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IT Specialist (SYSADMIN/APPSW)

Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
National Library of Medicine
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The position is located in the Office of the Director (OD), Office of Computer and Communications Systems (OCCS), Applications Branch (AB), E-Library Technology Support Section (ELTS).

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
12/20/2024 to 12/30/2024
Salary
$82,764 to - $153,354 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11 - 13
Location
Montgomery County, MD
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
NIH-NLM-DE-25-12626073
Control number
824929300

Duties

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As an IT Specialist (SYSADMIN/APPSW), you will:

  • Serve as the expert intermediary between the systems administration and application functions/teams in the Applications Branch (e.g., developers, networking team, infrastructure security team, infrastructure systems team).
  • Coordinate projects and activities, and manage the deployment, maintenance, and upgrade process of applications developed by different development groups and teams.
  • Work with software application developers to architect, configure, and troubleshoot application servers and the software running on the developed applications.
  • Oversee and ensure systems administration, patching, networking, and provisioning support of application servers within the OCCS applications platform.
  • Manage approximately 400 application servers in support of the NLM mission and ensure support for applications residing on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud.
  • Direct and oversee provisioning and patching scripts for on-premises application servers and AWS Cloud.
  • Create, maintain, and administer automated testing frameworks that allow in-depth testing of User Interfaces, modules, and security of custom software applications across multiple programming languages and platforms.
  • Maintain the integrity, security, and availability of NOSQL databases and database-like technologies, and troubleshoot server issues, including tuning performance, isolate and fix application problems, and apply security patches.
  • Analyze and evaluate new systems engineering technologies, and develop and coordinate lifecycle development processes and tools to facilitate agile development methodologies.
  • Identify future-state objectives for the development environment, and provide guidance on best practices to maintain the development environments and support the rapid development and testing of web based solutions.
  • Provide analysis and guidance on program related information technology (IT) issues or problems where new analytical techniques must be developed to identify and evaluate findings.
  • Identify and maintain firewall rules needed to allow application communication, and create and maintain approximately 2500 firewall rules in support of application network communication.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship requirement or proof of being a U.S. National must be met by closing date.
  • Employment is subject to the successful completion of a background investigation, verification of qualifications, completion of onboarding forms, submission of required documents, and any other job-related requirement before or after appointment.
  • Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
  • Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered with the Selective Service.
  • The National Institutes of Health participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). E-Verify helps employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers.
  • The NIH maintains a tobacco free work environment and campus.
  • Must be able to perform the essential duties of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation.
  • A one-year probationary period may be required upon selection/placement.

Qualifications

For all IT positions, individuals must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the four competencies listed below:

  • Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.

AND, you qualify at the GS-11 level, if you meet one of the following qualification requirements:
  • Have completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management OR a 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 three (3) full years of progressively higher level graduate education in one of the areas described above leading to such a degree. OR
  • You must demonstrate in your resume at least one (1) year of qualifying experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks: (1) assisting in the development of new software/web applications using common programming languages (e.g., JavaScript, Python, SQL, C, C#, Visual Basic, PHP); (2) troubleshooting and debugging reported errors by testing and correcting code used in applications; and (3) assisting in the implementation of a variety of software and application testing procedures (unit, integration, functional, system, stress, performance, usability, acceptance, etc.).
AND, you qualify at the GS-12 level, if you meet the following qualification requirements:
  • You must demonstrate in your resume at least one (1) year of qualifying experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks: (1) developing new software/web applications using common programming languages (e.g., JavaScript, Python, SQL, C, C#, Visual Basic, PHP); (2) creating SQL data manipulation statements (SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE) and stored procedures used in software/web applications; (3) carrying out of a variety of software and application testing procedures (unit, integration, functional, system, stress, performance, usability, acceptance, etc.); and (4) participating in the planning and implementation of standard operating procedures on coding techniques, styles, documentation, and deployment.
AND, you qualify at the GS-13 level, if you meet the following qualification requirements:
  • You must demonstrate in your resume at least one (1) year of qualifying experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks: (1) diagnosing system software, applications software, and system interface issues; (2) managing application servers, analyzing systems configurations, overseeing software installations, upgrades, and patches, and managing IT projects; (3) serving as an advisor to specialists and managers in developing and implementing hosting infrastructure technologies; (4) reviewing and evaluating hosted applications' security requirements; and (5) serving as a technical consultant to customers in support of application systems hosted on an organization's servers, diagnosing causes of complex critical systems administration problems, and devising innovative solutions for their resolution.

You will receive credit for all experience material to the position, including experience gained in religious, civic, welfare, service, and organizational activities, regardless of whether you received pay. Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

To determine your qualifications and referral status, we may review your resume and supporting documentation and compare it against your responses to the vacancy questionnaire. Ensure you support your self-ratings with the information you provide in your application. We may verify or assess your qualifications at any time. Inflated or unsupported qualifications may affect your rating. Any misrepresentation or material omission of facts may be sufficient cause to end further consideration of your candidacy. Persons listed as knowing your past accomplishments or experience in your application may be contacted for verification purposes at any time. Verification may, but need not, begin before receiving an offer.

Preview application questionnaire before you apply: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12626073

Education

If you qualify based on education in lieu of specialized experience, you are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed and grades. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application packages. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer. Click here for information on Foreign Education.

Additional information

  • This position is designated as a "non-emergency/teleworker" position and the selected candidate will be considered a "non-emergency/teleworker" employee. In the event of a closure, you must be available to telework or request leave.
  • A newly appointed or reappointed individual may receive a recruitment incentive. Recipients will be determined on a case-by-case basis based on organizational need, specific case justification, and budget limitations.
  • A current federal government employee may receive a relocation incentive if moving from a different geographic location. Recipients will be determined on a case-by-case basis based on organizational need, specific case justification, and budget limitations.
  • PHS Commissioned Officers interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps should apply online to this announcement to receive consideration.
  • Visit our Applicant FAQs page for helpful information on the application process.
  • Visit our Total Compensationpage and this sample for a detailed look into the benefits, awards, leave, retirement, and other incentives employees may receive as part of a rewarding work environment.
  • If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire.
  • We may make additional selections for similar positions within the commuting area(s) of the locations listed through this vacancy announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with any interested selecting official(s). Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions.
  • If selected, you may be eligible to receive a salary above the minimum based on superior qualifications and/or a special need of the Government for your services. This applies to employees paid under the General Schedule (GS) and Federal Wage System (FWS) pay systems and is at the discretion of the hiring manager. A salary above the minimum must be approved before the appointment.

How you will be evaluated

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

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), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Accountability
  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Factor 1: Knowledge of application server operations, maintenance and management in order to develop secure applications and services.
  • Factor 2: Knowledge of IT systems’ integration principles, methods and standards.
  • Factor 3: Ability to perform IT project management duties and functions.
  • Factor 4: Ability to communicate technical advice, recommendations or information to system users and technical and non-technical staff.
  • Flexibility
  • Influencing/Negotiating
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork

The USA Hire Assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

If you meet the minimum qualifications for this position, your application and responses to the online questionnaire will be evaluated under Category Rating and selection procedures for placement in one of the following categories:
  • Best Qualified - for those who are superior in the evaluation criteria
  • Well Qualified - for those who excel in the evaluation criteria
  • Qualified - for those who only meet the minimum qualification requirements

The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Applicants determined to be Best Qualified will be referred for further consideration. Preference eligibles in the Best Qualified category are referred before all other applicants.

To be considered well qualified for the purposes of the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) and the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), you must be able to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry and substantively exceed the basic qualifications by scoring at least an 85 on the assessment and meet all eligibility, physical, medical, suitability, and all other requirements.

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