Federal
Business Systems Developer
Social Security Administration · Other Agencies and Independent Organizations
About This Position
IT Specialist (APPSW), Business Systems Developer positions are being filled through the Office of Personnel Management's delegated Direct Hire Authority, open to all U.S. citizens. Selections made will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Current civil service employees would, therefore, be given new appointments to the civil service. Under the provisions of the Direct Hire Authority, Veterans Preference and the "Rule of Many" do not apply.
Qualifications
Resumes exceeding two pages in length will not be considered, please visit the new resume guidance for more information. Duties: Architect, develop, and maintain high-performance business applications using modern COBOL, CICS, JCL, DB2, VSAM, and IDMS on our enterprise server platform. Optimize SQL queries and data management for lightning-fast access and reliability in DB2 databases. Implement and support batch processing jobs, leveraging advanced job scheduling and monitoring tools. Engineer robust data storage and retrieval solutions using VSAM, ensuring integrity and speed. Utilize sophisticated file handling techniques for sequential, indexed, and relative files. Design and maintain data structures that support scalable, enterprise-grade applications. Build and support Online Transaction Processing (OLTP) systems using CICS and TSQ for real-time, high-volume transactions. Troubleshoot and resolve application issues to ensure maximum uptime and performance. Collaborate with business analysts, QA, and fellow developers to deliver innovative solutions. Prepare and maintain technical documentation, including program specifications, flowcharts, and user guides. Participate in code reviews and uphold best practices for quality and security. Support application testing, deployment, and post-implementation activities in a fast-paced environment. Identify and pursue opportunities to leverage AI-driven tools and technologies to improve development efficiency, automate processes, and enhance application capabilities. Stay informed about advancements in AI and related technologies and recommend ways to incorporate them into SSA's business systems where appropriate. READ ALL SECTIONS OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IN ITS ENTIRETY. THIS INFORMATION IS CRUCIAL TO SUBMITTING A SUCCESSFUL APPLICATION. Applicants must qualify for the series and grade of the posted position. Experience must be IT related; the experience may be demonstrated by paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training (for example, IT certification), as appropriate. Your resume must provide sufficient experience and/or education, knowledge, skills, abilities, and proficiency of any required competencies to perform the specific position for which you are applying. To qualify for the 2210 IT Specialist series, the applicant must demonstrate the following competencies: 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; know about available products and services; and 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. Minimum Qualifications: Grade 13 (Bargaining Unit Position): Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience at the GS-12 level, or equivalent, which is in or related to the work of the position to be filled, and has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position. Such IT-related experience must include designing, developing, and maintaining mainframe applications using COBOL, CICS, VSAM, and JCL; supporting data integration and migration with DB2, SQL, and IDMS; and assisting in the architecture or modernization of legacy systems. Minimum Qualifications: Grade 14: Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience at the GS-13 level, or equivalent, which is in or related to the work of the position to be filled, and has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position. Such IT-related experience must include designing, developing, and maintaining mainframe applications using COBOL, CICS, VSAM, and JCL; supporting data integration and migration with DB2, SQL, and IDMS; and assisting in the architecture or modernization of legacy systems. Experience must also include providing guidance to technical teams, preparing technical documentation, and collaborating with stakeholders to support modernization initiatives. Minimum Qualifications: Grade 15: Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience at the GS-14 level, or equivalent, which is in or related to the work of the position to be filled, and has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position. Such IT-related experience must include designing, developing, and maintaining mainframe applications using COBOL, CICS, VSAM, and JCL; managing data integration and migration with DB2, SQL, and IDMS; and architecting or modernizing legacy systems. Experience must also include leading technical teams, preparing technical documentation, and collaborating with stakeholders to support modernization initiatives. PLEASE NOTE: This specialized experience is REQUIRED and must be explicitly documented/described in your resume, or you will be disqualified from further consideration. Qualification standards and additional information for this position can be found here: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/2200/information-technology-it-management-series-2210-alternative-a/
Major Duties
This announcement serves as public notice. Applications submitted will be placed into a pool and will remain on file for selection as positions become available.
Vacancies may be filled for up to 6 months after the closing date of this announcement. Applicants may not receive notifications of referral status until the full 6-month eligibility period has elapsed.
Positions filled with applications from this pool will be placed into positions where artificial intelligence duties occupy the majority of the work performed.
Vacancies may be filled for up to 6 months after the closing date of this announcement. Applicants may not receive notifications of referral status until the full 6-month eligibility period has elapsed.
Positions filled with applications from this pool will be placed into positions where artificial intelligence duties occupy the majority of the work performed.
How You Will Be Evaluated
The evaluation you receive is based on your responses to the online assessment questions completed during the application process. Please make sure you answer all questions and follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your evaluation. Information not specifically stated in your resume cannot be assumed. Information that is copied or restated language from the vacancy announcement or rating criteria will not be considered. If this occurs, you may be found ineligible.
