The U.S. Tech Force is an elite corps of top engineering talent, building the future of American government technology. Backed by the White House, the initiative tackles America's most pressing technological challenges by infusing top AI, engineering management, and modern software development talent directly into federal agencies.
If you want to deploy your technical expertise in service of American excellence and AI leadership, apply to join the U.S. Tech Force today!
Summary
The U.S. Tech Force is an elite corps of top engineering talent, building the future of American government technology. Backed by the White House, the initiative tackles America's most pressing technological challenges by infusing top AI, engineering management, and modern software development talent directly into federal agencies.
If you want to deploy your technical expertise in service of American excellence and AI leadership, apply to join the U.S. Tech Force today!
Leads the planning, coordination, and execution of major IT applications software projects, including software design, development, testing, and implementation.
Leverages AI-assisted development tools and prompt-engineering techniques to streamline delivery processes, enhance code quality, and automate documentation and defect detection.
Serves as a technical lead for large-scale or cross-product initiatives, independently resolving technical ambiguity and setting implementation direction.
Coordinates with vendors to evaluate solutions, manage support agreements, and ensure timely delivery of services.
Leads project teams composed of technical specialists, analysts, and support staff.
This is a shared announcement open to agencies throughout Federal government.
If you are invited to interview or offered a job, be sure to get clarification from the particular hiring agency about the duty location and other conditions of employment and requirements.
May be required to successfully complete a trial period.
May be covered by a bargaining unit.
May qualify for bonuses, incentives, and/or reimbursement of relocation expenses, in accordance with hiring agency policy.
May require financial disclosure filing upon appointment and annually.
May require a pre-employment drug test and/or random drug testing during the period of employment.
Must be able to pass a background investigation and/or obtain and hold a security clearance, as determined by the hiring agency. Security clearance type varies by hiring agency.
Must be a U.S. citizen or national.
Must successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov.
Per Public Law 104-134, all Federal employees are required to have Federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
Travel varies by hiring agency.
Selective service registration is required, as applicable.
Official Position Title: IT Specialist (Applications Software)
Qualifications
This announcement will close at 11:59 PM (ET) on 02/02/2026. Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must show that you have the required IT-related experience demonstrating each of the four competencies and experience for the grade level to which you are applying:
GS-14
Required Competencies:
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
Specialized Experience: One cumulative year of experience related to each of the responsibilities below. This can include paid or unpaid internships, volunteer experiences, student organizations, and jobs. Demonstrated proficiency (e.g., skills) will be assessed through the structured evaluation process.
Coordinating software work, such as coordinating building applications (guiding tasks, reviewing code, or setting technical direction) using common languages and frameworks (for example, Python, Java, JavaScript/TypeScript, .NET, Spring, React, Node).
Running projects end to end, such as planning and delivering software projects, creating a timeline, tracking risks, coordinating with teammates, or keeping work moving.
Solving problems with secure, scalable solutions, such as diagnosing issues (e.g., bugs, performance, integration), improving reliability, or building with security in mind (e.g., authentication/authorization, data protection) so systems can handle growth.
Explaining technical ideas, such as sharing updates and tradeoffs with different audiences (e.g., engineers, product partners, and senior leaders) through briefings, reports, or documentation.
Specialized experience must be equivalent to the GS-13 grade level or higher in the Federal service, defined by the responsibilities listed above. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Such experience is typically gained in the IT field or through the performance of work where the primary concern is IT.
In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We may not make assumptions regarding your experience. If your resume does not support your application questionnaire responses, we will not allow credit for your responses(s).
A full-time 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 per week spent in such employment.
Education
This job does not have an education qualification requirement.
Additional information
Agencies across the Federal government may hire from this announcement.
Tech Force Fellowship:Those selected will join a cohort of individuals that receive leadership training, get exposure to America's top technology CEOs and gain unparalleled exposure to policymaking and national-scale impact. This may include CEO fireside chats, networking events, coding training/certificates, and other opportunities.
Final duty location and pay will be determined by the hiring agency. The salary range posted in this announcement is an approximation and subject to locality adjustment.
Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be available, depending on the hiring agency's policies.
