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IT Specialist

Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Re-opening announcement due to recent systemoutage. Applicants who succesfully applied before the outage do not have to reapply.

The primary purpose of the position is to serve as the Web Database Developer for MaizeGDB (the next generation database of maize genome information) and implement webpages and services integrated with a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) on varied platforms (Linux and Windows operating systems), including the network connectivity to the data.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
09/14/2018 to 09/26/2018
Salary
$57,014 to - $81,400 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 09 - 11
Location
Ames, IA
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - One to two times per year to attend scientific conferences or for training
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11
Supervisory status
No
Drug test
No
Announcement number
ARS-S18Y-0122A
Control number
509746000

Duties

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Major Duties may include, but are not limited to:

  • Implementing new interfaces, maintaining current interfaces, and upgrading existing interfaces
  • Assisting in maintaining hardware, software, cloud services, virtual machines, and web servers for a high-availability website
  • Administering relational databases throughout different iterations (production, development, and various other copies) and serving as backup database administrator
  • Ensuring optimization of performance and database security
  • Interacting with user groups and integrating suggestions from user feedback into a relational database

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a US Citizen or US National.
  • Satisfactory background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.

Subject to satisfactory completion of a one year probationary period.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including the following specialized experience and/or education, as identified below.

Basic Requirements

Applicants must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the four competencies listed below:

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 make recommendations.

AND

Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. The specialized experience requirements for this position are:

At the GS-09: Qualifying experience for the GS-09 level includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-07 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience serving as a web programmer implementing, maintaining, and upgrading user interfaces; interacting with users groups and integrating suggestions into interfaces; assisting in the administration of databases for an organization; and assisting in the optimization of performance and database security.

OR 

Education: Successful completion of a Master’s or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree 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.

At the GS-11: Qualifying experience for the GS-11 level includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-09 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position.  For this position, specialized experience is experience serving as a web programmer planning, developing, and implementing user interfaces; interacting with users groups and integrating suggestions into interfaces; developing workshops and webinars on using new tools and features; designing and administering databases for an organization; and analyzing metadata to optimize database and interface performance, reliability, and  security.

OR  

Education: A completed Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree 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. 

For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here:https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=Group-Standards

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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Additional information

More than one selection may be made if another vacancy occurs within 90 days of the issuance of the certification of eligibles.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc) should contact: USDAs TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).

Direct Deposit – Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of your choosing.

E-Verify: Federal law requires agencies to use the E-Verify system to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires. If you are selected as a newly hired employee, the documentation you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form 1-9 on your entry-on-duty date will be verified through the DHS E-VERIFY system. Under the system, the new hire is required to resolve any identified discrepancies as a condition of continued employment.

BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION AND FINGERPRINT CHECK:  Selection and retention in this position is contingent on a successfully adjudicated FBI National Criminal History Check (fingerprint check) and a background investigation.

It is the policy of the Government not to deny employment simply because an individual has been unemployed or has had financial difficulties that have arisen through no fault of the individual. See more information at: http://www.chcoc.gov/transmittals/TransmittalDetails.aspx?TransmittalID=6465


Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): For information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL or ICTAP eligibility see http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.

This position is eligible for telework and other flexible work arrangements.

If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.

How you will be evaluated

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

Applications will be evaluated in accordance with Office of Personnel Managements (OPM) Delegated Examining Procedures using category rating. Applicants who meet basic minimum qualifications will be placed in one of two or three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans. Category placement will be determined based on applicants quality of experience and the extent they possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) or competencies:

    • Systems Administration
    • Database Administration
    • Interpersonal Skills
Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Those determined to be in the best qualified category will be referred to the selecting official for consideration.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

Clicking the link below will present a preview of the application form; i.e. the online questionnaire. The application form link below will only provide a preview and does not initiate the application process. To initiate the online application process, click the "Apply Online" button to the right.


To view the application form, visit: https://ars.usda.ntis.gov/cp/?event=jobs.previewApplication&jobid=7E8F7BAE-90C1-4DE1-A2BC-A946010EDB5A

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