IT Specialist (Systems Administration)

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management’s website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy. Basic Requirements: Applicants may qualify for this position through meeting either the requirements under Education or Specialized Experience. EDUCATION: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral in one of the following areas: computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or Previous editions obsolete and unusable 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. Note: All academic degrees and coursework must be from accredited or pre-accredited institutions. Attach a copy of transcript or list of college courses designating semester or quarter hours earned to ensure proper credit. OR SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. 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. This experience need not have been in the federal government. 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. To qualify at the ZP-3 or GS-11 level: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must have one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZP-2 or GS-09 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following: Participating in identifying and recommending improvements to increase Information Technology (IT) performance and efficiency; Providing support in testing and troubleshooting Information Technology (IT) security systems; and Assisting in evaluating and resolving Information Technology (IT) incidents and software malfunctions. -AND Applicants must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the following four competencies:1. Attention to Detail – Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.2. 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.3. 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.4. Problem Solving – Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations. To qualify at the ZP-4 or GS-13 level: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must have one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level ZP-3 or GS-12 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following: Identifying and recommending improvements to increase Information Technology (IT) performance and efficiency; Testing, troubleshooting, or maintaining Information Technology (IT) software and security systems; Participating in writing and debugging code for data management architecture or user interfaces; and Providing customer and user support for resolving Information Technology (IT) incidents and software malfunctions. -AND Applicants must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the following four competencies:1. Attention to Detail – Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.2. 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.3. 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.4. Problem Solving – Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.