IT Specialist

Summary This position is located with Bonneville Power Administration, in Operational Virtualization & Infrastructure (JOV) organization of Operational Services (JO), Information Technology (J). A successful candidate in the IT Specialist position will serve as an IT specialist and subject matter expert applying technical knowledge on mission critical and business critical data systems necessary to support a 7x24 operation. Learn more about this agency Duties As an ITSpecialist, you will: Plans and coordinate projects that involve multiple stages in the systems development life cycle management process. Define and concur in overall project requirements; plans and coordinates systems design, development, and implementation. Oversee support of installed systems and services, and resolves a wide range of technical and management issues. Apply new developments to previously unsolvable problems, and makes decisions or recommendations that significantly influence important IT policies or programs. Ensure the integration of IT programs and services, and develops solutions to integration and interoperability issues. Make decisions that involve major uncertainties with regard to the most effective approach or methodology to be applied, responding to changes typically resulting from continuing changes in customer business requirements and/or rapidly evolving technology. Provide expert technical advice, guidance, and recommendations to management and other technical specialists on critical IT issues. Requirements Conditions of employment In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answer to these questions is not scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration When you apply you will be asked a series of questions to determine your eligibility for employment and your qualification for this position specifically. You must answer all of these questions completely and truthfully. Key Requirements: You must be a United States Citizen. This employer participates in the e-Verify program. Males must abide by Selective Service registration requirements. You will be required to report in person to the official duty location. Conditions of Employment: This position has been designated as requiring a PUBLIC TRUST background. A preliminary background check must be completed before a new employee can begin work. Current Federal employees or other individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check. Current Federal employees or other individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check. May be required to successfully complete a probationary period. Positions located in Information Technology are required to be 24/7 on call. Qualifications BASIC REQUIREMENT: You must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the four (4) competencies listed below. The experience must be IT related and may be demonstrated by paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training (for example, IT certification) as appropriate. 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. To meet this requirement, you must demonstrate advanced proficiency in each of the four competencies listed above as follows: Advanced - You can perform the actions associated with each of these competencies without assistance. You are recognized within your immediate organization as "a person to ask" when difficult questions arise regarding each of these competencies. Focus is on broad organizational/professional issues; You have consistently provided practical/relevant ideas and perspectives on process or practice improvements which may easily be implemented; You are capable of coaching others in the application of each of these competencies by translating complex nuances relating to each competency into easy to understand terms; You participate in senior level discussions regarding these competencies; You assist in the development of reference and resource materials in these competencies. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level [enter grade] in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: 1) designing, implementing, and operating enterprise routed and switched networks in both data center and wide area environments, including hands-on configuration and troubleshooting; 2) engineering services at-scale, including dynamic routing protocols, Network Address Translation, high availability, multicast, and quality of service; 3) applying sound foundations that support those services, such as VLAN design, trunking, spanning tree, link aggregation with EtherChannel or LACP to deliver and support WAN connectivity for remote or field locations; and 4) operating in a 24×7 environment using disciplined change control, incident response, performance and capacity management, and configuration management, with use of enterprise monitoring, telemetry, and configuration backup tools. "Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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. You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Education There are no specific education requirements or substitution of education for experience for this position. Additional information This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across DOE EEO Policy: USAJOBS Center | Equal employment opportunity policy Reasonable Accommodation Policy: Employees or applicants may request Reasonable Accommodation (RA) for assistance, when applying or competing for a job or performing a job due to their medical condition or to exercise their religious beliefs. If you need reasonable accommodation in the application or selection process, please contact the Staffing Specialist listed on this vacancy announcement. USAJOBS Center | Reasonable accommodation policy Reasonable Accommodation for USAHire: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here. Veterans Information: USAJOBS Center - Veterans Veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Telework: https://www.opm.gov/telework/ Selective Service Registration: http://www.sss.gov/ - Who must register: https://www.sss.gov/faq/#who-needs-to-register Hiring incentives may be authorized for a highly qualified candidate based on budget availability and in accordance with federal regulations. BPA strives to ensure a safe and positive work environment. We also understand the importance of work/life balance and offer a variety of programs and policies designed to create more flexible, responsive work environments supportive of commitments to community, home and family members. BPA also supports employees' overall wellness through its Be Well program, which helps employees adopt healthier lifestyles and feel better about their work/life balance. The program supports five key areas of life: career, community, financial, physical and social. Expand Hide  additional information Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Benefits A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits. Review our benefits Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.