Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to all U.S. Citizens. This position may be filled through the Direct Hire Authority for **IT Specialist** positions. All applicants who meet the qualification requirements will be forwarded to the selecting official for further consideration. Category Rating, Veterans Preference, Schedule A and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy.

APPLICATION LIMIT: This vacancy announcement is limited to the first 200 applications received and will close at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the day that we receive the 200th application, or at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the listed closing date, whichever occurs first.

This position is eligible for Remote/Virtual work. However, this position may fall under the Presidential Memorandum titled "Return to In-Person Work" which will require you to go into the office if you are located within 200 miles of a Department of Education facility in these locations: Washington, DC, Dallas, TX, San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, Kansas City, MO, Chicago, Il, Atlanta, GA, Philadelphia, PA, New York City, NY, and location is negotiable. Actual salary will be based on location of selectee. Locality pay tables available at www.opm.gov

We encourage you to read this entire vacancy announcement prior to submitting your application. As a Supvy IT Spec (SEC) 'Cyber Ops Branch Chief' GS-2210-15, you will be responsible for:

• Develops and implements short and long range strategies when identifying security improvements and cost reduction opportunities with in the Security Operations Center (SOC) including the coordination of technologies, architecture, security tools and processes National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), laws Federal Information Security Management Act / Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) and their life cycle with the Department of Education Security Operations Center (EDSOC) and other partner Security Operation Centers.
• Overseeing the creation and review of required security vulnerability mitigation documents and ensures completeness and adequacy of regulatory requirements, serves as an authoritative lead for the performance of assessments necessary to ensure compliance with all FSA and federal standards.
• Serving as an expert advisor and provides oversight in cybersecurity on threats, incident management, breaches, remediation, risks, vulnerabilities for the overall cybersecurity programs and initiatives. Analyzes and evaluates work concerned with the security of computer systems and programs working with FSA Business Units, ISOs, ISSOs, and other senior-level FSA Managers to aid them in incident response, vulnerability and Security Authorization testing and evaluation and cybersecurity awareness.
• Developing, reviews and tracks cybersecurity policies, procedures, and metrics to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of FSA systems, networks, and data, applying available technologies and management principles to develop a broad range of security solutions, mitigations, and recommendations.
• Responsible for team members and contract staff by ensuring work progresses to completion with required deadlines and quality standards, planning, directing, coordinating, and reviewing the work of subordinates while setting priorities and establishing schedules, developing performance standards and evaluating overall employee performance, and providing advice, counsel, and instruction to support the successful accomplishment of assigned functions.

Conditions of employment

Condition of Employment:
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a probationary period or trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: - your performance and conduct; - the needs and interests of the agency; - whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and - whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period OR trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Key Requirements:

1. Must be a US Citizen.
2. Males 18 and over must be registered with the Selective Service.
3. Must complete a Background Investigation and Fingerprint check.
4. Must be determined suitable for federal employment.
5. Relocation expenses will not be paid.
6. You may be subject to serve a one-year supervisory probationary period.
7. You may be subject to serve a one-year probationary period.
8. This position is subject to drug testing.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification Requirements

You may meet the minimum qualifications for the GS-15, if you possess the specialize experience, education, or a combination of the two.
Specialized Experience for the GS-15 One year of experience in either federal or non-federal service that is equivalent to at least a GS-14 performing two (2) out of three (3) of the following duties or work assignments:

1.Experienced in leading both the Security Operations Center (SOC) and Security Engineering teams in a large enterprise, overseeing 24/7 threat monitoring, threat hunting, and incident response while directing the design, implementation, and lifecycle management of enterprise-wide security engineering solutions such as SIEM and SOAR to ensure resilient, scalable, and continuously visible defensive architectures.
2. Experience as the senior technical authority for around the clock SOC operations by establishing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for threat detection and triage, leading major incident response efforts, and integrating threat intelligence into vulnerability management to prioritize remediation and ensure all activities align with security standards such as FISMA, NIST, or other cyber security industry standards.
3. Experience extensively in developing and enforcing technical security standards, ensuring NIST aligned compliance, and conducting vulnerability audits across U.S. Federal or private sector environments, with deep expertise in cybersecurity policies and directives in line with cyber security federal or industry standards.

Basic Experience Requirements Example (Supervisory IT Positions ):Applicants may qualify by meeting or exceeding the minimum proficiency level established for each of the required competencies, in addition to meeting the specialized experience requirement as demonstrated through the assessment of skills. You must possess IT-related experience (paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training (e.g., IT certification), as appropriate) demonstrating each of the ten competencies listed below.