Appointments are made under Schedule A (r) hiring authority for 2-year terms. Appointments may be extended to a max of 4 years based on the needs of the hiring agency. There are no rights to further Federal employment in either the competitive or excepted service upon expiration of appointment.
Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, non-career SES, or Presidential appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: 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 online assessment, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the online assessment and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the online assessment. 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 online assessment within seven business days, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete the assessment by the completion deadline listed on your invitation.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
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.
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)
Attention to Detail
Customer Service
Data Structures
Implementation
Oral Communication
Problem Solving
Application questionnaire: Applicants must complete a questionnaire as part of the application process. To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12832738. Applicants identifying as meeting minimum qualifications for the position will move on to the next phase of the assessment process.
Online assessments: Applicants must complete the online General Coding Assessment measuring technical competencies required to perform the job. The online assessment includes a passing score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these technical competencies. You must meet or exceed the passing score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the passing score or fail to complete the assessment. Based on agency resources, the highest performing candidates on the online assessment may move forward to subsequent phases of the assessment process.
Resume review: HR Specialists will review your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. Only resumes up to a total of two pages will be accepted. Applicants with resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. HR will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume). Applicants passing the resume review will move on to the next phase of the assessment process.
Technical Skills Interview: At this phase, qualified candidates will participate in one or more interviews to further assess their technical qualifications relative to the required specialized experience. Applicants passing the interview(s) will be ranked as described below.
Ranking and Preference: Applicants will be listed under Unranked Order of 5 CFR § 302.304.Veterans' preference will be applied to applicants who move forward after the assessment hurdles above are complete.
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.
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.
The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 02/02/2026.
A resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, with dates specified in month and year, and indicates hours worked per week. If military or a civilian Federal employee, you must include your rank and/or grade. IMPORTANT NOTE: Only resumes up to a total of two pages will be accepted. Applicants with resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. Additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letters, links to additional information) will not be reviewed. In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We may not make assumptions regarding your experience. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials may result in your removal from consideration.
Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications, and other position requirements listed in the job announcement.
Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files.
We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume.
The USAJOBS resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started.
A complete application questionnaire and online assessment.
If you are a disabled veteran, Purple Heart recipient, orparent or spouse of a disabled or deceased veteran, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF-15, and if applicable, a completed SF-15. You may request a copy of your Department of Veterans Affairs letter from va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000 to establish proof of disability.
If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge on the date of your application, you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement date from active duty, 2) your discharge will be under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, and 6) your separation date from active duty service.
If you are a discharged, non-disabled veteran, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing character of service (Member 4 copy), or other documentation of service and separation under honorable conditions, as listed on the SF-15. If you don't have your DD-214, you may request it after discharge from the National Archives.
Are you a current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, non-career SES, or Presidential appointee employee?
Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:
Position title;
Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, non-career SES, or Presidential appointee);
Agency; and
Beginning and end dates of appointment.
Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials. You must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents sections. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:
Click the Apply Online button.
Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Only resumes up to a total of two pages will be accepted. Applicants with resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration.
Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
If you are required to complete the General Coding Assessment, you will be notified via email within seven business days of submitting your application. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the system and the completion deadline.
Access General Coding Assessment using your unique assessment link.
Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
Set aside at least 90 minutes to take the online assessment. Once you start the assessment, you are not able to pause it and restart again. You must complete the assessment in the given time frame or it will time out and submit as you left it.
To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.
To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.
Technical Assessment Notification
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will invite applicants who meet minimum qualification requirements to complete a mandatory technical assessment which will be administered by a third-party contractor hired for this purpose (assessment provider). OPM will send the assessment provider qualifying applicant email addresses solely for the purpose of administering the assessment. Each applicant will receive a link to the assessment at the email address used to apply. After the assessment is completed, the assessment provider will transmit the scores to OPM to be used for applicant evaluation purposes. By written agreement with OPM, the assessment provider will handle all information related to the assessment as confidential information for use only in the assessment process for the relevant vacancy. Taking the assessment is voluntary, but it must be completed in order to receive further consideration for the position.
