Information Technology Specialist

Summary We need your expertise! The Patent Product Delivery Branch (PPDB), within OCIO's Business Product Delivery Office (BPDO), implements technical business solutions supporting Patents, Trademarks, and other business units. This is a term appointment NTE 2 years. It may be extended without further competition, in agency-determined increments, up to the maximum permitted under 5 CFR.316.301. Positions covered by 5 CFR 316.301(c) may be extended up to 10 years from the initial appointment. Responsibilities 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. We need your expertise if... You are passionate about leading resiliency assessments and identifying technical risks, recovery gaps, monitoring limitations, and opportunities to improve system availability and operational stability. You are excited to develop and implement resiliency strategies that improve system reliability, recoverability, continuity, observability, and operational readiness. You thrive on providing senior-level technical guidance throughout the DevSecOps lifecycle and working with product teams, system owners, cybersecurity personnel, contractors, and other stakeholders to strengthen system resiliency and support incident recovery. Requirements Conditions of Employment 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 Competency-Based Qualification Standard for the Information Technology Management Series, 2210. 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, you must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to GS-13 in the Federal service: For this position, the next lower grade level is a GS-13. Specialized experience for this position includes: Experience conducting resiliency assessments of complex IT systems, applications, or platforms to identify risks, recovery gaps, monitoring limitations, or single point of failure; and Experience developing or implementing technical resiliency strategies to improve system availability, reliability, recoverability, continuity, or operational readiness on cloud environments across multiple regions and Availability Zones; and Experience providing senior-level technical guidance throughout the DevSecOps lifecycle to support resilient, secure, and reliable IT systems and applications. Basic Requirement Competencies: The specialized experience must include, or be supplemented by, information technology related experience (paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training, as appropriate) which demonstrates each of the four competencies, as defined: Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Information Management Interpersonal Skills Oral Communication Problem Solving Teamwork Technical Competence 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. Education Education may not be substituted for specialized experience at this grade level. Additional Information 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. Patent and Trademark Office