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IT Cybersecurity Specialist (CUSTSPT) (Pathways Recent Graduate), GS-2210-07

Department of Homeland Security
U.S. Coast Guard
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), position(s) may be placed in various locations nationwide.

Salary will be set in accordance with selectee's locality.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
05/19/2021 to 05/26/2021
Salary
$49,157 to - $94,581 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 07
Location
3 vacancies in the following location:
Washington, DC
3 vacancies
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional Travel may be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—PCS relocation is authorized.
Appointment type
Recent graduates - This is a permanent excepted appointment.
Work schedule
Full-time - This is a full-time position.
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
09
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Announcement number
21-2063-HQ-SC-P
Control number
602052800

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens. Recent Graduates. Subject position(s) will be filled through the Pathways Program: https://www.opm.gov/about-us/careers-at-opm/students-recent-graduates/

Duties

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You will serve as an IT Cybersecurity Specialist under the Pathways Recent Graduates Program in the Secretary's Honor Program providing technical support to customers who need assistance utilizing client-level hardware and software in accordance with established or approved organizational  process components.

Being a CG civilian makes you a valuable member of the CG team. Typical work assignments include:

  • Installing and maintaining network infrastructure device operating system software (e.g. IOS, firmware)
  • Troubleshooting system hardware and software.
  • Maintaining incident tracking and solution database.
  • Diagnosing and resolving customer reported system incidents, problems, and events.
  • Installing and configuring hardware, software, and peripheral equipment for system users in accordance with organizational standards.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • Unofficial transcripts are required at the time of application.
  • The duration of the Recent Graduates appointment is a trial period.

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

There are several parts of the application process that affect the overall evaluation of your application Resume Responses to on-line core questions Responses to on-line self-assessment Supporting documents, if requested High self assessment in the vacancy questions that is not supported by information in your resume and/or supporting documents may impact you or eliminate you from consideration.

Applicants who obtained a qualifying associates, bachelors, master's, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution within the previous 2 years, unless military service interfered with a veterans eligibility to apply during that 2 year time frame.  Veterans meeting the above exclusion may apply within 2 years of discharge or 6 years from the date of receipt of the degree whichever comes first.

More information on the Pathways Programs for Recent Graduates may be found at:

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/

Any of the following educational institutions or curricula that have been accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education: 

·         Technical or vocational school

·         2-year or 4-year college or university

·         Graduate or Professional school (e.g., law school, medical school)

A certificate program is post-secondary education, in a qualifying educational institution, equivalent to at least one academic year of full-time study that is part of an accredited college-level, technical, trade, vocational or business school curriculum. 

Qualifications

To qualify for the GS-07 level, you must meet one of the following criteria:   

One (1) year of specialized experience;

Specialized experience includes:  experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.  This experience is related to the work of the position and equivalent to at least the GS-05 level in the Federal service.  Such experience is typically gained in the IT field or through the performance of work where the primary concern is IT and demonstrates skill in gathering facts and analyzing user needs to contribute to IT solutions.  Examples may include troubleshooting problems for customers on an IT helpline; gathering and updating information on collaborative sites; compiling data on user needs to identify software solutions; and assisting with implementing IT policies or procedures.  Experience must demonstrate attention to detail, customer service, oral communication, and problem solving.

OR

One (1) full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement, preferably in a cyber related field;

Undergraduate or Graduate Education:  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 fields identified above and required the development or adaptation of applications, systems or networks.

OR

Superior Academic Achievement is defined as meeting one of the following:  In the upper one-third of your graduating class; OR a GPA of 3.0 or higher out of 4.0, as recorded on the official transcript, or based on courses completed during the final 2 years of curriculum; OR a GPA of 3.5 or higher out of 4.0, based on average of required courses completed in major or required courses in major completed during the final 2 years of curriculum.

OR

A combination of both specialized experience and education (as described above).

National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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.

The Office of Personnel management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees.  If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule, C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Selected participants are appointed into an excepted service appointment under the Recent Graduate Program and required to serve a one year trial period, and will be evaluated for conversion eligibility into a term or permanent appointment in the competitive service at the end of one year of continuous service, in addition to meeting all the requirements of the Recent Graduates Program.

