Department of Homeland Security

IT Specialist (APPSW) (Direct Hire)

Springfield, Virginia Full time

IT Specialist (APPSW) (Direct Hire)

Department: Department of Homeland Security

Location(s): Springfield, Virginia

Salary Range: $120579 - $185234 Per Year

Job Summary: Securing Travel, Protecting People - At the Transportation Security Administration, you will serve in a high-stakes environment to safeguard the American way of life. In cities across the country, you would secure airports, seaports, railroads, highways, and/or public transit systems, thus protecting America's transportation infrastructure and ensuring freedom of movement for people and commerce.

Major Duties:

  • This vacancy will be filled through DHS/TSA's Direct-Hire Authority pursuant to TSA MD 1100.30-36. Under the Direct-Hire Authority, category grouping and Veterans' Preference does not apply. This IT Specialist (APPSW) (Direct Hire) position is located Enterprise Support, Information Technology, Applications Development Division, Transportation Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Duties include but are not limited to: Oversees the application of appropriate measures to the assignment, conducts analyses, and recommends resolution of complex issues affecting the specialty area, and evaluates proposals for the acquisition of Information Technology (IT) products or services using comprehensive knowledge and experience. Develops methods to monitor and measure risk, compliance, and assurance efforts, providing ongoing optimization and problem-solving support. Engages with customers to test applications and assures software and systems quality and functionality. Collaborates with other service managers and product owners to balance and prioritize services to meet overall customer requirements, constraints, and objectives.

Qualifications: FOR ALL IT POSITIONS: To qualify, you must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the four competencies listed below. 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. In addition to the minimum qualifications described above, you must meet the following requirement(s) to be considered qualified for the position: To qualify for the SV-I Pay Band (equivalent to the GS-13), you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the SV-H Pay Band or GS-12 in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position to be filled. Specialized experience MUST include all the following: Experience planning, designing, and development for cloud-native and SaaS-based solutions/applications; AND Applying IT security practices and cybersecurity principles, including cloud security frameworks (e.g., FedRAMP, NIST), to ensure the protection and resilience of enterprise-wide IT infrastructure, data, and SaaS environments; AND Management of automated systems such as, but not limited to, CI/CD pipelines, central code repositories, application lifecycle management, security vulnerabilities code scanning, code quality and testing, and other tools used for hosting platforms such as, secure software delivery on-premise or to the cloud. In addition to the requirements for all IT positions, to qualify for the SV-J Pay Band (equivalent to GS-14), you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the SV-I Pay Band or GS-13 in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position to be filled. Specialized experience MUST include all the following: Executing enterprise IT strategies to support customer requirements and services nationwide, including integration of SaaS, PaaS, and cloud-native solutions; AND Developing and implementing IT security/cybersecurity strategies, including cloud governance and compliance frameworks, to safeguard enterprise infrastructure, applications, and SaaS platforms; AND Applying advanced project management principles, methods, and practices (e.g., Agile, hybrid, traditional) to lead large, complex IT initiatives (e.g., multi-cloud adoption, enterprise system modernization, hybrid infrastructure projects), including establishing priorities, developing roadmaps, defining milestones and deliverables, managing resources and budgets, and reporting progress to senior leadership; AND Management of automated systems such as, but not limited to, CI/CD pipelines, central code repositories, application lifecycle management, security vulnerabilities code scanning, code quality and testing, and other tools used for hosting platforms such as, secure software delivery on-premise or to the cloud. Credit for experience is given based on a 40-hour workweek. Part-time experience is credited on a part-time ratio, i.e., working 20 hours per week for two months equals one month of experience. No additional credit is given for overtime. National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office. You must meet the qualification requirements for this position no later than the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

How to Apply: All of the following must be received in our office by 11:59 PM EST (Eastern Standard time) on the closing date of this announcement. If we do not receive all required information by the closing date, your application may not be considered. To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. Your application must include: Resume Applicable supporting documents (see Required Documents Section) 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. Follow the prompts to select your résumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete. It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan. Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center. We encourage you to apply online. If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, please contact: hc-serveu-donotreply@tsa.dhs.gov. Veterans and Persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the documentation that is required, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.

Application Deadline: 2025-12-05