Information Technology Specialist (Customer Support) Job in North Chicago, IL

Vacancy No. DABR259327121677 Department U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command
Salary $58,897.00 to $90,260.00 Grade 7 to 9
Perm/Temp Temporary FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 7/29/2025 Close Date 8/11/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
North Chicago, IL


Summary

About the Position: The U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command, headquartered in North Chicago, IL, is a jointly staffed command, staffed by representatives of all branches of the Armed Forces. The command, through its 66 military processing locations (Military Entrance Processing Stations (MEPS)/Remote Processing Stations (RPS)), determines whether applicants are qualified for enlistment based on standards set by each of the services.

This position will be filled on a TERM basis.

Duties

  • As an Information Technology Specialist (Customer Support), you will be responsible for the following:
  • Providing technical support to Information Technology (IT) customers.
  • Communicating issues and outages following established information technology policies/procedures.
  • Training customers/users in use of computer systems and applications.
  • Preparing documentation on hardware, software, networks, solutions or workarounds.
  • Analyzing data to troubleshoot computer hardware, software, and network problems.
  • Troubleshooting hardware and software problems.
  • Installing computer hardware and software using established information technology procedures.
  • Following security policies to ensure a secure computing environment.
  • *** These duties are described at the full performance level GS-09. The position is being filled at the GS-07 or GS-09 level. If selected at the GS-07 level the position will be developmental and eligible for non-competitive promotion to GS-09.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • This position requires shift work of 8 hours between the hours of 3:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Starting times may vary and supervisory sets work hours.
  • Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
  • This position has been designated as non-critical sensitive as defined in DoD 5200.2-R, and requires you to possess, or obtain and maintain for the duration of employment, a Secret security clearance.
  • This position requires that you must be able to obtain and retain IT Level II Security Clearance.
  • This position requires you to meet foundational, residential, and annual maintenance requirements per assignment to the Cyber Workforce.

Qualifications

TERM APPOINTMENT INFORMATION:

Position may be filled as a Term Appointment NTE 2 years. Term appointments may be extended beyond six (6) years, up to eight (8) years. With DoD approval, Term appointments may be extended beyond eight (8) years.

Current permanent Federal employees (to include permanent Army employees) applying for a term appointment will be appointed/converted into a term appointment with no statutory return rights back to a permanent position.

This position will NOT be made permanent.

DEVELOPMENTAL: Management may select at any of the grade levels announced. This recruitment provides promotion opportunity to the target grade of the position without further competition when selectee is eligible and recommended by management.

Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities.

  • 30 Percent or More Disabled Veterans
  • Current Department of Defense (DOD) Civilian Employee (non-Army)
  • Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan
  • Military Spouses, under Executive Order (E.O.) 13473
  • Non-Department of Defense (DoD) Transfer
  • People with Disabilities, Schedule A
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible


In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or education requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas:
  • Customer Service
  • Network Management
  • Problem Solving
  • Technical Competence


Basic Requirement for GS-7 level:

Specialized and Other Experience: To qualify based on your experience, your resume must clearly describe at least one year of specialized experience which prepared you to do the work in this job. Specialized experience is defined as experience that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled including: Providing technical support to customers on resolving computer issues (such as issues with operating systems, applications, network, and hardware; Troubleshooting customer computer problems with the use of remote assistance tools; Configuring enterprise email accounts and creating active directory accounts; Logging computer problem events/resolutions into IT trouble/problem tracking database. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-05).

OR

Education: One full year of graduate level education from an accredited or pre-accredited institution in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management; or, graduate level education from an accredited or pre-accredited institution 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

Superior Academic Achievement: Successful completion of all the requirements for a bachelor's degree from an accredited or pre-accredited institution in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management; or, bachelor's degree from an accredited or pre-accredited institution 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. Superior Academic Achievement is based on: (1) Class Standing - You must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR (2) Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) - You must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.; OR (3) Honor Society Membership - You may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achsnatl.org/).

Basic Requirement for GS-9 level:

Specialized and Other Experience: To qualify based on your experience, your resume must clearly describe at least one year of specialized experience which prepared you to do the work in this job. Specialized experience is defined as experience that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled including: Providing hands-on and phone Information Technology (IT) support to customers on resolving computer issues (such as issues with operating systems, applications, network, and hardware); Troubleshooting customer computer problems with the use of remote assistance tools; Configuring enterprise email accounts and creating active directory accounts; Documenting known IT issues, workarounds and/or repairs for use by IT technicians and/or customers; Conducting vulnerability remediation using cyber security tools. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-07).

OR

Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree from an accredited or pre-accredited institution in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management; or, two full years of graduate education from an accredited or pre-accredited institution 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.

AND for both Grade Levels:

THIS SECTION APPLIES TO BOTH GRADE LEVELS: The specialized experience must include, or be supplemented by, information technology related experience (paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training, as appropriate) which demonstrates each of the four competencies, as defined:

(1) Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail. Examples of IT-related experience demonstrating this competency include: completing work independently that rarely requires editing or review by others.

