Summary This position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Information and Technology (OIT). within theses services: Software Product Management, Product Engineering Service, Chief Technology Office, Compliance, Risk and Remediation and End User Operations. The incumbent will serve as Senior Information Technology (IT) Specialist. Responsibilities OIT Mission and Vision statements 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: Manage a variety of high-level IT projects with management Assists senior management with efforts to ensure adherence to required and appropriate development processes, change and configuration management processes, development of resource allocation and schedule commitments. Manage program/project management and systems lifecycles to include: Acquisition, development, modification, enhancement, deployment or decommissioning of a product, service or system which may be Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) or internally developed software business applications. Track, analyze and coordinate multiple, complex applications development projects using principles and guidelines of the Project Management Institute (PMI) and Capability Maturity Model® Integration (CMMI) methodologies. Facilitate cross-functional and cross-team planning sessions to ensure integration of critical path development activities. Provide oversight for the development of information systems testing strategies, plans or scenarios working with stakeholders and Test and Software Quality Assurance Services representatives. Designated Drug Testing Position: Not applicable. This is a non-bargaining unit eligible position. Work Schedule: Monday -Friday, 8am - 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Available at the manager's discretion Telework: Ad-hoc telework may be authorized at management discretion. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: IT Specialist (Appsw)/PD18421A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Physical Demands: Work is primarily sedentary but involves use of a personal computer so a degree of dexterity and visual acuity sufficient to utilize these tools is required. Some physical effort is required to lift and carry reference books, working papers and similar items to and from meetings. A moderate amount of standing and walking is required in getting to and from meeting places away from the work site. The work does not require any special physical effort. Work Environment: Work is typically performed in an adequately lighted and climate-controlled office setting or remote teleworking via computer and telephone. There is occasional noise from normal office equipment. Some unscheduled work hours are required. Occasional travel is required to attend meetings, conferences and specialized technical training. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job 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. 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). 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. Additional Requirements: This is not a remote position. OI&T 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. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/09/2026. 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 for this position is defined as: Experience leading and overseeing cybersecurity practices for cloud-based infrastructure hosting modern, containerized, cloud-native APIs, web applications, and/or services built using Agile and DevOps methodologies. Demonstrated working experience with the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) and NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF) and its application to the software development lifecycle and DevOps. Demonstrated working experience with RMF for information systems and information security program handbooks and/or program guidelines. Demonstrated working experience with full Authority to Operate (ATO) authorization lifecycle to include procurement and acquisition of custom software development services and/or software-as-a-service (SaaS) products. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. 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. 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. 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. 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 http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.
