Clarification from the agency

ALL US CITIZENS DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.205) for this occupation.

OIT Mission: The mission of the Office of Information and Technology (OIT) is to collaborate with our business partners to create the best experience for all Veterans.

OIT Vision: To become a world-class organization that provides a seamless, unified Veteran experience through the delivery of state-of-the-art technology.

Major Duties:

• Responsible for setting up and maintaining a system or specific components of a system (e.g. for example, installing, configuring, and updating hardware and software.
• Managing user accounts, overseeing or conducting backup and recovery tasks.
• Implementing operational and technical security controls and adhering to organizational security policies and procedures.
• Provides technical support to customers who need assistance utilizing client-level hardware and software in accordance with established or approved process components.
• The incumbent performs work that involves planning, installation, configuration, testing, implementation, and management of the systems environment in support of the organization's IT architecture.
• Supports enterprise core services/applications that utilizes enterprise core infrastructure and help customer to resolve their infrastructure and service-related issues.
• Providing oversight, direction and support for VA's enterprise client/server systems.
• Planning, implementation and support of Back Office and other enterprise-level software products and systems that may include but, not limited to: Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM)2005, NetIQ Applications Manager, Network and Service troubleshooting tools, and national DNS Architecture.
• Evaluating, selecting, verifying, and validating the systems software environment.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm; Tour of duty may be subject to change based on organizational needs.
Compressed/Flexible: As determined by the Agency Policy.
Telework: ADHOC telework may be authorized at management discretion. VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies.
Travel Required: Up to 25% travel may be required, as needed, for this position.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: It Specialist (OS)/PD02473A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Physical Demands: The work is sedentary. Some work may require walking and standing in conjunction with travel and attendance at meetings and conferences away from the work site. Some employees may carry light items, such as papers, books, small parts or drive a motor vehicle. The Work does not require any special physical effort.
Working Conditions: The work area is adequately lighted, heated and ventilated. The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions. Some employees may occasionally be exposed to uncomfortable conditions in such places as research and production facilities.
Designated Drug Testing Position: Not applicable

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• This is not a remote position. OI&T has multiple worksites at various duty locations, and the individual(s) selected may be assigned to any federal government work site.
• Only resumes up to TWO total pages will be accepted. Applicants with resumes exceeding the two page limit will be removed from consideration. Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which you will be evaluated for continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: 1) Your performance and conduct; 2) The needs and interests of the agency; 3) Whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and 4) Whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/11/2026.

Applicants must meet all requirements when a request is received to fill a vacancy. You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

Experience:Experience must be IT related; the experience may be demonstrated by paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training (for example, IT certification), as appropriate. For all positions individuals must have IT-related experience, demonstrating each of the five competencies listed below. The employing agency is responsible for identifying the specific level of proficiency required for each competency at each grade level based on the requirements of the position being filled.

• 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.
• 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.

AND

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

1. Advanced Systems Engineering & Architecture Experience designing, implementing, and optimizing broad enterprise IT infrastructure, encompassing cloud services, virtualized environments, and diverse technology stacks.
2. Complex Troubleshooting & Incident Resolution Experience diagnosing and resolving highly complex system issues involving interoperability, performance degradation, system failures, and multi component dependencies across servers, networks, and enterprise applications. Work reflects independent technical judgment and the application of advanced diagnostic techniques.
3. System Enhancements, Automation, & Security Experience architecting and deploying system enhancements, automated workflows, and security configurations in alignment with enterprise policy and best practices.
4. Technical Authority & Guidance Experience providing authoritative technical guidance to cross-functional engineering teams on diverse technology stacks, systems integration, and the evaluation of emerging engineering tools.
5. Cross-Functional Engineering & Integration Experience leading adaptable, enterprise-wide engineering initiatives such as cloud transitions, infrastructure-as-code deployments, and full-stack performance optimization across dynamic project demands.
6. Independent Performance at an Expert Level Experience performing assignments requiring mastery of operating systems concepts and analytical techniques typical of GS 13-level work, executed with minimal supervision and requiring adaptation of methods, interpretation of technical guidance, and proactive problem resolution. Customer Service: Experience working with multiple customers concurrently to assess needs, provide information or assistance, resolve technical problems, prioritize efforts, and follow up to provide quality products and services. Communication: Experience expressing information to multiple audiences through clear, convincing, logical oral and written communication, listening effectively to understand requirements, and developing technical documentation.

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; religions; 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.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

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.

Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

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; religions; 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.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

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

• Resume

Other accepted documents:

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Other (1)
• Other (2)
• Other (3)
• Other (4)
• Other (5)
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Proof of Marriage Status
• Reasonable Accommodation Documentation
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application. Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted. You will not be contacted for additional information.

Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

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