Additional Information
See announcement cutoff dates below under How to Apply Are you ready to power the digital backbone of America? The Social Security Administration's technical team is looking for business systems application developers to join us in delivering high-performance solutions on our world-class, enterprise-grade infrastructure, boasting over 424,000 MIPS of processing power. Whether you're a seasoned expert in COBOL or an early-career developer eager to master mission-critical systems, this is your chance to help shape the future of digital services for over 330 million Americans. Forget everything you think you know about COBOL-this isn't your father's programming language! The latest COBOL release (2023) is packed with modern features, robust capabilities, and the flexibility to tackle today's most demanding business challenges. COBOL is the engine behind some of the world's most reliable, secure, and high-throughput applications, and it's running on some of the coolest, most powerful hardware in the industry. Our COBOL application development environment leverages the most modern Generative AI-driven coding tools in the industry to accelerate the modernization and enhancement of our most strategic business applications. This AI-driven development environment is part of SSA's modern development lifecycle process to enable an agile CI/CD pipeline. We encourage our developers to actively seek opportunities to integrate and collaborate with Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, exploring innovative ways to enhance business applications and processes. If you're ready to take your career to the next level-whether you're a proven expert or an ambitious learner-apply today and discover just how cool, modern, and powerful COBOL can be as you help us build the future of digital government services! This announcement serves as public notice. Applications submitted be placed into a pool and will remain on file for selection as positions become available. Vacancies may be filled for up to 6 months after the closing date of this announcement. Applicants may not receive notifications of referral status until the full 6-month eligibility period has elapsed. Applications may be gathered from additional recruitment sources. Additional selections may be made for this vacancy six months from the closing date of this announcement. This Direct Hire announcement may be used to fill the same or similar position in another office. Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.
How to Apply
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the cut-off date or the announcement closing date to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: To begin the application process, click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on the cut-off date or announcement closing date. Announcement cutoff dates: 1/29/26 2/05/26 2/12/26 2/19/26 2/26/26 3/05/26 3/12/26 3/19/26 3/26/26 4/02/26 4/09/26 4/16/26 4/23/26 4/30/26 5/07/26 5/14/26 5/21/26 5/28/26 6/04/26 6/11/26 6/18/26 6/25/26 7/02/26 7/09/26 7/24/26 You may update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period by returning to your USAJOBS account. There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Update Application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account. All of your applications will appear on the Welcome page. The application record in your USAJOBS account provides an Additional Application Information page that provides information regarding the documentation you submitted and any correspondence we have sent related to this application. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. If you use assistive software or an adaptive device, or you are experiencing some other type of technical difficulty and/or otherwise require assistance with the application process, please contact Careers at SSA at [email protected]. Individuals with disabilities may also call us via Federal Relay using the (voice) contact telephone provided. Due to our security procedures, our office will not accept any applications submitted via email or standard mail. The email address is listed only for inquiries about the position or the How to Apply process.
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes: Your resume showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed. Other documents supporting qualifications and/or preference, if applicable. You must also submit ALL supporting documentation by the closing date of the vacancy announcement to claim certain types of preference. Resumes exceeding two pages will not be considered. To be considered, your resume must: Clearly demonstrate your qualifications for the position Include your contact information We recommend using a clear, easy-to-read format and focusing on information most relevant to the job announcement INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP): ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority for competitive service vacancies. To receive selection priority, candidates must meet the requirements for the Well Qualified. Well-qualified is defined as having knowledge, skills, and abilities that clearly exceed the minimum qualification requirements for the position. Candidates must also provide: proof of eligibility with your application. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation Notice of Personnel Action, (SF-50); and proof of your most recent performance rating of at least "fully successful" (Level III) or equivalent. For more information visit http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp. Veteran's preference does not apply under this Direct Hire Authority for these positions. Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the salary for the Business Systems Developer position at Social Security Administration?
The salary range for this position is $121,785 - $197,200/yr. This is a GS-13/15 position on the General Schedule pay scale. Actual pay may vary based on locality adjustments.
Where is the Business Systems Developer job located?
This position is located in Woodlawn, Maryland. This is an on-site position.
What qualifications do I need?
Resumes exceeding two pages in length will not be considered, please visit the new resume guidance for more information. Duties: Architect, develop, and maintain high-performance business applications using modern COBOL, CICS, JCL, DB2, VSAM, and IDMS on our enterprise server platform. Optimize SQL queries and data management for lightning-fast ...
How do I apply for this position?
Apply through USAJobs.gov by clicking the 'Apply on USAJobs' button. You'll need a USAJobs account, a federal-style resume, and supporting documents. The deadline is Jul 24, 2026.
Is a security clearance required?
No security clearance is required for this position.
What does GS-13/15 mean?
GS-13/15 refers to the General Schedule grade level. Higher grades require more experience and offer higher pay. Visit our GS Pay Scale page for full salary tables by grade and locality.
What benefits do federal employees receive?
Federal employees receive comprehensive benefits including health insurance (FEHB), retirement through FERS, Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) with government matching, paid annual and sick leave, paid parental leave, life insurance, and student loan repayment programs.