IT Specialist (InfoSec)

Clarification from the agency

Open to Current Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) career and career-conditional employees only including Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) eligibles and Public Health Service (PHS) officers and candidates.

As an IT Specialist (InfoSec), you will use your knowledge and experience to optimize business results and customer experience by:

• Engineer, design and implement information security threat response tools to prevent, detect, analyze and respond to malicious activity and/or anomalies across on-premises, hybrid, and cloud environments, including infrastructure­as-a-service (IaaS), platform-as-a-service (PaaS), and software-as-a-service (Saas).
• Develop and track security operations performance metrics (e.g., detection coverage, mean time to detect, mean time to respond, alert fidelity) to evaluate tool effectiveness, process maturity, and overall security operations performance, and provide data-driven recommendations for continuous improvement.
• Maintain security operations tools at optimal operating performance and provide senior-level engineering support including assessing tool effectiveness, detection quality, and operational impact using defined security operations metrics to inform optimization and modernization efforts.
• Perform threat detection engineering, analysis, and forensics. Develop, tune and implement threat detection analytics and CND content for on-premises and cloud environments, including identity-centric, API, and control-plane telemetry aligned with Zero Trust
• Receive and analyze network alerts from various sources within the enterprise and determine possible causes of such alerts.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship required
• Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service - http://www.sss.gov
• Suitable for federal employment
• Meet time in grade restrictions by the closing date of the announcement
• Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. All information concerning qualifications is subject to investigation.
• Documentation that you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-Verify" System.
• All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice.
• All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date.
• Financial disclosure statement may be required.
• Probationary (or trial) period may be required.

Qualifications

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Basic Qualifications: The 2210 series has an Individual Occupational Requirement that must be met and can be viewed here. There is no Group Coverage Qualification Standard for this series.
BASIC REQUIREMENT: Individuals must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the nine competencies listed below:
Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.
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.
Decision Making - 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 - Identifies a need for and knows where or how to gather information; organizes and maintains information or information management systems.
Interpersonal Skills - 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 - 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 - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.
Teamwork - Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals.
Technical Competence - 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.NOTE: Your resume must support your response to this question. Failure to provide sufficient evidence of the required competencies in your resume may result in an ineligible rating.

Minimum Qualifications: You must have one year specialized experience to perform successfully the duties of the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service performing ALL of the following:

• Engineering, designing, integrating, and implementing enterprise security operations tools across on-premises, hybrid, and cloud environments, including SIEM, SOAR, EDR, IDS/IPS, and digital forensics platforms, ensuring alignment with defense-in-depth and Zero Trust principles.
• Evaluating, testing, and validating security technologies; translating functional requirements into technical solutions; developing use cases and test plans; overseeing installation, configuration, troubleshooting, and optimization of security tools; and ensuring interoperability across enterprise infrastructure, identity systems, and cloud environments.
• Developing, tracking, and analyzing security operations performance metrics to assess detection quality, operational effectiveness, and process maturity, and making data-driven recommendations to improve SOC capabilities.
• Developing, tuning, and implementing threat detection analytics and cyber defense content; conducting event correlation, adversary technique analysis, network traffic and packet analysis; identifying anomalous activity; and performing trend analysis to identify detection gaps and improve enterprise monitoring coverage.
• Conducting advanced incident response and digital forensics activities including evidence collection and imaging, malware analysis, validation of IDS alerts, identification of exploited vulnerabilities, and analysis of network, cloud, and identity telemetry to determine scope, impact, and remediation strategies.

Documenting experience: IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Qualifications are based on breadth/level of experience. In addition to describing duties performed, applicants must provide the exact dates of each period of employment (from MM/YY to MM/YY) and the number of hours worked per week if part time. As qualification determinations cannot be made when resumes do not include the required information, failure to provide this information may result in disqualification. Applicants are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to develop their federal resume.

Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational application questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

In accordance with Office of Personnel Management policy, federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description. Experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable, however, when documented by satisfactory evidence, such as a signed memorandum from the employee's supervisor or an SF-50 or SF-52 documenting an official detail or other official assignment. The documentation must indicate whether the duties were performed full time or, if part time, the "percentage of times" the other duties were performed. It is expected that this documentation is included in the employee's official personnel record. In order to receive credit for experience in your resume that is not within the official series and grade level of your official position, you must provide a copy of the appropriate documentation of such experience as indicated above.

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; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to gain employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. If such experience is on a part-time basis, you must provide the average number of hours worked per week as well as the beginning and ending dates of the experience so it can be fully credited.

OPM Qualification General Policies Website

This announcement will close at 11:59 PM, on the day that 50 applications have been received or the closing date of the announcement, whichever comes first.

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 announcement. Evaluation will be based on your application materials (such as your resume and supporting documents), your responses to the application questionnaire, and the results of all required assessments.

Resume Requirement
Your resume must not exceed two (2) pages in length.

