Summary The Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Information Security (OIS), is launching the VA Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Program for Veterans, to recruit, hire, and develop the future cyber workforce. OIS manages VA's cybersecurity program, which is responsible for protecting Veteran data and VA information systems. This program is eligible for GI Bill Benefits. These are Term positions NTE two and 1/2 years but may be converted upon program completion and fit. Responsibilities Assists with monitoring and analysis of network and system activity. Assists with event correlation using information gathered from a variety of sources within the enterprise to gain situational awareness. Assists with monitoring and analysis of network and system activity. Assists with gathering and analyzing facts and draw basic conclusions. Documents and escalates incidents that may cause ongoing and immediate impact. Keeps supervisor and/or team leader informed of difficult and/or controversial issues and unique problems. This position is primarily aligned to the following NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework work roles: 511 - Cyber Defense Analysts - Uses data collected from a variety of cyber defense tools (e.g., IDS alerts, firewalls, network traffic logs) to analyze events that occur within their environments for the purposes of mitigating threats. For more information about these work roles, where they fit within the larger Cyber Workforce, and how they can support your unique career journey, please visit the Cyber Career Pathways tool on the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies website: https://niccs.us-cert.gov/workforce-development/cyber-career-pathways Position Description/PD#: IT Cybersecurity Specialist (INFOSEC)/PD00494A 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; 8 am - 4:30 pm Compressed/Flexible: As determined by the Supervisor. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Remote: This is not a remote position Promotion Potential: GS-12. The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Physical Demands: The work is primarily sedentary. The work may require walking and standing for prolong periods in conjunction with travel and at the onsite assessment location. The incumbent may carry light items such as papers, books or computers, or system/networking equipment. The work does not require any special physical effort. Working Conditions: The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions. 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. Selectee is subject to background/suitability investigation. Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment. To be considered for this position, applicants must complete all required steps in the process. 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. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year trial 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 trial 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, you must possess all of the following minimum qualifications by the closing of the announcement, 10/02/2026. 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 a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement. You must meet the Minimum Qualification Requirements and Specialized Experience to qualify for this series as described below. EDUCATION: Degree in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management or degree that provided a minimum of 24 semester hours in one or more of the fields identified above and required the development or adaptation of applications, systems or networks. You must have a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree; or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree. You must submit relevant transcripts if qualifying based on education. -OR- EXPERIENCE: To qualify for this position, you must have information technology-related experience demonstrating all of the four competencies listed below. Ensure that this experience is clearly described in your resume: 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 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Such experience is typically gained in the IT field or through the performance of work where the primary concern is IT. You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 level that includes knowledge of network services and systems, including hardware, software, and virtual environments; understanding the components of a technology system and their roles in system operations; the ability to characterize and analyze data or information from one or multiple sources; and be able to perform assessments of systems and networks, as well as analyze and report results. 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. 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. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those who have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Education must be from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For additional information, refer to the U.S. Department of Education web site at http://www.ed.gov. Submit a copy of your college transcript (unofficial is acceptable) or you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the courses. Foreign Education: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet Federal qualification requirements if you can show that your foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States. For example, specific courses accepted for college-level credit by an accredited U.S. college or university, or foreign education evaluated by an organization recognized for accreditation by the Department of Education as education equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. college or university. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence with your application. See Recognition of Foreign Qualifications for more information. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement. Additional Information The targeted candidates for this program are Veterans with targeted military job specialty codes and should meet the following criteria: Veteran Status: Must be honorably discharged veterans of any Branch of the United States Armed Forces Military Background: Must have served in a technical occupational specialty. Each Branch categorizes occupational specialties using the following codes: Army and Marine Corps: Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) Air Force: Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) Navy: Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC)/Rating Space Force: Space Force Specialty Code (SFSC) Technical Background: Some form of technical knowledge or experience is required to support successful completion of the Program Location: Candidates must currently reside in or relocate to W. Virginia or the surrounding area for the duration of the Program Note: Cybersecurity knowledge is NOT a requirement for this Program. The following is a list of some of the military job specialty codes targeted for the Program (the list is not all inclusive): Army: 25B, 25H, 25S, 25U, 35G, 35N, 35S, 352N,255A, 255N, 353T Marines: 0241, 0261, 0621, 0629, 0631, 0639, 0671, 0679, 0681, 0699, 2629, 2631, 2651, 2691, 2831, 2841, 2847, 2862, 2891, 0206, 0630, 0602 Air Force: 1D7X3, 1N1X1, 1N2X1, 1A8X2, 17D, 17W, 1820 Navy: ET, IT, ITE, ITN, ITR, 782X, Space Force: 1N1X1, 1N2X1 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. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable\Accommodations\for\USA\Hire This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
