Information Technology Specialist (Policy and Planning)

Summary

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Duties

WHAT IS THE (IT) Information TechnologyDIVISION?

A description of the business units can be found at: https://www.jobs.irs.gov/about/who/business-divisions

Vacancies will be filled in the following specialty areas:

Information Technology Enterprise Operations

• Leads or supports the development of multi-year IT strategic plans
• Conducts Business Performance Reviews
• Evaluates policy needs and develops policies to govern IT activities;

This position has career progression. If you are selected at a grade level lower than the full working level, you may be non-competitively promoted as your career progresses. For example, you may be hired as a GS-05, but if the position has career progression to GS-11, then you may move from a GS-05 to a GS-11 in as little as three years.

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

STANDARD POSITION DESCRIPTIONS (SPD):

PD96597, PD96598, PD96599, and PD96600

Visit the IRS SPD Library to access the position descriptions.

• A 1-year probationary period is required (unless already completed).
• Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.

Qualifications

Federal experience is not required. The experience may have been gained in the public sector, private sector or 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/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:

BASIC QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: This is a collateral duty assignment with no promotion potential, change to your current permanent position description of record, or post of duty. Your experience must demonstrate your technical expertise to plan and conduct formal classroom training on basic or advanced areas of tax law, procedures, policies, techniques, or other specialized fields unique to your position/occupation. The cadre position covered by this announcement is identified below:

BASIC REQUIREMENT : Experience must include Information Technology (IT) related experience that demonstrates each of the following four competencies: 1) Attention to Detail, 2) Customer Service, 3) Oral Communication and

4) Problem Solving.

IGS-7 LEVEL: To be eligible for this position at this grade level, you must meet one of the following requirements.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Specialized experience for this position must have been in an IT field or work where the primary concern was the subject matter of the IT application. The assignments must have shown completion of the following, or the equivalent: Interviewing subject-matter personnel to get facts regarding work processes, and synthesizing the resulting data into charts showing information flow; operating computer consoles where this involved choosing from among various procedures in responding to machine commands or unscheduled halts; scheduling the sequence of programs to be processed by computers where alternatives had to be weighed with a view to production efficiency; preparing documentation on cost/benefit studies where this involved summarizing the material and organizing it in a logical fashion; working directly with customers in obtaining information needed to establish or change accounts; translating detailed logical steps developed by others into language codes that computers accept where this required understanding of procedures and limitations appropriate to use of a programming language.

OR

EDUCATION: 1 full academic year of graduate education at an accredited college or university in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics or technology management

OR in one or more of the fields identified above and required the development or adaption of applications, systems or networks.

OR

Superior Academic Achievement may be met by having a bachelor’s degree, with one of the following: A GPA of 2.95 or higher on a 4.0 scale for all completed undergraduate courses or those completed in the last 2 years of study, or a GPA of 3.45 or higher on a 4.0 scale for all courses in the major field of study or those courses in the major completed in the last 2 years of study, or rank in the upper one third of the class in the college, university, or major subdivision, or membership in a national honor society recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. Note: Grade point averages should be rounded to one decimal point. For example, 2.95 is rounded to 3.0, and 2.94 is rounded to 2.9. If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) was taken on a pass/fail or similar basis, your claim must be based on class standing or membership in an Honor Society.

OR

COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION At least 1 year of combined graduate education and experience as defined in paragraphs above

GS-9 LEVEL: To be eligible for this position at this grade level, you must meet one of the following:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-7 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes: Experience in an IT field or work where the primary concern was the subject matter of the IT application. The assignments must have shown completion of the following, or the equivalent: Analysis of the interrelationships of pertinent components of the system; Planning the sequence of actions necessary to accomplish the assignment; and Personal responsibility for at least a segment of the overall project.

OR

EDUCATION: A master’s or equivalent graduate degree or two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master’s or equivalent graduate degree in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, statistics, operations research, engineering or technology management. OR A master’s or equivalent graduate degree or two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master’s or equivalent graduate degree in one or more of the fields identified above that provided a minimum of 24 semester hours in the development or adaptation of applications, systems or networks.

OR

COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: At least 1 year of combined graduate education and experience as defined in paragraphs above

GS-11 LEVEL: To be eligible for this position at this grade level, you must meet one of the following:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes: Experience that demonstrated an accomplishment of computer project assignments that required a range of knowledge of computer requirements and techniques. For example, assignments would show experience in developing modifications to parts of a system that required significant revisions in the logic or techniques used in the original development. Must have been in an IT field or work where the primary concern was the subject matter of the IT application. The assignments must have shown completion of the following, or the equivalent: Knowledge of the customary approaches, techniques, and requirements appropriate to an assigned computer applications area or computer specialty area in an organization; planning the sequence of actions necessary to accomplish the assignment where this entailed coordination with others outside the organizational unit and development of project controls; adaptation of guidelines or precedents to the needs of the assignment. OR

EDUCATION: You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. OR equivalent doctoral degree in computer science, information science, information systems management, mathematics, statistics, operations research, engineering or technology management; OR equivalent doctoral degree in one or more of the fields identified above that provided a minimum of 24 semester hours in the development or adaptation of applications, systems or networks. OR

COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION At least 1 year of combined graduate education and experience as defined in paragraphs above.

See additional Grade Qualifications for GS 12 under Education section.

For more information on qualifications please refer to OPM’s Qualifications Standards.

Education

Qualifications continued..

