IT SPECIALIST (CUSTSPT)

Clarification from the agency

THIS POSITION IS OPEN TO CURRENT AIR NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS ONLY ***This is an open continuous announcement. Initial cutoff will be 09 NOVEMBER 2026. Recruitment will continue through the announcement closing date until the position is filled. ***

• Manages the assigned IT/communications environment with privileged access at the network level for the Wing, Geographically Separated Units (GSU), and Tenants. Plans, coordinates, installs, and continuously analyzes system design, hardware and software. Develops, recommends, and installs solutions and upgrades to ensure availability, integrity, efficiency, and reliability of all components of the assigned system.
• Serves as a focal point for ensuring functionality and operability of the assigned IT/data systems/functions, voice and wireless systems to support mission requirements of Wing, Geographically Separated Units (GSU), and Tenants. Optimizes the functionality and performance of hardware and software systems and ensures availability, integrity, efficiency, and reliability of system/functional resources while managing the communications focal point coordination and workload distribution duties. Analyzes, manages, and directs installation of any new hardware or software introduced into the environment to ensure its compatibility with existing architecture, its reliability, and functionality in relation to the organization's business requirements.
• Provides customer technical assistance and support for all users. Provides ongoing technical support to customers to ensure proper functional use of equipment and programs and to preclude undue interruptions to IT and communications services. Works with customers to ensure efficient operations which support each units' requirements. Assists in solving problems associated with delivery of hardware and software orders. Provides management with information necessary to address difficult and complex problems in automating work processes. Tracks life of system equipment, prepares and provides analyses to determine future maintenance and replacement costs to help justify budget submissions.
• Determines customer requirements and assists customers by recognizing and analyzing trends and providing instruction and orientation services. Identifies and documents system requirements for specific needs of customers. Conducts in-depth analyses of system usage, user complaints, traffic interruptions, hardware and software capabilities, and other relevant factors. Recommends methods and procedures and coordinates corrective action to optimize utilization of present equipment. Ensures upgrades to the base IT and communications infrastructure are identified and assists customers in developing and submitting recommendations for additional equipment and funds. Cooperates and works with unit personnel in planning and developing new or additional infrastructure/architecture capabilities. Identifies potential performance or capacity problems. Works with technical support personnel in resolving problems.
• Conducts feasibility studies to identify and analyze system failures and analyzes data to determine if trends exist which forecast the need for future replacement or modification of system hardware and software. Based upon the results of studies and the analyses of trends in usage and system problems, determines the feasibility of significant modifications vs. replacement to improve reliability. Participates with operating officials, system users, and others in progress review of established systems to determine the reliability, productivity, and user friendliness of the existing system hardware and software. As budget constraints dictate, evaluates alternative means of satisfying user requirements and provides management with the most technically feasible and cost efficient approaches to meet changing needs. Uses benchmarks, performance measurement, and evaluation data in conjunction with modeling and simulation techniques in planning for increased capacity and to support additional workloads.
• Coordinates frequency needs with command level spectrum management office to maintain current allocations and obtain new authorizations. Secures operating authority, and ensures minimal interference by ANG radio frequency (RF) operations. Analyzes RF spectrum requirements and determine compatibility with other users considering transmitter and receiver specifications, antenna data, emission characteristics, and modes of radio wave propagation. Reviews and validates radio frequency allocations. Maintains frequency records and associated databases.
• Installs, maintains, and repairs hardware devices supporting a broad range of information and communications systems. Uses detailed knowledge of concepts, principles, methods, and practices with sophisticated diagnostic equipment and complex diagnostic software to identify and resolve internal system and network conflicts. Applies diagnostic equipment to test, configure, evaluate, and optimize all high bandwidth circuits.
• Adheres to management control plan requirements by conducting self inspection and staff assistance visits. Resolves identified discrepancies.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Conditions of employment

MILITARY REQUIREMENTS:

Compatible military grade and assignment required prior to the effective date of placement. In compliance with Title 32 United States Code, the compatible military skill set is determined by the applicable service manpower requirements. Upon selection, individuals are assigned to the authorized position and its compatible military skill in accordance with Air force skill classification directives, statutes, and National Guard Bureau regulations. The Dual Status technician must obtain and maintain all military skill requirements in regard to training, education, certifications, experience. If you are not sure you are eligible for military membership, please contact a National Guard recruiter prior to applying for this position.

Compatible Military Assignment:
ENLISTED: E3 through E6
COMPATIBLE DAFSC: 1D7X1, 1D7X4, 1D7X5

*Other Requirements & Conditions of Employment:
- National Guard Membership is required.
- Males born after 31 December 1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
- Federal employment suitability as determined by a background investigation.
- Must be able to obtain and maintain the appropriate security clearance of the position.
- May be required to successfully complete a probationary period.
- Must maintain local network access.
- Wear the uniform appropriate for the members' grade and component of the armed forces, maintaining standards of conduct and appearance.
- This position is covered by the Domestic Violence Misdemeanor Amendment (30 Sep 96) of the Gun Control Act (Lautenberg Amendment) of 1968. An individual convicted of a qualifying crime of domestic violence may not perform the duties of this position.
- Ability to establish effective professional working relationships with coworkers and customers, contributing to a cooperative working environment and successful accomplishment of the mission.
- May occasionally be required to work other than normal duty hours; overtime may be required.
-The duties and responsibilities of your job may significantly impact the environment. You are responsible to maintain awareness of your environmental responsibilities as dictated by legal and regulatory requirements, your organization, and its changing mission.
- For positions requiring the operation of motor vehicles, candidates must have a valid state driver's license.

