Duties

Summary

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HAS BEEN AMENDED TO ADD THE COVID-19 VACCINE MANDATE TO THE POSITION REQUIREMENTS.

This position is located in the Health Resources and Services Administration, Office of Information Technology, Division of Infrastructure Services, Network Engineering Branch. The duty location for this positions is in Rockville MD.

**Applicants please note: Additional selections may be made across the Department of Health and Human Services through this vacancy announcement.**
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

***As of Wednesday October 20, 2021, the closing date of this announcement has been extended until Friday October 29, 2021***

Applications received as a result of job fairs, recruitment events, and emergency hiring mechanisms in support of this hiring initiative will also be accepted during open and closing date of this announcement.

IT Specialists (Network Engineer) are a mission critical occupation for HRSA. This position are responsible for the analysis of system and/or security requirements, the development and implementation of mission critical applications for the agency's Information Technology operations.

This Direct Hire recruitment is to fill positions based on a critical hiring need resulting from the outbreak and spread of the "Coronavirus Disease 2019" (COVID-19), which has caused a public health emergency. As such, all applicants who meet the qualification requirements stated in this announcement will be referred to hiring managers for further consideration.

MAJOR DUTIES:

As an Information Technology Specialist, you serve as a Network Engineer in the Division of Infrastructure, Network Engineering Branch.

Your major duties and responsibilities include:

• Providing consultation, engineering and operational support services for HRSA's enterprise network services including, Virtual Private Networks (VPN), firewalls, Network Access Control (NAC), routing, switching, and wired and wireless network infrastructure.
• Utilizing expert knowledge of network engineering to support and secure the HRSA General Support System and enterprise applications.
• Acting as a subject matter expert in HRSA network infrastructure (wired and wireless) to ensure coverage, security, and availability are optimized.
• Representing the Network Engineering Branch in planning for the installation and implementation of new systems, or upgrade of an existing system and leading efforts to define post-implementation support requirements.
• Actively participating in network and systems design to ensure the implementation of appropriate systems security policies, procedures and standard.

NOTE: Do not cut and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Expected travel may be up to 5% for this position.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
None

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U. S. Citizenship is required.
• Males ages 18 through 25 must be registered with the Selective Service.
• PHS Commissioned Corps applicants must submit current personnel orders.
• A one year probationary period may be required.
• Position is not in the Bargaining Unit.
• Recruitment incentives are not authorized.
• Student loan repayment incentive is not authorized.
• Employment is subject to the successful completion of the pre-appointment process (i.e., background investigation, verification of qualifications and job requirements, completion of onboarding forms, submission of required documents, etc.)
• THIS POSITION IS SUBJECT TO THE COVID-19 VACCINE MANDATE AS A CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT. REFER TO THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SECTION FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS MANDATE.

Qualifications

THESE QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS MUST BE MET BY THE CLOSING DATE: 10/29/2021.

Do not cut and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into to your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

To qualify for this position, your resume must clearly demonstrate that you have IT-related information security experience in 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

In addition to meeting the four IT related competencies listed above, in order to qualify for this position at the GS-13 level, your resume must clearly demonstrate that you have one full year of specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-12 level in the federal service.

Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, an applicant's one full year of specialized experience must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for successful job performance.

Examples of qualifying specialized experience include the following types of tasks performed on a regular and recurring basis:

• Deploying, configuring and administering network and security systems to support wired and wireless access for the corporate network
• Designing, reviewing and implementing network and system security policies, procedures, and standards to meet industry standards and guidelines
• Identifying, patching, and mitigating system vulnerabilities to safeguard network and systems against threats.

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; community; student; social). If such experience is on a part-time basis, you must provide the average number of hours worked per week as well as the beginning and ending dates of the experience so it can be fully credited.

TO PREVIEW THE OCCUPATIONAL ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE, please click on the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11252105

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS POSITION IS SUBJECT TO THE COVID-19 VACCINE MANDATE AS A CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT.

Vaccination Mandate :

• In accordance with Executive Order 14043 , Federal employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 regardless of the employee's duty location or work arrangement (e.g., telework, remote work, etc.), subject to exceptions that may be required by law. If selected, you will be required to submit proof of vaccination by November 22, 2021 or before your entrance on duty if you are selected after the compliance date. Your HR Consultant will provide a list of documents acceptable as proof of vaccination and instructions for how to submit a request for a legally required exception, if needed, to comply with vaccination requirement.

