IT Specialist (Systems Administration/Customer Support)

Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the experience and/or education requirements described below.. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Basic Requirement for IT Specialist (Systems Administration/Customer Support) GS-9: Specialized and Other Experience: One year of specialized experience which demonstrates the ability to provide IT software desktop customer support to network users; identify and resolve computer equipment issues through effective troubleshooting; and perform system administration duties such as installing and configuring hardware and software within a local network environment. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-07). OR Education: Master's degree or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree 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 OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages. Basic Requirement for IT Specialist (Systems Administration/Customer Support) GS-11: Specialized and Other Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes responding to customers while assisting in the installation of computer systems, performing system maintenance, and monitoring or troubleshooting system availability. This experience includes serving as an Information Technology (IT) Specialist on the customer support team, providing technical support for computer networks and client systems, and applying knowledge of systems administration, maintenance, IT security, configuration management, and minor systems/network management. Responsibilities include resolving local IT issues; creating, administering, and repairing user and group accounts; managing user passwords; coordinating with security and identity and access management personnel on workstation and network security requirements; installing and configuring security patches and software applications; and delivering technical assistance to end users. This work demonstrates Attention to Detail by completing complex technical tasks with minimal revision; Customer Service by assessing needs and resolving routine and non-routine user issues; Oral Communication by clearly conveying moderately complex IT information and actively listening to customer concerns; and Problem Solving by identifying issues, gathering relevant information, evaluating alternatives, and recommending effective solutions while seeking supervisory guidance when appropriate. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the Federal Service (GS-09). OR Education: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a 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, three full years of graduate education from an accredited or pre-accredited institution 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. AND The specialized experience must include, or be supplemented by, information technology related experience (paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training, as appropriate) which demonstrates each of the four competencies, as defined: The specialized experience must include, or be supplemented by, information technology related experience (paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training, as appropriate) which demonstrates each of the four competencies, as defined: (1) Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail. Examples of IT-related experience demonstrating this competency include: completing work independently that rarely requires editing or review by others. (2) 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. Examples of IT-related experience demonstrating this competency include: resolving simple and routine problems, questions, or complaints and providing support and guidance to customers on non-routine issues; serving as a primary resource for customers, requesting assistance with complex issues when necessary; and participating in meetings and providing advice to customers in own area of expertise. (3) 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. Examples of IT-related experience demonstrating this competency include: expressing facts and ideas in a clear, concise, convincing, and organized manner; clearly conveying moderately complex ideas, concepts, and information to customers; exhibiting active listening by demonstrating understanding of audience comments and/or questions. (4) Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations. Examples of IT-related experience demonstrating this competency include: identifying and solving problems by gathering and applying information from a variety of materials or sources that provide several alternatives; recognizing and taking action to address non-routine problems; soliciting feedback from multiple stakeholders to understand an issue or problem and accurately assess its root causes and potential solutions; seeking supervisory review where appropriate