Clarification from the agency

Open to All U.S. Citizens and U.S. Nationals

This vacancy will be filled through DHS/TSA's Direct-Hire Authority pursuant to TSA MD 1100.30-36. Under the Direct-Hire Authority, category grouping and Veterans' Preference does not apply.

This Information Technology Specialist (Direct Hire) position is located Enterprise Support, Information Technology, Technology Solutions Division (TSD), Transportation Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Duties include but are not limited to:

• Leads in software development project planning to ensure operational awareness of pending application design and functionality changes and analyzes the impact to operations and maintenance. Performs secure programming and identifies potential flaws in codes to mitigate vulnerabilities. Makes optimal use of resources under limited supervision to complete activities within established schedules.
• Technical proficiency in developing technical requirements for new or modified applications; analyzes and determines optimal hardware and software configurations; provides technical guidance in the design, coding, testing, and debugging process; assists customers in installing applications; troubleshoots post-installation problems; and coordinates the technical support of deployed applications.
• Contribute and participate as a member of a team developing preliminary design specifications; meets with customers to collect information about business requirements; and presents draft specifications to the team leader for discussion.
• Provides support for the Information System Security Officer (ISSO) and System Owner (SO) community in support of authorization activities. May represent the Division at meetings and conferences. Prepares briefings, status updates, option papers, and decision memoranda for senior specialists to address problems and recommend courses for action. Presents briefings to obtain consensus/approval on policies and projects. May act as a key technical point of contact for assigned activities.

Conditions of employment

1. You must possess U.S. Citizenship or be a U.S. National.
2. You must have reached the minimum age (18) at the time of application.
3. You must complete a favorable Background Investigation (BI).
4. Selective Service registration is required.
5. You must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret Clearance.

If you fail to meet the conditions of employment or any other pre-employment requirements, such as missing any of the scheduled appointments, the hiring agency may rescind their tentative offer of employment.

Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for TSA to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.

Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.

Qualifications

FOR ALL IT POSITIONS: To qualify, you must have IT-related experience demonstrating 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.

In addition to the minimum qualifications described above, you must meet the following requirement(s) to be considered qualified for the position:

To qualify for the SV-G pay band (equivalent to the GS-5/7/9), you must meet one of the qualification requirements (A, B, OR C) outlined below:
A. Experience: For those qualifying using experience, your application must clearly outline three (3) years of progressively responsible general experience, one year of which was equivalent to at least GS-4 in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Such experience will demonstrate the ability to:

• Analyze problems to identify significant factors, gather pertinent data and recognize solutions; and
• Plan and organize work; and
• Communicate effectively orally and in writing;

OR

B. Education: Undergraduate or Graduate Education: Degree 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

C. Combining of Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements, and may be computed by first determining the total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the position; then determining the education as a percentage of the education required for the position; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for the position.

Credit for experience is given based on a 40-hour workweek. Part-time experience is credited on a part-time ratio, i.e., working 20 hours per week for two months equals one month of experience. No additional credit is given for overtime.

National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

You must meet the qualification requirements for this position no later than the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

The Ideal candidate for this position will have training in the following areas: Agile methodology to design, test, and implement solutions to meet the needs of the end users; Training in developing software using modern tools and methods including, git-based version control, Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery, test driven design (TDD), and integrated DevSecOps collaboration platforms (e.g. GitLab, GitHub); And training deploying containerized software packages on Kubernetes-based Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) platforms.

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 a comparison of the position requirements against the quality and extent of the experience and/or related education as reflected in your resume and supporting documentation. You are encouraged to ensure work experiences clearly show possession of the competencies required for this position. We will compare your resume and supporting documentation to your responses on the assessment questionnaire. If, after reviewing your resume and any supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your category placement may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job.


Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies that are relevant to the duties of this position and must be fully supported by information in your resume:



You may preview the questions for this vacancy here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12806985

The following documents are required and must be provided with your application. Applicants who do not submit required documentation to determine eligibility and qualifications will be eliminated from consideration. Documentation is needed to verify the eligibilities you are claiming.

Resume Requirements:

1. All applicants are required to submit a resume limited to two (2) pages.
2. Narrative description of duties with start and end dates (including month and year) for work experience.
3. Number of hours worked in a position (i.e., full-time or part-time). If part-time, (i.e., less than 40 hours per week) state the total number of hours worked per week.
4. If you are a current Federal employee or previous Federal employee, provide your performance level for federal civilian positions (i.e., band or grade).

If your resume does not contain this information, your application will be marked as insufficient, and you will not receive consideration for this position.

Do NOT include photographs (or links to social media such as LinkedIn), inappropriate content, classified information, nor personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number, etc. on your resume.

Utilizing the USAJOBS Resume Builder and completing all available fields is strongly encouraged.

Transcripts: If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed under the Qualifications and Evaluations section, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript(s) with your application. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.

Veterans: If claiming VEOA or Veterans Preference- submit a copy of the official DD-214, which must include the character of service (i.e., with an Honorable or General discharge). If no DD-214 is available, please submit a memo/certification of military service as outlined in the VOW Act. This will be annotated in block 24 on member copy 2,4, or 7 of the DD-214. If claiming veterans' consideration which involves considering your disability rating, you must submit a VA Letter or a disability determination from a branch of the Armed Forces. Note: All veterans claiming 10-point preference must also submit a SF-15.

Note: VOW Act Certification-- A "certification" is any written document from the armed forces that certifies the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active-duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions within 120 days after the certification is submitted by the applicant. The certification letter should be on letterhead of the appropriate military branch of the service and contain (1) the military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; and (2) the character of service.

If the certification has expired; an agency must request other documentation (e.g., a copy of the DD form 214) that demonstrates the service member is a preference eligible per 5 U.S.C. 2108, before veterans' preference can be awarded.

TSA Employees: Current TSA employees are strongly encouraged to submit the most recent non-Award SF-50, at the time of application, to support eligibility for Status consideration. TSA employees who do not submit the SF-50 with the application must document their current TSA position in their resume and may be required to provide the SF-50 document during the selection process. TSA employees may obtain a copy of their most recent non-Award SF-50 at https://eopf.opm.gov/dhs/.

Current or Former Federal Civilian employees (Non-TSA): You must submit a legible copy of a SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action. The SF-50 block 24 must contain a "1" or "2" AND block 34 must contain a "1" or "2."

Individuals with Disabilities: Documentation of eligibility for employment under this hiring authority can be obtained from a licensed medical professional (e.g., a physician or other medical professional certified by a state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory to practice medicine); a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist (i.e., state or private); or any Federal agency, state agency, or agency of the District of Columbia or a U.S. territory that issues or provides disability benefits. Documentation is used to verify that the individual being hired is indeed a person with an intellectual disability, severe physical disability, or psychiatric disability.

Military Spouse Preference:If you are eligible based on one of the below, please submit the following:
(1) spouse of an active-duty member of the armed forces: DD214 of spouse, marriage license, and PCS orders showing dependency (if applicable)
(2) a spouse of a service member who is 100% disabled due to a service-connected injury: DD214 of spouse, marriage license, and VA Letter or disability determination showing 100%
(3) spouse of a service member killed while on active duty: DD214 of spouse, marriage license, documentation from the Armed Forces casualty office

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