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.
IT COMPETENCIES: For all positions, individuals must have IT-related experience (which may be obtained by paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training (for example, IT certification), as appropriate) demonstrating each of the four competencies listed below:
- 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: 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-12 level:SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the ZP-3 or GS-11 grade level or equivalent pay band in the Federal Service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following:
- Assist with developing Cyber Security methods for the protection of IT systems in the cloud and the development, application, analysis, and testing of security methods and systems.
- Assist with conducting IT security plan development and implementing policy, processes and controls.
- Assist with developing recommendations for security hardware and software technology to best meet the needs of an organization.
To qualify at the ZP-4 or GS-13 level:SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the ZP-3 or GS-12 grade level or equivalent pay band in the Federal Service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following:
- Leading various IT security requirements for implementation in a cloud environment.
- Providing technical oversight for the development of near- and long-term security operation roadmaps and defining current and future security architectures.
- Identifying and documenting gaps at the system and application level, providing solutions, and writing security plans and other documentation required;
The full performance level of the position is ZP-4.