IT Specialist (APPSW) Job

Vacancy No. 25-FS-138-MP Department Bureau of the Fiscal Service
Salary $55,815.00 to $107,590.00 Grade 7 to 12
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 12/18/2024 Close Date 12/30/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Birmingham, ALWashington, DCHyattsville, MDKansas City, MO


Summary

PLEASE NOTE: Based on the current hiring restrictions, selectees may be subject to additional approvals prior to an offer being extended.

This position is located at Bureau of the Fiscal Service; Management, Modernization and Customer Care; Systems & Project Support Division. As an IT Specialist (APSW), you design, develop, maintain, support, & implement interfaces, applications, and custom extensions used for the purpose of supporting the business activities of ARC's internal division

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

All candidates who are: Current or former federal employees qualifying as Status Candidates, Federal employees currently serving on a VRA, VEOA eligibles, CTAP/ICTAP eligibles, eligible for special hiring authorities (e.g., the Schedule A appointment for persons with disabilities, or covered by an Interchange Agreement), or VRA eligibles for the GS-11 and below, or Land Management employees eligible under Public Law 114-47.

Duties

The following are the duties of this position at the GS-12. If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties and will receive training to help you grow in this position.

  • Develop system design and formal design documentation to support the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). This includes gathering and analyzing the requirements, designing, coding, testing, implementing, and maintaining the interfaces, applications, and custom extensions.
  • Perform the review and analysis of system functional requirements documentation. Meet with functional representatives/Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) as necessary to understand requirements.
  • Build, maintain, support, and conduct research and analysis on interfaces, applications, and custom extensions based on design documents using appropriate development tools as determined by management. Prepare formal system technical documentation.
  • Conduct developer unit testing and provide support to other functional testing activities.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • A one year probationary period may be required.
  • Must successfully complete a background investigation. Periodic reinvestigation is required no later than five years after selection and at least every succeeding five years.
  • Public Trust - Background Investigation will be required.
  • Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
  • Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
  • If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
  • Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
  • Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
  • This position requires that the successful candidate undergo personnel vetting, which includes a background investigation and enrollment upon onboarding into "Continuous Vetting." Enrollment in Continuous Vetting will result in automated record checks being conducted throughout one's employment with Treasury. The successful candidate will also be enrolled into FBI's Rap Back service, which will allow Treasury to receive notification from the FBI of criminal matters (e.g., arrests, charges, convictions) involving enrolled individuals in near real-time. For more information about individual rights, Noncriminal Justice Applicant's Privacy Rights - FBI, FD-258 Privacy Act Statement - FBI, and SEAD-3-Reporting-U.pdf (dni.gov).
Key Requirements:
  1. Please refer to "Conditions of Employment."
  2. Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying.
  3. Must be U.S. Citizen or U.S. National

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year and indicate number of hours worked per week on your résumé

For the GS-12, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes experience as a software developer utilizing software development tools, concepts and methods to design, code, test, install, implement, document, and maintain an enterprise-wide application that utilizes a relational database architecture.

Examples of such experience may include:
- Designing, coding, testing, debugging, and maintaining software applications utilizing PL/SQL or another programming language (excluding code generation tools); OR
- Designing, coding, testing, debugging integrations between two systems utilizing Web Services (excluding code generation tools).

In addition to meeting specialized experience, applicants must have IT-related proficiency in each of the four competencies listed below.
- Attention to Detail such as participating independently or as a member of a team in IT application development projects involving aspects of coding, system design, unit testing, documentation, deployment, evaluation, and disposition.
- Customer Service such as providing technical advice and assistance in areas of IT systems development.
- Oral Communication such as sharing information and expertise with other team members in technical areas for workgroup effectiveness.
- Problem Solving such as conducting problem resolution during application coding, testing, and post deployment production.

For the GS-11, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes experience utilizing software development tools to code, test, install, deploy, document, and maintain software preferably on a relational database architecture.

Examples of such experience may include:
- Coding, testing, debugging, and maintaining software applications utilizing programming languages (excluding code generation tools); OR
- Coding, testing, debugging integrations between two systems utilizing Web Services (excluding code generation tools).