Employment under the Recent Graduates Program may not exceed 2 years plus any agency approved extension of up to an additional 120 days.

Veterans' preference applies to selection for positions in the Pathways Programs.  Selections must be made in accordance with the requirements of 5 CFR part 302, veterans' preference laws.

Secretary's Cyber Honors Program Summary:  Do you desire to protect American interests and secure our Nation while building a meaningful and rewarding career?  If so, the Department of Homeland Security is calling.  DHS Components work collectively to safeguard cyberspace, prevent terrorism, secure borders, enforce and administer immigration laws and ensure resilience to disasters.  The vitality and magnitude of this mission is achieved by a diverse workforce spanning hundreds of positions.  Make an impact, join DHS.  The DHS Secretary's Cyber Honors Program is specifically designed for recent graduates and graduating Spring/Summer 2021 students, pursuing a degree in a cyber-related field.  Elements of the program include, but are not limited to: Cyber-related projects and/or experiences; program orientation; networking events; tours of DHS Cyber facilities; cyber panels and events, including sessions with cyber leaders and executives; job shadowing and reflections; participant training plan; mentoring partnerships; dedicated cohort program manager to increase cohesion and provide assistance to participants.

Education

This position does not have a positive education requirement. If you are including education on your resume, report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. See Required Documents section for detail.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet Federal qualification requirements if you can show that your foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence with your application. See Recognition of Foreign Qualifications click here

Additional information

Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.

Applicants will be required to complete questions contained on the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) at the time a tentative job offer is made. At the time of appointment, selectees will be required to update the OF-306. Certain responses on the form could pose a problem with suitability for employment determinations.

If you are selected for this position, you will be subject to a determination of your suitability for Federal employment. All selectees are subject to an appropriate investigation as a condition of placement into this position. Certain investigation levels may automatically require a credit check after initial job qualifications have been met. For those positions that do not automatically require a credit check, it may later be required if the initial investigation surfaces a potential issue. Visit: OPM Mythbuster

DHS uses E-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about your rights and responsibilities at click here

Recruitment incentives may be authorized.

If selection is made below the full performance level, the incumbent may be promoted up to the target grade without further competition, if all legal and regulatory requirements are met and when recommended by the supervisor. However, promotion to the full performance level is not guaranteed and is dependent on successful performance at the lower grade level(s).

All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit.

For Veterans' preference eligibility, visit Veterans' Employment Resources. Veterans, Peace Corps/VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility and to understand the documentation that would be required with your application, click on the links above and contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement. More than 1 selection may be made from this announcement if additional identical vacancies in the same title, series, grade, and unit occur within 90 days from the date the certificate was issued.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for the application and hiring process, please contact 202-795-6261. Decisions on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Visit Reasonable Accommodation

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 résumé and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. If you meet the minimum qualifications, your experience, education and training will be rated using the on-line assessment to place you in one of three categories.

The necessary Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities to perform this job are:

  1. Knowledge of electronic devices (e.g., computer systems/components, access control devices, digital cameras, digital scanners, electronic organizers, hard drives, memory cards, modems, network components, networked appliances, networked home control devices, printers, removable storage devices, telephones, copiers, facsimile machines, etc.
  2. Knowledge of industry best practices for service desk
  3. Knowledge of Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
  4. Knowledge of basic operation of computers
  5. Ability to accurately define incidents, problems, and events in the trouble ticketing system

If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be placed in one of the following categories:
1. Best-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate high proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all Selective Placement Factors (SPF) and appropriate Quality Ranking Factors (QRF) as determined by the job analysis.
2. Well-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrates acceptable proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all SPFs and appropriate QRFs as determined by the job analysis.
3. Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate basic proficiency in most of the critical competencies, including all SPFs and appropriate QRFs as determined by the job analysis.

If you are best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview. Your resume and responses to the self-assessment questions are an integral part of the process for determining your qualifications for the position. Therefore, you must support your responses to the self-assessment questions by providing examples of past and present experience in your resume.

Veterans with 5-point preference who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements are placed above non-preference eligibles within the category in which they are qualified. Veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% are listed in the best qualified category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. For information on veterans' preference, click here.


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