Senior Advisor Chief Software Architect Job

Vacancy No. DCSA-25-12613946-DISL Department Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency
Salary $180,000.00 to $204,000.00 Grade 00 to 00
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 11/19/2024 Close Date 12/3/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Hanover, MDQuantico, VA


Summary

DCSA Program Executive Office (PEO) is seeking a Chief Software Architect for the National Background Investigation Services (NBIS), responsible for leading the design & development of software systems that align with the program's business strategy, technology direction, and priorities. As the highest authority in the architectural software design, this position collaborates with senior management, product teams, and engineers to deliver scalable, high-quality software solutions.

Duties

As the Chief Software Architect, the position will advise senior management by providing insights on the best design and development of complex software systems to meet the NBIS mission. NBIS is the federal government's one-stop-shop IT system for end-to-end personnel vetting - from initiation and application to background investigation, adjudication, and continuous vetting. NBIS will be one consolidated system designed to deliver robust data protection, enhance customer experience, and better integrate data across the enterprise. The Chief Software Architect will ensure the alignment of software development with the programs' s business strategy, technology direction, and priorities. The incumbent performs a variety of duties and is responsible for the following:

Strategic Leadership:
- Define and communicate the program's software architecture strategy, vision, and roadmap, ensuring integration with software development initiatives.
- Align software architecture with business goals, processes, and strategic objectives, focusing on software alignment across teams.

Architectural Design and Oversight:
- Design and oversee the architecture of complex software systems, ensuring high performance, scalability, and reliability.
- Develop architectural frameworks, guidelines, and standards for software development and testing to be followed by development teams.

Collaboration and Communication:
- Work closely with product managers to understand and incorporate requirements into the software architecture and integration processes.
- Regularly communicate architectural decisions and directions to senior management and key stakeholders, fostering transparency.
- Foster collaboration between software engineers, system architects, and other technical staff to enhance integration and alignment.

Technical Guidance and Mentorship:
- Provide technical leadership and mentorship to software development teams, focusing on best practices in coding and testing.
- Conduct architectural reviews and code reviews, ensuring adherence to best practices, standards, and effective software testing protocols.

Documentation and Compliance:
- Ensure compliance with relevant regulatory and industry standards in all software development, integration, and testing activities.

Quality and Performance:
- Ensure software solutions meet or exceed security, performance, and quality standards through rigorous testing and evaluation.
- Implement and oversee practices to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the software development lifecycle, emphasizing continuous integration and testing.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Must be a U.S Citizen
  • Male born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
  • Resume and supporting documents received by 11:59 PM EST will be considered
  • This is a Drug Testing designated position
  • Position is a Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) Position in the Excepted Service under U.S.C 1601
  • Tour of Duty: Flexible within Agency policy
  • Permanent Change of Station (PCS): May be Authorized
  • Supervisory Position: No
  • Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA): Exempt
  • Financial Disclosure: OGE-278e, Executive Personnel Financial Disclosure, is required
  • Telework Eligibility: This position is telework eligible, but is not a full time telework position. The incumbent will be required to report to the office on a routine basis.
  • This position is designated Special Sensitive, the incumbent must obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI Security Clearance.
  • The incumbent may be subject to a two-year DCIPS trial period, unless required trial period has been served.
  • The incumbent may be subject to a one-year DISL trial period, unless required trial period has been served.
  • This position may require occasional Temporary Duty Travel (TDY) and/or local travel.
  • This position is designated as Mission Essential.

Qualifications

TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (TQ): All applicants must submit written statements (narrative format) of accomplishments that would satisfy the technical qualifications. You must address each technical qualification separately. Please limit your written statements to 2 pages per technical qualification.
  1. Extensive Software Development Experience & Architectural Design and Patterns: Expert knowledge in software development, with hands-on experience in coding and development practices. This typically involves proficiency in multiple programming languages and paradigms such as object-oriented, functional, and concurrent programming. A deep understanding of software architecture principles and design patterns is essential. This includes experience with architectural styles such as microservices, service-oriented architecture (SOA), and event-driven architecture. Familiarity with design patterns like Model View Controller, Django, ASP, Angular, Spring, Symfony, or Ruby. The Chief Software Architect must have a solid command on technology and industry trends. Must be well-versed in current technology trends and tools, including cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), DevSecOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), and emerging technologies like AI/ML and blockchain.
  2. Experience in System Integration and Scalability: Demonstrated proficiency in designing systems that are scalable, robust, and secure. This means having a solid understanding of load balancing, distributed systems, cloud computing, and integration of disparate systems through APIs or middleware.
  3. Exceptional problem-solving skills are necessary to address complex software design and architectural issues. This involves the ability to critically analyze technology problems, assess the feasibility of technology solutions, and make data-driven decisions to ensure optimal architecture alignment with business goals. Demonstrated mastery of communication skills, both written and oral, to represent the concepts and programmatic proposals internal to and externally across a wide range of stakeholders and constituencies and enlist them in support of program and acquisition direction and requirements.
  4. Experience in developing and maintaining technology strategy and oversight of complex IT acquisition programs; portfolio management expertise should include prioritization, workforce optimization, architecture integration, and agile development, resource planning, to include agile lean portfolio management. Expert knowledge and experience in agile program management of large-scale information technology systems acquisition programs, and an /Advanced Level III Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certified.