In addition to meeting specialized experience, applicants must have IT-related proficiency in each of the four competencies listed below.
- Attention to Detail such as participating as a member of a team in IT development projects.
- Customer Service such as evaluating requirements to make recommendations in areas of IT systems development.
- Oral Communication such as providing technical guidance to lower graded specialists.
- Problem Solving such as conducting problem resolution during post implementation production.

OR
You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. Degree must be in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management or degree that provided a minimum of 24 semester hours in one or more of the fields identified above and required the development or adaptation of applications, systems or networks.

For the GS-09 you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes experience participating on a team to code, test, install, deploy, document, and maintain software on a relational database architecture.

Examples of such experience may include:
- Implementing software application changes by coding, testing, and debugging utilizing programming languages (excluding code generation tools) for less complex programs such as user interface development (GUI), SQL Scripting, and making small fixes to existing applications.

In addition to meeting specialized experience, applicants must have IT-related proficiency in each of the four competencies listed below.
- Attention to Detail such as assisting or being involved in an IT-related development project.
- Customer Service such as determining if projected benefits have been achieved and the customers' expectations are being met.
- Oral Communication such as participating in evaluations of basic IT-related procedures, and assists in the presentation of recommendations for improvements.
- Problem Solving such as testing newly developed software or debugging basic programs with available and detailed requirements.

OR
You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: Master's degree or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree. Degree in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management or degree that provided a minimum of 24 semester hours in one or more of the fields identified above and required the development or adaptation of applications, systems or networks.

For the GS-07, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-05 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes participating on a team to code, test, document, and maintain software.

Examples of such experience may include:
- Assisting with requirements analysis and subsequently assisting with programming, testing, and documenting to address the requirements on small existing operations and maintenance changes.

In addition to meeting specialized experience, applicants must have IT-related proficiency in each of the four competencies listed below.
- Attention to Detail such as translating detailed steps into software code
.- Customer Service such as determining if projected benefits have been achieved and the customers' expectations are being met.
- Oral Communication such as sharing knowledge and expertise with other team members in technical areas for workgroup effectiveness.
- Problem Solving such as identifying syntax errors.

OR
You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: One full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement. Degree must be in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management or degree that provided a minimum of 24 semester hours in one or more of the fields identified above and required the development or adaptation of applications, systems or networks.

In addition to the above requirements, you must meet the following time-in-grade requirement, if applicable:
For the GS-12, you must have been at the GS-11 level for 52 weeks.
For the GS-11, you must have been at the GS-09 level for 52 weeks.
For the GS-09, you must have been at the GS-07 level for 52 weeks
For the GS-07, you must have been at the GS-05 level for 52 weeks

Education

There is not an educational requirement for this position.

Additional information

  • During the application process you will have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact on your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
  • For the GS-11 and below, we will not pay relocation expenses.
  • For the GS-12 only,factors such as cost effectiveness, labor market conditions and difficulties in filling the position will be reviewed in determining if payment of relocation expenses is in the best interest of the Government.
  • We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
  • This is a Bargaining unit position.
  • The following locations are represented by their corresponding NTEU chapter:
    Parkersburg, WV - NTEU Chapter 190; Hyattsville, MD/Washington, DC - NTEU Chapter 202; Austin, TX - NTEU Chapter 214; Birmingham, AL - NTEU Chapter 220; Philadelphia, PA - NTEU Chapter 223; Kansas City, MO - NTEU Chapter 225
  • This position is a High Risk Public Trust position.
  • We offer opportunities for telework.
  • We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules.

Our comprehensive benefits are very generous. Our benefits package includes:

  • Challenging work, opportunities for advancement, competitive salaries, bonuses and incentive awards.
  • Eleven paid holidays, 13 days of sick leave, and 13 to 26 days of vacation time each year.
  • Access to insurance programs that may be continued after you retire.
  • A wide choice of health insurance plans, coverage for pre-existing conditions, and no waiting periods. We pay a substantial amount (up to 75%) of the health insurance premiums.
  • A retirement program which includes employer-matching contributions.
  • Learn more about Federal benefits programs at: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Pay_and_Benefits

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA 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 RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments click here:

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.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., résumé, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the online assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Accountability
  • Attention to Detail
  • Communication
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Influencing/Negotiating
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Systems and Technology
  • Teamwork


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.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)) you must receive a score of 90 or better to be rated as "well qualified" to receive special selection priority.

