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IT Specialist

Department of Agriculture
Office of the Chief Information Officer

Summary

This position is located at Office of the Chief Information Officer, Infrastructure Operations Division.


This is not a remote position. You will be required to be in your duty station office per CEC telework policy.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
04/30/2026 to 05/06/2026
Salary
$118,675 - $154,280 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
Fort Collins, CO
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
26-CEC-12946013-P
Control number
867159400

Duties

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As an IT Specialist, you will:

  • Administer and manage core Microsoft 365 services ( examples include Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, and Entra ID ).
  • Perform configuration, monitoring, policy administration, and system level maintenance across the USDA Microsoft 365 enterprise.
  • Implement configuration changes and feature updates following established change control procedures to ensure secure, compliant, and consistent platform operations.
  • Provide proactive monitoring and Tier 2/3 troubleshooting for authentication issues, Conditional Access, MFA enforcement, service outages, identity failures, and workload to workload integration problems.
  • Administer identity and access management functions including role assignments, PIM, Conditional Access policies, and least privilege governance. Support records management, retention, eDiscovery, and compliance workflows in alignment with federal and USDA security requirements.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Key Requirements:

  1. Please refer to "Conditions of Employment."
  2. Must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National.
  3. CEC offers alternative/flexible/telework schedules for eligible position.
  4. All new hires will be required to comply with federal ethics laws. A review of financial or other interests may be conducted to determine if they create any real or apparent conflict of interests with official job duties.

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement. The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your résumé. USAJOBS Help Center - How to supply work experience


Specialized Experience for the GS-13: You must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service.

Specialized experience for this position includes:


- Managing and maintaining enterprise applications and infrastructure services supporting the end user environment in an Information Technology organization; AND
- Demonstrating systems administration across the Microsoft Government Community Cloud (GCC) enterprise with experience in IT disciplines (such as routine configuration, installation, and reconfiguration of database and related products); AND
- Demonstrating the ability to Identify and investigate in depth problems/issues and recommends corrective actions AND
- Supporting incident resolution (examples include using service desk ticketing tools, troubleshooting and resolving problems directly and when needed, assisting and providing direction to junior support staff for escalated issues)

In addition to specialized experience, individuals must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the four competencies listed below.
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.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

OTHER INFORMATION:

  • We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
  • This is a non bargaining unit position.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
  • All newly appointed employees to the competitive (or excepted) service are subject to a probationary (or trial) period. During this time, your performance, conduct, and suitability for continued employment will be evaluated. You will not automatically convert to permanent status at the end of the probationary (or trial) period. Your supervisor must affirmatively determine that continued employment is in the best interest of the Federal service. If no certification is made before the probationary (or trial) period ends, your appointment will be terminated. You are encouraged to actively engage with your supervisor, seek feedback, and understand role expectations. Additional guidance and support will be provided during onboarding.
  • A one year probationary period may be required.
  • Must successfully complete a background investigation.
  • Pass a pre-employment security investigation
  • Public Trust - Background Investigation will be required.
  • Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
  • Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
  • Must obtain a valid state driver's license and maintain a valid license while you occupy the position.
  • Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds.
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.

Under the Fair Chance Act, agencies are not allowed to request information about an applicant's criminal history until a conditional offer of employment has been made, except as allowed for access to classified information; assignment to national security duties or positions; acceptance or retention in the armed forces; or recruitment of a Federal law enforcement officer. An applicant may submit a compliant or any other information related to an organization's alleged noncompliance with the Fair Chance Act. The complaint must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged noncompliance. To make a Fair Chance Act inquiry or complaint, send an email with the appropriate information to SM.OCIO.CEC.HumanResources@usda.gov, subject line: Fair Chance Act.

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.

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 evaluations required for this position.

Rating: You will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Accountability, Attention to Detail, Customer Service, Decision Making, Flexibility, Influencing/Negotiating, Integrity/Honesty, Interpersonal Skills, Learning, Reading Comprehension, Reasoning, Self-Management, Stress Tolerance, and Teamwork

The USA Hire evaluation 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 evaluation. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online evaluation may also result in your removal from consideration.

Your evaluation results will be kept on record for one year and used toward future positions for which you might apply that require the same evaluations.

Category rating will be used to rank and select eligible candidates, based upon your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, and training related to this position. If qualified, you will be assigned to one of three quality level categories:

Best Qualified (highest quality category): Highly proficient with an overall comprehensive level of knowledge, skills, and abilities of the job.
Well Qualified (middle quality category): Has a solid and comprehensive understanding. Can perform the required tasks efficiently and is proficient in applying the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the position.
Qualified (minimally qualified category) An overall basic level of knowledge, skills and abilities of the job.

Your rating may be lowered if your responses to the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.


Veterans' preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Preference-eligibles will be listed at the top of their assigned category and considered before non-preference-eligibles in that category. Qualified preference-eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more will be listed at the top of the highest category.

Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview.

If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan(CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)) you must be assigned the middle category or better to be rated as "well qualified" to receive special selection priority.

Optional Essay Questions:
Applicants may choose to respond to four short essay questions (200 words max each) to help us better understand your alignment with the agency's mission. These responses are optional and will not affect the applicant's eligibility.

Office of the Chief Information Officer

Client Experience Center (CEC) is an organization within the United States Department of Agriculture, Office of the Chief information Officer (OCIO). Its prime directive is to meet the business needs of service center agencies within the USDA by providing outstanding customer service in the form of infrastructure support, as well as assistance in the field of information technology. Among the many services provided by CEC are hardware/software acquisition, infrastructure security operations and management, telecommunications, and help desk support. CEC utilizes state-of-the-art methods and technology, and offers excellent career opportunities in locations throughout the country.

Agency contact information

Applicant Call Center
Phone
304-480-7300
Email
ITSINQUIRIES@fiscal.treasury.gov
Address
Infrastructure Operations Division
Treasury Common Services Center
Parkersburg, WV 26101
US

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