Information Technology Specialist (APPSW)
About This Position
This position is located in the Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO), End User Services Office (EUSO), Service Desk Operations Division (SDOD). The Chief Information Officer (CIO) is the principal advisor to the Under Secretary and Director on the application of information technology (IT) to support and improve the Agency's business processes. The SDOD is responsible for enhancing and maintaining ServiceNow, which is used by more than 16,000+ employees.
Qualifications
You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position.
You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. OPM Qualifications Standards are available at Information Technology (IT) Management Series 2210 (Alternative A). Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped applicants with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled.
To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the federal service. For this position, the next lower grade level is a GS-12. Specialized experience for this GS-13 position includes: Experience leading end to end delivery of complex enterprise application software solutions (requirements, design, development, testing, deployment, and sustainment) using Agile/Scrum and DevSecOps practices, including CI/CD automation, containerization/orchestration, API/microservices architectures, and cloud platforms (e.g., AWS/Azure); and Experience planning and executing projects under technical and administrative supervision, coordinating cross functional stakeholders, optimizing performance and reliability, and resolving high impact defects across environments; and Experience interpreting and adapting Information Technology (IT) policies, standards, and security/compliance frameworks (e.g., NIST SP 800 53, FISMA, FedRAMP, Zero Trust principles) to novel or complex application software challenges.
Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped applicants with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the federal service. For this position, the next lower grade level is a GS-13.
Specialized experience for this GS-14 position includes: Experience developing and sustaining ServiceNow ITSM solutions (Incident, Change, CMDB, Knowledge, SLA, Surveys, Employee Center, Process Mining) and leading Agile delivery teams; and Experience integrating ServiceNow with cloud and on prem systems using IntegrationHub, REST/SOAP, MID Server, and SSO/OAuth solutions; and Experience implementing ServiceNow AI and automation (Now Assist, Virtual Agent, AI Search, Predictive Intelligence) to improve triage, routing, and self-service; and Experience managing multiple IT projects and program governance; advising senior leadership and negotiating policy/roadmap decisions. For all positions individuals must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the four competencies listed below. The employing agency is responsible for identifying the specific level of proficiency required for each competency at each grade level based on the requirements of the position being filled.
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. 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.
Major Duties
The physical worksite for this position is located in Alexandria, Virginia. Presence at the Alexandria, VA campus is required for this role, as it includes on site functions that must be performed in person. Position may be eligible for situational telework in accordance with agency policy/business unit discretion.
The agency currently allows for 52 hours of telework per calendar year. This is your next ideal career move if: You negotiate effectively with senior level management on complex issues that significantly influence mission critical ServiceNow ITSM and NowAssist AI on policies and programs. You deploy and tune ServiceNow AI and automation features (Now Assist, Virtual Agent, AI Search, Predictive Intelligence) to automate workflows, reduce MTTR, increase self-service deflection, and produce operational analytics and technical guidance for stakeholders.
You oversee program management and governance for concurrent projects-integrate schedules/deliverables, manage lifecycle and benefits realization, negotiate complex issues with senior leadership, and provide expert technical advice and user support. You design secure architectures; conduct risk assessments; implement identity and access controls (e.g., SSO, OAuth2/SAML).
Education
Education may not be substituted for specialized experience at this grade level.
How You Will Be Evaluated
Your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation will be reviewed to determine if you meet the minimum qualification requirements for the position. All applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements, as defined in the job opportunity announcement, will be referred for selection consideration. Preference eligibles are encouraged to submit their supporting documentation (DD-214 stating disposition of discharge or character of service, VA letter, SF-15, etc.).
Your resume will be evaluated based on evidence of your ability to demonstrate possession of any specialized experience and how well your background and experience relates to the job announcement. Any experience claimed in a cover letter should be substantiated by information contained in your resume. A HR Representative will validate the qualifications of those candidates eligible to be referred to the hiring official.
Accountability Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork The best qualified candidates will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview. If referred all relevant documents submitted with your application package will be forwarded to the selecting official, due weight shall be given to performance appraisals and awards in accordance with 5 CFR ยง 335.103(b)(3), during the interview/selection process conducted by the hiring manager. Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for not hiring you or for changing your scored responses to questions you've answered, which may affect your overall final score.
Please click the link below to preview the Assessment Questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12900943 Please note that a complete application is required for consideration. (Please review the "Required Documents" section of this job announcement to see what must be included in a complete application.)
Additional Information
Time-in-grade/band requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement unless eligible for special hiring authority, reinstatement eligible, non-current Federal employee applying as a VEOA eligible which do not require time-in-grade/band. If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System. If you are exempt from registration under Selective Service Law, you must provide appropriate proof of exemption.
Please visit the Selective Service System website for more information. This is a Non-Bargaining Unit position. This is a Public Trust position and has a risk level designation of "Moderate". Background Investigation - If selected for this position, you may be required to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306), which includes a fingerprint and credit check, to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation.