Required Documents

A complete application includes 1. A résumé, 2. Vacancy question responses, and 3. Submission of any required documents. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible). Please ensure all required documents, including any required work samples, narratives, or other materials as stated in this announcement, are attached to your application package.

Any required documents should be submitted at the time that you apply as documents will not be accepted after the cut-off date.

All applicants are required to submit a résumé either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.) To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your résumé. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your résumé to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view résumé tips.

CURRENT AND FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES -- Documentation Relating to Your Federal Employment:
-You must submit a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which shows your current (or most recent) grade and competitive service status. (The "position occupied" block on the SF-50 should show a "1" and your "tenure" block should show a "1" or "2".) Your SF-50 must show that you have held the required grade level for at least 52 weeks.
- If you are currently on a Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA), you must submit a copy of an SF-50 showing that. Also, you must submit a copy of your DD214 or other documentation showing dates of service and type of discharge (Member 4) and any other applicable documents such as SF-15, VA letters, etc.
- Indicate on your application the highest permanent grade you have held; if this grade is different from your current grade, you must submit a copy of an additional SF-50 showing this grade.

Land Management Eligibles must provide all required documentation to verify eligibility, prior performance, and qualifications for the target position. You can find information on the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act and eligibility HERE. Land Management Eligibles must compete under competitive merit promotion procedures and meet all applicable requirements as such (time-in-grade restrictions do not apply).

If you are applying under a special hiring authority (e.g. Military Spouses, Interchange Agreement, VEOA, VRA, Schedule A Disability, etc.), please see applicant guide for required documentation. In order to be eligible under one of these authorities, you must submit all required documentation as outlined in the applicant guide.

CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP) OR INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP) DOCUMENTATION: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP/ICTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents you must submit in order to be eligible.

REINSTATEMENT: If you are a former federal employee that has been separated for at least 1 year and wish to be non-competitively reinstated to a higher grade or full performance level than which you left federal employment, you MUST provide a copy of your separation SF-50 (the "position occupied" block on the SF-50 should show a "1" and your "tenure" block should show a "1" or "2") AND you MUST submit a qualifying performance appraisal from your most recent career or career-conditional position of at least Fully Successful (or equivalent). You will NOT be given consideration for non-competitive reinstatement, under this option, if a performance appraisal document is not submitted.

EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION:

For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of courses showing title, number of credits, grade, and date of completion.

A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.

RECOMMENDED DOCUMENTS:
Current Performance Appraisal

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, to include the initial online assessment and submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement 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 11:59 PM (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 via email notification. The email may be routed to your "Spam" or "Junk" folder. 5. If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. Click here for Computer System Requirements (https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=USA_Hire_System_Requirements)
6. Note, set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can reuse the URL sent to you via email and also found in your USAJOBS account under the "Track my application" link for the corresponding application.

To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account (https://usajobs.gov). There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Edit my 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 at https://www.usajobs.gov. On the Home page, scroll down and locate your job application. Once the job has been located, click the "Track this application" link on the right under the application date. The page will refresh to display the Agency's Application Information page where you can scroll down and review any notifications the agency has sent you. 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/.

Fiscal Service provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.

Are you unsure how to write your federal resume? We are here to help. The Treasury Recruitment Service regularly offers Writing Your Federal Resume training sessions, and other career-related information sessions, to assist you in your career search journey. To register for a session, click here to go to our Career Information Sessions webpage.

Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.

For additional information on how to apply, please visit the Partnership for Public Service's Go Government website.

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Treasury and its bureaus from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Treasury by email at, FairChanceAct@treasury.gov.

To learn more, please visit our page at: Treasury.gov/fairchanceact.

To preview the assessment questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12634516

Agency contact information

Applicant Call Center
Address
Executive Director, Administrative Resource Center ARC
200 Third Street
Parkersburg, WV 26101
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Based on your application and your responses to the application questionnaire, you may be presented with instructions on how to access the USA Hire system to complete the online assessments. The online assessments must be completed within 48 hours following the close of this announcement. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation for the assessment should you have a disability covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Your assessment results will be kept on record for one year and used toward future positions for which you might apply that require the same assessments.


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