GS-12 LEVEL: You must have one year of specialized experience at a level of

difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Specialized experience for this position includes: Experience that demonstrates accomplishment of computer project assignments that required a wide range of knowledge of computer requirements and techniques pertinent to the position to be filled. This knowledge is generally demonstrated through assignments that required the ability to analyze a number of alternative approaches in the process of advising management concerning major aspects of IT system design. This would include defining what system interrelationships must be considered, or what operating mode, system software, and/or equipment configuration is most appropriate for a given project. In addition at this level your experience should be sufficient enough to demonstrate the following: Examples of qualifying experience include: Leading major agency-wide IT policy development efforts; directing work assigned to a project team, reviewing and refining final products prior to submission to management; coordinating policy dissemination, managing policy maintenance; and developing mechanisms to measure policy effectiveness and compliance.

A copy of your transcripts or equivalent documentation is required for positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying based on education or a combination of education and experience. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. If the position has specific education requirements and you currently hold, or have previously held, a position in the same job series with the IRS, there is no need to submit a transcript or equivalent at this time. Applicants are encouraged, but are not required, to submit an SF-50 documenting experience in a specific series. A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. Click here (Section 3, Explanation of Terms) or here for Foreign Education Credentialing instructions.

Additional information

We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies. Additional jobs may be filled.

• The salary range indicated in this announcement reflects the minimum locality pay up to maximum locality pay for all duty locations listed. The range will be adjusted for selected duty location. General Schedule locality pay tables may be found under Salaries & Wages.
• This is a Bargaining unit position.
• Tour of Duty: Day Shift, Monday – Friday, 6am-6pm.
• Alternative work schedule, staggered work hours or telework may be available.
• In the event that a building is closed due to rent management, new hires may be placed in a local commuting location.
• Telework Eligible Positions: Telework eligible positions do not guarantee telework. Employees must meet and sustain IRS telework eligibility requirements (e.g., reporting at least twice a pay period to your assigned Post of Duty (POD)) and supervisor’s approval to participate in the IRS Telework Program. Employees must also be within a 200-mile radius of their official assigned post-of-duty (POD) while in a telework status. As a reminder – If you are selected for a position, you are responsible for reporting to your designated POD (location) on the negotiated start date or as directed by management.
• Relocation expenses – No
• The employment of any candidate selected for this position, including a current employee or a new hire, selected for this position may be conditional upon classification and/or audit of federal tax returns. This audit may include up to 2 years of returns.
• If this position is covered by a formal development plan, pay retention will be offered where applicable based on law and regulation.

Remain in POD: The vacancy will be filled at the selectee’s official permanent position of record, post of duty (POD).

If the position(s) are no longer needed prior to the closing date, this announcement may be closed early.

This is an open continuous announcement which will be used to fill vacancies in the locations listed as they become available for the next 9 months contingent upon funding and space requirements. Applicants must apply and/or update their applications by 11:59 pm ET at the close of the following cutoff dates to be considered: Cutoff date(s): 7/8/2024, 10/8/2024, 1/8/2025. This announcement may be amended to include additional cut-off dates if needed. Eligible applicants in the highest quality group who apply by the initial cut-off date will be considered first. If additional vacancies exist, applicants who applied after the initial cutoff date who place in the highest quality group will be considered next. Selections from this announcement may be made no later than (NLT) 9 months. Closing date 1/8/2025.

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• Benefits
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• A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
• Review our benefits
• Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your application includes your resume, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a “not qualified” determination. Applicants who disqualify themselves will not be evaluated further.

Rating: Your application will be evaluated in accordance with the Service’s Merit Promotion Plan. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Customer Service
• Learning
• Oral Communication
• Planning and Evaluating
• Project Management
• Technical Competence
• Technology Awareness
• Writing

Your application will also be rated and ranked among others, based on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, and training. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process. IRS employees may obtain their most recent awards listing at https://persinfo.web.irs.gov/. Your rating may be lowered, if your responses to the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.

Referral: A category-like rating (Quality Group) will be used to rate, rank and select eligible candidates. If qualified, you will be assigned to one of three quality level categories, Superior/Best Qualified, Highly Qualified and Qualified.

If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. Candidates, if required to participate in a selection interview (telephonic and/or in person at the discretion of the Selecting Official in accordance with hiring practices), will be interviewed in quality group order. We will not reimburse costs related to the interview such as travel to and from the interview site.

If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee eligible for Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), you must receive a score of Highly Qualified or better to be rated as well qualified to receive special selection priority.

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How to Apply

The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on 01/13/2025 and/or cut-off dates in this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET, Monday – Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on 01/13/2025.

To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12434298

• To begin the application process, click the “Apply Online” button.
• You will be re-directed to USASTAFFING to complete your application process; answer the online questions and submit all required documents. (To submit supporting documents, import documents from USAJOBS to the appropriate document types. If the document you need was not imported from USAJOBS, you may upload it directly into this application. To protect your privacy, we suggest you first remove your SSN).
• To complete, you must click the “Submit Application” button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on 01/13/2025.

To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login). 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: https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login . 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/.

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Agency contact information

(ERC) Employee Resource Center (ERC) Employee Resource Center

Phone

866-743-5748

Website

https://irsgov.sharepoint.com/sites/EmployeeResources/SitePages/ERC-Help-Desk.aspx

Address

IT – Enterprise Operations

1111 Constitution Ave NW

Washington, DC 20224

US

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Next steps

Treasury believes in a working environment that supports inclusion; to review reasonable accommodation policies and procedures please visit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/disability-employment/reasonable-accommodations/. We provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.

Once your application package and online questionnaire is received you will receive an acknowledgement email. You are responsible for checking status updates and notifications in USAJOBS. Hard copy notifications will not be sent to you. You may check the status of your application for this position at any time by logging onto the USAJOBS “My Account” tab and clicking on “Application Status.” For a more detailed update of your application status, you may click on “more information.” Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. If your email mailbox is full or blocked (SPAM) you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.

As a current employee, you know the great benefits we offer. Should you have any questions about benefits, please contact the Employee Resource Center (ERC) at 1-866-743-5748 option #1 for ERC.

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