IT Specialist (AI-CLOUD ENGINEER)

Summary

This position is located within the U.S. Department of State, Office of Inspector General (OIG), which has statutory oversight responsibility covering the Department, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), and the International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico, U.S. Section (USIBWC). This position is located within the Office of the Executive Director (EX), Information Technology (IT), Division and supports the mission of the Office of the Inspector General.

Duties

• Architect, deploy, and manage cloud infrastructure designed for AI and machine learning workloads. Provision scalable compute, storage, networking, and graphical processor unit (GPU) resources to support AI applications
• Oversee the administration and optimization of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS) environment(s), encompassing compute, storage, networking, identity and access management, and disaster
• Support Authority-to-Operate (ATO) packages and design proactive risk mitigation strategies, including disaster recovery and opportunity management plans.
• Direct engineering initiatives, resolve incidents promptly, and establish standardized operating procedures.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements described below by the closing date of this announcement. Applicants applying for the GS-14 grade level must meet the following requirements: Have IT-related experience demonstrating EACH of the four competencies AND specialized experience listed below: Attention to Detail - The incumbent is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attention to detail. Customer Service - The incumbent works with clients and customers to assess their needs, provide information and assistance by resolving their problems and satisfying their expectations and knows about available products and services while providing excellent customer service. Oral Communication - Expresses information to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information. Makes clear and convincing oral presentations and listens to others input. Attends to nonverbal cues and responds appropriately. Problem Solving - Identifies and analyzes problems, weighs relevance and accuracy of information, generates and evaluates alternative solutions and makes recommendations. AND have at least 1 full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal service which provided you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following: One year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service, obtained in either the private or public sector: 1. serving as a senior cloud and AI engineer, that leads the development and institutional use of technical standards and reference architectures for cloud-hosted AI solutions; AND 2. designing and implementing end-to-end AI platforms that incorporate secure data pipelines, APIs, model development and inference environments, and containerized workloads; AND 3. planning and executing pilots or proofs-of-concept to evaluate emerging cloud and AI technologies, and advising leadership on whether to adopt, refine, or discontinue those solutions based on mission impact, security, and implementation risk; AND 4. routinely explaining complex technical issues, risks, and tradeoffs to both technical and non-technical stakeholders in ways that build consensus and secure acceptance of recommended technical approaches, priorities, and standards within a federal IT and AI policy and governance context. These qualifications must be clearly referenced in your resume. NOTE: In order to qualify for this position, your experience MUST be IT related; the experience may be demonstrated by paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training (for example, IT certification), as appropriate. There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-14 position.

Education

Education requirements do not apply to this vacancy announcement.

Evaluations

A review of your two-page resume will be conducted and compared against your responses to the crediting plan (CP) to determine if you are qualified for this job. Applicants who meet the minimum qualification (MQ) requirements, as described in the “Qualifications” section of this announcement, will be assigned a score between 70 and 100. The evaluation process consists of an online assessment and a subject matter expert (SME) resume review of top qualified candidates based on the CP assessment. Resumes longer than two pages will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered further. Responses to questions that are not fully supported by your resume may result in a rating adjustment. All applications that meet the required qualifications and the cutoff score will be referred to the selecting official in the order in which the applications were received. Under the provisions of the Direct Hire Authority, veterans' preference and traditional rating and ranking of applications does not apply. The assessment is used to measure the degree in which your background matches the competencies (knowledge, skill, and abilities) required for this position. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies: Knowledge of cloud computing and IT principles, concepts and methods; Knowledge of Zero Trust architecture principles and security architecture best practices; Skill in communicating complex technical concepts; Ability to interpret complex regulatory and compliance requirements; Skill in tuning automated scanning tolls to reduce false positives; In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We do not make assumptions regarding your experience. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application may result in your removal from consideration. Resume review: SMEs will review your resume to determine your qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. Your resume should demonstrate how you meet all aspects of the specialized experience statement. SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., links embedded in your resume will not be opened). If meeting basic qualifications through education only or a combination of education and experience, applicants will not be referred to the SMEs but will be reviewed by the HR Specialist for referral. Agency and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP and ICTAP) candidates must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for selection priority. Candidates are considered well qualified if their knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) exceed the minimum qualifications described in the announcement. You may preview questions for this vacancy.

