INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SPECIALIST

DutiesSummary

As our nation navigates the COVID-19 pandemic, CBP is committed to delivering our mission to safeguard America's borders and enable legitimate trade and travel. Staffing mission critical positions remains a high priority. Be reassured that CBP is still hiring, despite potential hiring process step delays due to restrictions to in-person activities.


Responsibilities

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Air and Marine Operations, Air and Marine Operations Center (AMOC), Riverside, CA.

Joining the Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations will allow you to use your expertise in the planning and delivery of customer support services. This position starts at a salary of $73,096.00 (GS-11, Step 1) to $95,023.00 (GS-11, Step 10) with promotion potential to $95,023 (GS-11 Step 10).

In this Information Technology Specialist (Customer Support) position you will become a key team member of Homeland Security professionals by providing customer assistance and training in response to customer needs. Typical work assignments include:

• Performing a range of IT support services, providing 24/7 service, with mission-critical work in the special emphasis areas of systems analysis, customer support and IT logistics.
• Consulting with customers to identify and refine functional requirements and opportunities for new or improved business process solutions.
• Participating in feasibility studies and trade-off analyses, develops life cycle cost estimates, and assists systems managers with developing IT solutions.
• Providing tier one technical support to customers reporting problems or needing advice, assistance or training in utilizing networks, systems, hardware and/or software.
Travel Required

25% or less - Frequent travel is required.

Supervisory status

No

Promotion Potential

11

• Job family (Series)

  2210 Information Technology Management

  Similar jobs
  • Information Technology Specialist (It Specialist)

• Requirements

  RequirementsConditions of Employment
  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this position
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered with Selective Service
  • Primary U.S. residency for at least three of the last five years (additional details below)
  • You may be required to pass a background investigation
  • CBP follows the DHS Drug-Free Workplace Plan for drug testing procedures
  • As an employee of CBP, you will be joining a workforce that is dedicated to accomplishing our mission while maintaining the trust of our Nation by strictly adhering to all government ethics standards. Your conduct will be subject to the ethics rules applicable to all Executive Branch employees, and to CBP employees specifically, as well as the criminal conflict of interest statutes. Once you enter on duty, these rules include obtaining approval for outside employment or business activity, to ensure such employment or business activity is not prohibited and does not interfere or conflict with performance of your official duties. Please review further details via the following link.
  
  This vacancy has a local commuting area requirement, as defined below:
  • The area surrounding the duty station by which people reasonably travel back and forth from home to work; Or
  • The employee's permanent duty station is located within the reasonable travel area surrounding the duty station of this vacancy; Or if applicable
  • For employees who are detailed or temporarily promoted for more than 1 year to another duty location, the detailed or temporary duty location is considered to be the duty location of record for commuting area purposes. For employees detailed or temporarily promoted for less than one year, the permanent duty location is considered the duty location of record for commuting area purposes.
  QualificationsBasic Requirement: Individuals must have Information Technology-related experience demonstrating 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 recommendation
  Along with the four competencies listed above you must possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience described below to qualify based on experience.
  
  Experience: You qualify for the GS-11 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as:
  • Responding and providing phone support to Information Technology help desk requests and problems
  • Diagnosing, researching, evaluating and resolving Information Technology problems and providing feedback to customer reported incidents
  • Installing, testing, configuring, troubleshooting and maintaining customer hardware, software and new software upgrades.
  • Resolving customer service technology issues and problems for a variety of platforms and systems according to written procedures
  • Maintaining Information Technology Security policies, instructions and guidelines when delivering customer support services
  Education Substitution: GS-11: Successful completion of a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in an accredited college or university, may be substituted for experience at the GS-11 grade level. Such education must demonstrate the skills needed to do the work. For this position a degree in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management or a 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 is qualifying. One year of fulltime graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 54 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 3 years of full-time study requirement.
  
  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). 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 qualification requirements, including education if applicable to this position, subject to verification at any stage of the application process; and
  • Meet all applicable Time in Grade requirements (current federal employees must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent grade band in the federal service) by 10/23/2020.
  
