This position is in the network operations team within the Office of the Chief Information Officer of the Peace Corps. It is responsible for planning, implementation, testing, and administration of network security hardware and software, enforcing the network security policy and complying with requirements of external security audits and recommendations.
Summary
About the position:
This position is in the network operations team within the Office of the Chief Information Officer of the Peace Corps. It is responsible for planning, implementation, testing, and administration of network security hardware and software, enforcing the network security policy and complying with requirements of external security audits and recommendations.
The Information Technology Specialist (Network Services) performs the following major duties:
Provide architecture, design, implementation, and administration for all network security applications and appliances such as Palo Alto Firewalls, Cisco Firewalls, etc.
Managing, storing, and tracking Firewall changes and security logs.
Following up on all vulnerability reports from the vendor and mitigating them in a timely manner.
Provide engineering and design support for security products, the remote access solution, as well as maintenance for TIC components and VPNs.
Provide support for the internal network security systems integration.
Periodically, review and evaluate agency network security posture to improve any possible aspects.
Participate in annual agency security audit as a network security expert.
Documenting final enterprise architecture, network diagrams, and security best practices.
Assist in analyzing, and tracking systems, networks, applications, and their vulnerabilities by reviewing scan reports and working with the relevant parties to get the vulnerabilities remediated.
When a security instance occurs, cooperate with the SOC team to focus all efforts on solving the problem.
Assist in the coordination, implementation, communication, and enforcement of the IT security policies procedures, and standards.
Provide advice and guidance to the ISSO and other divisional security key stakeholders on how to improve IT security.
Advise on the development and design of methodologies to conduct business case analyses of the information security infrastructure.
Support the analysis, investigation, and closure of audit findings from FISMA security audits, the Independent Verification & Validation (IV&V) and the Continuous Controls Assessment (CCA) engagements.
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.
Must be CCIE certified.
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 unexpiredoriginal 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 Tier 5 Critical Sensitive High Risk Public Trust security clearance.
A one-year trial period is required.
Additional hiring needs may be filled through this vacancy.
Peace Corps Information
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 06/17/2024 (the closing date of this announcement). Qualification claims will be subject to verification.
Basic Requirement:
You 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. Examples of IT-related experience demonstrating this competency include completing thorough and accurate work independently, even in the most difficult or stressful situations; occasionally reviewing work completed by others.
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. Examples of IT-related experience demonstrating this competency include resolving routine and non-routine problems, questions, or complaints; developing and maintaining strong, mutually supportive working relationships with customers; conducting evaluation of support to determine quality of services and customer satisfaction, and recommending procedural changes based on customer need or changes in policy and/or regulation.
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. Examples of IT-related experience demonstrating this competency include convincingly conveying complex information to customers; presenting thoughts that are well-organized and demonstrating confidence in the facts and ideas; adjusting style when working with individuals with different levels of understanding; using various methods to explain and convey information.
Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations. Examples of IT-related experience demonstrating this competency include: solving complex or sensitive problems by developing and proposing strategic alternatives; identifying possible conflicts and shared benefits; helping team anticipate problems and identifying and evaluating potential sources of information; providing feedback and coaching to others to help solve problems; engaging appropriate stakeholders when developing solutions in order to understand and incorporate multiple perspectives and needs; evaluating the effectiveness of decisions and adjusting future decisions as appropriate.
In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement above, you must meet the specialized experience requirements.
Specialized experience - FP-2 (Equivalent to the GS-14): To be minimally qualified for this position at the FP-2 level, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower level in the normal line of progression, FP-3 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: Designing, developing, and managing systems that meet current and future business requirements; apply and extend, enhance, or optimize the existing architecture; managing assigned projects; communicating complex technical requirements to non-technical personnel; and preparing and presenting briefings to senior management officials on complex/controversial issues.
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).
Education
Additional information
Intelligence Background Information
Peace Corps Manual Section 611 is applicable to this position. This section prohibits the employment of certain persons previously engaged in intelligence activities or connected with intelligence agencies within the past 10 years. If you have ever worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), you are not eligible for employment at the Peace Corps in any capacity, and you should not apply for employment.
Acceptance of employment with Peace Corps precludes employment by certain intelligence organizations for a specific period of time, determined by the employing agency, after Peace Corps employment ceases.