How to apply

Prepare your application in USAJOBS To start your application, click Apply and we'll walk you through the process to attach a resume and any required documents. During the application process you can review, edit, delete, and update your information. We'll automatically save your progress as you go, so you won't lose any changes. You have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement to complete the application process. STEP 1: Select the "Apply" button and follow the instructions to register or sign into USAJOBS. STEP 2: Submit your resume. Please see the Required Documents section for specific information that should be outlined in your resume. STEP 3: Complete the online assessment questions. STEP 4: Submit all required documentation applicable to you, as listed in the Required Documents section. Technical assistance with your on-line application is available through the Help Desk at [email protected] or by calling (866) 656-6830 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. ET

What to expect next

Once the online application package is received, you will be notified through USAJOBS of your qualification status and referral or non-referral to the hiring official for further consideration. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. If a tentative job offer is made, the Department of State will conduct a suitability and/or security background investigation. You will be notified up to four times during the hiring process: 1. Upon receipt of your application. 2. Upon minimum qualification determinations. 3. After the list of eligibles is issued. 4. After final selection is made.

Required documents

All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to our automated system by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. 1. Resume limited to two pages showing relevant work/volunteer experience, education and training. Include the start and end dates (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours per week worked/volunteered. Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must support your answers to the completed online assessment questions. Resumes longer than two pages will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered further. 2. ICTAP/CTAP documentation, if applicable (e.g., reduction-in-force (RIF) notice, RIF separation SF-50 personnel action, certification of expected separation, etc.). In addition, submit a copy of your current (or last) performance rating of record which must be at least fully successful or equivalent and submit all required documents listed above that apply to you (e.g., resume, transcripts, etc.).

Benefits

Personal Service Contracts are eligible to participate in the PSC Health Insurance Reimbursement Program which allows for a contribution of 72 percent against the contractor's health insurance premium costs toward either an individual or family policy, provided that such costs may not exceed the maximum U.S. Government contribution for direct-hire personnel as announced annually by the Office of Personnel Management. Supplemental insurance, such as dental and vision, is not eligible for this reimbursement under this program. The Department's PSC Life Insurance Reimbursement Program allows for PSC's to be provided a contribution of 50 percent against the actual costs of an individual annual life insurance policy not to exceed $500.00 per year. Personal Service Contractors entering on duty with prior qualifying service, as defined by OPM, may have their service computation dates updated to credit their years of applicable prior service for higher annual leave accrual rates. PSC leave accrual rates are explained in 3 FAM 9116.1 Benefits for PSC's in the Department of State are outlined in 3 FAM 9116.

Other information

To request a reasonable accommodation for additional time on the timed sections of the assessment, please submit your request using the “Request a Reasonable Accommodation” button within the Assessment Application. For all other reasonable accommodations at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations (OAA) at [email protected]. OAA is responsible for reviewing and adjudicating reasonable accommodation (RA) requests for the Assessment Battery being used for this announcement. The following applies to all RA requests: RA requests cover additional time on timed sections only. Applicants submitting a RA request MUST attach supporting medical documentation signed by a licensed, treating medical provider. The documentation should describe the nature, severity, and expected duration of the condition, identify the relevant medical condition or diagnosis, and explain the basis for the requested extension. RA requests that do not contain supporting medical documentation attachments at the time of initial request may be subject to further review. Note: the following documents do not, on their own, qualify for automatic approval of the RA request: Schedule A letters, VA benefits letters, or SSA letters. Applicants MUST submit their application before the vacancy closes, even if pending an accommodation decision. Applicants are encouraged to carefully follow instructions related to medical documentation provided in the vacancy announcement prior to beginning the RA process. Applicants will have 48 hours after their RA request is adjudicated to complete the assessment battery. Scores generated after the allotted timeframe will not be admissible and the applicant will not be considered further for the vacancy. If a different type of RA is needed, please contact OAA directly at [email protected]. If eligible, situational telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department for up to 240 days. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions. Under the provisions of the Direct-Hire Authority, veterans' preference and traditional rating and ranking of applications does not apply. Agency & Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP & ICTAP): View OPM's CTAP & ICTAP eligibility website for more information. You must be rated in the Well-Qualified category and submit supporting documents under the required documents section of this announcement to receive selection priority consideration. To be considered Well-Qualified applicants must: score an 85 or above, meet Minimum Qualifications, and demonstrate proficiency in some, but not all major aspects of the position.