1. Accountability-Holds self and others accountable for measurable high-quality, timely, and cost-effective results. Determines objectives, sets priorities, and delegates work. Accepts responsibility for mistakes. Complies with established control systems and rules. 2. Customer Service- Anticipates and meets the needs of both internal and external customers. Delivers high-quality products and services; is committed to continuous improvement. 3. Decisiveness- Makes well-informed, effective, and timely decisions, even when data are limited or solutions produce unpleasant consequences; perceives the impact and implications of decisions. 4. Flexibility- Is open to change and new information; rapidly adapts to new information, changing conditions, or unexpected obstacles. 5. Integrity/Honesty- Behaves in an honest, fair, and ethical manner. Shows consistency in words and actions. Models high standards of ethics. 6. Interpersonal Skills- Treats others with courtesy, sensitivity, and respect. Considers and responds appropriately to the needs and feelings of different people in different situations. 7. Oral Communication- Makes clear and convincing oral presentations. Listens effectively; clarifies information as needed. 8. Problem Solving- Identifies and analyzes problems; weighs relevance and accuracy of information; generates and evaluates alternative solutions; makes recommendations. 9. Resilience- Deals effectively with pressure; remains optimistic and persistent, even under adversity. Recovers quickly from setbacks. 10. Written Communication- Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). You do not need to provide separate narrative responses to these KSAs, as they will be measured by your responses to the occupational questionnaire (you may preview the occupational questionnaire by clicking the link at the end of the Evaluations section of this vacancy announcement).
1. Knowledge of the SOC lifecycle, 24/7 monitoring, incident response, threat hunting, and intelligence, with cybersecurity frameworks such as FSMA, NIST, General Data Protection Regulation (GPDR). Familiarity with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR), EDR, NDR, architecture and network security tools, along with awareness of technology consolidation, strategic planning, organizational risk posture, budgeting, and coordination across internal teams and external partners including SOC.
2. Knowledge of NIST SP 800-171, SP 800-53, FISMA, and security requirements for organization; understanding of vulnerability identification, assessment, prioritization, remediation, and documentation; proficiency in technical evaluations of systems, networks, and applications to determine security gaps; and thorough familiarity with the Risk Management Framework, including ATO documentation and POA&M processes. including SOC.
3. Skill in translating technical concepts into clear, non-technical language for senior leaders, FSA business units, and ISSOs; effective collaboration with ISOs, ISSOs, and Business Unit leaders to support cybersecurity awareness, risk- and attack-based security architecture, a secure culture, accurate security-tool inventory maintenance, deployment oversight, tool life-cycle management, and transition recommendations aligned to operational needs; including high stakes incident conditions requiring critical, rapid decisions; and steady oversight of cybersecurity program effectiveness and alignment with organizational goals.
4. Skill in developing and maintaining security policies and procedures for network protocols, operating systems, and security techniques; reviewing security controls, configurations, and risk assessments using metrics to evaluate control effectiveness; and provide informed, stakeholder-focused recommendations to CTO, CISO, ISSOs, and Business Owners to address identified security findings.
5. Ability to motivate and direct subordinates and contractors to achieve results by establishing schedules, managing priorities, ensuring work is completed by set deadlines, providing clear instructions, advice, and constructive counseling to improved performance, reviewing work for accuracy, adherence to standards, and compliance with project quality requirements, and mediating disputes to resolve issues among team members and contractors.

How you will be evaluated

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

We will review your application and documentation submitted to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications and competencies listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), and the result of the USA Hires Assessment(s) required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):


Supervisory: Accountability, Customer Service, Decisiveness, Flexibility, Interpersonal Skills, Problem Solving, and Resilience

You will be evaluated to determine if you meet qualifications required, and on the extent to which your application shows that you possess the knowledge, skills and abilities associated with this position as defined in the Qualifications section. Please be sure to give examples in your resume and explain how often you used these skills, the complexity of the knowledge you possessed, the level of people you interacted with, and the complexity and sensitivity of the issues you handled.

Based on the outcome of this evaluation, your application data may be further assessed by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) panel. If your qualifications are not substantiated by your submitted resume, you may be eliminated from receiving further consideration.

If you are found to be amongst the most highly qualified applicants, you will be referred to the selecting official. As part of the assessment and selection process, the selecting official may invite you to participate in a structured interview, check your references, and/or request that you submit a writing sample or complete a written assessment or exercise to further evaluate your qualifications for this position.