The USPTO participates in E-Verify. For more information on E-Verify, please visit the Department of Homeland Security Website. All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice.
Relocation Expenses are not authorized and will not be paid. CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be eligible for selection priority if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a "well qualified" rating of 85 out of 100. Information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Career Transition Resources website at: OPM CTAP/ICTAP.
CTAP/ICTAP documentation requirements are listed in the 'Required Documents' section of this announcement. More than one selection may be made from this announcement if additional identical vacancies in the same title, series, grade, and unit occur within 90 days from the date the certificate was issued. All application materials become the property of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis.
If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision.
You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments (https://appsupport.usastaffing.gov/hc/en-us/sections/28980686389652-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information).
How to Apply
This vacancy is also being announced under the USPTO's delegated examining procedures for non-status applicants under Job Announcement Number TMCO-EUSO-26-12900944-DE. Please review that announcement to determine if you are eligible for consideration under that announcement.
You MUST apply online. If you experience difficulties with the application process or do not have access to a computer, please contact the HR Specialist listed as the point of contact before the closing date of this job announcement. If you are a new user to the USAJobs Site and have never registered for an account; you will first need to create an account profile with your basic contact information and a resume to begin applying.
You must be a registered USAJobs user AND you must be signed-in to your account in order to apply for this position. For help setting up an account or for general help using USAJobs, go to USAJobs Help Page. Once you have gathered all of the required information and are ready to begin the application process, click the "APPLY" button at the right side of the page.
You will then be directed away from USAJobs to the Department of Commerce application site for USPTO.
You must click "Submit" at the end of the application process to send your application for consideration. To return to your saved application, log in to your USAJOBS account at http://www.usajobs.gov/ and click on "Applications." Click on the position title, then select "Update Application." If you experience any difficulties with the application site, help is available! OPM has a Help feature on each page.
Use this option when you need assistance. All required supporting documents will be collected electronically via the USAJobs "Saved Documents" feature. Personally Identifiable Information (PII) Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is defined as information that can be traced back to a specific individual and potentially compromise their security or privacy.
Examples of PII include: date of birth, Social Security Number, and place of birth. Please ensure that you have removed all Personally Identifiable Information from all documents prior to submitting or uploading your applications material.
Required Documents
A complete application consists of: Resume: All applicants are required to submit a two-page resume (NOT TO EXCEED 2 PAGES). Resumes exceeding this limit will not be considered eligible. Please submit only one resume.
Only the document uploaded under the "Resume "section as the "Document Type" will be reviewed to assess your qualifications and for evaluation purposes. To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/year (MM/YY - MM/YY) and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions.
Resume should clearly state your experience related to this position as described in the Duties section and Qualifications section. Professional or Academic References - Provide 2-3 professional/academic references (name, phone, email); one must be your current supervisor. We'll notify you before contacting them.
Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) - For current and/or former Federal employees, your status eligibility and highest permanent grade/step/salary held in the Federal service will be validated with a copy of your most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" so that we may verify your time-in-grade. Please
Note: Responses to job questions that are not fully supported by the information in your resume may result in adjustments to your rating. Any experience claimed in a cover letter should be substantiated by information contained in your resume. A HR Representative will validate the qualifications of those candidates eligible to be referred to the hiring official.
Supporting Documents: 1. Performance Appraisal - Recent performance appraisal with supervisor's signature showing the official final rating of record and copy of incentive award(s). In cases where the performance appraisal is incomplete or unavailable, applicants may provide explanation of the reasons.
- Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) documents - If you are a Veteran claiming eligibility under VEOA, you will be asked to submit a copy of your DD-214. Veterans must include dates of military service on their application materials and submit a copy of each Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214. For more info, please visit Special Appointing Authorities for Veterans.
- CTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents: A copy of your RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a directed geographic relocation outside of the local commuting area; a Certificate of Expected Separation (CES); or certification that you are in a surplus organization or occupation (this could be a position abolishment letter, a notice of eligibility for discontinued service retirement, or similar notice); A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action", noting current position, grade/band level, and duty location; A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
- Any documentation from your bureau/operating unit that shows your current promotion potential.
- ICTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents: A copy of your RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a directed geographic relocation outside of the local commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination, certification from your former agency that it cannot place you after your recovery from a work-related compensable injury; or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement; A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action", documenting your RIF separation, noting your position, grade/band level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through RPL, etc.; A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.
- Special Appointing Authorities - If you are applying under a special appointing authority (i.e., Schedule A, disabled veterans, or certain military spouses), you will be asked to submit documents showing eligibility to non-competitively apply under Merit Assignment announcements. Please indicate the type of special appointment you are seeking on your application. For more info on non-competitive appointments and supporting documents, please visit Federal Employment of People with Disabilities or Feds Hire Vets - Special Hiring Authorities.