Expanded/Maximum telework Posture :
Due to COVID-19, the agency is currently in a maximum telework posture. If selected, you may be expected to telework upon your appointment. As employees are permitted to return to the office, you may be required to report to the duty station listed on this announcement, even if your home/temporary telework site is located outside the local commuting area. Your position may be eligible for workplace flexibilities which may include remote work or telework options, and/or flexible work scheduling. These flexibilities may be requested in accordance with the HHS Workplace Flexibilities policy.

HHS is an equal opportunity employer. Selection for this position will be based solely on merit without regard to race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, political affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, marital or family status or other differences.

Click here for information on " Federal hiring for individuals with disabilities ".

1. Security and Background Requirements: If not previously completed, a background security investigation will be required for all appointees. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. False representation may be grounds for non-consideration, non-selection and/or appropriate disciplinary action.
2. E-Verify: HRSA participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). E-Verify helps employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their social security numbers.
3. Direct Deposit: All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
4. Creditable Service: A newly appointed or reappointed employee may receive service credit for annual leave for prior work experience directly related to the duties of the position being filled. The use of this service credit is at the discretion of the selecting official and must be finalized prior to selectee's entrance on duty. For more information, please click here .

HRSA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. Telework eligibility may be discussed during the interview process.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

This is a Direct-Hire Authority position, traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy. Veterans' Preference does not apply to direct hire recruitment procedures.

Your application will be reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position. All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications will be referred for consideration in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management Direct Hire Authority .

Additional selections may be made for similar positions across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the local commuting area(s) of the location identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) at HHS. Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions across HHS.

To determine your qualifications and referral status, we may review your resume and supporting documentation and compare it against your responses to the vacancy questionnaire. Ensure you support your self-ratings by the information you provide in your application. We may verify or assess your qualifications at any time. Inflated or unsupported qualifications may affect your rating. Any misrepresentation or material omission of facts may be sufficient cause to end further consideration of your candidacy. Persons listed as having knowledge of your past accomplishments or experience in your application may be contacted for verification purposes at any time. Verification may, but need not, begin prior to receiving an offer.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please contact either HRSA's Office of Human Resources at (301) 443-3780 or by email: askhr@hrsa.gov or HRSA's Reasonable Accommodation programs at (301) 443-2538 or by email RA-Request@hrsa.gov . You must contact the Reasonable Accommodations Program prior to the closing date of this announcement to receive assistance. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Hours of operation: Monday through Friday 7:30AM to 4:00PM EST (except Federal holidays).

Submission of a resume alone is not a complete application. To apply for this position, you must provide a complete online Application Package which includes:

1. A current Resume - For resume writing guidance, please visit USAJOBS Resources Center or view their video tutorial. Your resume must thoroughly describe how your skills and experiences align to the criteria defined in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement and it must support your responses to the assessment questionnaire. We cannot assume you have performed the necessary experience required for this position regardless of your employment history or academic career. To ensure all of the essential information is in your resume, we encourage you to use the USAJOBS online Resume Builde r.
If you choose to use your own resume, curriculum vitae, or any other written form you choose, then you must ensure it contains all of the required information and you organize it so we can associate the following information for each experience/position:

Job title

Name of employer

Beginning and ending dates of employment (month/day/year format)

Hours worked per week. We will assume full-time unless otherwise stated. We will prorate part-time employment in crediting experience.

Detailed description of job duties, accomplishments, related skills, and responsibilities to include any supervisory/managerial responsibilities and number of staff supervised (if applicable)

Your resume must show the series and grade or equivalent for all federal positions you have held (if a federal position).

You must also ensure that the duties performed are clearly matched to each period of employment.
Do not include a photograph or video of yourself, or any sensitive information (age, date of birth, marital status, protected health information, religious affiliation, social security number, etc.) on your resume or cover letter. We will not access web pages linked on your resume or cover letter to determine your qualifications.

2. A complete Assessment Questionnaire

3. Other supporting documents to be submitted with application:

• Personnel Orders: PHS Commissioned Corps Officers must submit a copy of latest personnel orders in lieu of SF-50.
• College Transcripts (if the position has a positive education requirement, or you are qualifying on the basis of education).
• Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50), if current or former Federal employee.
• If you are currently serving in a pay banded position, please include a copy of your pay band chart with your application.

For Résumé and Application Tips visit the USAJOBS Resource Center.

The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 10/29/2021