirements, to include a complete online resume, by 11:59 p.m. EASTERN TIME (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards.  This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy.

EDUCATION: 

To qualify for the 2210 series:

To qualify at the GS-07 & GS-09 level:

A. IT Competencies: Individuals must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the four competencies listed below.

1. Attention to Detail ‐ Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Problem Solving ‐ Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.

-AND-

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service.  Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.  This experience need not have been in the federal government.

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.

To qualify at the GS-07 level:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the IT Competencies above, applicants must also possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following:

• Providing IT technical support to customers.

OR

B. EDUCATION: One full year of graduate level education in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management or degree that provided a minimum of 24 semester hours in one or more of the fields identified above and required the development or adaptation of applications, systems or networks.

OR

SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT as demonstrated by a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with one of the following. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your application clearly states how you meet one of the provisions below:

• A grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher based on a 4.0 scale for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last 2 full years of undergraduate study;
• A GPA of 3.5 or higher based on a 4.0 scale for required courses completed in a major field of study, or those courses completed in a major field of study during the last two years of undergraduate study;
• Class standing of upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision of the college;
• Membership in a national Scholastic Honor Society certified by the Association of College honor Societies, excluding freshman honor societies.

To qualify at the GS-09 level:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the IT Competencies above, applicants must also possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following:

• Diagnosing hardware and software issues and providing general user feedback to customers; and
• Utilizing an automated ticketing system to provide IT support.

OR

B. EDUCATION: A master's degree or equivalent graduate degree OR 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management or degree that provided a minimum of 24 semester hours in one or more of the fields identified above and required the development or adaptation of applications, systems or networks.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

We will review your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for the position.  If you meet the minimum qualifications stated in the vacancy announcement, we will compare your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to your responses on the scored occupational questionnaire (True/False, Yes/No, Multiple Choice questions).  However, your resume or optional cover letter must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered.  The best-qualified candidates will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview.

The scored occupational questionnaire will evaluate you on the following competencies; please do not provide a separate written response:

GS-09 ONLY:

• Ability to maintain IT security.

ALL GRADES:

• Knowledge of hardware and software functions, network and operating system specifications, and programming languages.
• Ability to provide IT customer support.
• Ability to troubleshoot software and hardware issues.
• Knowledge of the automatic data processing (ADP) standards, established techniques, and requirements.

Due weight shall be given to performance appraisals and awards in accordance with 5 CFR 335.103(b)(3), during the interview/selection process conducted by the hiring manager. If referred, all relevant documents including performance appraisals and awards submitted with your application package will be forwarded to the hiring official for review.