Summary Direct Hire Authority: This position will be filled through the Office of Personnel Management's Direct Hire Authority. The "Rule of Three", Category Rating and Veterans Preference will not apply to this vacancy. Responsibilities This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Chief Information Office, Washington, District of Columbia. The primary purpose of this position is to ensure and coordinate communications to facilitate both secure and private voice, data, and video service; providing secure communications for national level leaders as circumstances dictate regardless of worldwide locations. Duties performed: Provides dedicated communications and Information Technology (IT) support, decision support, and situational awareness services to National leaders. Serves as a technology liaison between the Executive Leadership Support Team and all offices and departments inter-operating with the Secretary's travel IT/Telecommunication systems. Manages the Network Security Program. Utilizes current and future multi-level security products collectively to provide data integrity, confidentiality, authentication, non-repudiation, and access control of the Local Area Network (LAN). Provides direct IT technical support to the Department of Homeland Security Secretary, Deputy Secretary, senior Department of Homeland Security leadership, and their immediate staff. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position. You must successfully pass a background investigation. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs. Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov/). One-year probationary period may be required. A pre-employment drug test is required. The incumbent is required to sign a Condition of Employment form (for certain positions identified as critical under the drug testing program) and must pass urinalysis testing, as required prior to appointment, reassignment, or transfer, and employee will be subject to random testing while employed with the Department in a TDP. If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application. DHS uses e-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing. License required: No Pre-employment physical required: No Bargaining Unit Position? This is a non-bargaining unit position. Permanent Change of Duty Station (PCS) Expenses will not be paid. Promotion Potential: This position is at the full performance level. Qualifications Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the Experience requirements as noted below. You must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the following four competencies: 1) Attention to Detail - Researching current technologies to understand current and future capabilities required; 2) Customer Service-Defining project scope based on customer requirements; 3) Oral Communication- Consulting with customers to evaluate functional requirements; and 4) Problem Solving- Evaluating IT issues to provide guidance on security policies. AND Specialized Experience:GS-13: Applicant must demonstrate one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-12 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors) performing the following duties: 1) Ensuring the implementation of Information Technology (IT) security policies in the testing, operating and deployment of IT and telecommunications systems; and 2) Troubleshooting IT and Telecommunication systems in the fixed and mobile environment; and 3) Coordinating communications to facilitate both secure and private voice, data, and/or video service. NOTE: Your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement, otherwise you will be found ineligible. Only the first five pages of your resume will be used to make an eligibility/qualifications determination. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Qualification claims will be subject to verification. NOTE: 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. Additional Conditions of Employment: This position is emergency-essential (E-E). The incumbent of this position must meet all requirements of E-E positions and may be required as a condition of employment to take a series of vaccinations and annual boosters to immunize against anthrax and other diseases. During a crisis the incumbent or designated alternate must continue to perform E-E duties until relieved by proper authority. The incumbent or the designated alternate may be required to take part in readiness exercises. This position cannot be vacated during a national emergency or mobilization without seriously impairing the capability of the organization to function effectively. This meets the criteria of an E-E position and requires that the incumbent or the designated alternate be removed from any recall status. All E-E employees must perform E-E duties during a crisis and/or after noncombatants evacuate. Failing to perform assigned E-E duties may result in disciplinary action against the incumbent up to and including removal from the federal service. The employee may be required to work other than normal duty hours, which may include evenings, weekends, and/or holidays and/or overtime, work a rotating shift schedule on short notice, and/or be on call or on standby for up to 24 hours per day to cover priority projects, emergency response needs, and elevated threat levels. Work requires travel away from the normal duty station on military or commercial aircraft. This position involves critical duties and responsibilities that must continue to be performed during crisis situations and contingency operations at either the primary or alternate operating facility. The incumbent is identified as a member of the OPS Emergency Relocation Group (ERG) and subject to deployment, with little or no notice, to alternate operating facilities during all hazard events, threats, incidents, and emergencies. The incumbent is required to carry an agency issued SMART phone at all times. The incumbent is designated as a mission essential employee, on call during crises, emergencies, or Continuity of Operations events, and required to report to duty regardless of weather or national situation. Incumbent may be required to reside at alternate sites for extended period of time, potentially without communications with family or friends. The living conditions at the alternative sites may involve crowded living conditions and extremely long work hours. Education Additional Information Note: DHS continues to take necessary steps to keep our workforce safe amid the COVID-19 pandemic. If you receive a final job offer to onboard, please complete the onboarding forms and submit them electronically in an expeditious manner. Your start date may be delayed if the action above is not completed. Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of its mission, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requires each and every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully complete a background investigation for a Sensitive Compartmented Information clearance as a condition of placement in this Special-Sensitive position. This review includes financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs. Pursuant to Executive Order 12654 and DHS policy, DHS is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace and, therefore, conducts random and other drug testing of its employees in order to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. Headquarters personnel in safety- or security-sensitive positions are subject to random drug testing and all applicants tentatively selected for employment at DHS Headquarters are subject to drug testing resulting in a negative test result. Current or Former Political Appointees: 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. Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP/CTAP): This program applies to Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed, or employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet eligibility criteria for CTAP or ICTAP; 2) be rated well-qualified for the position; and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. Well-Qualified includes those applicants whose knowledge, skills, and abilities clearly exceed the minimum qualification requirements for the position. For information on eligibility criteria and required documentation, go to: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov/). If you are unable to apply online contact [email protected].