TELECOMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST Job in Location Negotiable After Selection

Vacancy No. IOD-DE-12640674-25-AT Department Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
Salary $104,604.00 to $135,987.00 Grade 14 to 14
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 12/17/2024 Close Date 12/26/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Location Negotiable After Selection


Summary

View common definitions of terms found in this announcement.

Salary range listed reflects the GS base rate (not including locality pay), see the "Additional Information" section of the announcement for details.

This is a geographically restricted position. Due to frequent travel requirements, selectee must reside or relocate within 50 miles of Ohio, Indiana, or Michigan.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

• U.S. Citizens • Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) • lnteragency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP)

Duties

Typical work assignments include, but are not limited to:

  • Develops cyberspace plans, strategy and policy to support and align with organizational cyberspace missions and initiatives.
  • Provides knowledge of network security methodologies and advises on ways to strengthen interoperability at all levels. Incumbent coordinates with CISA, FEMA, and the Office of Interoperability and Compatibility (OIC), to establish requirements for secure and interoperable emergency communications capabilities.
  • Establishes and maintains communication channels with stakeholders.
  • Directs technical assistance supporting the development, promulgation, implementation, and coordination of national voluntary consensus standards for interoperable communication equipment as well as interoperable communications and cybersecurity requirements for voice and data communications systems and equipment.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen.
  • Selective Service - Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service see http://www.sss.gov/
  • All Federal employees are required to participate in Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer for salary payments.
  • DHS uses e-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.
  • You must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance suitable for Federal employment as determined by a background investigation. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.
  • One-year probationary period may be required.
  • This position may be designated as essential personnel. Essential personnel must be able to serve during continuity of operation events without regard to declarations of liberal leave or government closures due to weather, protests, and acts of terrorism or lack of funding. Failure to report for or remain in this position may result in disciplinary or adverse action in accordance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations (5 U.S.C. 7501-7533 and 5 CFR Part 752, as applicable).
  • This position requires a pre-employment drug test. All applicants tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit to a drug test to screen for illicit/illegal drug use prior to receiving a final offer of employment. A final offer of employment is contingent upon a negative drug test result.
  • This is a full time telework position. Due to frequent travel requirements, selectee must reside or relocate within 50 miles of the location identified in the announcement. Locality pay will be based on the duty location.

Qualifications

Do NOT copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required education and/or experience for the respective grade level in which you are applying.

Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the Basic Requirements AND Minimum Qualification requirements as listed below.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

A. Degree: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- electrical or electronic engineering, mathematics, physics, public utilities, statistics, computer science, telecommunications management, information systems management, business administration, industrial management, or other fields related to the position to be filled.
Other Education: Communications/electronics or automatic data processing training in technical institutes or business schools above the high school level or in Armed Forces schools that included advanced instruction in addition to basic courses, may be substituted for general experience on a month-for-month basis.

OR

B. Specialized Experience: Experience in evaluating, analyzing, developing, managing, or improving communications systems, procedures, and requirements that demonstrated knowledge of current developments and trends in communications concepts and technology.

You qualify for the GS-14 grade level, if you have:
EXPERIENCE: At least one (1) year of specialized experience at the GS-13 grade level (or equivalent) performing the following duties:
  1. Supporting the development and implementation of Statewide Communication Interoperability Plans (SCIP) to improve communications across the entire communications ecosystem; AND
  2. Assisting governance bodies to support public safety communications interoperability, the Communications Unit (COMU) program and the Communications Emergency Support Function; AND
  3. Developing Strategic plans that address gaps in communications capabilities as necessary to determine the status and progress of Federal, State, Local, Tribal and Territorial governments to achieve interoperability.
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.

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

No Educational Substitution: There is no substitution of education for experience for this position. You must meet the qualifications listed in the "Requirements" section of this announcement.

Additional information

  • Other incentives may be authorized.
  • If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment.
  • This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
  • This position has been designated excluded from bargaining unit representation under the national security provision of 5 U.S.C. 7112(B)(6).
  • The salary range indicated in this announcement reflects the minimum base pay, GS-14, step 1 up to the maximum base pay, GS-14, step 10. This announcement covers multiple locations. The actual salary will be adjusted based on the grade, step, and locality for the selectee's duty location. General Schedule (GS) locality pay tables for all areas may be found on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) website at: Salaries & Wages.
Reasonable Accommodation Requests: This agency provides reasonable accommodation to otherwise qualified applicants and employees with a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, unless to do so would create an undue hardship to the agency (29 CFR 1614.203 (2017)). If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, contact the CISA Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (OEDIA) by sending an email to CISA_ReasonableAccommodation@cisa.dhs.gov with the subject line, "Reasonable Accommodation Request @ CISA." In the email itself, you must include your name, vacancy announcement number(s), and state your intent to seek a reasonable accommodation. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis. For more information or inquiries, please contact the CISA Reasonable Accommodation Program at CISA_ReasonableAccommodation@cisa.dhs.gov.

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

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.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents) and the responses you provide on the application questionnaire. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Project Management
  • Technical Competence
  • Telecommunications


Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.

Category Rating Procedures: If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be placed in one of the following categories:
  1. Best-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate high proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all Selective Placement Factors (SPF) and appropriate Quality Ranking Factors (QRF) as determined by the job analysis.
  2. Well-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrates acceptable proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all SPFs and appropriate QRFs as determined by the job analysis.
  3. Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate basic proficiency in most of the critical competencies, including all SPFs and appropriate QRFs as determined by the job analysis.
Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Program (I/CTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not I/CTAP eligible. View information about I/CTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To be considered eligible under I/CTAP, you must be placed in the well-qualified category for this position, as described above. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this job announcement.

