IT Specialist (Systems Admin)

Summary

Deliver secure and high availability infrastructure solutions supporting VA's mission. Serve as an operational service provider of foundational compute, storage, physical database, and client management components. Implement and sustain technical, management, and operational security controls and supporting processes to protect mission critical networks, systems, and applications throughout the VA enterprise.

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Duties

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• Conducts periodic system maintenance including cleaning (both physically and electronically), disk checks, routine reboots, data dumps, and testing.
• Possesses technical knowledge of the operation and function of supporting systems software, and the relationship between components to plan, direct, assemble, implement, and support complex data processing networks.
• Installs, updates, and troubleshoots systems/servers.
• Troubleshoots hardware/software interface and interoperability problems.
• Diagnoses faulty system/server hardware.
• Implements operational and technical security controls;
• Ensures the rigorous application of information security/information assurance policies, principles, and practices in the delivery of systems administration and customer support.
• Maintains baseline system security according to organizational policies.
• Plans, executes, and verifies data redundancy and system recovery procedures.

This is a Bargaining Unit Position.

This position is primarily aligned to the following NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework work roles:

Cybersecurity Code 451 - System Administrator: Responsible for setting up and maintaining a system or specific components of a system (e.g. for example, installing, configuring, and updating hardware and software; establishing and managing user accounts; overseeing or conducting backup and recovery tasks; implementing operational and technical security controls; and adhering to organizational security policies and procedures).

For more information about these work roles, where they fit within the larger Cyber Workforce, and how they can support your unique career journey, please visit the Cyber Career Pathways tool on the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies website: ;/strong>

Promotion Potential: GS-12-The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Position Description/PD#: IT Specialist (Systems Admin)/PD14201A and PD14200A

Travel Required: Occasional travel may be required as needed for this position.

Work Schedule: Sunday through Thursday, with specific work hours and tour of duty established based on operational requirements and discussed during the interview process.

Compressed/Flexible: As determined by the Agency Policy.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Physical Demands: The work is primarily sedentary. Some work may require walking and standing in conjunction with travel and attendance at meetings and conferences away from the work sire. Some employees may carry light items such as paper, books, or small parts.

Working Conditions: The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. Some employees may occasionally be exposed to circuitry of electronic equipment during testing and must apply precautions to avoid personal injury. Some employees may have the option for telework agreements, with the appropriate required approvals and compliance.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Selectee is subject to background/suitability investigation.
• Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required.
• To be considered for this position, applicants must complete all required steps in the process.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for 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 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.

• All required documents must be uploaded at the time you submit your application. The system supports only one submission. Applicants will not be able to edit their application or upload additional documents once it has been submitted.
  
  Applications that are incomplete-including those missing required documentation-will not be considered. Applicants are responsible for reviewing the Required Documents section and ensuring all mandatory materials are included prior to submission.
  
  Note: Applicants will not be contacted for missing information. It is the applicant's responsibility to provide all documentation necessary to determine qualification and eligibility.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/26/2026.

Minimum Qualifications Requirements

EXPERIENCE: To qualify for this position, you must have information technology-related experience demonstrating all of the four competencies listed below. Ensure that this experience is clearly described in your resume:

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

OR,

• Education for the GS-11 Only: Ph.D. OR equivalent doctoral Degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. OR equivalent doctoral degree: Degree in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management or degree that provided a minimum of 24 semester hours in one or more of the fields identified above.

-AND-

Specialized Experience for GS-11: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Such experience is typically gained in the IT field or through the performance of work where the primary concern is IT.

Specialized experience is defined as one year of experience equivalent to the GS-9 level that demonstrates assisting senior team members with Linux and Windows server administration, scripting, daily monitoring, data protection and recovery activities, and the development of Enterprise Architecture documentation (e.g. Policies, Procedures, Instructional Guides, System Drawings, System Interconnects, Separation of Duties, etc.) Experience also includes supporting the operation, monitoring, installation, testing, and troubleshooting of hardware and software systems and services-including storage, cloud, and backup appliances-and assisting with the Commvault data protection application.

Specialized Experience for GS-12: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Such experience is typically gained in the IT field or through the performance of work where the primary concern is IT.

Specialized experience is defined as One year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 level that demonstrates managing and configuring data-protection strategies and recovery operations in a multi-tiered environment, including applying backup and recovery concepts across multiple platforms such as Microsoft Windows and Linux and databases such as Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle. Experience also includes conducting research; developing justifications, operational concepts, and system-engineering requirements; and defining hardware and software solution requirements for new, replacement, or upgraded data-protection systems.

-AND-

Selective Placement Factor: This position includes a skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristic basic to -and essential for- satisfactory performance of the job. Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. Evidence of the Selective Placement Factor must be reflected in your resume.

Selective Placement Factor is defined as experience in administering Linux operating systems and supporting enterprise-class data protection solutions, including backup, restoration, and replication technologies such as Commvault. Experience must also include managing or supporting enterprise data-protection storage platforms, such as NetApp and Dell Data Domain.

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.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those who have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Education

EDUCATIONAL SUBSTITUTION for the GS-11: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

There is no educational substitution for the GS-12 Grade Level.

All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: ;br>
Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This is not a remote position. OIT has multiple worksites at various duty locations, and the individual(s) selected may be assigned to any federal government work site. This announcement will NOT be used for changing duty locations. If selected, and you are a current VA employee, and not on an approved exemption, you will continue to report to your current duty location.

If selected you will be required to report to one of the following locations: Austin, TX; Philadelphia, PA. If space is not immediately available a temporary exception to telework may be granted. If/when workspace is identified, the employee is expected to report to their assigned duty location.?

A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected. The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. Information about CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at ;br>
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: _Accommodations_for_USA_Hire

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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.

Benefits

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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.

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

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.