Joint Duty Credit: All DCSA executive level positions require Joint Duty Credit. Unless a waiver is approved (see Note below), only those candidates who meet the Joint Duty Credit requirement will be eligible to compete/be considered for a senior executive position. Employees will receive joint duty credit for almost any rotational assignment to another IC component and may also be eligible to receive credit for service outside the IC (military, other government, or private sector) that was at least at the GS/GG-11 or DCIPS Pay Band 3 level, that occurred on or after September 11, 2001. An external candidate, if selected, will be required to immediately apply for Joint Duty credit.

Note: Employees without Joint Duty Credit may apply for the position and can be considered. If selected, a waiver would be required prior to final appointment. DCSA seniors without Joint Duty at the same tier level may lateral into the position if selected without requesting a waiver.

Education

This position does not have a positive education requirement.

Additional information

This position may be extended, and may become permanent without further competition. Per DoDI 1400.25-V2005, term appointments terminate automatically upon the expiration date unless approval has been granted for an extension or the employee resigns or is separated at an earlier date These appointments may be terminated at any time by the DoD Component.

Level III Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certified.

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.

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. We will review your resume and supporting documents, for quality and extent of your total accomplishments, experience and education as it relates to the fundamental competencies required for this position. Your application will be evaluated by a rating and ranking panel, and highly qualified candidates may undergo an interview and a reference check process.

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete application package which includes:

1. Resume - Your resume listing your name, contact information, work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed. If multiple resumes are submitted by an applicant, only the last resume submitted will be referred for consideration.

2. Technical Qualifications - Completed supplemental narrative in a separate document that gives specific examples of work experiences addressing each technical qualification. Your narrative should be no more than 2 pages for each technical qualification.

3. Standard Form (SF) 50 - If you are a current or former Federal civilian employee, you must submit your last or most recent SF-50 showing grade and tenure.

4. Veteran's Documents -: If applying using veteran's preference you must submit your DD214 showing character of service (SERVICE-2 OR MEMBER-4) or Statement of Service that includes a character of service, and if claiming Disabled Veteran preference, you must also submit an SF-15 Form and VA letter AB-4 showing final percentage.

5. Joint Duty Credit Information - If selected, additional documentation may be required prior to appointment.

DO NOT submit additional information (i.e. awards, appraisals, pages in excess of the limit for the MTQs and/or ECQs).

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package as described in Required Documents section.

Click 'Apply Online' to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account.

1. Follow the prompts to upload required documents.
2. Applications must be received by the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.

To review the status of an application through USAJOBS:

1. Log into your USAJOBS account
2. Click Application Status within your profile to expand your application
3. Locate the job announcement and click the more information link under the Status column for this position. You will be routed to Application Manager. The Details tab displays by default. The Details tab displays comprehensive information about the selected Application Package including: supporting documents and their status, correspondence sent to you by the hiring agency, and your application processing status.

Please review the General Application Information and Definitions at:
http://www.dla.mil/Portals/104/Documents/Careers/downloads/DoDGenAppInfo.pdf

Agency contact information

DE Applicant Inquires
Address
Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency
27130 Telegraph Road
Quantico, VA 22134
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Once you successfully complete the application process, you will receive a notification of receipt. Your application package will be reviewed to ensure you meet the basic eligibility and qualifications requirements, and you will receive a notification. A review will be made of the documentation you submitted to support your responses. A list of qualified applicants will be created and sent to the selecting official. All applicants reviewed and/or referred will receive a notification letter. The selecting official may choose to conduct interviews, and once the selection is made, you will receive a notification of the decision.

REGARDING INTERVIEWS: Interviews may be required for this position. Accommodations may be made to conduct telephonic interviews to preclude travel hardships for applicants.

Note: Declining to be interviewed or failure to report for a scheduled interview will be considered as a declination for further consideration for employment against this vacancy. The Defense Counterintelligence Security Agency provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the point of contact for this job announcement. Your requests for reasonable accommodation will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.


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


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