Summary The incumbent serves as a systems Integrator for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Information and Technology (Ol&T), PES/SPM, Capacity and Performance Engineering (CPE). CPE provides central engineering services and management of a technical framework promoting one technology vision across VA, which supports system optimization, integration and interoperability throughout the enterprise. Responsibilities 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: Functions in multiple advanced specialty disciplines such as systems infrastructure, assembly/integration, cross-discipline functions, data engineering, industry expertise, knowledge engineering or legacy evolution. Provides mastery expertise regarding advanced specialty disciplines such as assembly/ integration, cross-discipline functions, data engineering, industry expertise, knowledge engineering, legacy evolution, or system infrastructure. Provides consultation and guidance to CPE management and VA executive management on policy and planning relating to systems engineering testing system integration matters. Provides mastery integration direction for enterprise-level systems engineering test activities within CPE, including systems engineering test activities across the VA IT organization, including Health IT, Benefits IT, and Memorial IT products and interoperability. Applies an engineering approach to the management and analysis of systems engineering testing. Designs, develops, and implements integrated system solutions and products in enterprise testing and production environments. Provides mastery integration direction in regard to the design and configuration management of enterprise testing systems and system components within enterprise test environments, and advises on the impact of introducing new components into test and production environments. Provides mastery expertise supporting improved management of systems development sequencing and prioritization in view of constrained resources. Provides mastery expertise supporting the design, development, testing, implementation, support and optimization of infrastructure systems that enable and support business and/or engineering functions. Provides mastery expertise regarding integration of legacy systems with applications built using service oriented architecture methodologies. Provides mastery integration direction for engineering test processes, ensuring that new and modified products and system components integrate properly within the VA IT test and production environments. Provides mastery integration direction related to test activities on software applications and systems within an enterprise defined framework in order to ensure that defined requirements pertaining to business, performance, scalability, resource and capacity have been met. Conducts engineering studies to determine the effectiveness of technologies, products and topologies introduced into the test and production environments. Creates systems infrastructure portions of IT plans based on an understanding of the customer's organizational strategic direction, technical @context and business needs. Provides mastery expertise regarding business operations and industry technology trends to assess and recommend appropriate technologies to align with organizational objectives. Interfaces with key system stakeholders in order to manage/arbitrate issue resolution and/or serve as liaison for escalation of identified technical issues and risks. Collaborates on inter-service, inter-division or inter-organizational efforts and serves as CPE Engineering Division liaison; represents CPE Engineering Division on workgroups and taskforces as required. Represents PES/SPM and CPE Engineering Division at technical conferences and meetings with representatives from other OIT organizational entities, other government agencies, or private organizations. Position Description/PD#: IT Specialist PD02535A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required Travel Required: Occasional travel may be required as needed for this position. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8AM-4:30PM; Tour of duty will be determined based on organizational needs. Compressed/Flexible: As determined by the Agency Policy Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Physical Demands: The work may require some physical effort, such as standing, walking, bending, or sitting. The work often requires long hours to meet project deadlines and to devise corrective action and solutions to unexpected technical and/or management crises resulting in sometimes highly stressful work situations. The work requires almost constant use of a video display terminal. Working Conditions: The employee works primarily in an office setting involving everyday risks or discomforts. Normal safety precautions are adequate. Position is in a virtual organization. This position requires moderate travel to VA installations and conferences. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Selectee is subject to background/suitability investigation Selected applicant will be required to complete an online onboarding process This position is subject to pre-employment and random drug testing. Complete the initial online assessment. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). 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. Qualifications To qualify for this position, all qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement-08/14/2025. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For the GS-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Applicants must meet all requirements when a request is received to fill a vacancy. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Basic Requirements Experience: 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. Specialized experience is defined as: This position requires in-depth knowledge of systems engineering, including infrastructure and application integration within an enterprise environment. The incumbent must possess master-level expertise in designing, implementing, and managing hardware/software environments and integrating legacy systems with new technologies. They should be proficient in cloud-based system design, deployment and operation, and have experience with system performance analysis using models and simulations. A thorough understanding of the systems development lifecycle (SDLC) and experience in developing and directing system testing and validation procedures are essential. Excellent communication skills are required for technical briefings and coordination with stakeholders. 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. Education There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level(s) of this announcement. Additional Information VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. 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 well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/. 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. 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. 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. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. 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. 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.
