IT SPECIALIST (CYBERSECURITY) Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. STB-DHA-12541727-24-TR Department Surface Transportation Board
Salary $142,488.00 to $185,234.00 Grade 14 to 14
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 1/14/2025 Close Date 1/28/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

The Surface Transportation Board is an independent federal agency that is responsible for the economic oversight of the nation's freight rail system.

The position is located in the Office of the Managing Director, Section of System Services and serves as an Information Technology Specialist (Cybersecurity) and is a Vulnerability Manager responsible for ensuring security policies are adhered to, and STB systems are managed, and procedures and tools are developed/procured and implemented.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens. This position is being filled through Direct Hire Authority. Traditional rating and ranking of applications Does NOT apply. Veteran's preference Does NOT apply.

Duties

THIS JOB ANNOUNCEMENT has an applicant limit of 50. Therefore, the announcement will close the day 50 applicants have been received, which may be before the date listed above.

In this position you will serve as an Information Technology Specialist (Cybersecurity) as a Vulnerability Manager responsible for ensuring security policies are adhered to, and STB systems are managed, and procedures and tools are developed and implemented as needed. You will on an ongoing basis lead the identification, assessment, reporting and remediation of STB system vulnerabilities, and create change requests for patching of vulnerabilities and monthly updates, monitor completion dates, planning and coordinating team efforts as needed.

As a Vulnerabilities Manager in OMD, you will perform the following duties:

  • Review vulnerabilities' data from multiple sources (i.e. external / internal penetration testing, internal / external vulnerability scanning, etc.) across multiple technologies and a changing environment including infrastructure and applications to determine risk rating of vulnerabilities to business assets.
  • Participate in working groups improving and automating existing vulnerability management lifecycle including but not limited to, data ingestion & normalization, compliance metrics and detections on assets.
  • Support technology teams to troubleshoot, develop, select, implement and automate appropriate security solutions to keep system data protected from internal and external threats.
  • Work with STB Offices to effectively communicate the risks of identified vulnerabilities and make recommendations regarding the selection of cost-effective security controls to mitigate identified risks.
  • Conduct post-remediation analysis and validation. Identify opportunities for improvement and utilize innovative strategies to optimize remediation efforts and remove blockers.
  • Assist in ensuring scan results are presented in appropriate dashboards, reports, and forwarded to other data systems as necessary.
  • Continuously manage vulnerabilities added to the Board's IT security Plan of Actions and Milestones (POA&M) to ensure the items are addressed according to STB policy. As needed, develop project plans and coordinate remediation activities with the Operations Team lead, project managers and other staff to resolve issues.
  • Coordinate with Security and other IT staff to manage any security incidents, taking action to remediate security gaps in resources that pose an immediate threat, creating software packages to push out security related monitoring agents and working with other agencies as part of security implementations. Provide expertise in containment, eradication, and recovery efforts.
  • Support IT security audits, providing necessary artifacts and responding to questions from Security and audit personnel.
  • Ensure vulnerability management practices comply with regulatory requirements, STB policy and industry standards
  • Monitor Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Binding Operational Directives (BODs) and Emergency Directives (Eds) on a weekly basis.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • All qualification requirements must be met by 01/28/2025. Please Note: Your application package will not receive consideration if it lacks any of the required documents under the "Required Documents" tab.
  • Probationary Period: A One-year probationary period may be required.
  • Required to participate in the Direct Deposit program.
  • Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See http://www.sss.gov/
  • E-Verify: If you are selected for this position, the documentation that you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form 1-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-Verify" System. The STB is an E-Verify Participant.
  • Employment is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of a background investigation and the granting of a Federal suitability clearance. If selected, you may be offered a tentative offer until the background investigation has been adjudicated.
  • Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.

Qualifications

All applicants are required to submit a resume with your application. To receive full consideration for relevant and specialized experience, please utilize the following date format MM/YY to MM/YY - or - MM/YY to present and the number of hours worked per week for each period of employment/experience listed in your resume. Your responses to the questionnaire must be supported/demonstrated in your resume.

