Requirements
Conditions of employment
- All application materials must be received by the closing date.
- Applicants must be in good standing.
- Applicants must have a fully successful rating of record.
- Official Personnel Folders will not be reviewed.
- Requests for copies of application documents will not be accepted.
- All application forms submitted become the property of SSA Human Resources.
Qualifications
Resumes exceeding two pages in length will not be considered. Visit the 'Required Documents' section below for more information.
YOUR RESUME OR SSA-45 MUST INCLUDE YOUR OFFICIAL DUTY STATION AND YOUR ORGANIZATION (I.E., SECURITY AND RESILIENCY) OR YOU MAY BE FOUND INELIGIBLE.
To qualify for the 2210 IT Specialist series, the applicant must demonstrate the following competencies:
Attention to Detail (Level 4, Advanced) - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.
Customer Service (Level 4, Advanced) - 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.
Decision Making (Level 3, Intermediate) - Makes sound, well-informed, and objective decisions; perceives the impact and implications of decisions; commits to action, even in uncertain situations, to accomplish organizational goals; causes change.
Information Management (Level 4, Advanced) - Identifies a need for and knows where or how to gather information; organizes and maintains information or information management systems.
Interpersonal Skills (Level 4, Advanced) - Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations.
Oral Communication (Level 3, Intermediate) - 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.
Problem Solving (Level 4, Advanced) - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.
Teamwork (Level 4, Advanced) - Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals.
Technical Competence (Level 4, Advanced) - Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or on-the-job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues.
Specialized Experience: Applicants must have specialized experience that is directly related to the work of the position and have equipped them with the competencies required to successfully perform the duties of the role. These knowledge, skills, and abilities/competencies are normally attained through the equivalent of one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level of the position being filled.
For GS-07:
To qualify at the
GS-07 level, you must have specialized experience at the
GS-06 level, or equivalent. This experience must demonstrate proficiency in the following:
1. Experience working with SQL or NoSQL databases to help support business applications.
2. Experience assisting with web applications, such as using React.js or Node.js RESTful APIs.
3. Experience helping to troubleshoot and debug web applications in a team setting.
4. Experience preparing or updating basic technical documents, such as user guides or process notes, and communicating information clearly to others.
For GS-9:
To qualify at the GS-09 level, you must have specialized experience at the GS-07 level, or equivalent. This experience must demonstrate proficiency in the following:
1. Experience supporting business applications by working with SQL or NoSQL databases, including assisting with data management tasks.
2. Experience helping to develop or maintain web applications using technologies such as React.js or Node.js RESTful APIs.
3. Experience troubleshooting and resolving issues in web applications, including identifying problems and working with others to find solutions.
4. Experience preparing and updating technical documentation, such as user guides or process instructions, and communicating technical information to team members.
For GS-11:
To qualify at the GS-11 level, you must have specialized experience at the GS-09 level, or equivalent. This experience must demonstrate proficiency in the following:
1. Experience modernizing IT infrastructure and supporting IT systems by maintaining or troubleshooting enterprise-level data platforms and business applications.
2. Experience designing, developing, and maintaining web applications using modern frameworks such as React.js or Node.js RESTful APIs, maintaining unit and integration tests to ensure software quality.
3. Experience applying software development lifecycle (SDLC) methodologies and utilizing both modern and legacy programming languages to deliver technical solutions that meet organizational objectives.
4. Experience preparing and maintaining technical documentation, such as system diagrams, user guides, and deployment guides.
For GS-12:
To qualify at the GS-12 level, you must have specialized experience at the GS-11 level, or equivalent. This experience must demonstrate proficiency in the following:
1. Experience modernizing IT infrastructure and supporting IT systems by implementing, maintaining, or troubleshooting enterprise-level data platforms and business applications, ensuring reliable and scalable operations.
2. Experience designing, developing, and maintaining web applications using modern frameworks such as React.js or Node.js RESTful APIs, including writing and maintaining unit and integration tests to ensure software quality.
3. Experience applying software development lifecycle (SDLC) methodologies and utilizing both modern and legacy programming languages to deliver advanced technical solutions that meet organizational objectives.
4. Experience preparing and maintaining technical documentation, such as system diagrams, user guides, and deployment guides, and effectively communicating technical information both orally and in writing to multidisciplinary teams.
The specialized experience is REQUIRED and must be explicitly documented/described in your resume, or you will be disqualified from further consideration.
Qualification standards and additional information for this position can be found here: Competency-Based Qualification Standard for the Information Technology Management Series, 2210
NOTE: You cannot be credited for experience unless you clearly show your grade level at the time the experience was gained, as well as the dates you were at that grade level. If you combine career-ladder experience into a single description of duties, you may be eliminated from consideration based on failure to clearly document the required experience at the required grade level for the required period of time.
Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
Applicants for promotion to the GS-07 must have 52 weeks at
GS-06.
Applicants for promotion to the GS-09 must have 52 weeks at
GS-07.
