Duties

Summary

As a Supervisory IT Specialist, you will a leader in Cybersecurity and manages a division providing technical direction and leadership to division.

Location of position: GSA, Office of GSA IT, 1800 F Street NW, Washington, DC

The Security Engineering Division provides security consulting and engineering support for systems and emerging IT and IT security initiatives.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

Develops strategies to improve the cybersecurity of GSA information and GSA information system resources. As a recognized cybersecurity expert, leads GSA Security Engineering Division capabilities including related processes and supporting guidelines ensuring security engineering and security consulting services are delivered as a formal program capability. Performs high-level technical and complex work, characterized by an exceptional degree of difficulty. Directs the independent reviews of GSA and government wide software applications/systems and approves proposed Security Architectures prior to the commencement of the system build (architecture, infrastructure, and code) to ensure that any proposed security architecture or proposed changes to an existing architecture are securely designed and comply with GSA security requirements prior to implementation or redesign. Provides security consulting and engineering support for GSAIT information systems and emerging IT and IT Security initiatives ensuring new technologies are implemented following IT Security and Security Engineering standards, integrated with the agency's strategic IT and IT security architecture and compliance requirements; and, are free of gaps in security. Perform application threat modeling and recommendations for addressing the security challenges brought about by these initiatives. Evangelizes GSA's pivot to an operational security and DevSecOps culture to create and institutionalize best practices in developing secure software, web applications, and information systems. Implements and provides authoritative advice and guidance to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of network and information systems on a broad, complex spectrum impacting various government entities. Providers higher level stakeholders and partners with the information needed to make or recommend decisions surrounding complex cybersecurity issues and initiatives and makes high level decisions regarding the implementation and establishment of related policies and initiatives. Collaborates with government wide stakeholders and partners in an attempt to implement and support the government's information security needs and establish related guidelines. Provides input and support of related high level initiatives. Serves as a respected authority and senior spokesperson on a diverse range of high level IT Security issues, as well as more widespread issues affecting the substantive government and private industry missions in which the incumbents expertise is often sought due to extensive knowledge and experience in IT Security or a related field. Establishes collaborative partnerships and initiates and monitors policies, programs, and projects dealing with the most challenging problems in the IT Security and of national significance to the Federal government and its stakeholders. Performs the full range of supervisory responsibilities to direct the missions, functions, and resources of the Security Engineer Division Staff, including scheduling and assigning work; exercising responsibility; ensuring equity of standards; directing the major program segments of security engineering; providing guidance and direction; as well as assigning work to project/team leaders (both contractor and civilian) and ensuring the completed work is in accordance with established information security and project management principles and practices.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be necessary for meetings/training.

Supervisory status
Yes

Promotion Potential
15

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• US Citizens and National (Residents of American Samoa and Swains Island)
• Meet all eligibility criteria within 30 days of the closing date
• Register with Selective Service, if you are a male born after 12/31/1959
• Direct Deposit of salary check to financial organization required.

If selected, you must meet the following conditions:

• Receive authorization from OPM on any job offer you receive, if you are or were (within the last 5 years) a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch.
• Serve a one year probationary period, if required.
• Undergo and pass a background investigation (Tier 5 investigation level). You must be granted this clearance before you can start the job.
• Have your identity and work status eligibility verified if you are not a GSA employee. We will use the Department of Homeland Security's e-Verify system for this. Any discrepancies must be resolved as a condition of continued employment.
• Complete a financial disclosure report to verify that no conflict, or an appearance of conflict, exists between your financial interest and this position
• Serve a one year supervisory or managerial probationary period, if required.

Qualifications

For each job on your resume, provide:

• the exact dates you held each job (from month/year to month/year)
• number of hours per week you worked (if part time).

If you have volunteered your service through a National Service program (e.g., Peace Corps, Americorps), we encourage you to apply and include this experience on your resume.

For a brief video on creating a Federal resume, click here .

The GS-15 salary range starts at $137,849.00 per year.

If you are a new federal employee, your starting salary will likely be set at the Step 1 of the grade for which you are selected.

