IT Specialist (Enterprise Architecture)
About This Position
This position is located in Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), Office of the Chief Technology Officer. OCIO provides information technology (IT) planning and design, application development, systems administration, telecommunications, security, information management and IT customer support for FSIS. The incumbent serves as an IT Specialist (Enterprise Architecture) within a Branch of OCIO.
Qualifications
Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. For the GS-13 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS- 12 level) that demonstrates their ability to plan, contribute, and coordinate IT Enterprise Architecture (EA). Qualifying experience must include: Serving as an Enterprise Architect in an information technology (IT) office.
Demonstrating experience in Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) technology. Demonstrating knowledge of or experience in Wearables/Smart Glasses technology. Demonstrating Technical Writing to produce (or make substantial contributions to) technical documents such as technical standards and policies, capability models, analysis of alternatives, IGCEs or SOO/SOW.
Modeling techniques to document architecture. Developing and maintaining technical roadmaps, reference architecture models and ensuring compliance with these artifacts. Evaluation of new technologies for business value and designing architectures to accommodate them.
This position has an individual occupational requirement that must be met in order to qualify for the position: Experience: 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. 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. AND Specialized Experience: This position requires one year of specialized experience at the next lower GS-grade (or equivalent). Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.
Such experience is typically gained in the IT field or through the performance of work where the primary concern is IT. Specialized experience requirements are defined above. For more information on the qualifications for this position, click Information Technology (IT) Management Series, 2210 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 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
Defines the business policies necessary to operate the organization's business.
Identifies technologies necessary to support business operations.
Develops transitional process for implementing new technologies.
Provides effective planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, evaluating and controlling of Enterprise Architecture activities to reduce architecture complexity, redundancies, cost effectiveness, and thought information system planning.
Partners with internal and external stakeholders to assess/execute the design and optimization of the Enterprise Architecture strategy and direction.
Conducts special studies assessing the effectiveness of current practices, comparing alternatives for solving specific problems, and evaluating pilot projects.
Develops and communicates solutions to technical issues related to Enterprise Architecture and Segment Architecture based on Enterprise Architecture frameworks and standards as well as the USDA Enterprise Architecture environment.
Prepares formal reports presenting sound analytical findings, discussing problem areas, and recommending actions to achieve increased effectiveness, efficiency, and economy.
Communicates information to various internal and external stakeholders regarding change recommendations, assessments, feasibilities, data calls, and modifications/additions to Enterprise Architecture.
Designs architecture systems that perform Artificial Intelligence/ Machine Learning functions.
Education
Education may not be used to substitute for specialized experience or to qualify for this position at this grade level.
How You Will Be Evaluated
Due to the Direct-Hire Authority (DHA), applicants are not rated and ranked numerically, and Veteran's preference does not apply. Applicants are strongly encouraged to provide complete information about their job-related experience and education.
Your resume must document that you meet the Qualification Requirements detailed above. Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements established for the position will be placed in the Eligible category. Although Veteran's preference does not apply due to the existence of the DHA for this position, applicants are still encouraged to provide documentation related to veteran's preference. Applications will be evaluated in accordance with Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Delegated Examining Procedures and USDA policy.
You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement.
Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.
You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Attention to Detail Customer Service Enterprise Architecture Oral Communication Problem Solving Project Management Technical Competence The USA Hire Assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies.
You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered.
You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.
Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) your resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions.
Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Those determined to be in the best qualified category will be referred to the selecting official for consideration.
NOTE: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating.
Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to and including removal from the Federal service. Clicking the link below will present a preview of the application form; i.e. the online questionnaire. The application form link below will only provide a preview and does not initiate the application process.
To initiate the online application process, click the "Apply" button to the right. To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12922328
Additional Information
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section.
When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.
This position is being concurrently announced under Merit Promotion Announcement Number FSIS-26-MMP-12902784-DW. Current or former Federal employees or other eligible applicants may apply to both announcements to expand all possibilities of consideration since different referral criteria apply to each type of announcement. See the above announcement for more information.
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. The Office of Personnel Management has granted Direct Hire Authority for Cyber positions.
There is a critical hiring need, and these positions play an important role in protecting the nation's food supply. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Services has authority to recruit and fill Permanent (Career/Career-Conditional) positions under Direct Hire Authority. Under this authority, any U.S. citizen may apply.
For more information on the Government-wide Direct Hire Authority positions click here
How to Apply
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments, and required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.
Resumes must not exceed two pages. The application process is as follows: 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 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email.
The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link.
Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments.
You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link.
Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation.
To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Click on this: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents.
Uploaded documents must be less than 5MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, TXT or Word (DOC or DOCX). Do not upload Adobe Portfolio documents because they are not viewable. Please ensure your resume does not exceed two pages.
Applicants who submit a resume that exceeds two pages will be removed from consideration. This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this.
Required Documents
The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration. Resume that includes: Personal Information: name, address, contact information; Education; Work Experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); other qualifications. Resume cannot exceed 2 pages.
Your application may be disqualified if you include any of the information listed here: What should I leave out of my resume? If education is required or you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of all relevant college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application if it includes your name and the necessary course information; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty.
Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards.
There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit the NACES website. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), current performance appraisal with rating of at least "Fully Successful" or equivalent, and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.