Applicants who are found to be otherwise qualified will be required to submit upon request in the future a completed Intelligence Background Questionnaire, or narrative signed statement, indicating whether the applicant has been involved in or has had any connection with intelligence activities or related work and, if so, the nature and dates of his or her involvement. Failure to meet this requirement will result in the applicant being rated ineligible for further consideration. If you have any other type of possible intelligence connection, your application will not be further considered until you submit this form. Except when the CIA or the National Security Agency (NSA) is involved (see below), if your connection with an Intelligence Agency involves an immediate family member who works or has worked in intelligence, the immediate family member should complete the form, not the applicant. Usually relying on memory is sufficient to answer most if not all of the questions.
If you have an immediate family member who works or has worked for the CIA, you should not give them this form to complete. Please contact your relative in person-not by phone, email, social networking, or any other means that is not in person- and ask him or her to contact the Office of General Counsel at the CIA.
If you or an immediate family member have been employed by or associated with the NSA, you or your family member must contact the NSA Prepublication Review Office at 443-634-4095.
For initial appointments in the federal government, salary will be set at the step 1 of the grade offered.
**Peace Corps does not offer any additional benefits beyond that which the Federal employee is already receiving. Peace Corps 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 E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
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):
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Documentation requirements may vary from applicant to applicant based on your eligibility claims. For example, Veteran documents would be required only from applicants claiming Veteran's Preference. It is your responsibility to carefully review the list of document descriptions below, to see which documents are required for your application.
If you fail to provide these documents or if it is determined that your resume has erroneous information or you have copied the specialized experience statement, the job description, or the assessment questions into your resume, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.
ALL APPLICANTS: You must submit a detailed resume containing the following pieces of information for each job entry listed in your employment history:
Official position title,
Employer name and contact information,
Start and end dates (including month and year),
A detailed list of duties & accomplishments,
Your grade/step achieved, and
The number of hours worked per week (or indicate full-time).
If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy. If you're unsure about what to include in your resume, please review the USAJOBS Resume Writing Tutorial on YouTube. You are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder, as this will ensure you're including everything that is required.
You are required to provide a copy of your CCIE certificate.
When claiming a Veteran's Preference, you must submit your last DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) form, specifically the Member #4 Copy, indicating dates and character of service and discharge type.
If you are the qualifying parent or spouse of a disabled, deceased, or deployed Veteran, and are seeking a derived preference eligibility, you must submit appropriate supporting documentation such as the Veterans DD-214, SF-15, VA Letter, and/or Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders. See Veteran Family Preference for more information.
For more information on each type of Veterans Preference, and the documentation required for each, see FedsHireVets.
If you are a Military Spouse: You are requiredto submit acceptable documentation of your appointment eligibility which may include the following:
A copy of the service member's permanent change of station orders, including a statement authorizing the spouse to accompany the member to the permanent duty station (if the spouse is not listed on the orders, then a command sponsorship letter must be submitted), the specific location to which the member is assigned, reassigned, or transferred to permanent change of station orders, and the effective date of the permanent change of station; AND
Verification of the marriage to the service member (i.e., a marriage license or other legal documentation verifying marriage).
If you are using education to qualify for this position, or education is required:
You must submit a transcript, which may be unofficial, as long as it contains a full listing of courses, credit earned, grade and grade-point-average, subject area, degree(s) earned, and dates of award.
Your transcript must come from a nationally-accredited educational institution recognized by the Department of Education.
Please do not submit electronic transcripts with documentation security protection, these may prevent our application system from accepting and processing the document.
To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 06/17/2024 to receive consideration.
To begin, click "Apply Online" to create an account or log into your existing USAJOBS account.
Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package.
You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, the assessment questionnaire, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. Please ensure you click the "Submit My Answers" button to submit your application.
It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. HR will not modify answers/documents submitted by an applicant. If more than one resume is received, only the last resume received and processed will be reviewed.
Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process so please plan appropriately. You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.
Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.
The Peace Corps is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors.
The Peace Corps is a drug-free workplace and promotes a drug-free environment.
The Peace Corps is committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive culture. Our goal is to attract and develop the best and brightest from all lifestyles and backgrounds. The Peace Corps strives to create a culture of inclusion where individuals feel respected and are treated fairly in all aspects of differences. Our commitment is to make a difference in the lives of people around the world.
