Supervisory IT Specialist

Clarification from the agency

All candidates who are: 1. Current USDA agency employees who are qualifying as Status Candidates, or currently serving on a permanent Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA); OR 2. CTAP/ICTAP eligibles.

The following are the duties of this position at the GS-13. If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties, and will receive training to help you grow in this position.

• Assign employee work, sets priorities, and determines resource requirements
• Oversee the overall planning, direction, and timely execution of major project areas
• Foster unity within the overall CEC team and encourages cooperation between customers, employees, departments, and work groups
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with Agency managers. This is strengthened by participating and representing the Division in attendance of local and internal committees (i.e., State Food and Agriculture Council and FAC)

Conditions of employment

This supervisory position requires successful completion of USDA supervisor training per Departmental Regulation 4040-412-002. Successful completion of the training curriculum is a requirement for those subject to a supervisory probation period. The following timeframes apply:

1. That ninety days after the appointment that training should already be underway,
2. That nine months after the appointment that the training requirements should be nearing completion,
3. That eleven months after the appointment, if the training requirements are not complete, the employee will not come off of probation,
4. That fifty weeks after the appointment, Employee Relations will be notified that the supervisor is not meeting the training requirement and will not complete probation unless the training requirement is complete and recorded in AgLearn.

Key Requirements:

1. Please refer to "Conditions of Employment."
2. Must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National.
3. All new hires will be required to comply with federal ethics laws. A review of financial or other interests may be conducted to determine if they create any real or apparent conflict of interests with official job duties.

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement. The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your résumé. USAJOBS Help Center - How to supply work experience

This experience may be verified using technical and supervisory assessments.

Specialized Experience for the GS-13: You must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience for this position includes:
- Accomplishing projects that require experience with information technology (IT) requirements and techniques; AND
- Supervising or leading a team of employees that carry out the daily IT support requirements of end-users, customers, or business partners; AND - Interacting with an IT organization on initiatives; AND
- Providing liaison and pertinent information between an organization and customers; AND
- Providing progressive improvements and more cost-effective service to the customers.

Specialized Experience for the GS-12:You must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience for this position includes:
- Accomplishing projects that required experience with information technology (IT) requirements and techniques; AND
- Managing projects and tasks that carry out the daily IT support requirements of end-users, customers, or business partners; AND
- Interacting with an IT organization on initiatives; AND - Providing liaison and pertinent information between an organization and customers; AND
- Providing progressive improvements and more cost-effective service to the customers.

FOR ALL GRADE LEVELS: In order to be creditable, education must be related to the position being filled with a major study of computer science, information science, information systems management, mathematics, statistics, operations research, engineering, or technology management, or course work that required the development or adaptation of computer programs and systems and provided knowledge equivalent to a major in the computer field.

Time-in-Grade: In addition to the above requirements, you must meet the following time-in-grade requirement, if applicable:
For the GS-13, you must have been at the GS-12level for 52 weeks.
For the GS-12, you must have been at the GS-11level for 52 weeks.

Time After Competitive Appointment: Candidates who are current Federal employees serving on a non-temporary competitive appointment must have served at least three months in that appointment.

In addition to specialized experience, individuals 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. Decision Making - Makes sound, well-informed, and objective decisions; perceives the impact and implications of decisions; commits to action, even in uncertain situations, to accomplish organizational goals; causes change.

4. Information Management - Identifies a need for and knows where or how to gather information; organizes and maintains information or information management systems.

5.Interpersonal Skills - Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations

6. 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.

7.Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.

8.Teamwork - Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals.

9.Technical Competence - Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or on-the-job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues.

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 how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., résumé, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the online assessments required for this position.

Rating: You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Accountability, Customer Service, Decisiveness, Flexibility, Interpersonal Skills, Problem Solving, and Resilience

The USA Hire evaluation includes 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 evaluation. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an evaluation may also result in your removal from consideration

Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview.

If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan(CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)) you must meet the definition of well-qualified below to receive priority selection.To be considered well qualified at the GS-13/12 grade level, and in addition to meeting specialized experience, the applicant must have documented in his/her resume:

• A solid and comprehensive understanding of the position; AND
• Be able to perform the required tasks efficiently; AND
• Be proficient in applying the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the job.

It is anticipated that there will be significant interest in the announcement. As a result, the announcement will close at 11:59 p.m. ET on the date of receipt of the 75th application or at 11:59 p.m. ET on July 7, 2026; whichever occurs first. Any required documents should be submitted at the time that you apply as documents will not be accepted after the vacancy closes.

A complete application includes:
1. A résumé: All applicants are required to submit a résumé either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.)

• Please limit your resume to two pages. Applicants with resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration.
• To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your résumé.
• It is suggested that you preview the online questionnaire to ensure that your resume thoroughly describes how your skills and experience align to the criteria defined in the Qualifications section of this announcement and support your responses to the online questionnaire.
• For resume writing guidance, please visit USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job?

2. Vacancy question responses: All applicants are required to complete vacancy question responses by clicking the apply online button of this vacancy announcement.

3. Submission of any required documents identified below, if applicable. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible). Please ensure all required documents, including any required work samples, narratives, or other materials as stated in this announcement, are attached to your application package.

CURRENT AND EMPLOYEES - Documentation Relating to Your Federal Employment:

• Submit a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which shows your current (or most recent) grade and competitive service status. (The "position occupied" block on the SF-50 should show a "1" and your "tenure" block should show a "1" or "2".)
• Note: If you are applying under Schedule A your SF-50 must be the SF-50 showing the original appointing authority when you were selected for the Schedule A position.
• If you are currently on a Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA), submit a copy of an SF-50 showing that. Also, you must submit a copy of your DD214 or other documentation showing dates of service and type of discharge and any other applicable documents such as SF-15, VA letters, etc.
• Indicate on your application the highest permanent grade you have held; if this grade is different from your current grade, submit a copy of an additional SF-50 showing this grade.

PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL:

Submit a copy of your most recent, signed, completed annual performance appraisal which includes the final rating. If it is not dated within the last 18 months or if you have not received a performance appraisal, please explain why in your application.

If you do not have a performance appraisal that meets all of the requirements above or if you have not received an annual performance appraisal for any reason (not employed, current employer does not give a performance appraisal, etc.), you MUST explain why when asked in the vacancy questionnaire. N/A is not a suitable answer.

CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP) OR INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP) DOCUMENTATION: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP/ICTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents you must submit in order to be eligible.

If you are applying under a special hiring authority (e.g. Schedule A Disability, etc.), please see applicant guide for required documentation. In order to be eligible under one of these authorities, you must submit all required documentation as outlined in the applicant guide.

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