Applicants for promotion to the GS-11 must have 52 weeks at
GS-09.
Applicants for promotion to the GS-12 must have 52 weeks at
GS-11.
Time in grade requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
Education
PROOF OF EDUCATION: If you are qualifying on the basis of education or satisfying an educational requirement, submit a copy of your transcripts that includes your name, the name of the educational institution, course title(s), number of credits, grade, and date of completion. Unofficial transcripts or screenshots of electronic/web transcripts with the required information will be accepted at the time of application. You must submit your transcripts according to the application submission details of this announcement. Documents will not be accepted via email or regular mail. If selected, you may be required to provide your official college transcripts prior to the effective date of the personnel action placing you into the new position.
Foreign Education: If your transcripts show education completed in foreign colleges or universities, you must also provide documentation that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in a conventional/accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.
For GS-7: Successful completion of at least one academic year of graduate education in a field that is directly related to the position or superior academic achievement.
For GS-9: Master's or equivalent graduate degree, or successful completion of at least two academic years of progressively higher graduate education in a field that is directly related to the position, or LL.B. or J.D. in a field that is directly related to the position.
For GS-11: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent degree, or LL.M. in a field that is directly related to the position.
Combining Education and Experience: Experience and education as described above may be combined to meet the minimum qualification requirements. Experience and education will be computed as percentages of the overall requirements and must equal to 100 percent when combined. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours beyond the second year leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. One full academic year of undergraduate study (30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9 and GS-11.
Note: One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school you attended has determined to represent one year of study. If this information cannot be obtained from your school, we will consider 18 semester/27 quarter hours to be equal to one year of full-time study.?
Additional information
NONCOMPETITIVE CONSIDERATION DUE TO SPECIAL HIRING AUTHORITY
Applications for noncompetitive consideration will be accepted from SSA employees in the area of consideration who are currently serving under the following types of appointments: Schedule A, Reg. 213.3102 (U) appointments for individuals with disabilities; Veterans Recruitment Appointments; and time limited appointments for veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Applicants serving under these provisions do not need to submit copies of your disability or Veteran's documentation. However, you must submit a current SF-50 that provides information on the appointment authority under which you were hired. Otherwise, you will not receive non-competitive consideration.
NOTE: Excepted service employees serving under Schedule A appointments for Attorney positions or Pathways Programs appointments (Presidential Management Fellows, Recent Graduates, and Interns) are not eligible for consideration.
This is a non-bargaining unit position to be filled under the provisions of the Management Officials Promotion Plan. The best-qualified list for this vacancy may be used to fill the same or similar positions in a component(s) under the same Deputy Commissioner. Additional selections may be made within 6 months of the date the best qualified list is issued.
LOCALITY PAY: Salary will be set in accordance with locality pay provisions. Candidates currently receiving a higher locality pay than the office applied for are advised that should they be selected, they will lose entitlement to the higher locality pay.
OTHER NOTES:
This position is a career ladder leading to GS-12.
This position is not eligible for telework.
This is a critical sensitive position. The selected employee will be required to complete a Standard Form 86, Questionnaire for Sensitive Positions, in order to have the appropriate investigation conducted, unless the employee has been previously certified eligible to occupy a position at this level.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
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.
Review our 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.
Required Documents
The following section provides information on supporting documentation that must be submitted.
We encourage you to submit a two-page resume for OPM compliance, as well as the SSA-45 under "Other," to ensure that all your qualifications are fully considered.
SSA-45 (all applicants)
SF-50 that provides information on the appointment authority under which you were hired (applicants for Noncompetitive Consideration due to a Special Hiring Authority only)
Proof of Education (all applicants qualifying on the basis of education or satisfying an educational requirement)
Your SSA-45 must provide all of the information necessary to make qualifications determinations (e.g., all experience related to your qualifications for this position, full performance level of your current position, the dates at each grade level of your current or prior career-ladder position(s), etc.). These documents will be referred to the selecting official if you are eligible for the best qualified list. Employees' Official Personnel Folders will not be reviewed.
Your SSA-45 must specifically demonstrate, in your own words, the possession of the required experience related to the minimum qualifications, selective placement factors and/or evaluation criteria. Information that is copied or restated language from the vacancy announcement, rating criteria, KSAs and/or position description will not be considered. If this occurs, you may lose consideration for one or more grade levels or found ineligible.
Your SSA-45/resume must provide sufficient experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, and proficiency of any required competencies to perform the specific position for which you are applying. Your SSA-45/resume is the key means we have for evaluating your experience, education, knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies as they relate to this position. Your resume and supporting documents must specifically address the evaluation criteria for the position. Describe duties you perform (not just knowledge, skills and abilities) as they relate to the specialized experience required for this position. Be clear, accurate and specific when describing your experience; e.g., list all positions separately, include full start and stop dates for each position, your component and grade, and a comprehensive description the relevant duties you performed in each position.
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.