IT Project Manager

Clarification from the agency

Open to current and former Federal employees with competitive or excepted status; and all U.S. Citizens. Former members of the Peace Corps may be considered for ODNI employment only if five full years have elapsed since separation from the Peace Corps.

Provide leadership and/or oversight to complex IT projects or programs that may include ill-defined requirements, ambiguity, parallel tasks, multiple dependencies, high risks, and multiple interfaces; ensure alignment with strategic or corporate objectives; lead the definition and review of customer and stakeholder requirements; ensure plans and schedules are developed and followed throughout the life of the project.

Develop analysis of program alternatives.

Lead and guide the resolution of issues in project plans and schedules based on a clear understanding of customer requirements and information on project cost, schedule, quality, and performance; provide expert oversight of cost and resource estimates; participate in budget planning activities and develop cost estimating strategies for future projects.

Provide leadership and/or oversight to the successful execution of spend plans and assess variances from cost and schedule baseline; oversee the reallocation of resources in response to change considering impact to project cost, schedule, and quality of deliverables.

Provide leadership, guidance, and oversight to project implementation and quality assurance by effectively evaluating and monitoring cost, schedule, and performance, assessing variances from the plan, and overseeing the execution of necessary corrective actions; lead project performance reviews and control gates, gather important information, and make authoritative decisions about required next steps; oversee the development and maintenance of appropriate project documentation.

Manage the expectations of senior-level customers and ensure the delivery of quality products and services; lead the examination of project successes and failures and develop solutions to improve products and services.

Provide leadership and guidance to the identification and mitigation of project risks by identifying the risk tolerances of senior-level customers and other stakeholders to determine overall acceptable levels of risk; conduct risk analysis to identify and prioritize risks; characterize threats and opportunities to determine mitigation strategies.

Lead project teams to ensure project is completed on time, effectively apply team building and coaching techniques, and exchange project or technical information with team members and contractors at formal and informal meetings.

Oversee the work of team members; monitor work activities to ensure counterintelligence and security policies and procedures are followed; provide help or assistance to team members or others when needed; communicate needs and requirements to project team members.

Based on assignment, may lead all aspects of contract management and oversight to include leading competitions and contract renewal from beginning to end; work closely with mission customers, organizational management, and the Contracting Officer (CO); serve as the Contractor's principal point of contact for technical management after contract award; direct and coordinate technical and program issues, establish objectives, develop requirements, establish schedules, estimate costs, develop budgetary controls, monitor technical aspects of the contract, and monitor the contractor's performance; work closely with the CO to assist in contract negotiations, including determining viable options for cost.

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen residing in the United States
• Appointment is subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance based on an SBI with eligibility for sensitive compartmented information (SCI)
• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
• A two-year trial period is required for all new permanent appointments to the ODNI.

Qualifications

This is an excepted service GS-15 position open to the public and all current federal employees at the GS-15 and one level below. Current federal employees at the GS-15 and one level below may apply to this position, and if selected will maintain pay set at their current grade and step. Current federal employees at grade levels GS-13 and below are not eligible for this position and their application will not be forwarded to the hiring manager. All current federal employees that apply for this position must submit their most recent SF-50, Notification of Personal Action (i.e., dated within the last 52 weeks from the closing date of this vacancy announcement) to verify their status of eligibility.

Mandatory Requirements:

Expert program management, analytic, and critical thinking skills, including the ability to conduct program and management assessments, identify needs and requirements, and develop non-linear process improvement recommendations for implementation across the Intelligence Community.

Expert experience in providing leadership, oversight, and guidance to the effective management of complex projects; in managing and mitigating risks, assessing customer requirements, identifying dependencies, and developing responsive project plans; in estimating costs and other resources using quantitative analysis to project requirements.

Expert ability to establish regular contact with high-level internal and external resources and have periodic contacts with other offices, supplying or seeking information on specialized and non-specialized matters; excellent use of tact when expressing ideas or opinions to senior leaders, customers, contractors, and other stakeholders.

Expert experience examining project successes and failures and making expert recommendations to improve products and services; considerable ability to deal with service failures and prioritize customer needs.

Superior ability to balance responsibilities among project activities; ability to manage transitions effectively from task to task, adapting to varying customer needs.

Expert knowledge of the rules of governance and project lifecycle methodologies; considerable knowledge of Project Management concepts and principles.

Superior interpersonal, organizational, and problem-solving skills, including a demonstrated ability to work effectively both independently and in a team or collaborative environment and to lead and mentor junior colleagues.

Expert ability to communicate, both verbally and in writing, complex information in a clear, concise manner that is targeted to and meets the needs of varied audiences with different perspectives and objectives.

Superior ability to listen to, clarify, and convey understanding of others' ideas, comments, and questions as well as to integrate and build upon varied opinions in a manner that encourages the formation of integrated solutions and positions.

Based on assignment, may require Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) Certification and proven track record as COTR.

Superior ability to develop or implement information systems security plans and procedures.

Superior ability to perform thorough work and conscientious about attending to detail.

Expert knowledge of one or more computer disciplines/specialties (hardware, software, networks); broad knowledge of other related disciplines.

Expert ability to quickly identify and apply new technologies, methodologies, and technical languages.

How you will be evaluated

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

You must submit the supporting documents listed under the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. We will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. Only include documents listed under the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. If you have more than one copy of a document, only include your most recent copy. If you are among the best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview.

As part of the application process for this position, applicants will be required to respond to four free-response essay questions, which are detailed below. These responses will not be scored or rated as part of the initial evaluation. Instead, they provide applicants with an opportunity to elaborate on their qualifications, professional background, and commitment to public service.

FREE RESPONSE ESSAY QUESTIONS

All applicants must answer the following four short, free response essay questions. The responses cannot exceed 200 words per question. By submitting your responses to the following questions, you certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or AI (such as a large language model [LLM]).

1. How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government? Provide a concrete example from professional, academic, or personal experience.
2. In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness? Provide specific examples where you improved processes, reduced costs, or improved outcomes.
3. How would you help advance the President's Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you and explain how you would help implement them if hired.
4. How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements? Provide one or two specific examples and explain how those qualities would enable you to serve effectively in this position.

A complete application package must include:

a. RESUME: Resumes must be no longer than two (2) pages in length. Resumes longer than two (2) pages will be removed from consideration. Applicants are encouraged to carefully review the vacancy announcement, particularly the MDRs, and construct their resume to highlight their most significant experience and qualifications relevant to this job opportunity. You must ensure the resume contains all of the required information and you organize it so we can associate the following information for each experience/position: job title; name of employer; beginning and ending dates of employment (month/day/year format), and hours worked per week. We will assume full-time unless otherwise stated. Additionally, include a detailed description of job duties, accomplishments, related skills and responsibilities, to include any supervisory/managerial responsibilities and number of staff supervised (if applicable), and series and grade or equivalent (if a federal position).

b. ESSAY QUESTION RESPONSES: The responses cannot exceed 200 words per question (please see questions in the Requirements section above). By submitting your responses to these questions, you certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or AI (such as a large language model [LLM]).

c. COVER LETTER: Applicants must submit a professional narrative as a supplement to the resume to elaborate on their qualifications and previous work performed.

d. CURRENT SF-50: Federal Government employees must provide your official most recent SF-50 (i.e., dated within the last 52 weeks from the closing date of this vacancy announcement). An SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, is used to verify current federal status, position, title, grade, and organization of record. If your SF-50(s) does not provide the information needed to make a final determination for qualification, you will be found ineligible for the position.

e. POSITION NUMBER: Reference the announcement number in the subject line on each document submitted.

Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

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