Information Technology Specialist

Summary Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Information and Technology, Field Support Directorate, National Capital Region, located in Ashburn, VA. Responsibilities This is a Recent Graduate appointment in the Pathways Program. Selected individuals are placed in a dynamic one year development program in the excepted service designed to lead to a competitive civil service career in the Federal government. At the successful conclusion of this program, the agency may non-competitively convert individuals to a term (position lasting 1-4 years with an extension up to 120 days) or permanent position within the competitive service. Conversion to a Federal competitive service position will be at the discretion of the agency and is neither guaranteed nor implied. Joining Customs & Border Protection will allow you to use your expertise in Information Technology principles, concepts and methods to support Information Technology systems and services. This position starts at a salary of $57,164.00(GS-7, Step 1) to $90,898.00 (GS-9, Step 10) with promotion potential to $131,826.00(GS-12 Step 10). In this Information Technology Specialist position, you will become a key team member of Homeland Security professionals to provide technology service, implement projects and deploy systems to reduce downtime and maintain operational availability. Typical work assignments include: Diagnosing and resolving problems in response to customer reported incidents Researching, evaluating and providing feedback on problematic trends and patterns to support customer support requirements Interacting with internal and external stakeholders as the Subject Matter Expert to provide IT guidance and solutions and providing customer training as required Installing, configuring, integrating, troubleshooting, optimizing and maintaining customer hardware and software to maximize system availability and monitors network performance Identifying and specifying information system security requirements and ensuring application of information security/information assurance policies, principles and practices Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this position Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered with Selective Service Primary U.S. residency for at least three of the last five years (additional details below) You may be required to pass a background investigation CBP follows the DHS Drug-Free Workplace Plan for drug testing procedures As an employee of CBP, you will be joining a workforce that is dedicated to accomplishing our mission while maintaining the trust of our Nation by strictly adhering to all government ethics standards. Your conduct will be subject to the ethics rules applicable to all Executive Branch employees, and to CBP employees specifically, as well as the criminal conflict of interest statutes. Once you enter on duty, these rules include obtaining approval for outside employment or business activity, to ensure such employment or business activity is not prohibited and does not interfere or conflict with performance of your official duties. Please review further details via the following link. Bargaining Unit: This is a bargaining unit covered position, represented under the National Treasury Employees Unions- NTEU. For local chapter contact information see Chapter Websites - National Treasury Employees Union - NTEU. 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. Qualifications Basic Requirement: Applicants must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the four 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. 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. Along with the four competencies listed above you must possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience described below to qualify based on experience. Experience: You qualify for the GS-7 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as: Assisting with the investigation, analyzation, and response to cyber security incidents within a network environment Consulting with customers to recommend IT solutions to enhance customer productivity Monitoring functionality, security, and integrity of network services Assisting with the analyzing and planning of network systems hardware and software installations Experience: You qualify for the GS-9 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as: Testing, installing, configuring and maintaining networks including hardware, middleware and software to ensure conformance to national standards consulting Ensuring security assurance policies and principals are adhered to Developing and administering local databases NOTE: Your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement, otherwise you will be found ineligible. Please see the "Required Documents" section below for additional resume requirements. Education Substitution: Please see Education section for details. 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. You must meet all qualification requirements, including education if applicable to this position, subject to verification at any stage of the application process by 04/15/2025. You are eligible for this appointing authority if you are an individual who: Completed, within the previous two years by04/15/2025 , a qualifying associate's, bachelor's, master's, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution or completed a qualifying career or technical education program (which may include Registered Apprenticeship Programs, Job Corps, AmeriCorps, and Peace Corps) . Review Recent Graduates for additional eligibility information. If you are a veteran who was unable to apply within two years of receiving your degree due to military service obligation, you have as long as six years after degree completion to apply. You must submit a copy of your transcripts showing type of degree received and date degree was received. In addition, if you are a veteran who was unable to apply within two years of receiving your degree due to military service obligation, please provide a copy of your DD-214 or a written statement from the armed forces certifying your dates of service and your rank, expected type of discharge and anticipated date of separation. To be eligible for conversion, Recent Graduates must: Successfully complete at least one year of continuous service in addition to all requirements of the program; Meet the qualification standards for the position to which the Recent Graduate will be converted; Meet agency-specific requirements and expectations as specified in the Participant's Agreement; and Perform their job successfully. EXPECTED TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT: Orientation program for Recent Graduates hired for the program; Mentorship throughout the program; Individual Development Plan to create and track Recent Graduates' career planning, professional development, and training activities; At least 40 hours of formal, interactive training each year of the program; Positions offer opportunity for career advancement. Recent Grad Promotions: Per CBP Policy, Recent Graduates are not eligible for promotions while in the one (1) year program. A Recent Graduate may be eligible for a promotion upon successful completion of the program if he/she meets the OPM qualification requirements for the position for which the Recent Graduate is being considered. Advancement to the next level upon successful program completion is approved by the Recent Graduate's supervisor and certified by HRM. 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. Background Investigation: U.S . click apply for full job details