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Information Technology Specialist

Department of Agriculture
Office of the Chief Information Officer
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located at Office of the Chief Information Officer, Technical Support Division.


This is not a remote position; you will be required to be in your duty station office per CEC telework policy.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
09/21/2023 to 09/28/2023
Salary
$48,648 to - $93,591 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7 - 11
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Sanford, NC
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
23-CEC-277
Control number
750221900

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

All candidates who are: Current or former federal employees qualifying as Status Candidates, Federal employees currently serving on a VRA, VEOA eligibles, CTAP/ICTAP eligible, eligible for special hiring authorities (e.g., the Schedule A appointment for persons with disabilities, or covered by an Interchange Agreement), or VRA eligibles. ; OR USDA OCIO federal employees currently serving on a Veterans' Recruitment Appointment.; OR Land Management employees eligible through Public Law 114-47.

Duties

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The following are the duties of this position at the GS-11. If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties and will receive training to help you grow in this position.

  • Provide user network account support to include setup and configuration (e.g., user profile, e-mail, peripheral access), and troubleshoot user account problems and daily user support issues.
  • Manage and deploy workstations through entire life cycle.
  • Work with users to ensure they can meet two-factor authentication policies for secure access to the network.
  • Provide initial data network support to users by working with network operations support staff to help troubleshoot basic network issues, isolate problems with network components, performing setup and limited maintenance, and support cable installations as needed.
  • Provide Video Teleconference (VTC) support to include "First-level" support for all conference issues, assisting users as necessary, and checking and maintaining all device connections.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your resume.

Key Requirements:
  1. Please refer to "Conditions of Employment."
  2. Must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National
***IMPORTANT INFORMATION BELOW***
  1. After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you via email notification. The email may be routed to your "Spam" or "Junk" folder.
  2. If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. Click here for Computer System Requirements (https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=USA_Hire_System_Requirements)
  3. Note, set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can reuse the URL sent to you via email and also found in your USAJOBS account under the "Track my application" link for the corresponding application.

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

For the GS-11, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility at the GS-09 level in the Federal service or equivalent, which have equipped the candidate with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience for this position includes:

-Provides tier 2 computer help desk support to resolve more intricate and difficult computer errors; AND
-Works independently and assists other technicians in resolving system issues; AND
-Works with other departments and coordinates efforts to resolve issues.

OR

You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: 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 one or a combination of the following fields: 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.

All academic degrees and coursework must be from accredited or pre-accredited institutions. Attach a copy of transcript or list of college courses designating semester or quarter hours earned to ensure proper credit.

For the GS-09, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility at the GS-07 level in the Federal service or equivalent, which have equipped the candidate with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience for this position includes:

-Provides computer help desk support with a ticketing system or incident queue for service requests (Such as BMC Remedy, Service Now) to resolve issues with computers, mobile devices; AND
-install hardware upgrades, software installation, driver installation.; AND
-Provides IT support using remote management software and/or tools such as Dameware.; AND
-Installs and troubleshoots network printers and creates bootable USB drives.

OR
You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows:
Master's degree or equivalent graduate degree, or
2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree. Education should be 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.

All academic degrees and coursework must be from accredited or pre-accredited institutions. Attach a copy of transcript or list of college courses designating semester or quarter hours earned to ensure proper credit.

For the GS-07 level, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-05 level.
Specialized experience includes:
-Stays current with technology to troubleshoot and resolving computer errors/issues independently using appropriate security guidelines and has experience with re-imaging machines; AND
-Works with vendors for warranty repairs; AND
-Provides IT support by communicating to users with varying degrees of IT knowledge and experience using Windows, Microsoft Operating systems, and basic command prompts / power shell.


OR

You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows:

- 1 full year of graduate level education; OR
- Superior academic achievement: Superior academic achievement is based on 1) class standing: upper third of graduating class; 2) grade-point average (G.P.A.): 3.0 out of 4.0 overall or 3.5 out of 4.0 in major; or 3) election to membership in a national scholastic honor society.

(In order to be creditable, education must be related to the position being filled with a major study of computer science, information science, information systems management, mathematics, statistics, operations research, or engineering, or course work that required the development or adaptation of computer programs and systems and provided knowledge equivalent to a major in the computer field.) Attach a copy of transcript or list of college courses designating semester or quarter hours earned to ensure proper credit.

To be qualifying, degree must be 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.

To be qualifying, degree must be 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.

In addition to specialized experience, 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.

Time-in-Grade: In addition to the above requirements, you must meet the following time-in-grade requirement, if applicable:

  • For the GS-11, you must have been at the GS-09level for 52 weeks.
  • For the GS-09, you must have been at the GS-07 level for 52 weeks.
  • For the GS-07, you must have been at the GS-05 level for 52 weeks.


Time After Competitive Appointment: Candidates who are current Federal employees serving on a non-temporary competitive appointment must have served at least three months in that appointment.

Education

The education generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.

Additional information

OTHER INFORMATION:

  • We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
  • CEC offers alternative/flexible/telework schedules for eligible positions.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
  • A one year probationary period may be required.
  • Must successfully complete a background investigation.
  • Pass a pre-employment security investigation
  • Public Trust - Background Investigation will be required.
  • Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
  • Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
  • If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System
    or are exempt from having to do so.
  • Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form i-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
  • Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
  • Must obtain a valid state driver's license and maintain a valid license while you occupy the position
  • Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds

Our comprehensive benefits are very generous. Our benefits package includes:

  • Challenging work, opportunities for advancement, competitive salaries, bonuses and incentive awards.
  • Eleven paid holidays, 13 days of sick leave, and 13 to 26 days of vacation time each year.
  • Access to insurance programs that may be continued after you retire.
  • A wide choice of health insurance plans, coverage for pre-existing conditions, and no waiting periods. We pay a substantial amount (up to 75%) of the health insurance premiums.
  • A retirement program which includes employer-matching contributions.

Learn more about Federal benefits programs at: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Pay_and_Benefits

How you will be evaluated

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

CEC has partnered with the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service to provide certain personnel services to its organization. Fiscal Service's responsibilities include advertising vacancies, accepting and handling applications, and extending job offers.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the online assessments required for this position. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a "not qualified" determination.

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Rating: You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Reading
  • Judgment
  • Interaction
  • Reasoning
  • Customer Service
  • Technical

Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview.

If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)) you must be assigned the middle category or better to be rated as "well qualified" to receive special selection priority.

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