Clarification from the agency

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The IT Specialist (Information Security) performs the following major duties:

• Direct the functions, processes, and operations of the agency SOC and ensures policies and procedures are followed.
• Lead SOC team operations to ensure optimal identification/ resolution of security incidents and enhance client security.
• Ensure SLA compliance, process adherence, process improvement to meet operational objectives.
• Manage the collection, documentation and research of security incidents received via the SOC.
• Provide CISO with a realistic overview of risks and threat in the enterprise environment.
• Develop and maintain an incident response management program that includes incident detection, analysis, containment, eradication, recovery, and chain of evidence/ forensic artifacts required for additional investigations.
• Ability to work directly customers to ensure resolution management and customer satisfaction.
• Creation of reports, dashboards, metrics for SOC operations and presentation to Senior Management.
• Conduct scheduled and ad hoc training exercises to ensure staff are current with the latest threat and incident response techniques.
• Establish performance goals and priorities.
• Provides cybersecurity recommendations to leadership based on significant threats and vulnerabilities.
• Notify designated managers, cyber incident responders, and cybersecurity service provider team members of suspected cyber incidents and articulate the event's history, status, and potential impact for further action in accordance with the organization's cyber incident response plan.

Conditions of employment

Please read this announcement in its entirety prior to submitting your application for consideration.

• You must be a U.S. Citizen and meet the requirements of the program.
• You must be at least 18 years of age.
• 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. For additional information, see www.sss.gov.
• All Federal employees are required to have federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• Telework eligible positions do not guarantee telework. As a reminder - If you are selected for a position, you are responsible for reporting to your designated POD (location) on the negotiated start date or as directed by management.
• You must complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
• Applicants must 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. These documents must be unexpired original or certified copies.
• Applicants must successfully complete a background security investigation with favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet this requirement will be grounds for employment termination.
• This position requires a Top Secret background investigation.
• This is not a bargaining unit position.
• A one-year trial period is required.
• Additional hiring needs may be filled through this vacancy.

• This is a Federal civilian job in the Excepted Service. Peace Corps employees are paid on the Foreign Personnel (FP) pay scale.
• Initial appointment of employment cannot exceed five years.
• All new employees are required to certify and submit a state of understanding acknowledging adherence to the Peace Corps condition of employment prior to day 1 of employment with the Peace Corps.
• Qualified internal applicants will be given full consideration.

Qualifications

All qualification requirements must be met by 12/26/2023 (the closing date of this announcement). Qualification claims will be subject to verification.

FP-02 (Equivalent to the GS-14)To be minimally qualified for this position at the FP-02 level, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower level in the normal line of progression, FP-03 or GS-13 level which is in or directly related to the line of work of the position to be filled and which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience is defined as: Prior Security Operations Center (SOC) Management or Supervisory experience; AND Experience providing cybersecurity risk recommendations to leadership based on significant threats and vulnerabilities; AND Experience with multiple technology and system and software types (e.g., SIEM, SOAR, IDS/IPS, AlienVault, Splunk, Tenable, Endpoint Detection & Response).

Knowledgeable on multiple technology and system and software types (e.g., SIEM, SOAR, IDS/IPS, AlienVault, Splunk, Tenable, Endpoint Detection & Response);

Advanced knowledge in planning, directing, and managing Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT) and/or Security Operations Center (SOC) operations for a complex Enterprise;

Experience with investigating and reporting data breaches;

Hands-on cybersecurity experience (Protect, Detect, Respond and Sustain) within a Computer Incident Response organization including prior experience performing medium-large-scale incident response;

Create reports and presentations on research and findings.

Share knowledge with members of the SOC and Cyber Security teams.

Analyze collected data to determine trends in the security environment of the organization.

AND
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.

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.

Additional information on qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on the OPM web site at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/

~AND~

Time-in-Grade Requirements:

You must meet applicable TIG requirements to be considered eligible. To meet TIG for positions above the GS-05 grade level, you must have served at least one year (52 weeks) at the next lower grade (or equivalent) in the normal line of progression for the position you are applying to. The experience may have been gained in the public sector, 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/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume. For more information on qualifications please refer to OPM's Qualifications Standards.

Note: All current or former Federal employees (including internal employees) must provide a copy of their SF-50 (you may need to submit more than one), "Notice of Personnel Action" that indicates proof of status and time-in-grade eligibility. The SF-50 must include your position, title, series, grade, step, tenure, and type of service (Competitive or Excepted).

Please note: Peace Corps employees are employed using the Foreign Personnel (FP) pay scale. The FP pay plan does not follow the same structure as the GS pay plan. In the FP pay plan, as the grade-level numbers decrease the level/pay for the position increases (e.g., the FP-09 is the lowest entry-level pay and the FP-01 is the highest senior-level pay).

How you will be evaluated

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

We use a multi-step process to review and evaluate applicants:

1. Eligibility and Minimum Qualifications

Once the vacancy announcement closes, we will review your resume and documents to determine if you meet the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, including any required education, experience, and/or selective placement factors. You will be rated as ineligible if your application is missing any required documents. You will be rated as not qualified if you do not possess the minimum qualification requirements. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience that is cause for disqualification, and you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. You will be rated as not qualified if you do not possess the minimum qualification requirements.

2. Rating and Ranking

If you are found to meet both the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, we will assess the quality of your experience and the extent to which you possess the required KSAs by comparing your submitted resume and documents against your responses to the occupational questionnaire. You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications and competencies listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials and the responses on the application questionnaire. You will be assessed on the following competencies.

Basis for Rating: Qualified candidates will be assigned to one of three quality categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified or Qualified. Veteran preference eligibles are listed ahead of non-preference eligibles within each quality category.

• Best Qualified. Candidates in this category possess exceptional skills and experience to exceed well above the minimum requirements for the announced position.
• Highly Qualified. Candidates in this category possess good skills and experience above the minimum requirements for the announced position.
• Qualified. Candidates in this category meet the minimum experience requirements for the announced position.

3. Referral and Selection

If you are found to be amongst the best qualified applicants, you will be referred to the selecting official. As part of the assessment and selection process, the selecting official may invite you to participate in a structured interview, check your references, and/or request a writing sample or complete a written assessment or exercise to further evaluate your qualifications for this position.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

• Information Systems/Network Security
• Information Technology Program Management
• Systems Testing and Evaluation