Basic Qualification Question
As part of the application process, you must answer a question addressing whether you meet the Basic Requirement for this position, as described in this announcement.

Minimum Qualification Question
As part of the application process, you must answer a minimum qualification question addressing whether you meet the Specialized Experience required for this position, as described in this announcement.

Your response must be supported by the experience documented in your resume. If your resume does not demonstrate the required Specialized Experience, you may be found not qualified.

Assessment Process

USA Hire Assessment
You are required to complete a USA Hire assessment for this position.

The USA Hire Assessments include a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

HR Resume Review
Human Resource (HR) Specialists will review your resume to determine whether you meet the required Specialized Experience. Applicants who successfully pass all of the assessment(s) may be referred to the Hiring Manager for consideration.

You must complete all required steps in the process, including submitting an application and resume and participating in the assessments, to be considered for this position.

In accordance with Executive Order 12564 of September 14, 1986, The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is A Drug-Free Federal Workplace. The use of illegal drugs, on or off duty, by Federal employees is inconsistent not only with the law-abiding behavior expected of all citizens, but also with the special trust placed in such employees as servants of the public.

PHS Commissioned Corps (CC) Officers: PHS Commissioned Corps (CC) Officers interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps may apply online to this announcement. Candidates will be referred as CC personnel and not as candidates for conversion to a permanent career or career-conditional appointment.

For Competitive Merit Promotion and Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) Applicants: The highest rated candidates will be referred to the hiring agency.

For Noncompetitive Applicants: All qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring agency.

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

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

To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13029974

Submission of a resume alone IS NOT a complete application. You must provide a complete online Application Package which includes:

• Resume must not exceed two (2) pages and must support responses to the online application. Failure to submit a resume and all required documentation identified in this announcement may result in removal from further consideration. Use of the USAJOBS Resume Builder is encouraged to ensure all required information is included. Resumes must include duties, accomplishments, related skills, and start and end dates (month/day/year) for each position. Full-time employment will be assumed unless otherwise indicated; part-time experience will be prorated. Incomplete information may affect eligibility or rating.

• A complete online application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13029974)
• SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) - documentation supporting eligibility. If submitting a copy of your SF-50, or equivalent, submit one that shows the effective date of current position, the full performance level, career or career conditional tenure and status in the competitive service.

Other Supporting Documents, as applicable:

• College transcripts, if qualifying all or in part based on education
• RPL Documentation: Candidates must submit all documents required to demonstrate that they meet the qualifications of the position
  • If separated due to Reduction in Force (RIF):
    • Most recent SF-50, or equivalent, that shows position occupied; tenure; grade and step; salary; and full performance level
    • SF-50 showing Separation - RIF. If not available, submit official documentation of Reduction in Force (RIF) separation notice or a proposed removal/separation notice
    • Latest performance rating showing rating score
  • If separated due to Compensable Injury:
    • Most recent SF-50, or equivalent, that shows position occupied; tenure; grade and step; salary; and full performance level
    • SF-50, which shows separation, or SF-50 showing acceptance of position at a lower grade or pay level in lieu of separation
    • Notification from the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, Department of Labor, that injury compensation benefits have ceased or will cease
    • Latest performance rating and rating of record (if separate documents) showing rating score
• CTAP/ICTAP
  • RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate, notice of disability annuity termination, or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement
  • SF-50, showing positions, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to be placed through RPL, etc
  • Latest performance appraisal including rating
  • Documentation from your agency showing current promotion potential
• Military Spouse Documentation Overseas Military Spouse: Copy of Military sponsor's PCS orders and a valid marriage certificate or other documentation verifying marriage. If applicable, a copy of most recent SF-50
• Certain Military Spouse: For all categories below, a valid marriage certificate or other documentation verifying marriage. Additional supporting documentation requirements differ for each category
  • Spouse of a service member on active duty, you are required to submit a copy of the service member's current orders or a Statement of Service letter. The Statement of Service must be signed by the adjutant, personnel officer, or commander of the service member's unit or higher headquarters, AND the Statement of Service letter must include dates of active-duty service. For current federal employees, submit a copy of the most recent SF-50
  • Spouse of a service member who incurred a 100% disability because of the service member's active duty service, you are required to submit a copy of your spouse's DD-214 and a copy of documentation from the Department of Veteran's Affairs or the Department of Defense indicating the service member has a disability rating of 100% due to a service connected disability
  • Spouse of a service member who was killed while on active duty, submit a copy of the spouse's DD-1300 documenting the service member was killed while on active duty and a statement certifying that you have not remarried
• PHS Commissioned Corps Personnel: You must provide a copy of your current personnel orders and/or other supporting documentation to be referred as CC.
• Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) documentation, if applicable. For more information, please go to https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/veterans/
• Documentation supporting eligibility for non-competitive appointment, (severely disabled, eligible veterans, certain military spouses, etc.)

Official documents are not required at this time; copies are sufficient; may be requested upon selection.

Next steps