IT Specialist (CUSTSPT)

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements when a request is received to fill a vacancy. You may qualify based on your education/experience as described below. A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing your qualifications on education. 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. For the GS-07, you must have one (1) full year of graduate level study (or law school, as specified in qualification standards or individual occupational requirements) or a Bachelor’s degree with Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.) (S.A.A. is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership. 1. Class standing–Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses. 2. Grade-point average (G.P.A.)–Applicants must have a grade-point average of: 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 (“B” or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 (“B+” or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum. Grade-point averages are to be rounded to one decimal place. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9. 3. Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society–Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies listed below. These honor societies are listed in the Association of College Honor Societies ACHS Home (achshonor.org). Agencies considering eligibility based on any society not included in the list must ensure that the honor society meets the minimum requirements of the Association of College Honor Societies. Membership in a freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this provision. For the GS-09, 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. For the GS-11, you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing your qualifications on education. Applications submitted without this information may not be considered. OR 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 four 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 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. For the GS-07, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level that includes applying, IT principles, methods, and practices in the customer service and customer support area to identify and resolve issues and problems. For the GS-09, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level that includes planning and delivering customer support services, including installation, configuration, troubleshooting, customer assistance, and/or training, in response to customer requirements; troubleshooting, recovering, adjusting, modifying, and improving IT systems in order to provide advice and assistance to customers. For the GS-11, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level that includes coordinating customer support activities sufficient to receive, respond to and ensure complete resolution of complex issues beyond what a help desk can resolve; providing comprehensive software, IT systems or equipment guidance and/or training to enhance customer knowledge, as well as to prevent recurring help desk inquiries; developing clear and concise IT reports and documentation for senior IT management. Such experience is typically gained in the IT field or through the performance of work where the primary concern is IT. 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. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit OPM’s web site at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/alph-ndx.asp.