IT Specialist

This Information Technology Specialist position is with the Office of Information and Technology (OIT), Field Support Directorate, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in the Northwest Central Region office in St. Louis, MO.

If selected, you will become a key team member of Homeland Security professionals working as part of a technical team(s) who implements complex technological solutions and maintains operational availability. Joining CBP will allow you to use your expertise in IT principles, concepts, and methods to support CBP’s IT systems and services.

Typical duties include:

• Diagnosing and resolving problems in response to customer reported incidents.
• Researching, evaluating, and providing feedback on problematic trends and patterns to support customer support requirements.
• Interacting with internal and external stakeholders as the Subject Matter Expert to provide IT guidance and solutions and providing customer training as required.
• Installing, configuring, integrating, troubleshooting, optimizing, and maintaining customer hardware and software to maximize system availability and monitors network performance.
• Identifying and specifying information system security requirements and ensuring application of information security/information assurance policies, principles, and practices.

Salary and Benefits

This position starts at a salary of $70,649.00 (GS-11, Step 1) to $110,083.00 (GS-12, Step 10) with promotion potential to $$110,083.00 (GS-12 Step 10).

Employees receive the full package of federal employment benefits that include health and insurance plans, a generous annual and sick leave program, and participation in the Thrift Savings Plan, a retirement plan akin to a traditional 401(k) offering.

Qualifications

Basic Experience Requirement

This position will be filled at either the GS-11 or GS-12 grade level depending upon the applicant’s qualifications including a basic experience requirement (with an education substitution allowed–see below).

Applicants must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the following competencies:

• Attention to Detail - Is thorough and conscientious when performing work.
• Customer Service - Works with clients and customers to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations and is committed to providing quality products and services.
• Oral Communication - Expresses information to individuals or groups effectively, considering the audience and nature of the information, and makes clear and convincing oral presentations while listening to others, attending to nonverbal cues, and responding appropriately.
• Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.

Education Substitution for GS-11 only: Successful completion of a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited college or university, may substitute for the experience required at this level. A degree in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management or degree that provided a minimum of 24 semester hours in one or more of the fields identified above and required the development or adaptation of applications, systems, or networks.

Specialized Experience

GS-11: One (1) year equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as:

• Analyzing, planning, integrating, and configuring network systems hardware.
• Diagnosing and resolving network problems, hardware/software interface and interoperability problems.
• Testing, installing, configuring, and maintaining networks including hardware, middleware, and software to ensure conformance to national standards consulting.
• Evaluating new hardware and software technologies for potential inclusion into the enterprise.

GS-12: One (1) year equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as:

• Adjusting, modifying, and improving IT systems.
• Diagnosing and resolving problems in response to customer reported incidents involving different platforms, operating systems, applications, and desktop configurations.
• Installing, configuring, integrating, troubleshooting, optimizing, and monitoring network performance.
• Providing guidance and solutions in planning and implementing migration activities to ensure successful deployment of technologies.

NOTE: Your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet these requirements, otherwise you will be found ineligible. Be sure to review the entirety of the official Job Opportunity Announcement (JOA) on USAJOBS.gov, the federal government’s official employment site.

How to Apply

Click this site’s APPLY link to access the official JOA on USAJOBS.gov, the federal government’s official employment site. You will learn exactly how to submit your application package, including your resume, which must explicitly indicate how you meet the above Specialized Experience and/or Education Requirements, otherwise you will be found ineligible.

The closing date for this employment opportunity is November 1, 2023.

Interested in other career opportunities with CBP? Visit www.cbp.gov/careers and check the CBP calendar at www.cbp.gov/cbp-events-calendar frequently for upcoming informational webinars, in-person recruiter events, and virtual career events.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $70,649.00 - $110,083.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Experience level:

• 1 year

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift

Work Location: In person