Information Technology Specialist

Summary

In this position you will work as a member of the Office of Response and Recovery, Response Directorate, Disaster Emergency Communications Division, Bothell MERS Detachment Team. The ideal candidate for this position will have extensive knowledge of LAN administration, network services, and telecommunications, including planning new LAN installations and complex modifications to existing networks.

Duties

• The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is calling on those who want to help protect American interests and secure our Nation. DHS Components work collectively to prevent terrorism; secure borders and our transportation systems; protect the President and other dignitaries; enforce and administer immigration laws; safeguard cyberspace; and ensure resilience to disasters. We achieve these vital missions through a workforce spanning hundreds of occupations. Make an impact; join DHS. When disaster strikes, America looks to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Now FEMA looks to you. Join our team and use your talent to support Americans in their times of greatest need. FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages Federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. We foster innovation, reward performance and creativity, and provide challenges on a routine basis with a well-skilled, knowledgeable, high performance workforce. Please visit www.fema.gov for additional information. EXCEPTED SERVICE: This is a full-time position in the Mobile Emergency Response Support (MERS) Detachment. MERS positions are in the excepted service. Employees will not acquire civil service status but will have standard and optional benefits. EMERGENCY ASSIGNMENT: Every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities, though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites. All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee's official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions. In this position, you will install, maintain, troubleshoot, test, and document network hardware such as WAN routers, LAN routers, switches, hubs, modems, communication lines, bridges, multiplexers, computer hardware, and software. Typical duties include: Administers and manages LAN network services and telecommunications to ensure reliable connectivity and optimal network performance. Monitors network servers, analyzes performance, applies security patches, and adjusts network resources to maintain system availability and throughput. Installs, maintains, troubleshoots, tests, and documents computers, network hardware, including WAN routers, LAN routers, switches, modems, wired and wireless network devices, cellular hardware, satellite hardware, and other IT related equipment. Plans new LAN installations and complex modifications to existing networks, including recommending hardware, software, communication lines, and network segments. Prepares equipment specifications, layouts, cost estimates, user training materials, system documentation, and tracks network configuration changes. Deploys to disasters, special events, emergency operations, and other mission assignments as needed to support IT network services, telecommunications, and continuity of operations. At FEMA, our mission is to help people before, during and after disasters, and every employee at FEMA has a role in emergency management. Every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities, though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites. All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee's official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require empl…

Qualifications

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. 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. 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. Information Management - Identifies a need for and knows where or how to gather information; organizes and maintains information or information management systems. 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 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. Teamwork - Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals. 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. AND in addition to meeting the above competencies, you must also meet the specialized experience and time in grade for the General Schedule (GS) listed below in order to be found qualified for the position. The qualification requirements listed below must be met by the closing date of the announcement. To qualify for this position at the GS-12 level (starting salary $100,602), you must possess one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal government, which has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Experience may be obtained in the federal government, a state or local government, or private sector, and must demonstrate the following: Plan, install and modify local area networks (LANS) and provide technical support to users; AND Install, maintain, troubleshoot and test network hardware and wired/wireless systems; AND Monitor network performance, apply security updates, and maintain system documentation and configuration records. Please read the following important information to ensure we have everything we need to consider your application: 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. Please limit your resume to two pages. The USAJOBS database will not allow an applicant to submit an application that includes a resume over two pages. Your resume serves as the basis for experience related qualification determinations, and you must highlight your most relevant and si…

Education

No Educational Substitution: There is no educational substitution for this position, and you must meet the qualifications listed in the "requirements" section of this announcement.