To qualify, you must have IT-related experience demonstrating EACH of the four competencies AND one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 level in the Federal service as described below:

IT SPECIALIST COMPETENCY REQUIREMENTS:

• Attention to Detail - This skill is generally demonstrated by assignments where the applicant keeps abreast of latest technology, information, research, etc., to maintain knowledge in field of expertise (for example, reads trade journals, participates in professional/technical associations, maintains credentials).
• Customer Service - This skill is generally demonstrated by assignments where the applicant promotes or develops and maintains good working relationships with key individuals or groups.
• Oral Communication - This skill is generally demonstrated by assignments where the applicant serves on panels, committees, or task forces as a representative for the organization on technical or professional issues.
• Problem Solving - This skill is generally demonstrated by assignments where the applicant monitors current trends or events (for example, technological, economic, political, social, educational, or employment trends or events) and applies the information as appropriate.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: Specialized experience includes directing and implementing efficient and cost effective information security practices to improve reliability and security; serving as a recognized expert on information security committees; evaluating IT Security requirements and developing evaluation plans; and researching information security trends and forecasting additional security needs and requirements.

Education

Additional information

Bargaining Unit status: Not applicable.

Relocation-related expenses are not approved and will be your responsibility.

Travel expenses associated with interviews may be approved. Determinations will be made on a case-by-case basis.

On a case-by-case basis, the following incentives may be approved:

• Recruitment incentive if you are new to the federal government
• Credit toward vacation leave if you are new to the federal government

Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior non-Federal work experience or uniformed service experience.

We are currently filling one vacancy, but additional vacancies may be filled through this announcement in this or other GSA organizations within the same commuting area, as needed; through other means; or not at all.

This is not full time telework position. The selectee for this position will be expected to report to the duty location in this announcement.

If you are eligible under Merit Promotion, you may also apply under Vacancy Announcement #1900547FMMP. You must apply separately to each announcement to be considered for both.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

We will use a method called Category Rating to assess your application. Here's how it will work:

• You will be scored on the questions you answer during the application process, which will measure your possession of the following competencies or knowledge, skills, and abilities:

Skill applying IT theories, principles, concepts, standards, and practices to develop new theories, concepts, principles, standards, and methods in IT Security.

1a. Skill applying IT security theories and concepts, practices, and emerging issues; and project management methods and concepts..
1b. Skill applying a variety of security sub- specialties, especially in the field of web applications.

Ability to address uncertainties involving the legislation, authorities and future of the agency program(s); feature unprecedented factual issues, e.g., those stemming from the newness or complexity of the program or recent changes to it and require balancing conflicting interests or positions of extreme intensity as oftentimes found in the dynamic, continually changing IT environment.

2a. Skill in one or more of: secure coding practices and web application security; performing security reviews of application designs; responding to security events as part of an engineering/operations team.
2b. Skill on one or more of: testing and remediating issues discovered via penetration tests; threat modeling and/or other threat analysis techniques; designing secure network architectures; identity and access management principles; cryptography principles and encryption technologies; securing IaaS, PaaS, SaaS applications; skilled with Continuous integration/automation tools (e.g. Ansible, Chef, Puppet, Jenkins, Git, Gerrit); knowledge of multiple operating systems, with expert level knowledge of Linux Operating Systems (Red Hat Enterprise Linux / Centos / Ubuntu).

Skill in collaborating across boundaries to build strategic relationships and achieve common goals and to resolve sensitive issues.
3a. Skill in independently planning and working on a variety of projects and to make authoritative and final decisions requiring considerable technical judgment.

Skill in written and verbal communication, especially when delivering feedback to other engineers; expert skill in teaching security sub- specialties to other engineers.
4a. Skill in contributing and planning initiatives that have short term, tactical impact, while also moving the organization forward toward longer term strategic goals

Skill in applying supervisor and leadership skills and techniques.

• Your answers to the questions will be used to place you in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified.
• We will verify your answers to the questions in your resume. If your resume doesn't support your answers, we may lower your score, which could place you in a lower category.
• Within each category, veterans will receive selection priority over non-veterans.

Additional assessments may be used, and, if so, you will be provided with further instructions.

If you are eligible under Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan or GSA's Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP/CTAP) , you must receive a score of 85 or higher to receive priority.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Top Secret

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

ALL required documents must be submitted before the closing date. Review the following list to determine what you need to submit.

If you are claiming veterans' preference:

Copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, DD-214 that shows the dates of your active duty service. If selected, a DD-214 showing your type of discharge (member 4 copy) will be required prior to appointment.

If you are claiming 10-point preference or derived preference (a spouse, widow or widower, or parent of a deceased or disabled veteran), submit both of the following in addition to the DD-214: (a) completed SF-15 form; and (b) proof of your entitlement (refer to SF-15 for complete list).

If you are active duty military - Certification on a letterhead from your military branch that includes your rank, character of service (must be under honorable conditions) & military service dates including discharge/release date (must be no later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted).

If you are ICTAP / CTAP eligible - submit a, b, and c: (a) proof of eligibility including agency notice; (b) SF-50, and (c) most recent performance appraisal.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.