Summary Th incumbent serves as an Information Technology (IT) Specialist for the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), Office of Information and Technology (OIT), provides central engineering services and management of a technical framework promoting one technology vision across VA, which supports system optimization ,integration, and interoperability through the enterprise. Term Not to Exceed over 1 yr but no more than 4 years Responsibilities OIT Mission: The mission of the Office of Information and Technology (OIT) is to collaborate with our business partners to create the best experience for all Veterans. OIT Vision: To become a world-class organization that provides a seamless, unified Veteran experience through the delivery of state-of-the-art technology. This is a non-bargaining unit position. Please read this public notice in its entirety before submitting your application. This announcement will remain open until November 6, 2024. The cut-off date for the Job Fair is October 31, 2024. Applications submitted after October 31, 2024, may receive consideration. Duties include but are not limited to the following: Develops plans , policies , methodologies, and architecture solutions that establish the framework for the management of multiple business lines of IT program directly related or in support of the VA messaging environment. Develops information to allow technically sound IT investment decisions that map to capital planning . Projects are critical to the success of VA IT systems . The outcomes of projects can influence IT in other government and private organizations. Leads emergent enterprise -level assignments of special or critical nature, conducts special studies and analyses that may have national impact and priority. Provides senior level consultation on enterprise initiatives regarding VA messaging environment and enterprise -wide solutions for VA. Maintains a broad knowledge of methods used in an interactive and interpretive computing environment and enterprise - wide solutions for the VA. Maintains a broad knowledge of methods used in an interactive and interpretive computing environment. Keep abreast of emerging technology trends, VA software development projects and activities, application packages and activities in the data processing community, as well as current developments in operating systems , database management systems and equipment related to the supported systems in the VA IT environment. Utilizes experience, discretion, judgement and knowledge in developing and revising existing policy and guidance for national IT programs impacted by changing requirements, legislative and business drivers , and /or emerging technologies. Ensure that all security controls are in place . This includes NIST controls, Trusted Internet Gateway (TIC) , VA policy and any other applicable policy , circular, or law is properly reviewed , integrated and functioning as approved by Senior VA leadership. Develops virtualization plans to migrate from physical machines to virtual machines located on premise or in the cloud Develops virtualization plans to migrate from physical machines to virtual machines located on premise , or in the cloud. Evaluates the impact of changes in business needs on current Solution Delivery IT services. Conducts feasibility studies, identifies solutions and presents recommendations to management. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Total Rewards Work Schedule: 8:00am -4:30 pm Position Description Title/PD#: IT Specialist ( Entarch) 02823A Physical Requirements: The work is predominantly sedentary and does not require any special physical effort. Some work may require walking and standing in conjunction with travel and attendance at meetings and conferences away from the work site. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Basic Requirements: Degree in computer science , engineering , information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or 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. GS-14 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: Superior technical , consultative , and problem resolution skills in support of activities relating to all aspects of enterprise - level projects. Mastery knowledge of enterprise messaging , collaboration, authentication and data loss prevention in supporting projects, methods, and architectural approaches to include programming language skills that would allow for delivery of a mature and secure messaging environment approaches Mastery knowledge of common exchange and supporting messaging protocols to allow for programmatic access, and policy -based application of VA business rules between and among multiple supporting environments. Provide technical leadership on high level projects in a matrix organization. Experience deploying an enterprise IT project VA-wide which includes continuance of operations (COOP) and Disaster Recovery (DR) system redundancies inherent within the IT project. Comprehensive knowledge of Federal policy as promulgated by Congress, the Office of Management and Budget(OMB), the National Institute of Standards (NIST) and Technology, Department of Homeland Security(DHS) and General Accounting Office(GAO).Interpret conflicting legislation and/or overall objectives , isolate areas that need development or study, plan, and execute work to accomplish this. Preferred Experience: Specialized experience includes Engineering enterprise cloud-based collaboration service systems such as enterprise messaging, real-time collaboration, enterprise mobile access with emphasis on cyber security documentation/configuration/oversight relating to services like Microsoft 365 to include Microsoft Teams, One Drive, SharePoint and/or comparable Productivity Tools. Advanced knowledge to include Microsoft Teams and One Drive architecture; with relations to Audio and video Conferencing, Collaboration and Real Time Communication (RTC), and document automation. Planning and/or designing and/or managing enterprise-level IT projects and resources related to the implementation of IT services across a large-scale organization. Providing IT system engineer support to include managing critical system configurations, escalations, and integrations. 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; religions; 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 receive credit for experience in your resume that is not within the official series and grade level of your position, you must provide official documentation of such experience as indicated above. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit OPM's web site at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/alph-ndx.asp. Education Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. Additional Information Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. VA 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. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. The following will be communicated to applicants for VA employment in a testing designated position and will also be included in all VA vacancy announcements for such positions: All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drugs use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/. Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.