Various Federal Government Agencies
Positions are located in the metropolitan area surrounding
Washington, DC 20415
US
Next steps
We will notify applicants of the outcome once each step of the hiring process has been completed. The tentative timeline is outlined below but subject to change:
January 2026: Job announcement opens January - February 2026: Resume reviews February - March 2026: Technical Skills Interviews April 2026: Agency interviews and selections begin
Selection Process: Participating agencies will receive the certificate listing qualified candidates eligible for selection and will begin conducting fit interviews and making offers directly to applicants. Once a job offer is extended to you by any agency and you accept, decline, or do not respond to contact from an agency, you are not guaranteed another offer. After making tentative job offers, agencies will conduct suitability/security background investigations.
Future consideration: This is a shared announcement open to agencies throughout Federal government. Your resume and other application materials may be shared with multiple agencies to consider you for employment. There is no guarantee of further consideration. The list of qualified candidates may be shared with Federal agencies for up to a year.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 02/02/2026.
A resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, with dates specified in month and year, and indicates hours worked per week. If military or a civilian Federal employee, you must include your rank and/or grade. IMPORTANT NOTE: Only resumes up to a total of two pages will be accepted. Applicants with resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. Additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letters, links to additional information) will not be reviewed. In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We may not make assumptions regarding your experience. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials may result in your removal from consideration.
Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications, and other position requirements listed in the job announcement.
Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files.
We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume.
The USAJOBS resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started.
A complete application questionnaire and online assessment.
If you are a disabled veteran, Purple Heart recipient, orparent or spouse of a disabled or deceased veteran, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF-15, and if applicable, a completed SF-15. You may request a copy of your Department of Veterans Affairs letter from va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000 to establish proof of disability.
If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge on the date of your application, you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement date from active duty, 2) your discharge will be under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, and 6) your separation date from active duty service.
If you are a discharged, non-disabled veteran, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing character of service (Member 4 copy), or other documentation of service and separation under honorable conditions, as listed on the SF-15. If you don't have your DD-214, you may request it after discharge from the National Archives.
Are you a current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, non-career SES, or Presidential appointee employee?
Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:
Position title;
Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, non-career SES, or Presidential appointee);
Agency; and
Beginning and end dates of appointment.
Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials. You must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents sections. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:
Click the Apply Online button.
Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Only resumes up to a total of two pages will be accepted. Applicants with resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration.
Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
If you are required to complete the General Coding Assessment, you will be notified via email within seven business days of submitting your application. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the system and the completion deadline.
Access General Coding Assessment using your unique assessment link.
Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
Set aside at least 90 minutes to take the online assessment. Once you start the assessment, you are not able to pause it and restart again. You must complete the assessment in the given time frame or it will time out and submit as you left it.
To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.
To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.
Technical Assessment Notification
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will invite applicants who meet minimum qualification requirements to complete a mandatory technical assessment which will be administered by a third-party contractor hired for this purpose (assessment provider). OPM will send the assessment provider qualifying applicant email addresses solely for the purpose of administering the assessment. Each applicant will receive a link to the assessment at the email address used to apply. After the assessment is completed, the assessment provider will transmit the scores to OPM to be used for applicant evaluation purposes. By written agreement with OPM, the assessment provider will handle all information related to the assessment as confidential information for use only in the assessment process for the relevant vacancy. Taking the assessment is voluntary, but it must be completed in order to receive further consideration for the position.
Various Federal Government Agencies
Positions are located in the metropolitan area surrounding
Washington, DC 20415
US
Next steps
We will notify applicants of the outcome once each step of the hiring process has been completed. The tentative timeline is outlined below but subject to change:
January 2026: Job announcement opens January - February 2026: Resume reviews February - March 2026: Technical Skills Interviews April 2026: Agency interviews and selections begin
Selection Process: Participating agencies will receive the certificate listing qualified candidates eligible for selection and will begin conducting fit interviews and making offers directly to applicants. Once a job offer is extended to you by any agency and you accept, decline, or do not respond to contact from an agency, you are not guaranteed another offer. After making tentative job offers, agencies will conduct suitability/security background investigations.
Future consideration: This is a shared announcement open to agencies throughout Federal government. Your resume and other application materials may be shared with multiple agencies to consider you for employment. There is no guarantee of further consideration. The list of qualified candidates may be shared with Federal agencies for up to a year.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
