Duties

Summary

As an Information Technology (APPSW) with the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), Training Management Systems (TMS), the incumbent plans and carries out a wide range of corporate application software and databases projects and ensures the effective design, development, quality assurance, implementation, support, maintenance, and enhancement of custom-developed and commercial off-the-shelf software packaged to support FSI and Department programs.

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Responsibilities

• Participates with senior specialists in data management, systems analysis, system security, configuration management, and software development activities.
• Supports the TMS Contracting Office Representative (COR) with contract file maintenance, invoice reconciliation and contractor staffing tasks.
• Plans and carries out various complex corporate academic management software projects.
• Manages activities relating to TMS hardware and software asset management.
• Ensures the effective design, development, quality assurance, implementation, support, maintenance, and enhancement of custom-developed and commercial off-the-shelf software packages to support FSI and Department programs.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
12

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
• One year probationary period, unless excepted by regulation.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
• U.S. Citizenship is required.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the required qualification requirements, including education, and any selective placement factors described below by the closing date of this announcement. If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript with your application.

NOTE: Applicants must meet time-in-grade and time after competitive appointment requirements, by the closing date of this announcement.

Time-In-Grade Requirements: Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions, per 5CFR 300, Subpart F.

GS-11 grade level:

Applicants applying for the GS-11 grade level must meet one of the following requirements:

A. Have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited or pre-accredited institution in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management;

OR

B. Have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited or pre-accredited institution that provided a MINIMUM of 24 semester hours in one or more of the fields identified in Choice A above AND required the development or adaptation of applications, systems or networks;

OR

C. Have 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited or pre-accredited institution in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management;

OR

D. Have 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited or pre-accredited institution that provided a MINIMUM of 24 semester hours in one or more of the fields identified in Choice A above AND required the development or adaptation of applications, systems or networks;

OR

E. Have IT-related experience demonstrating EACH of the four competencies AND specialized experience listed below:

Attention to Detail - experience reviewing my own information technology-related work or data to ensure accuracy, completeness, and consistency with standards. My work or the data that I produce is typically reviewed by my supervisor or another colleague

Customer Service - experience having brief contact with customers to provide information about available information technology products and services and providing customers with standard products or routine services to address information technology needs

Oral Communication - experience informing my supervisor and other IT staff of the status of information technology systems, projects, or daily operations, including the status of information technology systems, projects, or daily operations, including the communication of basic technical information to a non-technical audience

Problem Solving - identifying or selecting from a number of alternatives to address routine information technology-related issues by gathering and applying information from standard sources that provide a limited number of solutions

AND

Have at least 1 full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service which provided you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position.

GS-11: Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

• Experience coding, troubleshooting, and developing application software.
• Experience assisting in the process of analyzing various applications in order to make recommendations to customers concerning efficiency and effectiveness.

NOTE: In order to qualify for this position, your 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.

Note: If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed under the Qualifications and Evaluations section, you MUST (1) submit a copy of your college transcript(s) with your application, and if selected, an official college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment; (2) transcripts MUST be legible AND include your name, major, school name/location, course title/number, date completed, grade, date degree conferred and number of credits earned; (3) if you attended more than one college you MUST submit a transcript from each institution if you wish your education to be considered in qualifying you for this position; (4) all college coursework that may be pertinent to qualifying you for the position MUST be included on the transcripts. If you fail to provide requested information, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you WILL lose consideration for this position.

GS-12 grade level:

Applicants applying for the GS-12 grade level must meet the following requirements:

Have IT-related experience demonstrating EACH of the four competencies AND specialized experience listed below:

Attention to Detail - experience reviewing my own information technology-related work or data and have been asked by others to review their work or data to ensure accuracy, completeness, and consistency with standards

Customer Service - experience maintaining relationships with customers, assessing current information technology needs of customers, and developing or identifying information technology products and services that are tailored to meet customer needs

Oral Communication - briefing mid-level management and IT staff on the status of information technology systems, projects, or daily operations, including the communication of technical information to a non-technical audience

Problem Solving - identifying alternatives to address complex information technology-related issues by gathering and applying information from a variety of sources that provide a number of potential solutions

AND

Have at least 1 full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service which provided you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position.

GS-12: Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

• Experience designing, developing, and testing application software.
• Experience analyzing various applications in order to make recommendations to customers concerning efficiency and effectiveness.

NOTE: In order to qualify for this position, your 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.

There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-12 position.

Education

See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements, if applicable.

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. Click on the link for a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials.

Additional information

For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at (202) 663-3474 or ReasonableAccommodations@state.gov .

If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs) and other characteristics that are relevant to the duties of this position and must be fully supported by information in your resume:

• Knowledge of applications software development concepts and techniques.
• Knowledge of information technology life cycle management concepts.
• Ability to work on a team.
• Skill in Contracting Office Representative.
• Knowledge of advances in hardware, software, and database administration techniques.
• Knowledge of Information Assurance methods and procedures.

Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity. 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). Your resume should include the dates of all qualifying experience (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours worked/volunteered per week. For assistance with creating a resume, please click here .

Qualified candidates are assigned a score between 70 and 100. Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) candidates must be rated "Well Qualified" for the position and earn a score of at least 85 (when applicants are rated in a range of 70 to 100) to receive consideration for selection priority. If, after reviewing your resume and self-assessment questionnaire responses and a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, a score will be manually determined that reflects your documented experience. This may result in a lower score, which may also eliminate you from consideration for this position.

Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements and submit any required supporting documentation by the closing date of this job opportunity. Your application package must contain sufficient information to make a valid determination that you fully meet the basic/specialized experience requirements as stated in this job opportunity announcement for each grade level(s) for which you are applying. Applicants found to be among the top qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Top Secret

Drug test required
Yes

Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk

Trust determination process
National security

Required Documents

All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to our automated system "Gateway to State" by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

1. Resume - your resume or any other written format you choose should contain the required information as specified in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section. Insufficient information will result in an ineligible rating.

2. A completed online job specific self-assessment questionnaire through the Department's automated system "Gateway to State".

3. Transcripts - if applicable, see the Qualifications section of the announcement. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.

4. If you are qualifying based on other criteria listed under the Qualification Section of this announcement, you must submit the required supporting documentation (certificates, certifications, etc.) with your application by the closing date.

5. Current eligible DOS employees (per 3 FAM 2315) including non-competitive applicants must submit a SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) that shows the effective date, position title, series, grade, salary, tenure, position occupied, full promotion potential, AND submit a copy of your most recent completed annual performance appraisal that includes the final rating. If a performance appraisal does not exist, is incomplete or unavailable, a Form DS-1812 (Applicant Appraisal) or equivalent form from another agency signed by the current supervisor is acceptable. Mid-year progress reviews will not be accepted.

6. CTAP eligibles must submit a copy of the appropriate documentation with their application. See link below:

CTAP Considerations

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.