IT Specialist (PLCYPLN)
What you'd do
Join VA's Infrastructure Operations (IO) to deliver and maintain secure, high-availability IT and cloud solutions. Help protect and modernize mission-critical systems and support quality services for Veterans. Work in a dynamic, innovative environment as an IT Specialist located in the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (PDAS)/Infrastructure Operations (IO)/Data Center and Cloud Engineering (DCCE) group. Apply Now!
Major duties
Coordinates national level projects which span geographically dispersed areas and lead project staff which the employee may not have direct supervision over. Leads collaborative efforts with other organizational entities to enable an end-to-end engineering approach for optimal technological solutions. Provides engineering services and technical oversight to critical, national initiatives related to enterprise platform, storage, database, and data center infrastructure solutions and associated issues and contributes to the mission of providing complex services by shaping the underlying IT architecture. Performs enterprise platform, storage, database, and data center infrastructure needs assessments to proactively assess the Department's evolving business needs and develops short-term and long-term growth plans to ensure the organization's future needs are met in a reliable, secure, and cost-effective manner. Ensures studies and analyses are appropriately conducted and recommendations are provided on architectural solutions. Provides senior-level technical, enterprise level, expertise, guidance, direction, and project management. Develops complex guidance to allow technically sound IT investment decisions and steer capital planning decisions. Initiates and provides technical oversight to engineering studies and analyses (including modeling and simulation efforts) concerning the introduction of new technologies, products, and topologies, and to find solutions to critical problems in design of solutions that have a national impact. Responsible for developing standards, baselines, deployment procedures, and automation for enterprise IT infrastructure. This is a Non-Bargaining Unit Position. This position is primarily aligned to the following NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework work roles: NCWF Code: 651 Category. Work in this category includes performing OPM GOS Cybersecurity Category I Specialty Area: Research and Development Specialist [SP-TRD-001] tasks, as defined by the NIST SP 800-181 National Cyberskills Workforce Framework (NCWF). Develops and maintains business, systems, and information processes to support enterprise mission needs; develops information technology (IT) rules and requirements that describe baseline and target architectures. NCWF Code: 752 Category - Cyber Policy & Strategy Planner. Develops and maintains cybersecurity plans, strategy, and policy to support and align with organizational cybersecurity initiatives and regulatory compliance For more information about these work roles, where they fit within the larger Cyber Workforce, and how they can support your unique career journey, please visit the Cyber Career Pathways tool on the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies website: https://niccs.us-cert.gov/workforce-development/cyber-career-pathways Position Description/PD#: IT Specialist (PLCYPLN)/PD10346A Travel Required: Occasional travel may be required as needed for this position. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8 am-4:30 pm Compressed/Flexible: As determined by the Agency Policy Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Telework: Ad Hoc, as determined by Agency Policy. Physical Demands: The work is primarily sedentary, but there may be occasional walking, standing, bending and carrying of light items. The work may require some physical effort, such as standing, walking, bending, or sitting. The work often requires long hours to meet project deadlines and to devise corrective action and solutions to unexpected technical and/or management crises resulting in sometimes highly stressful work situations. The work requires almost constant use of a video display terminal. Working Conditions: The work is usually performed in an office setting involving everyday risks or discomforts. Normal safety precautions are adequate. Position is in a virtual organization. This position requires extensive travel to VA headquarters and other VA installations
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/20/2026. Applicants must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the four competencies listed below at a proficiency level equivalent to the next lower grade level in federal service. You must meet both the Basic Requirement and the Specialized Experience to qualify for this series as described 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 recommendations. AND Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-14 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Engineering, design, and evaluation of enterprise data center and telecommunications facilities-covering structured cabling, power distribution, cooling, space layout, and rack elevations-per multiple industry standards (ANSI/TIA, BICSI, ASHRAE, NFPA, Uptime Institute); CFD modeling for airflow and cooling, technical review of design and contract documents, development of procurement requirements aligned with FAR, NIST SP 800-53 PE controls, FISMA, and supply chain risk management, plus capacity planning using DCIM tools across multiple sites. AND Selective Placement Factor: In addition to the minimum qualifications described above, you must meet the following requirement(s) to be considered qualified for the position: Experience within the last three (3) years performing data center and telecommunications space engineering, including cabling, power, cooling, space design, and CFD analysis, at a large federal agency or enterprise (with at least 100 distinct data center and/or telecommunications spaces) applying ANSI/TIA-942, BICSI, and NIST SP 800-53 PE controls Evidence of the Selective Placement Factor must be reflected in your resume. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.
Before you apply
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