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Computer Scientist (Cybersecurity) - Direct Hire Authority

Department of State
Department of State - Agency Wide
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This serves as public notice for the use of an Direct Hire Authority. Applicants will be forwarded to the selecting official for consideration. We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.

This position is located in Bureau of Consular Affairs, Office of Consular Systems and Technology (CA/CST). The incumbent serves as the senior advisor and consultant to the CA Chief Information Officer (CIO) on computer technology and cybersecurity.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
04/11/2025 to 04/15/2025
This job will close when we have received 100 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$167,603 to - $195,200 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 15
Location
Many vacancies in the following location:
Washington, DC
MANY vacancies
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—Relocation expenses may be reimbursed.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
15
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
Yes - 3524 - CS PROFESSIONAL ORG
Announcement number
CA-2025-0106
Control number
835063600

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This public notice is to gather applications that may or may not result in a referral or selection.

Duties

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  • Provides authoritative technical leadership and consultation to senior IT management officials throughout the Department; leading and making significant contributions to IT modernization initiatives.
  • Estimating resource requirements of new technologies to optimally balance cost, schedule, and performance.
  • Initiates the evaluation and integration of the latest advances in cybersecurity technology into overall CST systems planning efforts
  • Explores and investigates emerging trends and developments in computer science, computer engineering, information management, knowledge management, cybersecurity, and related fields, and develops recommendations for leadership.
  • Leads or serves on interagency and intergovernmental committees and working groups responsible for promoting support for research and development in the computer science, computer engineering, and information technology fields.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements described below by the closing date of this announcement.

If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript with your application. 

Applicants MUST meet the required basic entry qualification requirements described below:

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

Have a Bachelor's degree in computer science OR bachelor's degree with 30 semester hours in a combination of mathematics, statistics, and computer science. At least 15 of the 30 semester hours must have included any combination of statistics and mathematics that included differential and integral calculus. All academic degrees and course work must be from accredited or pre-accredited institutions.

Evaluation of Education - Applicants should have sufficient knowledge to understand the fundamental concepts and techniques of computer science. Courses designed to provide an introduction to computer science techniques and methodologies, to problems of system design, and to other specialized fields are acceptable.

NOTE: Courses or experience in teaching elementary, business, or shop mathematics are NOT acceptable.

Note: All applicants WILL BE required to submit transcripts as verification of educational requirement by the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to provide requested information, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you WILL lose consideration for this position.

IN ADDITION to meeting the basic entry qualifications requirements listed above, the applicant MUST have at least one year of specialized experience that has equipped them with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience is related to the work of the position and equivalent to at least the GS-14 level in the Federal service.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

  • Experience providing authoritative technical leadership and consultation to executive IT leaders regarding new and emerging developments in the computer science, computer engineering, cybersecurity, and information management fields particularly applied to technology modernization and service delivery.
  • Experience leading the formulation and implementation of policies, standards, and practices within computer science/engineering areas, delivering measurable mission/business outcomes through the advancement of data management and protection, distributed and cloud computing, biometrics, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), and/or cybersecurity solutions.
  • Experience developing and communicating, to executive audiences, short- and long-range computing science/engineering goals and program objectives, overall IT strategies for complex organizations, and quantitative measures of success.
  • Experience guiding the planning, coordination, and evaluation of an organization’s information architecture, applying advanced theories and concepts of computer science and computer engineering.
  • Experience reviewing and evaluating system architectures and cybersecurity strategies and providing authoritative guidance on proper use of new and evolving concepts and techniques. 

Note: All applicants WILL BE required to submit transcripts as verification of educational requirement by the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to provide requested information, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you WILL lose consideration for this position.

Education

See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements.

Additional information

  • For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at (202) 663-3474 or OAA@state.gov. 
  • If eligible, situational telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval. 
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department for up to 240 days. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.

How you will be evaluated

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

This position is being filled through direct hire authority.  

Under the provisions of the Direct-Hire Authority, veterans' preference and traditional rating and ranking of applications does not apply. For this announcement, all applicants will be assessed to determine if they meet the qualifications for this position, specifically the education, specialized experience, and knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) necessary to perform the work of the position.  All applications that meet the required qualifications will be referred to the selecting official in the order in which the applications were received.

Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity. 

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following KSAs and other characteristics that are relevant to the duties of this position and must be fully supported by information in your resume:

  • Knowledge of cyber issues.
  • Knowledge of information technology practices, procedures, and systems.
  • Skill in managing government-wide recommendations for remediating cybersecurity incidents.
  • Ability to develop policy strategies.
  • Ability to provide reporting for stakeholders.

Agency and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP and ICTAP) candidates must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for selection priority. Candidates are considered well qualified if their knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) exceed the minimum qualifications described in the announcement.


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