Program Analyst

Clarification from the agency

OST-wide employees with competitive status only.

As a Program Analyst, you will:

• Assesses tasks routinely performed by OACP staff with an understanding of office mission, function, and needs and recommends
  changes or improvements that can be obtained through IT and automation.
• Define business capability requirements and serves as the primary sponsor with various DOT offices and external contractors on IT
  projects, including but not limited to development and implementation of OACP IT, training, development of enhancements and future
  releases, development of requirements, and requests for Information (RFIs) and Requests for Proposals/Quotations (RFP/RFQ), and
  reviewing and evaluating technical competencies. This includes reviewing and evaluating technical competencies of proposed IT
  solutions and contractor deliverables to ensure they align with functional business requirements and meet the operational standards of
  OACP.
• Act as the business process owner for OACP IT as needed, responsible for maximizing the value of an IT product by performing a
  variety of tasks, in coordination with IT professionals, including prioritization, management of the backlog of bugs/issues, working to
  bridge the gap between strategy and development, working with stakeholders to formulate requirements, organizing sprint planning
  sessions, improving user stories, answering questions from developers and/or other staff, and planning for product releases.
  Additionally, the business process owner coordinates ongoing operation and maintenance of IT with relevant offices.
• Collaborate and interfaces with relevant counterparts throughout the Department to establish a strategic roadmap for business
  process evolution and create reasonable schedules for delivery of OACP-specific IT product releases and/or system enhancements that
  are then executed upon by the Office of the Chief Digital Information Office (OCDIO) and contract developers and designers as
  applicable.
• Coordinates with OACP, OCDIO, and other Department personnel to develop and maintain an updated high level Process Improvement
  Roadmap, Product Roadmap and Project Schedule of planned project milestones for OACP-specific IT on an ongoing basis.

The ideal candidate is a strategic and results-oriented professional with experience leading business process improvement, IT modernization, and digital transformation initiatives. The candidate must possess strong skills in business analysis, stakeholder engagement, product ownership, and project management, with the ability to assess operational needs, develop technology requirements, and coordinate with IT teams and contractors to deliver effective solutions. The candidate must be adept at managing system enhancements, prioritizing requirements, developing roadmaps, tracking project performance, and communicating progress, risks, and recommendations to leadership. The candidate must demonstrate the ability to bridge business and technical functions, drive collaboration across relevant offices, and ensure compliance with federal requirements related to information technology, data management, records management, and governance while delivering technology solutions that enhance operational efficiency and mission outcomes.

Conditions of employment

• Must meet specialized experience stated in Qualifications section
• Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date
• Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance the organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

• SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
• GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel.  A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
• BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: A background security investigation is required for all selected individuals. Appointment will be subject to the applicant’s successful completion of the security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
• PROBATIONARY PERIOD: You must complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).
• TIME-IN-GRADE: Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade in the competitive or excepted service in the executive branch to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions contained in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.
• TELEWORK ELIGIBILITY: This position may be eligible for situational telework. Telework approval will be determined by your immediate supervisor or manager following the agency’s telework policy and guidance. If participating in the telework program, you will be required to sign a telework agreement detailing agency telework policy requirements, working conditions, and expectations for the position. 

Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the specialized experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration.

To qualify for the Grade 14, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-13, it must include:

• Experience analyzing business processes and operational requirements to identify and implement technology and automation solutions that improve organizational performance, developing business requirements, performance metrics, and user engagement strategies for information technology (IT) systems.
• Experience serving as a liaison among business stakeholders, OCDIO, and contractors throughout the system development lifecycle; managing IT projects, system enhancements, agile development, sprint planning, product backlogs, and release planning.
• Experience developing strategic roadmaps, project schedules, and status reports; and ensuring compliance with federal policies and requirements related to information technology, records management, and program operations.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

• Project Management - Knowledge of the principles, methods, or tools for developing, scheduling, coordinating, and managing projects and
  resources, including monitoring and inspecting costs, work, and contractor performance.
• Information Resources Strategy and Planning - Knowledge of the principles, methods, and techniques of information technology (IT) assessment, planning, management, monitoring, and evaluation, such as IT baseline assessment, interagency functional analysis, contingency planning, and disaster recovery.
• Information Technology Program Management - Knowledge of the principles, methods, and tools for the coordinated management of an IT
  program to include providing oversight of multiple IT projects, integrating dependent schedules and deliverables, and related activities (for
  example, benefits management, life cycle management, program governance).
  
  

For all types of 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, 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.

For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link:  https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4

All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

How you will be evaluated

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

DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume/ application does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination. Please ensure that your resume contains specific information such as position titles, beginning and ending dates of employment for each position, average number of hours worked per week, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level. 

Eligible Federal employees also seeking consideration for noncompetitive reassignment for this position, must indicate interest in the assessment. Noncompetitive federal candidates must have competitive status on a SF-50, meet minimum qualifications, have served at the same grade or higher, and held or exceeded the promotion potential of this position.

Your application will be reviewed in two phases determine how you move forward in the hiring process.  Phase I: Your resume will be reviewed to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. ONLY two (2) pages of your resume will be reviewed. Additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume) will not be reviewed.  Applicants passing “Phase I” will move on to the “Phase II” of the assessment process where your application will be reviewed and rated based on the KSAs/Competencies listed in the vacancy announcement by a Subject Matter Expert (SME).

• your most recent performance appraisal,
• the proof of eligibility letter from the Agency, and
• your most current SF-50, displaying current series and grade. 
• YOU MUST SUBMIT ALL 3 documents and meet the well qualified standards for this vacancy (meeting minimum requirements for position and scoring at least an 80) to be considered under CTAP.

Displaced employees may be eligible for CTAP priority consideration. For more information, please review the OPM Employee's Guide to Career Transition.

Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents.  Uploading documents to USAJobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system.

 

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