  The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.
  
  Background Investigation: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is a federal law enforcement agency that requires all applicants to undergo a thorough background investigation prior to employment in order to promote the agency's core values of vigilance, service to country, and integrity. During the screening and/or background investigation process, you will be asked questions regarding any felony criminal convictions or current felony charges, the use of illegal drugs (e.g., marijuana, cocaine, heroin, LSD, methamphetamines, ecstasy), and the use of non-prescribed controlled substances including any experimentation, possession, sale, receipt, manufacture, cultivation, production, transfer, shipping, trafficking, or distribution of controlled substances. . For more information visit this link.
  
  Residency: There is a residency requirement for all applicants not currently employed by CBP. Individuals are required to have physically resided in the United States or its protectorates (as declared under international law) for at least three of the last five years. If you do not meet the residency requirement and you have been physically located in a foreign location for more than two of the last five years, you may request an exception to determine if you are eligible for a residency wavier by meeting one or more of the following conditions:
  • Working for the U.S. Government as a federal civilian or as a member of the military
  • A dependent who was authorized to accompany a federal civilian or member of the military who was working for the U.S. government
  • Participation in a study abroad program sponsored by a U.S. affiliated college or university
  • Working as a contractor, intern, consultant or volunteer supporting the U.S. government
  Probationary Period: All employees new to the federal government must serve a one year probationary period during the first year of his/her initial permanent federal appointment to determine fitness for continued employment. Current and former federal employees may be required to serve or complete a probationary period. Education

  Please see the Qualifications and Required Documents sections for more information if education is applicable to this position.
  

  Additional information

  Security Clearance: This position requires that you obtain a Secret Security Clearance
  
  Bargaining Unit: This position is covered under the bargaining unit.
  
  Telework may be available on a regular recurring or situational basis, as determined by agency policy.
  
  Special Appointing Authority: Veterans, military spouses, Peace Corps/VISTA volunteers, and people with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility and to understand what documentation would be required with your application, please click on the appropriate link below. You must provide documentation supporting your eligibility prior to the closing date of this announcement. If you have any questions regarding your eligibility, please contact the CBP Hiring Center via the contact information listed at the end of this job opportunity announcement.

  • Veterans
  • Military spouses Effective until August 12, 2023, any spouse of a member on active duty may be eligible
  • Individuals with Disabilities The proof of disability documentation must specify that you are eligible to apply using Schedule A. It does NOT need to detail your specific disability, medical history or need for accommodation. For more information visit this link.
  • Peace Corps/VISTA
  • Other miscellaneous hiring authorities
  
  DHS uses E-Verify, an internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify including your rights and responsibilities.
  
  Follow U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Twitter @CustomsBorder
  
  The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR § 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR § 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps/VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.
  
  How You Will Be Evaluated

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

  Applicants will only be considered for the Eligibilities for which they claim in the job questionnaire AND must provide the supporting documentation. Applicants will not be considered for Eligibilities for which they did not claim, regardless of the documentation submitted with the application. https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10940470
  
  We will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the minimum qualification requirements. If you meet the minimum qualifications, your experience, education, and training will be rated using an assessment questionnaire.
  
  The competencies or knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform this job are:

  • Knowledge of networking and remote access technologies and protocols, various applications, operating systems, and equipment used to provide advice and assistance to customers.
  • Knowledge of and experience applying best practices and methods for analyzing, troubleshooting, recovering, modifying, and improving Information Technology systems in order to troubleshoot complex networking problems.
  • Ability to provide support that minimizes network interruptions and establish network access protocols that allow customers local or off-site access to systems.
  • Knowledge of project management methodologies, techniques, and principles.
  • Knowledge and Skill in applying oral and written communications techniques
  
  See the Qualifications Section for how you will be evaluated.
  
  If you are best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview. Preview the job questionnaire https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10940470
  
  Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not CTAP/ICTAP eligible. View information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibilityon OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To be considered well qualified under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be rated at a minimum score of 85 for this position. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the Required Documents section of this announcement.
  