Veterans: Qualified veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% are listed in the best-qualified category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level, or higher. (This position is not considered scientific/professional.) Other 10-point preference eligibles and veterans with 5-point preference who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements are placed above non-preference eligibles within the category in which they qualify. View information on https://www.fedshirevets.gov

To preview the application questionnaire, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12640674

Required Documents

All documents, including transcripts, must be in English.

1. RESUME: Your resume MUST show a detailed description of your job-related qualifications to include start and end dates with the month and year and hours worked per week for all jobs listed. For Federal civilian service, you MUST include your pay plan/band, series, and grade (e.g., GS-0301-09). Be clear and specific when describing your work history as human resources cannot make assumptions regarding your experience. Do NOT include photographs, social media links (e.g., LinkedIn), inappropriate content, or other personal or sensitive information such as date of birth, social security number, gender, religious affiliation. IF INCLUDED YOUR RESUME WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. Please view Resume & Application Tips.

2. COVER LETTER (OPTIONAL): Your cover letter will not be used to determine your qualifications but will be included with your resume if you are referred.

3. OTHER SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS (only submit if applicable):

  • CURRENT OR FORMER FEDERAL CIVILIAN EMPLOYEE: Submit a copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action which shows the grade, step, tenure (block 24) "1" (Career) or "2" (Career-Conditional), and position occupied (block 34) "1" (Competitive Service). Provide proof of permanent appointment if applying based on an Interchange Agreement. If applying for a higher grade, provide a SF-50 which shows the length of time you have been in your current/highest grade or promotion potential held. You may need to provide more than one (1) SF-50,if your SF-50 does not clearly demonstrate that you meet the one-year time-in-grade requirement(examples of appropriate SF-50s include Appointment/Conversion, Within-Grade/Range Increases and Promotion actions). NOTE: Pay adjustments and awards are NOT acceptable.
  • QUALIFYING BASED ON EDUCATION: Submit a copy of your transcripts from an accredited institution. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted that includes your name, name of the educational institution, declared degree program, course title(s), credits completed, grade, date of completion, Grade Point Average (GPA), and date of degree conferral. If selected, an official transcript will be required.
  • VETERAN DOCUMENTATION: Submit a copy of your DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (Member Copy 4 or equivalent).
    • ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS: If applying based on eligibility under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must submit certification from the Armed Forces that you will be discharged or released from active duty within 120 days from the date on the certification. This must indicate your dates of active service, rank/grade, expected character of service (i.e., honorable or general) and type of separation (i.e., separation or retirement). NOTE: The VOW Act provides tentative preference. If selected, a DD-214 must be provided prior to appointment.
    • 10-POINT VETERANS' PREFERENCE: If claiming 10-point Veterans' Preference, you will need to submit a SF-15 and provide an official document from the Department of Veterans Affairs or from a branch of the Armed Forces certifying your overall compensable service-connected disability rating (NOTE: Your overall percentage must be clearly shown), and/or any other associated documentation based on your preference.
  • INTERAGENCY/CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (I/CTAP): Submit a copy of the following:
    • Reduction in Force (RIF) separation notice, notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate, notice of disability annuity termination, or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement;
    • SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action'', documenting your RIF separation, noting your position, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through reemployment priority list (RPL), etc.;
    • Latest performance appraisal including your rating; AND
    • Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.
  • CURRENT OR FORMER POLITICAL SCHEDULE A, SCHEDULE C, NON-CAREER SES OR PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTEE EMPLOYEE: Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:
    • Position title;
    • Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
    • Agency; AND
    • Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. A complete application package must be received by 11:59 PM EST on 12/26/2024 to receive consideration. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

PLEASE NOTE: If your materials are not received by the closing date, your application will be evaluated solely on the information available and you may not receive full consideration or may not be considered eligible.

The application process is as follows:

  1. To begin the application process, 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 11:59PM (ET) on 12/26/2024.

You may update your application documents and some questions related to your personal information at any time during the announcement open period. However, you will not be able to make changes to questions related to assessing the minimum qualifications and competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics) mentioned in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section above. To make an allowed update to your application, return to your USAJOBS account (https://usajobs.gov). There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account at https://usajobs.gov. On the Home page, scroll down and locate your job application. Once the job has been located, click the "Track this application" link on the right under the application date. The page will refresh to display the Agency's Application Information page where you can scroll down and review any notifications the agency has sent you. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: http://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

Shared Certificate: When CISA completes its hiring, the remaining list of qualified candidates may be shared with other federal agencies. You will have an opportunity to opt-in if you would like to share your name, application material, and assessment results with other federal agencies who are hiring for similar positions. There is no guarantee of further consideration, and you can continue to explore other job announcements.

Agency contact information

Ashley Tolliver
Address
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
1110 N Glebe Rd
Arlington, VA 22201
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Once you submit your application, we will assess your experience and training, identify the best-qualified applicants, and refer those applications to the hiring manager for further consideration and interviews. We will notify you by email after each of these steps has been completed. Your status will also be updated on USAJOBS throughout the process. We expect to make a job offer within 30-60 days after the deadline for applications. If you are best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an in-person or phone panel interview. If you are selected, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.

Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.

Notice to Applicants - The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is subject to the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act of 2019. Unless excluded by law, all CISA hiring officials and agency representatives are statutorily prohibited from asking applicants to disclose their criminal history record information prior to receiving a conditional offer of employment. Applicants may submit a complaint, or any other information, to the CISA Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer Human Capital Policy and Programs Subdivision at email cisa.ochco.hcp@cisa.dhs.gov within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged non-compliance by a CISA hiring manager or agency representative.

Thank you for your interest in the Department of Homeland Security, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency!


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