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IT Cybersecurity Specialist

Department of Energy
Western Area Power Administration
Cybersecurity Information Assurance (A2102/A2101)

Summary

As an IT Cybersecurity Specialist (INFOSEC), you will provide technical expertise and guidance to WAPA functional and project teams regarding cybersecurity technical issues, risk analyses, mitigation plans and continuity of operations planning.

**This is NOT A REMOTE POSITION. The selectee will be required to be physically present at one of the duty location(s) identified.**

Overview

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Accepting applications
Location
Few vacancies in the following locations:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—This is an onsite position. Telework eligible ONLY for situational telework at the discretion of management.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$106,437 - $154,280 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Promotion potential
13
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel up to 10% for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
Yes
Security clearance
Q Access Authorization
Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
26-WA-01117-13045399-DHA
Control number
882046900

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This is a Direct Hire Public Notice. Please read this Public Notice in its entirety prior to submitting your application for consideration.

Duties

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As a IT Cybersecurity Specialist, you will:

  • Provide technical oversight of IT operating system security ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of systems, networks and data.
  • Develop, review and evaluate information security policies for WAPA.
  • Employ Defense in Depth principles and technology and other best practices in security engineering designs and implementation.
  • Evaluate the quality of Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) and North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Critical Information Protection (CIP) evidence for the purposes of ensuring WAPA is meeting regulatory requirements and standards common in the industry (e.g. NERC and FERC guidelines). Create and maintain evidence in specific evidence repositories.
  • Serve as one of WAPA's lead technical experts on systems, network, and cloud security to management and other technical specialists on critical IT issues.
  • Analyze Information Assurance (IA) security events, including threat model development and resulting security risk analysis of systems.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by a background investigation.
  • Appointments made under the DHA are processed as "new" appointments. Status and Non-Status applicants from outside DOE selected under this authority are required to serve a mandatory one (1) year probationary period. A DOE career status employee selected for this position may be required to serve a new one (1) year probationary period, pursuant to 5 CFR 315.802. Employees serving on a probationary period may be terminated at any time during the probationary or trial period for performance, conduct, or business-related reasons in the interest of Federal service.
  • Limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages. If more than two pages are submitted, only the first two pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility and qualifications.
  • In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to the four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answers to these questions are not scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration.
  • Overtime may be required on short notice to include nights, holidays and weekends in support of related mission requirements.
  • On-call (Rotational) - The duties of this position may require the incumbent to be placed in a 24/7 on-call status on a rotational basis. On-call status on a rotational basis is anticipated to be approximately 15% of the year. While in an on-call duty status, required to carry a cellular phone and remain within one-half hour travel time of their primary place of residence (or approved on-call place of residence) and, will sustain themselves in an able to respond and perform work condition.

Qualifications

QUALIFICATION REQUIRMENTS: To qualify for this position, you must meet the minimum qualification requirements as well as the specialized experience requirements outlined below:

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADE 12 and Above (GS or Equivalent): The competencies listed in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section will be used to evaluate whether or not you meet the minimum proficiency level established for the 2210 series

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE for Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Architecture (IA): A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level GS-12 in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience for this position is defined as having at least two (2) of the following:

  • Test, analyze, and/or implement existing and future systems to complement existing cybersecurity architectures; often leading Authority to Operate (ATO) job functions such as control testing and validation, Plan of Actions & Milestones (POAM) tracking or Risk Acceptance (RA).
  • Analyze security events, including threat model development and resulting security risk analysis of systems.
  • Design and develop security architecture to execute a company's cybersecurity program to meet Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA), North American Electric Reliability (NERC), Critical Information Protection (CIP), or NIST 800-53 Controls.
  • Perform vulnerability management to include scans, assessments, and remediation in conjunction with other IT business units to reduce company-wide risk.

-OR-

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE for Cybersecurity Operations (Ops): A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level GS-12 in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience for this position is defined as having at least two (2) of the following:

  • Configure and manage and/or manage the lifecycle of at least 1 (one) of the following cybersecurity systems: Axonius, Carbon Black App Control, Carbon Black Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), Corelight, Forescout, Splunk, and Tenable.
  • Apply the Risk Management Framework (RMF) and assess cybersecurity systems against federal and industry compliance standards, such as NIST SP 800-53, FISMA, or NERC CIP.
  • Conduct incident response activities, vulnerability assessments, and/or digital forensics, including analyzing security events to understand and mitigate active potential cybersecurity threats.

Education

For this position, education cannot be substituted for experience.

Additional information

  • This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across DOE.
  • For general information on government-wide Telework polices visit: www.telework.gov
  • The selectee for this position may be eligible to receive a recruitment or relocation incentive. You will need to sign an employment agreement to be eligible for this incentive.
  • Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs are not authorized.
  • This position may be eligible for creditable service towards annual leave. Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. DOE may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.
  • Applicants may request Reasonable Accommodation (RA) when applying or competing for a job due to a medical condition or to exercise religious beliefs. If you need reasonable accommodation in the application or selection process, please contact the Agency Contact listed on this vacancy announcement.
  • Reasonable Accommodation 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 USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations 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. 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 Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here.
  • Salary: The salary range indicated in this announcement will be adjusted to include locality payment for selected duty location. General Schedule locality pay tables may be found under Salaries & Wages.
    • Lakewood/Loveland, CO: $118,675 - $154,280
    • Folsom, CA: $117,984 - 153,382
    • Remaining locations fall under Rest of U.S.: $106,437 - $138,370

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.

This position is announced under a government-wide Direct-Hire Authority (DHA) for IT Cybersecurity Specialist positions in the 2210 series. Under the DHA, applicants who meet the Education and Qualification requirements listed in this announcement will be referred for consideration. Veteran's Preference, category rating, and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply under the DHA process.

Appointments made under the DHA are processed as "new" appointments. Current Federal employees may be required to serve a new probationary period (5 CFR 315.802(b).

Minimum Qualifications: Once the application process is complete, the Human Resources Offices or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will review the first two pages of your resume and supporting documentation to determine whether you meet the minimum job qualifications.

USAHire: To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

Successful candidates will possess 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
  • Teamwork

Career Transition Assistance Programs: If you are eligible for career transition assistance, such as ICTAP or CTAP, you must meet the Education and Qualification requirements to be referred for consideration.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date (09/09/2026) of this announcement.

To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13045399

Western Area Power Administration

Join the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) Team - Discover Your Next Adventure!

At WAPA, we do more than keep the lights on. As part of the Department of Energy, we are a collective of innovators and problem-solvers dedicated to reliable, cost-based federal hydroelectric power.

Why WAPA?

We provide reliable and cost-effective hydropower and transmission services, operating across 15 states with over 17,000 miles of transmission lines. Our mission is to ensure that 40 million people have access to power. We lead in renewable resources, energy efficiency, and advanced technology with our strategic plan, Power Forward 2030. Our priority is your career growth and development, with comprehensive training and professional opportunities in a supportive environment. Enjoy competitive salaries, a robust retirement plan, health benefits, flexible schedules, and a work-life balance that values your well-being. Join our diverse and inclusive community where everyone's voice is heard and celebrated.

Power Your Career with WAPA

Ready to be part of our dynamic team? Apply to our current openings and take the first step towards a rewarding career that empowers both the West and your future.

Your skills. Our legacy. A shared Future. Are you in?

Agency contact information

PMA Careers
Email
PMACareers@wapa.gov
Address
WAPA Headquarters
12155 W. Alameda Pkwy
Lakewood, CO 80228
US

Visit our careers page

Learn more about what it's like to work at Western Area Power Administration, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

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