IT Specialist (SysAdmin) Job in Denver, CO

Vacancy No. EPA-X8-ODH-2024-0013 Department Environmental Protection Agency
Salary $96,684.00 to $125,685.00 Grade 12 to 12
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 9/11/2024 Close Date 9/24/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Denver, CO


Job Description (Please follow all instructions carefully)

Summary

This position is in Region 8, Mission Support Division, Information Management Branch, Info Technology Services Section. About Region 8.

This is an office-centered position*--you must physically report to the duty station stated in this announcement on a regular basis.
*EPA offers work-from-home and work schedule flexibilities as described in the Benefits section.

Duties

You will:

  • Serve as an advisor in the design and implementation of hardware and software systems in a variety of operating system environments, including database systems, application servers, web servers, messaging systems, enterprise tools, network infrastructure, and related business systems.
  • Develop and implement diagnostic and maintenance tools to ensure availability and functionality of systems required in support of organizational objectives.
  • Develop and ensure rigorous application of security policies, principles, and practices in the delivery of systems administration services to identify new threats and correct vulnerabilities.
  • Develop outreach strategies and materials to communicate information about system changes to customers, stakeholders and internal and external partners, including states, tribes and the private sector.
  • Serve as Project Officer, Contracting Officer Representative (COR) or Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR) with responsibility for assuring contractors perform the technical and management requirements of IT contracts in accordance with contract terms, conditions, and specifications in terms of cost, quality, quantity and schedule.

You will spend less than 25% of your work time on contracts, grants/cooperative agreements, and/or interagency agreements.

One or more positions may be filled (in the organization advertised and/or in other organizations), if appropriate to the position.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen.
  • You must submit a resume and required documents--see How to Apply section.

This position is designated as High Risk and requires a background investigation. Unless an appropriate background investigation is already on record with the Office of Personnel Management, you must undergo a background investigation. All conditions of the pre-employment security process must be met before an official letter of employment can be issued with a report for duty date.

If you are selected, you may be required to complete a one-year probationary period.

#LI-Onsite

Qualifications

NOTE:  You must meet qualification requirements, including any requirements described in the Education section, by the closing date of this announcement.

In addition to the basic education requirements, you must have specialized experience and/or directly related education as described below:

To qualify for the GS-12 level, you need to have at least one year of full-time experience equivalent to the GS-11 level defined as optimizing the functionality of hardware and/or software systems; diagnosing and recovering failed systems; developing and implementing migration strategies and continuity of operations during deployments.

Your application package will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas:

  • Skill in researching specifications and proposing recommendations to acquire new IT systems and software.
  • Skill in using tools to assess server performance, availability, capacity or configuration problems, and install software and hardware, systems fixes, updates and enhancements.
  • Knowledge of information technology operating systems, database systems, hardware, local area networks, and software applications.
  • Skill in oral communications to represent the organization on intra-agency/inter-agency workgroups or committees involving systems administration issues or changes.
  • Skill in written communications to prepare presentations, systems documentation, and reports.
  • Knowledge of contract management sufficient to oversee requirements of IT contracts in accordance with terms, conditions, and specifications.

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.

*If you have part-time work experience, read this: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.

Education

2210 - Information Technology Management: 

You must have one of the following:

-bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university 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;

OR

-IT-related experience demonstrating each of these four competencies: 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 information about accreditation requirements, visit EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.

Additional information

Except in special circumstances, those new to the federal government will be hired at the starting salary (step 1) of the applicable grade range listed in the Overview section.

EPA participates in E-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees. For additional information: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.

Are you a Displaced Federal Employee? If so, please read the Required Documents section and visit the EPA website for additional information: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values at EPA. Our excellence can only be fully realized by staff who share our commitment to these values. Successful candidates are committed to advancing equity and inclusion in the Agency’s workplace and mission. We encourage applications from candidates with a variety of personal experiences, values, and worldviews that arise from differences of culture and circumstance. At EPA, diversity is a vital element in bringing a balance of perspectives to bear on every challenge we face. We are committed to creating a diverse workforce because we know that the individual strengths and abilities of our employees make us a stronger organization. The more inclusive our employee base is, the greater the variety of ideas that are generated, and the more representative we are of the nation we serve. To learn more about how EPA values and supports our diverse workforce, visit Equal Opportunity Employment at EPA.

If you are selected, travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid by EPA. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting to work in this position will be your responsibility.

This position is in the bargaining unit.

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.

Join EPA in protecting human health and the environment and enjoy many work life quality options! Working for the EPA offers you a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, life insurance, health benefits, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. To learn more about us, visit Life and Careers at EPA.

EPA offers workplace flexibilities as described on the EPA Benefits page. These flexibilities are not guaranteed, and eligibility will be determined in accordance with position requirements, policy, and/or applicable Collective Bargaining Agreement after you are hired.

PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS (PSLF):  As a federal employee, you may be eligible for student loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. The PSLF program forgives the remaining balance on federal Direct Loans after you have made 120 qualifying payments while working full-time for a qualifying employer, including EPA. Learn more:  pslf.gov

This position has portable work. If selected for this position, you may be eligible for partial work-from-home flexibilities after meeting eligibility requirements, as allowable by agency policy and/or applicable collective bargaining agreement.

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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

This position is being filled through the Office of Personnel Management’s government-wide direct-hire authority.  Under the provisions of the direct-hire authority, category rating, veterans’ preference, and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply.  All eligible applicants will be forwarded to the selecting official for further consideration, and you may be subject to assessments during the selection process (e.g., technical writing sample or other work sample, job knowledge test, case scenario analysis, scientific data assessment, structured interview, etc.).  If you are selected, we will review your resume and required documents to ensure you meet the qualification requirements.


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

Required documents to be submitted online:

ALL APPLICANTS

  • Resume clearly stating your experience related to this position as described in the Duties section and Qualifications section. In describing your experience, you need to be clear and specific (we may not make assumptions regarding your experience). PLEASE LIMIT YOUR RESUME TO A MAXIMUM OF 7 PAGES.

APPLICANTS QUALIFYING BASED ON EDUCATION OR A COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

  • College transcripts - unofficial or official transcripts or a list of courses that includes school(s) attended, school address, course title, grades earned, completion dates, department, and quarter or semester hours earned.
    NOTE: Official educational transcripts are not required at the time of application; however, if you are selected, you must provide official transcripts before you start work with EPA.
    IF EDUCATION WAS COMPLETED AT A FOREIGN INSTITUTION: You must submit an equivalency evaluation with your application as described here: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.

 DISPLACED FEDERAL EMPLOYEES WHO ARE ICTAP/CTAP ELIGIBLE

  • Most recent performance appraisal
  • Proof of eligibility
  • Most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, tenure, and duty station

To learn more about submitting documentation, visit Uploading Documents to USAJOBS.

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

You are strongly encouraged to read the entire announcement before you submit your application for this position.

To begin the application process, click the Apply button to the top right on this screen, follow the prompts to log-in/register, submit all required documents, and complete the assessment questionnaire. To be considered, you must submit a complete application package by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the day the announcement closes.

All required supporting documents will be collected electronically via the USAJOBS document portfolio feature.

If you cannot apply online, you must contact the Human Resources Office listed below for assistance no later than two business days prior to the closing date of this announcement. You must provide complete application materials by the day the announcement closes.

For detailed instructions to assist you in ensuring your application package is received, go to EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

EPA welcomes applications from persons with disabilities. Through the reasonable accommodation process, we provide persons with disabilities an equal opportunity to enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment that persons without disabilities enjoy. A reasonable accommodation is any change in the work environment or in the way things are customarily done. An accommodation removes workplace barriers and enables an applicant with a disability to have an equal opportunity to participate in the application process, be considered for a position, and, if hired, perform the essential functions of their job.

The EPA National Reasonable Accommodation Coordinators will provide assistance to you, the Human Resources Office, and/or the hiring official as needed. For more information, refer to EPA’s Reasonable Accommodation website. Below is more detailed information about how to request a reasonable accommodation during the application, selection, and hiring process:

    • If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process (submitting the application or completing the application process), contact the Human Resources Office listed below no later than two business days prior to the closing date of this announcement, and the Human Resources Office will work directly with you.
    • If you are referred to the hiring official for consideration and need an accommodation during the selection process, including the interview, notify the person who contacted you from the hiring official’s office. If you do not hear back within three days about your reasonable accommodation request for the selection process, please notify EPA’s National Reasonable Accommodation Coordinators via email at disabilityaccommodations@epa.gov.
    • If you are selected and need an accommodation during the hiring process up to orientation, notify the HR Specialist who made the job offer to you.

Please note: Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Agency contact information

Elizabeth Castillo
Address
Environmental Protection Agency
OMS/OHCO/RCD
1200 Pennsylvania Ave NW
WJC Bldg North, Mail Code 1448K
Washington, District of Columbia 20460
United States
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

You can track the progress of your application via your USAJOBS account by clicking the Track This Application link. Through your USAJOBS account, you will be notified of the status of your application at four touch-points (some of these notifications may be combined):  (1) when your application is received; (2) when we conduct an eligibility and qualification review of your application package; (3) when applications are referred (or not) to the hiring manager; (4) when a selection is made (or not) for the position or the job is canceled. It is your responsibility to check your USAJOBS account for this application status information. In addition, you will be contacted if further evaluation or interviews are required. If you are selected, you will be contacted personally by the human resources office posting this announcement.

NOTE:  We may verify all information you provide in your resume and questionnaire responses through reference and/or background check, and/or verification of your education. Any exaggeration of your experience, false statements, or attempt to conceal information may disqualify you for employment consideration.


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