Supervisory IT Specialist Job

Vacancy No. USDA-OIG-ST-13007738-26-JS Department Office of the Inspector General
Salary $127,829.00 to $187,093.00 Grade 14 to 14
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 7/21/2026 Close Date 7/28/2026
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Washington, DCChicago, ILKansas City, MO


Supervisory IT Specialist

Department of Agriculture
Office of the Inspector General
Information Technology Division

Summary

This position is in the Information Technology Division (ITD), which is responsible to the Assistant Inspector General for Management (AIG/M) for oversight, planning, evaluating, implementing, and deploying new technologies. The position, Branch Chief oversees the Infrastructure Support Systems Branch and reports to the Deputy Director and Director for the Information Technology Division.

This job is open to

Federal employees - Competitive service

Current federal employees whose agencies follow the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's hiring rules and pay scales.

Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.

Land and base management

Current or former employees of a base management agency.

Veterans

Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces or a spouse, widow, widower or parent of a veteran, who may be eligible for derived preference

Military spouses

Military spouses of active duty service members or whose spouse is 100 percent disabled or died on active duty.

Individuals with disabilities

Individuals who are eligible under Schedule A.

Peace Corps & AmeriCorps Vista

Individuals who have served at least 2 years with the Peace Corps or 1 year with AmeriCorps VISTA.

Special authorities

Individuals eligible under a special authority not listed in another hiring path.

Clarification from the agency

Current permanent Federal employees with competitive status; Reinstatement eligibles; Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act, Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP and VEOA eligible; 30 Percent or More Disabled Veterans; Military Spouses; Interchange Agreement and Other Miscellaneous Authorities; People with Disabilities; Peace Corps and VISTA.

Duties

  • Plans and coordinates the installation, testing, operation, troubleshooting, and maintenance of hardware and software systems.
  • Coordinates the delivery of customer support services, including installation, configuration, troubleshooting, customer assistance, and/or training, in response to customer requirements.
  • Directs the planning, installation, configuration, testing, implementation, and management of the systems environment in support of the organization's IT architecture and business needs.
  • Directs the planning, design, implementation, documentation, assessment, and management of the enterprise structural framework to align IT strategy, plans, and systems with the mission, goals, structure, and business processes of the organization.
  • Exercises supervisory personnel management responsibilities.
  • Advises and provides counsel to employees regarding policies, procedures, and directives of management.
  • Perform reviews and evaluations of information technology processes and procedures to support the planning, design, and implementation of new or improved technology systems to meet business needs.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

  • You must be a US Citizen or US National.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • Direct Deposit - Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
  • Subject to one year supervisory/managerial probationary period unless prior service is creditable. New USDA supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required training program before the end of their probationary period.
  • As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period depending on your appointment type, unless previous federal service is creditable. During this time your employment will be evaluated, and we may consider: your performance and conduct, the needs and interests of the agency, whether your continued employment would advance 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 or trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
  • This is a Testing Designated Position (TDP).
  • If selected, you will be required to submit Form OGE-450 within 30 days of your initial appointment date, and annually thereafter. Selectee is subject to financial Disclosure Requirements in accordance with 5 CFR, Part 2635, Sub part E regarding business or personal transactions with applicants, borrowers, or business contacts who have or who are seeking business with this Agency. Selectee must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance. If selected you will be subject to a National Agency Check and Inquiry (NACI) and a credit report.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

BASIC REQUIREMENT: To qualify for this position you must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the competencies listed below:

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Information Management - Identifies a need for and knows where or how to gather information; organizes and maintains information or information management systems.
  • 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
  • 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.
  • Teamwork - Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals.
  • 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.
In addition to the basic requirements described above, the incumbent must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal government and meet time in grade requirements outlined below:

Specialized Experience for GS-14: To be considered qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience as described below. You must have one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience that is at least equivalent in difficulty and complexity to work performed at the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service or private sector that demonstrates all of the following:
  • Ability to provision enterprise servers (on premise/cloud based) and provision VMware resources in Microsoft Azure.

  • Experience advising and providing counsel to employees regarding policies, procedures, and directives of management.

  • Experience leading, supervising, and providing technical support assisting other team members with handling incidents that occur with system hardware or applications.

  • Knowledge of 5G cellular concepts including provisioning, deploying and troubleshooting remote connections.

  • Experience with configuring and maintaining network devices (router, switches, and firewalls).

  • Ability to design and provision network resources in Azure.

Time in Grade: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet the time in grade requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.

You must include evidence of this specialized experience in your resume, including dates of experience (month/year) and hours worked/work schedule, to be considered qualified for this position.
Documenting experience:
In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience. Qualifications are based on breadth/level of experience. In addition to describing duties performed, applicants must provide the exact dates of each period of employment (from MM/YY to MM/YY) and the number of hours worked per week. Qualification determinations cannot be made when resumes do not include the required information, failure to provide this information may result in disqualification. Applicants are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to develop their federal resume. For resume writing guidance, visit USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a federal resume?

NOTE: To be considered for this position, you must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the GS-2210 series set forth in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards by the closing date of the announcement. A copy is available at: Competency-Based Qualification Standard for the Information Technology Management Series, 2210 in addition Supervisory Guide.

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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.

Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.

Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities: For more information on noncompetitive appointment authority eligibility requirements visit the following websites:

Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the (VEOA)

Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Refer to PUBLIC LAW 114-47-AUG. 7, 2015 for more information.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here.

Locality rate will be determined at the time of selection. Please visit General Schedule

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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.

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 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., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Accountability
  • Customer Service
  • Decisiveness
  • Flexibility
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Problem Solving
  • Resilience

The USA Hire Assessments 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 assessment.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13007738

Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.

