Information Technology Specialist
What you'd do
WHAT IS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY? A description of the business units can be found at: https://www.jobs.irs.gov/about/who/business-divisions Position(s) are to be filled in following area(s): CISCO WIRELESS - Information Technology - Infrastructure Tech Ops, Network Services REVIEW THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BELOW FOR FURTHER DETAILS
Major duties
The following are the duties of this position at the full working level. If this vacancy includes more than one grade and you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform these duties and receive training to help you grow in this position. Performs advanced enterprise wireless engineering functions including: designing, implementing, and troubleshooting complex Cisco wireless network architectures (e.g., Catalyst 9800, AireOS, DNA Center, Meraki) in large distributed environments; leading RF design efforts including predictive modeling, site surveys, and high-density capacity planning; providing technical leadership for wireless initiatives involving multiple stakeholders and organizations; developing enterprise wireless standards, architecture, and operational guidance; and integrating wireless solutions with enterprise routing, switching, identity services (e.g., Cisco ISE), and zero trust architectures. Diagnoses and resolves the most complex and high-risk wireless network and RF issues, including co-channel interference, adjacent channel interference, spectrum congestion, roaming failures, authentication issues, and performance degradation in high-density and mission-critical environments. Wireless Networking and RF Engineering: IEEE 802.11 standards (a/b/g/n/ac/ax/6E/7) and enterprise WLAN design RF fundamentals including signal propagation, SNR, dBm, attenuation, and interference mitigation Wireless site surveys (predictive, passive, and active) and RF validation techniques High-density wireless design and capacity optimization for large user populations Cisco wireless platforms including Catalyst 9800 controllers, AireOS, DNA Center, and Meraki cloud architectures Wireless security including WPA2/WPA3, 802.1X, EAP methods, and integration with Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) Spectrum analysis tools and techniques for identifying Wi-Fi and non-Wi-Fi interference Mobility services including fast secure roaming, voice over WLAN (VoWLAN), location services, and IoT wireless integration Serves as a technical and project leader managing complex, high-impact network services initiatives that cross organizational, functional, and geographic boundaries. Defines project scope, requirements, milestones, and resource needs for large-scale initiatives. Develops standards, guidelines, and best practices that are adopted across the IRS and influence enterprise technology direction.
What you need to qualify
Federal experience is not required. Experience may have been gained in the public sector, private sector or through Volunteer Service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-timework is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume. You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement. QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: To qualify for this position, you must meet the qualification requirements outlined below: Minimum requirements for Grade 12 and UP (GS or Equivalent) Applicants must have Information Technology related experience demonstrating each of the following nine competencies: 1) Attention to Detail, 2) Customer Service, 3) Decision Making, 4) Information Management, 5) Interpersonal Skills, 6) Oral Communication, 7) Problem Solving, 8) Teamwork and 9) Technical Competence. Specialized Experience GS-14 Level: In addition to meeting basic requirements, to be eligible for this position at this grade level, you must have one (1) year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service, specialized experience includes: Leading or coordinating IT projects, application-related efforts, operational initiatives, or system-related activities that affect multiple users, teams, programs, or business processes. Applying advanced IT principles, concepts, methods, and practices to evaluate requirements Resolve technical issues; guide system, application, or code testing and configuration decisions; and ensure technical documentation and federal cybersecurity, privacy, or regulatory requirements are addressed. Engaging customers, stakeholders, users, product or business owners, and technical teams to define business or technical requirements, communicate technical impacts, and guide delivery of secure, reliable, scalable IT solutions. Evaluating system, service, or application performance, availability, reliability, security controls, usability, and operational effectiveness; identifying risks, issues, defects, or gaps; and leading corrective actions or improvement efforts. Analyzing competing technical approaches and providing authoritative recommendations to management, stakeholders, or IT specialists on the selection, design, configuration, implementation, or improvement of IT solutions with organizational impact. Engineering, integrating, and troubleshooting enterprise wireless infrastructure, including Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers (WLC), Catalyst Center, Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE), access points, authentication services, network access control (NAC), and integration with enterprise routing, switching, firewalls, and security architectures. Applying advanced enterprise networking principles, including Layer 2/Layer 3 switching, routing protocols, TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, QoS, multicast, network segmentation, Zero Trust architecture, cloud networking, and Cisco wireless technologies to design, implement, secure, and maintain enterprise wireless solutions supporting mission-critical business operations. Planning, conducting, and interpreting wireless RF site surveys and predictive wireless designs using industry-standard tools to optimize wireless coverage, capacity, performance, and spectrum utilization for office, campus, warehouse, and high-density operational environments. Diagnosing and resolving wireless and RF issues, including co-channel interference (CCI), spectrum congestion, roaming optimization, authentication failures, RF coverage gaps, client connectivity issues, and wireless performance degradation across enterprise environments. Designing, engineering, implementing, and managing large-scale enterprise wireless network architecture utilizing Cisco wireless technologies to deliver secure, resilient, and highly available network services across enterprise environments. Serving as a subject matter expert for enterprise wireless infrastructure by developing architecture standards, establishing best practices, evaluating emerging technologies, and providing strategic recommendations on enterprise networking initiatives and modernization. AND You must also meet the following requirement(s): PERFORMANCE RATING: Current federal employees must have at least a fully successful or equivalent performance rating to receive consideration. TIME AFTER COMPETITIVE APPOINTMENT (TACA): By the closing date (or if this is an open continuous announcement, by the cut-off date) specified in this job announcement, current civilian employees must have completed at least 90 days of federal civilian service since their latest non-temporary appointment from a competitive referral certificate, known as time after competitive appointment. For this requirement, a competitive appointment is one where you applied to and were appointed from an announcement open to "All US Citizens" TIME IN GRADE (TIG): Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements. For positions above the GS-05, applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year (52 weeks) at the next lower grade level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the grade you are applying for. For positions at the GS-05, you cannot advance to the GS-05 if you have held a GS-02 in the past 52 weeks. There is no TIG restriction for GS-02, 03, or 04 positions. MINIMUM AGE REQUIREMENT: Minimum age for federal employment is 18 years old, or at least 16 years old and have: Graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or Completed a formal vocational training program; or Received a statement from school authorities agreeing with your preference for employment rather than continuing your education. For more information on qualifications please refer to OPM's Qualifications Standards.
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