IT CYBERSECURITY SPECIALIST (INFOSEC)

IT CYBERSECURITY SPECIALIST (INFOSEC)

Department: Department of Homeland Security

Location(s): Arlington, Virginia

Salary Range: $143913 - $187093 Per Year

Job Summary: The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is the Nation's risk advisor, working with partners to defend against today's threats and collaborating with industry to build a more secure and resilient infrastructure for the future. Who May Be Considered: Current Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) employees; Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP); View common definitions of terms found in this announcement.

Major Duties:

• In this role, the incumbent is responsible for responsible for contributing to the section's efforts to build national capacity and capabilities to enhance the security and resilience of critical infrastructure through the planning and conduct of exercise programs in accordance with the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program. Typical work assignments may include: Providing end-to end coordination and management of cybersecurity exercises provided to the stakeholder. Developing and maintaining exercise support products and services, such as CISA Tabletop Exercise Packages (CTEPs); Assisting with developing and maintaining cybersecurity plans, strategy, and policy to support and align with organizational cybersecurity initiatives and regulatory compliance; Developing cybersecurity scenarios based on current and emerging technology, current adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures, and stakeholder exercise objectives; Conducts cybersecurity exercises and/or training to prepare and protect critical infrastructure assets; Promoting awareness of cyber policy and strategy as appropriate among federal, SLTT, private sector, and international partners; Collaborating with critical infrastructure owners and operators, IT security experts, and managers to support organizational cybersecurity objectives; Building relationships with key stakeholders, including senior managers across the government and private sector in the cybersecurity, threat analysis, incident response, risk management, and emergency management communities; Representing DHS and CISA as a subject matter expert at national and international cybersecurity meetings, symposia, and conferences; Preparing decision papers, reports, and analyses on section/program activities for senior officials and policy makers.

Qualifications: Do NOT copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position. Your resume must describe your work and experience, in your own words. To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required experience for the respective grade level in which you are applying. Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the Basic Requirements AND Minimum Qualification requirements as listed below. BASIC REQUIREMENT: You must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the competencies listed below: Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail. Minimum Proficiency Level: 4 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. Minimum Proficiency Level: 4 Decision Making - Makes sound, well-informed, and objective decisions; perceives the impact and implications of decisions; commits to action, even in uncertain situations, to accomplish organizational goals; causes change. Minimum Proficiency Level: 4 Information Management - Identifies a need for and knows where or how to gather information; organizes and maintains information or information management systems. Minimum Proficiency Level: 4 Interpersonal Skills - Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations. Minimum Proficiency Level: 4 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. Minimum Proficiency Level: 4 Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations. Minimum Proficiency Level: 4 Teamwork - Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals. Minimum Proficiency Level: 4 Technical Competence - Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or on-the-job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues. Minimum Proficiency Level: 4 MINIMUM QUALIFICATION: You qualify for the GS-14 grade level, if you have: EXPERIENCE: At least one (1) year of specialized experience at the GS-13 grade level (or equivalent) performing the following duties: Planning and conducting cybersecurity exercise programs to evaluate the security and resilience of critical infrastructure; Coordinating and conducting cybersecurity seminars, workshops, games, drills, tabletop, functional, and full-scale exercises for stakeholders; Provides subject-matter expertise to guide exercise design and delivery, including control or facilitation of complex or senior-level exercises; AND Delivering mitigation capabilities to reduce risks to critical infrastructure while strengthening coordination with federal, SLTT, private sector, and international partners on cyber management gaps. 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. Time-in-Grade Requirements: Under competitive merit promotion procedures, any individual who is currently holding, or who has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule (GS) position under a non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet "time-in-grade" requirements (have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade of the grade for which you are applying). Time After Competitive Appointment: By the closing date specified in this job announcement, current Federal civilian employees must wait at least 90 days after their latest non-temporary appointment from a competitive service referral certificate before promotion, transfer, reinstatement, reassignment, or detail. All qualification requirements, including Time-in-Grade, must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Qualification AND Time-in-Grade claims will be subject to verification.

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 all required questionnaires, assessments, and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 05/08/2026 to receive consideration. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted. The application process is as follows: To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Only resumes up to a total of two pages will be accepted. Applicants with resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. If you submit multiple versions of your resume, only the most recent version, based on the submission date and/or time, will be reviewed for qualification determinations. Click Submit Application prior to 11:59 PM (EST) on 05/08/2026. 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 about two (2) 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 resources. To update your application, including supporting documentation: You may update your application documents and some questions related to your personal information at any time during the announcement open period. However, you will not be able to make changes to questions related to assessing the minimum qualifications and competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics) mentioned in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section above. To make an allowed update to your application, return to your USAJOBS account. There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account at https://usajobs.gov, all your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status. Short Essay Questions: The vacancy questionnaire includes four short, free-response essay questions. This provides an opportunity for you to highlight your dedication to public service for the hiring manager and agency leadership (or designee(s)). While your responses are not required and will not be scored, we encourage you to thoughtfully address each question. Please provide a response of 200 words or less to each question. You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot.

Application Deadline: 2026-05-08