Qualifications

In order to qualify for this position, your resume must provide sufficient experience and/or education, knowledge, skills, and abilities, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are being considered. Education requirement is based upon the qualification standards for the specific position and is stated under the heading "EDUCATION". Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities, as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific in describing your experience. EACH APPLICANT MUST FULLY SUBSTANTIATE (IN THEIR OWN WORDS) THAT THEY MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE LISTED BELOW; OTHERWISE, THE APPLICANT WILL BE CONSIDERED UNQUALIFIED FOR THIS POSITION. DO NOT COPY FROM THE VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT OR THE POSITION DESCRIPTION OR YOU MAY BE DISQUALIFIED.

GENERAL EXPERIENCE: Must possess experience, education, and/or training that has provided a basic knowledge of data processing functions and general management principles that enabled the applicant to understand the stages required to automate a work process; 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.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: ???????Must possess 1-year specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-09); experience receiving, maintaining, and issuing data-storage media for computer operations; scheduling computer time for program processing; collecting and sequentially staging input media and associated program instructions for processing; and experience using at least one programming language; translating detailed logical steps developed by others into computer-acceptable language code, requiring an understanding of the procedures and limitations associated with the programming language; interviewing subject-matter personnel to obtain facts about work processes; synthesizing that information into charts depicting information flow; analyzing the interrelationships among relevant system components; and scheduling the sequence of programs for computer processing while weighing alternatives to support production efficiency; experience, education, or training that approaches techniques and requirements appropriate to an assigned computer applications area or computer specialty area in an organization; experience planning the sequence of actions necessary to accomplish the assignment where this entailed coordination with others outside the organizational unit and development of project controls; experience that required adaptations of guidelines or precedents to meet the needs of the assignment; experience preparing documentation on cost/benefit studies where is involved summarizing the material and organizing it in a logical fashion.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the application process is complete, we will review your resume to ensure you meet the hiring eligibility and qualification requirements listed in this announcement. You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume and responses to the Occupational Questionnaire, along with your supporting documentation to determine your ability to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities/competencies related to the job requirements:

• Knowledge of IT, communications, hardware, software, network architecture, information assurance, and security policies and practices. Ability to plan, install, evaluate, upgrade, audit, and maintain systems to ensure availability, integrity, efficiency, reliability, and security.
• Skill in testing, troubleshooting, analyzing, and resolving hardware, software, processing, interface, interoperability, configuration, and system failure issues. Ability to optimize system performance, identify vulnerabilities, initiate corrective or preventive actions, and coordinate communications focal point workload and support.
• Knowledge of customer requirements, system usage, equipment life cycles, infrastructure capabilities, and maintenance and replacement costs. Skill in providing technical assistance, instruction, orientation, documentation, purchase request and statement of work reviews, and support for hardware, software, and configuration issues.
• Ability to analyze user complaints, traffic interruptions, system usage, performance, capacity, and problem-report trends to identify requirements and recurring issues. Skill in conducting feasibility studies, evaluating alternatives within budget constraints, preparing cost analyses and recommendations, and planning future infrastructure, architecture, equipment, and application needs.

If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities or you may be found ineligible/not qualified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package. Completed application package includes the following:
NOTE: Failure to submit a completed application package including the following required documentation will result in your application being disqualified.

1. Your resume: Your resume may be submitted in any format and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. In describing your experience, please be clear and concise, we will not make assumptions regarding your experience. If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy. NOTE: Copying directly from the vacancy announcement or position description may result in disqualification.

• For qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week and the dates of employment (i.e., hours per week and month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your position was in the civil service, it must also include the grade and series for all positions held. If your resume does not contain this information, your application will be marked as incomplete and you will not receive consideration for this position.
• Resumes must be no longer than two-pages in length. The resume must address minimum qualifications and other requirements listed in the job announcement. In USA Jobs, job seekers must choose a resume that is two pages or less to make it searchable and apply for jobs. Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume: Prioritize most relevant and recent experience. Use concise, results focused language, and align with language from the job announcement. Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies. Remove outdated or unrelated experience. Please visit the USAJOBS Help Center for more information: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to.

2. OF-306 - Declaration for Federal Employment - You will find the OF-306 at this link: https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/of0306.pdf
NOTE: Do not answer questions 9 through 13 on page 1 of the OF-306 titled, "Background Information". This information will be collected during pre-employment screening should you receive a conditional offer of employment.

3. SF-181 (Ethnicity and Race Identification) - You will find the SF-181 at this link: https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf181.pdf

4. Completed Assessment Questionnaire - Completed as part of the USA Jobs application process.

5. RIP (Record on Individual Personnel) - Uploaded to the Required Documents area. RIP must be no more than 90 days old at the time of application. Army personnel submit current Soldier Talent Profile (STP), however, an ORB/ERB is acceptable in the absence of an STP.

6. Any additional supporting documentation (i.e. certificates, licenses, transcripts, etc.) - used to support qualifications demonstrated in resume and/or required by Qualifications Required section.

NOTE:

• Documents NOT accepted: photographs, copies of position descriptions, performance ratings, awards and letters of recommendation.
• Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position.
• If multiple copies of the same document are uploaded and submitted with your application, only the last copy of the document uploaded will be considered when determining your eligibility and qualifications. For example, if you upload two or more resumes only the last resume uploaded and submitted will be considered.
• Applicants CANNOT be contacted for any required documents listed above. Applicants who submit INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS will receive a rating of INELIGIBLE. Requests for reconsideration will not be considered for applicants who fail to submit a complete application package. We cannot be held responsible for incompatible software, erroneous fax transmissions, etc.

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