Qualifications continued under Education section below:

Education

Continuation of Qualifications Section:

(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. Examples of IT-related experience demonstrating this competency include: resolving simple and routine problems, questions, or complaints and providing support and guidance to customers on non-routine issues; serving as a primary resource for customers, requesting assistance with complex issues when necessary; and participating in meetings and providing advice to customers in own area of expertise.

(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. Examples of IT-related experience demonstrating this competency include: expressing facts and ideas in a clear, concise, convincing, and organized manner; clearly conveying moderately complex ideas, concepts, and information to customers; exhibiting active listening by demonstrating understanding of audience comments and/or questions.

(4) Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations. Examples of IT-related experience demonstrating this competency include: identifying and solving problems by gathering and applying information from a variety of materials or sources that provide several alternatives; recognizing and taking action to address non-routine problems; soliciting feedback from multiple stakeholders to understand an issue or problem and accurately assess its root causes and potential solutions; seeking supervisory review where appropriate.

Time in Grade Requirement for GS-07:Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-05).

Time in Grade Requirement for GS-09: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-07).

If you are a current, Federal employee, you must include your pay plan, series and grade in your work experience(s) on your resume submission and/or upload supporting documentation (within-grade increase SF50) to show that you meet the time-in-grade requirement. In addition, if your step reflects '00', you must include your current salary for each position.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show 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 an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

In order to qualify for this position, based on your education, education substitution, or combination of education and experience, you must have either completed the education requirement, or will complete this requirement within 30 days from the closing date of this announcement. If you will not complete this requirement within 30 days from the closing date of this announcement, you will be rated as Not Qualified for this position.

You must provide appropriate documentation to reflect when you will meet the education requirement. Appropriate documentation includes: (1) Resume indicating your projected completion/graduation date; (2) Transcripts indicating your projected completion/graduation date; (3) A letter signed by the institutions registrar indicating your projected completion/graduation date.

Additional information

  • Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
  • You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
  • One year trial/probationary period may be required.
  • Direct deposit of pay is required.
  • Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
  • If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
  • This is a Career Field (CF) Digital Technology position.
  • You may claim military spouse preference (MSP).
  • If a MSP applicant is determined best qualified and selected, placement must be at the full performance level for priority consideration.
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
  • Recruitment/Relocation incentive may be authorized if determined to be in the best interest of the Federal Government and requirements are met.
  • Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
  • Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.
  • This position is in the AFGE Bargaining Unit.
  • This is not a drug testing position.
  • This is not an emergency essential position.
  • Equal Employment Opportunity Policy: The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), 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 learn more, please consult the following resources: Equal Employment (EEO) Office at OPM or Office of Equal Opportunity.

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.

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.

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.

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

You may claim Military Spouse preference.

Military Spouse Preference (MSP) applicants will receive preference consideration and will be placed (if selected) at the highest grade for which they have applied and are determined best qualified, up to and including the full performance level.

You may claim Priority Placement Program (PPP) preference.

DoD Priority Placement Program (PPP) Applicants will receive preference consideration at the full-performance grade level only.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority for this position. To receive selection priority, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria (2) be rated well-qualified for the position and; (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. To be considered well-qualified and receive selection priority applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a score of 90 or above. Additional information about the program is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website.

Required Documents

The documents you are required to submit vary based on the authority you are using to apply (i.e., applying as a veteran, applying as a current permanent Federal employee, applying as a reinstatement, etc). Please review the following links to see which documents you need to provide to prove your eligibility to apply: Applicant Checklist for Internal/Merit Promotion Announcements.

As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

1. Your resume:

  • Your resume may be submitted in any format and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement.
  • If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
  • For qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week and the dates of employment (i.e., HRS per week and month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you may not receive consideration for this position.
  • For additional information see: What to include in your resume.
2. Other supporting documents:
  • Cover Letter, optional
  • Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
  • Proof of Eligibility to Apply: Your application must include the documents which prove you are eligible to apply for the vacancy. The Proof of Eligibility document describes authorities commonly used in merit promotion recruitment and what document(s) are required to prove you meet the requirements of the authority. You must meet the requirements of at least one of the authorities listed in the Who May Apply section above to receive further consideration.
  • Time-in-grade documentation: If you are applying for a higher grade and your SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you meet the one year time-in-grade requirement so you will need to provide an SF-50 which clearly demonstrates you meet the time-in-grade requirements (examples of appropriate SF-50s include Promotions, Within-grade Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s with an effective date more than one year old).
  • This position has an individual occupational requirement and/or allows for substitution of education for experience. If you meet this requirement based on education you MUST submit a copy of your transcript with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. See: Transcripts and Licenses
NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

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

To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on08/11/2025 to receive consideration.

  • To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12771677).
  • Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
  • After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
  • You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
  • It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
  • Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. 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/

Agency contact information

Army Applicant Help Desk
Address
BR-W37NAA US ARMY MIL ENTRANCE PROCESSING CMD
DO NOT MAIL
North Chicago, IL 60064
US

Next steps

If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration.


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


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