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IT Specialist

Environmental Protection Agency
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is in Region 1, Mission Support Division, Information Services Branch, Information Resources Section. About: Region 1.

This is an office-centered position*--you must physically report to the duty station stated in this announcement on a regular basis.
*EPA offers work-from-home and work schedule flexibilities as described in the Benefits section.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
12/13/2024 to 12/20/2024
Salary
$81,963 to - $127,707 per year

Salary will be based on the grade level for which you are selected.

Pay scale & grade
GS 11 - 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Boston, MA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—NOTE: If you are an EPA employee who currently works at a remote work location (i.e., full-time telework), your approval for remote work does not transfer to this position.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be required to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Announcement number
EPA-Q1-DE-2025-0001
Control number
824071600

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Duties

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You will:

  • Design, develop, and implement new software applications to meet program needs.
  • Modify, test, install, implement, and support applications.
  • Ensure rigorous application of information security/information assurance policies, principles, and practices to the delivery of application software services.
  • Coordinate activities with program staff in order to meet program needs and maintain compliance with industry and agency standards for software applications.
  • Provide technical advice and recommendations on the projects or delivery/task orders in relation to the design, development, and deployment of IT systems.

When entering a Federal job at a grade level lower than the highest promotion potential level, you may be promoted to more complex duties and work more independently, as your career progresses.  NOTE:  Career ladder promotions are not automatic, and all eligibility and qualifications requirements must be met in order to progress to the next grade level.

You will spend less than 25% of your work time on contracts, grants/cooperative agreements, and/or interagency agreements.

One or more positions may be filled (in the organization advertised and/or in other organizations), if appropriate to the position.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen.
  • You must submit a resume and required documents--see How to Apply section.

This position is designated as High Risk and requires a background investigation. Unless an appropriate background investigation is already on record with the Office of Personnel Management, you must undergo a background investigation. All conditions of the pre-employment security process must be met before an official letter of employment can be issued with a report for duty date.

If you are selected, you may be required to complete a one-year probationary period.

REAL ID requirements will become effective on 05/07/25. If you are selected and come on board with EPA on or after that date and plan to use your driver’s license or identification card during the onboarding process (i.e., for employment eligibility verification or to obtain your EPA identification card), the document must be a REAL ID-compliant state-issued driver’s license or identification card that includes the REAL ID-compliant star marking, or must be an Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL). You will receive information about alternative acceptable documents (e.g., passport) prior to onboarding. For more information about REAL ID, see Dept. of Homeland Security and REAL ID FAQs.

#LI-Onsite

Qualifications

NOTE:  You must meet qualification requirements, including any requirements described in the Education section, by the closing date of this announcement.

In addition to the basic education requirements, you must have specialized experience and/or directly related education as described below:

To qualify for the GS-11 level, you need to have at least one year of full-time experience equivalent to the GS-09 level defined as deploying software applications that meet organizational needs; modifying, testing, software applications; and assuring software and systems quality and functionality. - OR Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; degree in an academic discipline described below.

NOTE: 1 full academic year of graduate education is the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study; if that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester or 27 quarter hours is considered 1 year of study.

To qualify for the GS-12 level, you need to have at least one year of full-time experience equivalent to the GS-11 level defined as collecting customer requirements and demonstrating understanding of those requirements through written communications and visual aids; developing web applications and supporting deployment into a production environment; and researching and evaluating new application development methodologies and frameworks and/or presenting recommendations to an audience of technical and non-technical staff.

Your answers to the online assessment will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas:

  • Knowledge of software and programming techniques.
  • Knowledge of ESRI GIS Enterprise suite of applications (ArcGIS Pro, etc) sufficient to implement geospatial solutions.
  • Knowledge of software and programming techniques.
  • Knowledge of information assurance policies, principles, and practices.
  • Skill in project management.
  • Skill in oral communication.
  • Skill in written communication.
  • Knowledge of contract management.

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.

*If you have part-time work experience, read this: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.

Education

You must have one of the following:

-Bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university 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;

OR

-IT-related experience demonstrating each of these four competencies:

  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.

For information about accreditation requirements, visit EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.

Additional information

Except in special circumstances, those new to the federal government will be hired at the starting salary (step 1) of the applicable grade range listed in the Overview section.

EPA participates in E-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees. For additional information: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.

Are you a Displaced Federal Employee? If so, please read the Required Documents section and visit the EPA website for additional information on the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures
NOTE: To be entitled to selection priority, you must be rated well-qualified (i.e., you must fall into the Well Qualified category or higher--see the How You Will Be Evaluated section).

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values at EPA. Our excellence can only be fully realized by staff who share our commitment to these values. Successful candidates are committed to advancing equity and inclusion in the Agency’s workplace and mission. We encourage applications from candidates with a variety of personal experiences, values, and worldviews that arise from differences of culture and circumstance. At EPA, diversity is a vital element in bringing a balance of perspectives to bear on every challenge we face. We are committed to creating a diverse workforce because we know that the individual strengths and abilities of our employees make us a stronger organization. The more inclusive our employee base is, the greater the variety of ideas that are generated, and the more representative we are of the nation we serve. To learn more about how EPA values and supports our diverse workforce, visit Equal Opportunity Employment at EPA.

If you are selected, travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid by EPA. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting to work in this position will be your responsibility.

This position is in the bargaining unit.

How you will be evaluated

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

After the vacancy announcement closes, we will review your resume and required documents to ensure you meet the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements.

If we determine you are eligible/qualified, you will be further assessed based on your responses to the occupational questionnaire you completed as part of your online application. We will compare your resume and supporting documentation to your questionnaire responses; if you rated yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. After your responses are evaluated, a score will be calculated, and you will be placed into the Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified category using the category rating method. As a result of this assessment process, your category assignment will reflect the degree to which your background matches the competencies required for successful performance in this position (see the Qualifications section for a list of the competencies being evaluated).

Veterans’ preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Qualified preference eligibles who have a compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more are placed at the top of the highest category (except for scientific or professional positions at the GS-09 level or higher). All other preference eligibles are placed above non-preference eligibles within their assigned category.
NOTE: Applicants who are referred to the selecting official for consideration and are entitled to veterans’ preference in the hiring process must be selected, or decline further consideration, before applicants who are ineligible for veterans’ preference can be selected (to learn more, visit Veterans' Preference).

If you are referred for consideration, you may be subject to additional assessments by the selecting official (e.g., technical writing sample or other work sample, job knowledge test, case scenario analysis, scientific data assessment, structured interview, etc.).


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