The Peace Corps provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the hiring process, please notify the Office of Human Resources by calling 202-692-1200 or the Office of Civil Rights and Diversity on 202-692-2139. Decisions on granting reasonable accommodation are made on a case-by-case basis.
Office of the Chief Information Officer
1275 First St. NE
Washington, DC 20526
US
Next steps
If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration.
USAJOBS has added an alert setting to their system to provide status updates for applicants. You can elect to activate the status updates from your USAJOBS profile at any point during the application process.
If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to the Selecting Official for further consideration.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Documentation requirements may vary from applicant to applicant based on your eligibility claims. For example, Veteran documents would be required only from applicants claiming Veteran's Preference. It is your responsibility to carefully review the list of document descriptions below, to see which documents are required for your application.
If you fail to provide these documents or if it is determined that your resume has erroneous information or you have copied the specialized experience statement, the job description, or the assessment questions into your resume, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.
ALL APPLICANTS: You must submit a detailed resume containing the following pieces of information for each job entry listed in your employment history:
Official position title,
Employer name and contact information,
Start and end dates (including month and year),
A detailed list of duties & accomplishments,
Your grade/step achieved, and
The number of hours worked per week (or indicate full-time).
If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy. If you're unsure about what to include in your resume, please review the USAJOBS Resume Writing Tutorial on YouTube. You are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder, as this will ensure you're including everything that is required.
You are required to provide a copy of your CCIE certificate.
When claiming a Veteran's Preference, you must submit your last DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) form, specifically the Member #4 Copy, indicating dates and character of service and discharge type.
If you are the qualifying parent or spouse of a disabled, deceased, or deployed Veteran, and are seeking a derived preference eligibility, you must submit appropriate supporting documentation such as the Veterans DD-214, SF-15, VA Letter, and/or Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders. See Veteran Family Preference for more information.
For more information on each type of Veterans Preference, and the documentation required for each, see FedsHireVets.
If you are a Military Spouse: You are requiredto submit acceptable documentation of your appointment eligibility which may include the following:
A copy of the service member's permanent change of station orders, including a statement authorizing the spouse to accompany the member to the permanent duty station (if the spouse is not listed on the orders, then a command sponsorship letter must be submitted), the specific location to which the member is assigned, reassigned, or transferred to permanent change of station orders, and the effective date of the permanent change of station; AND
Verification of the marriage to the service member (i.e., a marriage license or other legal documentation verifying marriage).
If you are using education to qualify for this position, or education is required:
You must submit a transcript, which may be unofficial, as long as it contains a full listing of courses, credit earned, grade and grade-point-average, subject area, degree(s) earned, and dates of award.
Your transcript must come from a nationally-accredited educational institution recognized by the Department of Education.
Please do not submit electronic transcripts with documentation security protection, these may prevent our application system from accepting and processing the document.
To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 06/17/2024 to receive consideration.
To begin, click "Apply Online" to create an account or log into your existing USAJOBS account.
Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package.
You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, the assessment questionnaire, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. Please ensure you click the "Submit My Answers" button to submit your application.
It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. HR will not modify answers/documents submitted by an applicant. If more than one resume is received, only the last resume received and processed will be reviewed.
Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process so please plan appropriately. You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.
Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.
The Peace Corps is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors.
The Peace Corps is a drug-free workplace and promotes a drug-free environment.
The Peace Corps is committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive culture. Our goal is to attract and develop the best and brightest from all lifestyles and backgrounds. The Peace Corps strives to create a culture of inclusion where individuals feel respected and are treated fairly in all aspects of differences. Our commitment is to make a difference in the lives of people around the world.
The Peace Corps provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the hiring process, please notify the Office of Human Resources by calling 202-692-1200 or the Office of Civil Rights and Diversity on 202-692-2139. Decisions on granting reasonable accommodation are made on a case-by-case basis.
Office of the Chief Information Officer
1275 First St. NE
Washington, DC 20526
US
Next steps
If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration.
USAJOBS has added an alert setting to their system to provide status updates for applicants. You can elect to activate the status updates from your USAJOBS profile at any point during the application process.
If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to the Selecting Official for further consideration.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
