Information Technology Specialist

Summary

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit ;br>
As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

This position is also being announced to All U.S. Citizens and Nationals under 26-SDCA-12830368-DE.

Duties

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If selected, you will serve as an Information Technology (IT) Specialist for the United States Attorney's Office for Southern District of California. You will be responsible for providing technical and analytical assistance involving three or more IT specialty areas which support the information management needs of the district. At the full performance level, typical work assignments will include:

• Maintaining network architecture and infrastructure, to include configuring and maintaining servers, hubs, routers, and switches;
• Planning and scheduling the installation of new or modified hardware, operating systems and applications software, working closely with customers to ensure seamless installation and minimizing installation problems;
• Managing accounts, network rights, and access to systems and equipment;
• Implementing policies and procedures to ensure information systems reliability and accessibility and to prevent and defend against unauthorized access to systems, networks, and data;
• Monitoring functionality, security, and integrity of internet services, as well as managing internet servers;
• Providing for customer training, including orientation for new users; and
• Assessing policy needs and developing policies to govern IT activities.

Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
• You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
• If selected, you may be required to complete a one year probationary period.
• Time-in-Grade: Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement.
• You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement and before placement in the position.

Qualifications

GS-9: To be eligible at the GS-9 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience OR Education.

Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level in Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped you with the competencies needed to perform the duties of the job. Qualifying experience must demonstrate possession of each of the following competencies: Attention to Detail, Customer Service, Oral Communication, and Problem Solving.

Examples of specialized experience include: assisting with performing a variety of day-to-day operations and maintenance, troubleshooting, configuration, customer assistance, recovery and resolution of hardware and software problems; using network equipment such as routers and servers; and performing ongoing network monitoring and management.

Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Information Science, Engineering, Computer Science): a Master's or equivalent graduate degree (such as an LL.B.); OR 2 full years of progressively higher graduate education leading to such a degree. This education must have been in one of the following fields OR must have provided a minimum of 24 semester hours in one or more of the following fields and must have required the development or adaptation of applications, systems, or networks: Computer Science, Engineering, Information Science, Information Systems Management, Mathematics, Operations Research, Statistics, or Technology Management.

GS-11: To be eligible at the GS-11 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions as defined below: Specialized Experience OR Education.

Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level in Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped you with the competencies needed to perform the duties of the job. Qualifying experience must demonstrate possession of each of the following competencies: Attention to Detail, Customer Service, Oral Communication, and Problem Solving.

Examples of specialized experience include: providing IT customer service and support in troubleshooting, recovering, and resolving recurring software/hardware problems; providing technical support services to coordinate teleconferences and distance learning activities; performing ongoing network monitoring and management; distributing and installing new or upgraded software to ensure customers receive current versions of supported software; designing, developing, testing, implementing, and managing internet and intranet websites; creating basic scripts or code using general knowledge of programming languages and tools; and participating in the testing and implementation of an organization's information security program.

Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Information Science, Engineering, Computer Science): a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; OR 3 full years of progressively higher graduate education leading to such a degree. This education must have been in one of the following fields OR must have provided a minimum of 24 semester hours in one or more of the following fields and must have required the development or adaptation of applications, systems, or networks: Computer Science, Engineering, Information Science, Information Systems Management, Mathematics, Operations Research, Statistics, or Technology Management.

GS-12: To be eligible at the GS-12 level, you must possess at least one year of Specialized Experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in Federal Service.

Specialized Experience is experience that equipped you with the competencies needed to perform the duties of the job. Qualifying experience must demonstrate possession of each of the following competencies: Attention to Detail, Customer Service, Oral Communication, and Problem Solving.

Examples of specialized experience include: maintaining network architecture and infrastructure; configuring and maintaining servers, hubs, routers, and switches; monitoring network capacity and performance; analyzing network traffic patterns and installing network software fixes, upgrades, and enhancements; resolving hardware/software interface and interoperability problems; designing, developing, testing, implementing, and managing internet and intranet websites; implementing policies and procedures to ensure information systems reliability and accessibility and to prevent and defend against unauthorized access to systems, networks, and data; implementing programs to ensure users are aware of, understand, and adhere to systems security policies and procedures; instituting a rigorous content management plan to provide users with appropriate information in an effective manner; and assessing and providing feedback on problematic trends and patterns in customer support requirements and providing recommendations to resolve cited problems.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)- The ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in the announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at: ;br>
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)-The CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at ;br>
Education

All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see ;br>
OR

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to timely provide such evidence by submitting proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency with your application materials. More information may be found at All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

Additional information

Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized.

The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System.

Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) -VEOA allows eligible veterans to apply and compete for positions announced under merit promotion procedures when the hiring agency is recruiting from outside its own workforce. To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, a veteran must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed three (3) or more years of continuous active military service. If you are applying for a Merit Promotion announcement and wish to be considered under VEOA, you must submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214, in addition to any other required documents listed on this announcement.

Special Employment Consideration - Persons with disabilities, veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more, certain other veterans, spouses of certain members of the armed forces, and returning Peace Corps volunteers are examples of individuals who are potentially eligible for non-competitive appointments. For further information, click on the links provided below . You must specify in your online questionnaire under what authority you wish to be considered and submit appropriate documentation to verify your eligibility.

Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities Links:

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Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See ;br>
Reasonable Accommodation Statement: Federal Agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities, where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

EEO Statement: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor.

Political Appointees (Current or Former): 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 or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.

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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.

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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.