  Background checks and security clearanceSecurity clearance

  Secret

  Drug test required

  Yes

  Position sensitivity and risk

  Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk

  Trust determination process

  Suitability/Fitness

• Required Documents

  Required Documents
  • Your resume: A resume describing your job-related qualifications is required and will be used for the purpose of reviewing your qualifications and determining what training, if any, would be required when placed. A resume in English is required. It must contain your full legal name, address, phone number, complete work history including a detailed description of your duties, the dates you performed those duties (MM/DD/YY), your hours worked per week, job title, as well as series, grade, and salary (if applicable). For additional required items, see the link.
  • Your responses to the job questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10940470
  • Are you a current or former federal employee? ALL CURRENT AND FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES MUST SUBMIT THE MOST RECENT COPY OF THEIR SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing competitive status: Tenure 1 or 2 in Block 24 and Position Occupied 1 in Block 34. Additionally, applicants should also submit a SF-50 reflecting the highest grade held on a permanent basis in the competitive service or the full performance level of your current position, whichever is higher, AND a SF-50 to support having met the time-in-grade requirement of having served 52 weeks at the grade level (or equivalent) below the grade level(s) for this position. Current CBP Employees are encouraged, but not required, to submit an SF-50(s) for CBP experience; however, additional SF-50(s) are required when using federal experience outside of CBP to receive credit towards the requirements above. Examples of appropriate Sf-50s include promotions, within-grade increases and accessions.
  • Are you qualifying based on education? Submit a copy of your college transcript (unofficial is acceptable at this time; however, official copies will be required prior to entrance on duty) or a list of coursework with hours completed provided from the institution. Education must be from an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Education obtained from a foreign university or college is not creditable unless it has been evaluated by an organization that specializes in interpretation of education credentials. For a listing of accrediting agencies see www.naces.org
  • Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP)? You must submit a separation notice; your most recent SF-50 (noting your current position, grade level and duty location); a copy of your recent performance rating; an agency certification that you cannot be placed after injury compensation has been terminated; an OPM notification that your disability annuity has been terminated; or a Military Department of National Guard Bureau notification that you are retired under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456.
  • Special Appointing Authority: See "Other Information" to determine what documentation you need to submit as proof of eligibility for a Special Appointing Authority.
  • Are you a veteran? If you are applying under a veteran appointing authority, you must submit documentation to support eligibility such as a DD-214 listing the character of service and either qualifying medal(s) or service period, a VA Disability Award letter dated 1991 or later, and/or supporting documentation as listed on the Standard Form 15. If you are currently serving on active duty, you must submit a written statement from the armed forces certifying your dates of service, your rank, expected character of service and anticipated date of separation. If you apply with a written statement at this stage, your preference will be verified by a DD-214 upon separation from the military. To learn more click here.
  • Are you a current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee? Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:
    • Position title
    • Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee)
    • Agency
    • Beginning and ending dates of appointment
  • You may be asked to provide a copy of your recent performance appraisal and/or incentive awards.

• Benefits

  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. Learn 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.

• Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

  Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.

• Family of overseas employees

  Family members of a federal employee or uniformed service member who is, or was, working overseas.

• Federal employees - Competitive service

  Current or former competitive service federal employees.

• Federal employees - Excepted service

  Current excepted service federal employees.

• Individuals with disabilities
• Land & base management

  Certain current or former term or temporary federal employees of a land or base management agency.

• Military spouses
• Peace Corps & AmeriCorps Vista
• Special authorities

  Individuals eligible under a special authority not listed above, but defined in the federal hiring regulations.

• Veterans

Current Federal employees with competitive status within the LCA; Current and former Federal employees who meet the established criteria in an Office of Personnel Management Interchange Agreement within the LCA; Current and former Federal employees with reinstatement eligibility who reside within the LCA; Individuals who are eligible under Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA); Individuals who are eligible under a noncompetitive special hiring authority who reside within the LCA.