In order to qualify, you must meet the specialized experience requirements described in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions, There is no Group Coverage Qualification Standard for this series. Use the Individual Occupational Requirements described below.
INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT:
Experience
Experience must be IT related; the experience may be demonstrated by paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training (for example, IT certification), as appropriate
GS-5 through GS-15 (or equivalent): For all positions individuals must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the four competencies listed below. The employing agency is responsible for identifying the specific level of proficiency required for each competency at each grade level based on the requirements of the position being filled.
- 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.
In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience at the next lower grade GS-12, or equivalent in other pay systems. Examples of specialized experience includes provide information assurance availability, integrity, confidentiality, and accountability of information system resources and information; provide inspection (2 semi-annual) and advisory and guidance services in implementation and/or compliance with certification policies and procedures; provide evaluating/certification services consisting of certification packages, hardware, software, and firmware products for approval; provide receiving, inspecting, updating, destruction, and dissemination of COMSEC materials and granting access to cryptographic information; assigning work to subordinates based on priorities, selective consideration of the difficulty and requirements of assignments, and the capabilities of employees; plan work to be accomplished by subordinates, set and adjust short-term priorities, and prepare schedules for completion of work.
FEDERAL TIME-IN-GRADE (TIG) REQUIREMENT FOR GENERAL SCHEDULE (GS) POSITIONS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-12 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-13 level. TIG applies if you are in a current GS position or held a GS position within the previous 52 weeks. NOTE: Applicants applying as VEOA candidates who are current GS civil service employees or are prior GS civil service employees within the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:
1. Knowledge of the principles, methods, and information security practices for integrating esoteric information system components sufficient to plan, coordinate, and administer computer systems, and optimize system performance.
2. Knowledge of the latest advancements in secure information technology to initiate corrective or preventative action to ensure optimum performance of the system.
3. Skill of performance tuning tools, database management, and project management methods sufficient to optimize systems performance, troubleshoot database performance problems, and perform a wide range of systems administration functions.
4. Knowledge of unique operating systems, associated devices, and the interoperability of test lab systems sufficient to install, upgrade, troubleshoot, test, and maintain those systems; to optimize the functionality and secure performance of systems; and to ensure the availability, integrity, efficiency, and reliability of servers.
5. Ability to apply expert methods and information security practices for troubleshooting, recovering, adjusting, modifying, and improving systems to solve complex problems, provide support that minimizes interruptions in service to engineers, and maintain liaison with industry and other activities to provide awareness of state-of- the-art technology.
6. Skill in communicating orally and in writing.
PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.
VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