Required Documents

The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.

Required for all applicants: Resume that includes: Personal Information: name, address, contact information; Education; Work Experiencerelated to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if federal); other qualifications. Resume cannot exceed 2 pages.

  • To receive full credit for relevant experience, you must list the month/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume.
Current and former Federal employees:
  • Most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) showing you are/were in the competitive service, highest grade held (or promotion potential) on a permanent basis, position title, series and grade AND
  • Most recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable. A performance plan is not an acceptable substitute.
Reinstatement Comp & Non-Comp: You must submit a copy of your Separation (removal, resignation, retirement, conversion out of competitive service, etc.) Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) and a SF-50 or equivalent personnel action form reflecting your permanent, competitive status. Your SF-50 (or equivalent personnel action form) must reflect: career or career-conditional (Tenure field is 1 or 2); AND status in the competitive service (Position Occupied field is 1). Reflect promotion potential or highest grade held. Submit more than 1 SF-50 if necessary. Include performance appraisal as mentioned under "Current and former Federal employees".

Current permanent FSA County employees: Provide the same documents as "Current and Former Federal employees".

30% or More Disabled Veterans:You must submit a copy of your latest Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty DD214 (copy indicating character of service, Member Copy #4 or #2) plus the proof of entitlement of this preference as listed on the SF-15 Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference, Standard Form 15. The SF-15 should be included but is not required.

VEOA: You must submit your last DD214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) form, specifically the Member Copy #4 or #2, indicating dates and character of service and discharge type under honorable conditions. If currently on active duty you must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty service under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. Veteran's preference must be verified prior to appointment.
Certain Military Spouses: Must submit Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders; OR verification of the member's 100% disability (VA Letter); and/or verification of the member's death while on active duty (DD-1300 and Death Certificate) AND verification of the marriage to the service member (i.e., a marriage license or other legal documentation verifying marriage).

Persons with Disabilities/Schedule A: Letter from a physician, local, state or federal rehabilitation office citing eligibility under 5 CFR 213.3102(u).Learn more about Schedule A eligibility.

Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act: Copies of Notification of Personnel Action(s) (SF-50) showing you served in eligible appointment(s) for a period(s) of more than 24 mos w/o a break between appointments of two+ years. Include initial hire actions, extensions, conversions and separation Sf-50s for each period. Submit performance rating(s) showing acceptable performance for each period counted towards eligibility signed by supervisor(s). If documentation does not exist for one or more periods, submit a statement from supervisor(s) indicating acceptable performance. Applicants who do not have performance documentation for any period shall provide a reason why the documentation is not available and statement that performance for all periods was at an acceptable level.

Peace Corp/AmeriCorps: USAJOBS Help Center | Peace Corps & AmeriCorps VISTA Include a copy of your Certification of Volunteer Service and latest SF-50s.

Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (if separated), current performance appraisal with rating of at least "Fully Successful" or equivalent, and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.

Other non-competitive or special appointing authorities: Provide documentation which supports your eligibility.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. Resumes cannot exceed two pages.

The application process is as follows:

  1. Click the Apply Online button.
  2. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
  3. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
  4. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice.
  5. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.
  6. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
  7. Set aside about 1-2 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link.
  8. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused.

Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us.

To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To view the announcement status or your application status:
Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.

Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded documents must be less than 5MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, TXT or Word (DOC or DOCX). Do not upload Adobe Portfolio documents because they are not viewable. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration. Please ensure your resume does not exceed two pages. Applicants who submit a resume that exceeds two pages will be removed from consideration. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, your system failure, etc.

Agency contact information

Jerren Sutton
Email
jerren.sutton@oig.usda.gov
Address
Office of the Inspector General
1400 Independence Ave SW
Washington, DC 20250
US

Next steps

Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account to check your application status.

You must choose to turn on email notifications in your USAJOBS profile if you want to receive important email notifications that may impact your applicant experience (e.g. If you start an application and do not submit it prior to the closing date, USAJOBS will send an email reminder that the closing date is approaching and your application is in an incomplete status).

Under the Fair Chance Act, agencies are not allowed to request information about an applicant's criminal history until a conditional offer of employment has been made, except as allowed for access to classified information; assignment to national security duties or positions; acceptance or retention in the armed forces; or recruitment of a Federal law enforcement officer. An applicant may submit a complaint or any other information related to an organization's alleged noncompliance with the Fair Chance Act. The complaint must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged noncompliance. To make a Fair Chance Act inquiry or complaint, send an email with the appropriate information to jerren.sutton@oig.usda.gov, subject line: Fair Chance Act.

Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.

Office of the Inspector General

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues based on sound public policy, the best available science, and efficient management. USDA's vision is to expand economic opportunity through innovation, helping rural America to thrive; to promote agriculture production sustainability that better nourishes Americans while also helping feed others throughout the world; and to preserve and conserve our Nations natural resources through restored forests, improved watersheds, and healthy private working lands.

OIG is an independent office within USDA whose mission is to promote the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of and to prevent and detect waste, fraud, and abuse regarding USDA's programs and operations through the successful execution of audits, investigations, inspections, and reviews. OIG consists of the following components:

  • Immediate Office of Inspector General (IG)
  • Office of Counsel (OC)
  • Office of Management (OM)
  • Office of Investigations (INV)
  • Office of Audit (AUD)
  • Office of Compliance and Integrity (OCI)
  • Office of Analytics and Innovation (OAI)

Agency contact information

Jerren Sutton
Email
jerren.sutton@oig.usda.gov
Address
Office of the Inspector General
1400 Independence Ave SW
Washington, DC 20250
US