IT Specialist (Policy and Planning)

Summary

This position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Information and Technology (OIT), Software Product Management, Product Engineering Services, Compliance, Risk & Remediation, Office of People Science, Office of Strategic Sourcing. The positions are responsible for comprehensive portfolio management.

Learn more about this agency

Duties

Help

OIT Mission: The mission of the Office of Information and Technology (OIT) is to collaborate with our business partners to create the best experience for all Veterans.

OIT Vision: To become a world-class organization that provides a seamless, unified Veteran experience through the delivery of state-of-the-art technology.

Major Duties:

• Facilitates the effective exchange of information between stakeholders and all interested parties in support of products / project by sponsoring meetings and coordinating sessions to ensure that all critical parties are informed of, and involved in, key decision making activities.
• Evaluates the impact of changes in business needs on current VA IT products and projects, conducts feasibility studies, identifies solutions, and presents recommendations to senior management.
• Defines and implements product/project plans to meet objectives; coordinates and integrates product activities; implements and/or maintains quality assurance processes.
• Maintains an in-depth, current knowledge of IT cloud requirements, procedures, policies, directives, etc. in order to guide team members and resolve complex issues.
• Serve as subject matter expert (SME) for extremely complex cloud projects and products and advises leadership, and other VA staff for OIT/VA highly technical IT projects.
• Utilizes highly specialized cloud knowledge in work planning and IT capabilities to advise on the proposed formulation, management, and execution of resources (personnel and funding) and other management matters through an understanding of requirements and policies based on capabilities and resources.
• Manage development of container based AWS cloud applications.
• Leads collaboration with customers and business owners to define and refine scope, requirements, and deliverables; obtains business and IT sponsor approvals as necessary.
• Identifies problems, makes improvements and and takes corrective action when problems arise.
• Apply Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe/Agile) principles to improve time to deployment, improve employee / contractor engagement, and increase quality and productivity of products and solutions.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8am-430pm

Compressed/Flexible: Available at the manager's discretion

Telework: : Adhoc telework may be authorized at the management's discretion

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: IT Specialist (Policy and Planning)/PD18089A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized

Physical Demands: The work is sedentary. Some work may require walking and standing in conjunction with travel and attendance at meetings and conferences away from the work site and carrying light items such as papers or books.

Working Conditions: The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions. This position requires minimal travel. The incumbent may be required to use both air and ground transportation.

Designated Drug Testing Position: Not applicable. This is a non-bargaining unit eligible position.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• 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 dentification 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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/10/2026.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education is described below:

• Basic Requirements: Experience must be IT related; the experience may be demonstrated by paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training (for example, IT certification), as appropriate. For all positions individuals must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the five competencies listed below. The employing agency is responsible for identifying the specific level of proficiency required for each competency at each grade level based on the requirements of the position being filled.
• 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.
• 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.

AND

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-13 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Extensive experience managing development of Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud and containerized applications with focus on Security, FinOps, and Artificial Intelligence.

AND

Selective Placement Factor: Must possess extensive experience and knowledge in managing enterprise level cloud infrastructure while ensuring strict adherence to security standards. This includes proven expertise in overseeing Amazon Web Services (AWS) environments, with responsibilities spanning the deployment and management of containerized applications and integrating FinOps and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies. Additionally, the candidate should have a demonstrated ability to lead complex, cloud based projects from initial planning through deployment and ongoing optimization while effectively managing multiple external vendors.

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; religions; 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.

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.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at ;br>
Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

If selected you will be required to report to one of the following locations:

Albany, NY

Austin, TX

Eatontown, NJ

Hines, IL

Martinsburg, WV

Oakland, CA

Philadelphia, PA

Salt Lake City, UT

Shepherdstown, WV

Washington, DC

Little Rock, AR

Phoenix, AZ

Long Beach, CA

Los Angeles, CA

San Francisco, CA

Denver, CO

Miami, FL

Orlando, FL

St. Petersburg, FL

Tampa, FL

Atlanta, GA

Chicago, IL

Bedford, MA

Boston, MA

Baltimore, MD

Detroit, MI

Minneapolis, MN

St. Louis, MO

Cleveland, OH

Pittsburgh, PA

Nashville, TN

Arlington, TX

Dallas, TX

Houston, TX

San Antonio, TX

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

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.

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

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and 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 for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at ;br>
Expand Hide additional information

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

Help

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.