If, after reviewing your resume and supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and experience, your rating may be lowered to reflect the submitted documentation more accurately.

In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience or education.

Read more about what should I include in my federal resume. https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include/

Specialized experience must meet 52 weeks equivalent to the next lower grade level. A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must clearly indicate the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Specialized Experience is defined as the experience that has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position of Information Technology Specialist (Cybersecurity)

GS-14
To be qualified for this position at the GS-14 grade level, you must demonstrate in your resume one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-13, in the Federal service (experience may have been gained in the private sector or volunteer experience) demonstrated (1) Experience supporting activities related to both on-premise and cloud-hosted scientific computing environments; (2)Assessing security risks and vulnerabilities; and (3) Recommending and implementing mitigation strategies for the ecosystem throughout the lifecycles of the various components in accordance with cybersecurity guidelines (FedRAMP, FISMA, NIST, etc.).

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies:

  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Oral Communication
  • Problem Solving


*Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (i.e, Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations. Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

Education may not be used as a substitute for experience at this grade level.

Additional information

A career with the U.S. Government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package.

As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. In addition, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) has work/life-balance flexibilities that may be right for you, such as .

A Flexible Work Schedule options.

This position is Telework eligible based upon the STB Telework policy.

Fitness Center: STB employees, at no cost, have access to the fitness center conveniently located in the building; and

A monthly transit subsidy for a portion of your commuting costs to help defray the commuting costs of employees who use mass transportation, including commuter bus, Metrorail or Metrobus, or commuter rail systems.

More than one position may be filled from this announcement.

The lnteragency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be rated well-qualified by scoring 85 or better on the assessment. Please use this link to find out additional information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

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, a review of the resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation.

All applicants will be reviewed to determine if they meet the basic qualifications for this position, specifically the educational and specialized experience requirements.

Please note, Applicants will not be rated or ranked for this position and Veteran's Preference does NOT apply.

All applications that are verified to meet the basic qualifications will be referred to the selecting official.

DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. All answers provided in the on-line process must be substantiated by a resume. If, upon review, it is determined that your resume and/or supporting documents do not support your answer choices, your application may be removed from consideration.

Preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click .https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12541727

Required Documents

Please be advised, the following documents are required even if you are already a current Federal or STB employee:

1. Resume that includes the experience you wish to be considered for the review of your qualifications, the dates of employment with month and year, and hours worked per week, if part time. Resumes that do not contain all of the necessary information to determine qualifications may be marked as insufficient and applicants may not receive consideration for this position. Your latest resume submission is the one that will be used to determine your qualifications.

2. Responses to questionnaire.

3. Supporting documents verifying your eligibility or any preference eligibility along with your application package.

These documents may include, but are not limited to:

  • Veterans' documentation: All veterans MUST submit a DD-214, MEMBER 4 copy, if you are currently on active duty, you must submit an official statement of service from your command or other official documentation that proves your military service was performed under honorable conditions.
  • Preference eligible documentation: If claiming 10-point preference you must also submit a SF-15 and any other proof that you are eligible for 10-point preference if a job offer is extended to you, final VA letter including percentage (please do not include letter from VA noting specific private medical information);
  • ICTAP documentation: RIF separation notice along with last performance rating or appraisal; and

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, which includes the submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on {INSERT DATE} to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:

  1. To begin the application process, click the Apply Online button.
  2. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
  3. Click the "Submit Application" button prior to 11:59pm (ET) on the announcement closing date.
  4. After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you both on screen and via email notification.
To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period by return to your USAJOBS account. There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to "Update Application." This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account, all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The application record in your USAJOBS account provides an "Additional Application Information" page that provides information regarding the documentation you submitted and any correspondence we have sent related to this application. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.




Agency contact information

Tara Rauch
Address
Surface Transportation Board
395 E Street, SW
Washington, DC 20423
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Once referred, you may be asked to complete a structured interview, written demonstration, and/or fit interview. Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you or for dismissing you from the position/agency during the probationary period.

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated. You will receive another notification about the status of your application.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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