IT Specialist (INFOSEC)

Clarification from the agency

This announcement uses the OPM Federal Wide Direct Hire Authority to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to certain positions in the competitive service where a critical hiring need has been identified.

• Advises leadership on federal information security (INFOSEC) laws, regulations, standards, and emerging requirements, and contributes to the development and implementation of agency-level IT security policies and directives.
• Monitors and reports on cybersecurity threats, vulnerabilities, and mitigation efforts, including reviewing and updating Plans of Action and Milestones (POA and M) and briefing the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) on risk status.
• Develops, reviews, and maintains key security authorization documentation, including System Security Plans (SSP), Contingency Plans (CP), Risk Assessments (RA), and other materials required to obtain or maintain an Authorization to Operate (ATO).
• Conducts technology assessments, trend analyses, feasibility studies, and acquisition support activities, including drafting specifications, reviewing contract deliverables, and recommending courses of action to support cybersecurity objectives.
• Provides operational support by resolving assigned incidents, responding to staff inquiries, tracking fulfillment requests, coordinating with technical teams, and ensuring all activities are documented in agency management tools.

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
• Suitable for federal employment, determined by a background investigation
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary period

Qualifications

IT-related experience; experience may be demonstrated by paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training (for example, IT certification), as appropriate. Experience must have demonstrated 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.

For the GS-14: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level in federal service.

Specialized experience must include demonstrable experience:

• Guides secure cloud operations and sustainment by ensuring consistent approaches for cloud services, identifying and mitigating technical threat vectors and APT activity, and implementing practical remediation to reduce attack surface.
• Enhances cybersecurity operations through improved SOC, SIEM, and SOAR processes, strengthening continuous monitoring (CONMON), maturing operational procedures, and sustaining a hardened security posture.
• Advances DEVSECOPS maturity by implementing automated and manual AppSec testing (SAST, DAST, IAST, SCA, container scanning), implementing and enforcing secure coding including hardened deployment standards, and continuously monitoring environments for cybersecurity events.
• Applies deep technical expertise in major cloud platforms, scripting/automation (Python, Bash, Golang), and cybersecurity frameworks (NIST, OWASP, CIS), including hands-on execution of Zero Trust pillars and secure AI practices.
• Leads major INFOSEC initiatives-balancing workload across projects and incidents, keeping leadership dutifully informed while facilitating, executing and directing efforts in GRC, SOC operations, FedRAMP activities, and promotion of varying degrees of role-based enterprise level guidance, in concert with adversarial (blue/red/purple team) exercises.
• Oversees federal security compliance by interpreting information security (INFOSEC) laws and FISMA regulations; managing POA&Ms and vulnerability remediation; developing or assessing ATO documentation (SSPs, RAs, CPs); and evaluating controls, baselines, cybersecurity-supply chain risk management (C-SCRM) and compliance across systems to strengthen EEOC's INFOSEC posture.

Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements (e.g., time-in-grade and qualification requirements) within 30 days of the closing date specified in the vacancy announcement.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). 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.

How you will be evaluated

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

This position will be filled through the Direct Hire Authority. Under this authority, competitive rating, ranking, and veterans' preference procedures do not apply.
Once the application process is complete, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. Applicants who meet minimum qualification requirements will be certified for further consideration. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

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

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

Career Transition Assistance Programs: These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a federal service position within the competitive service or federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; 2) be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above based on the competencies listed above; and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/

Equal Employment Opportunity
The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

1. Your Resume (NOT TO EXCEED 2 PAGES) showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed. Resumes over the 2-page limit, will not be reviewed beyond page 2 or may be disqualified. If your resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of your qualifications, you will not receive consideration for the position.
2. Other supporting documents:
   • Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program documentation, if applicable (e.g. Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.
     • Worker's Compensation Separation: Agency certification of inability to place employee AND Notification of Separation OR Separation SF-50.
     • Disability Annuity Termination: Notification from OPM of disability annuity termination AND Separation SF-50 of the last position held.
     • Military Reserve or National Guard Technician Special Disability Retirement Annuity under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456: Certification of special disability retirement annuity from a military department or National Guard Bureau AND Separation SF-50 of the last position held.
   • Current or Former Political Appointees (if applicable) - The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently or have been a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch within the last 5 years, you must disclose this in your application package.

Failure to submit documents required may result in loss of consideration.

Next steps