APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

Full Job Description

The Office of Information Technology is looking to fill the Application Development Assistant Director position in their newly formed applicant development branch.

This position requires proactive vision and entrepreneurial leadership to build the organizational structure, processes, and culture of this new branch from the ground up.

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Time-in-grade for this announcement is one year at the GS/SK-14 level.

Qualifying experience may be obtained in the private or public sector.

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. Applicants are responsible for confirming all required materials are submitted by the deadline.

Please check the 'How You Will Be Evaluated' and 'Required Documents' sections carefully, as missing documents will render the application incomplete and ineligible for review.

BASIC REQUIREMENT: For all positions individuals 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.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: In addition to meeting the basic requirement, applicants must also meet the minimum qualification requirement below.

SK-17: Applicant must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS/SK-14 level: Leading development teams to deliver application solutions, including setting strategic goals, establishing performance metrics and ensuring cross-team collaboration; AND Developing and executing application development, including governance and release management, across at least two (2) of the following functional areas: 1) platforms, 2) custom development, and/or 3) commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) implementation; AND Applying DevSecOps principles.

Major Duties:

The Application Development Assistant Director serves as a critical technology leader responsible for establishing and leading a newly formed Application Development Branch that will oversee the design, development, implementation, and maintenance of application solutions across three distinct operational branches: Platform Development, Custom Coding, and Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Software.

As a strategic leadership position, the role plays a vital part in advancing the mission by ensuring the delivery of secure, compliant, and innovative technology solutions that support the Commission.

The successful candidate will be a proactive, visionary leader who can define the branch's strategic direction, establish governance frameworks, develop operational standards, and create a cohesive, high-performing organization from diverse development functions.

This position requires a unique blend of technical expertise, strategic vision, organizational development acumen, and leadership capability to transform disparate development activities into a unified, efficient, and mission-focused application development branch.

Typical Duties Include: Leading and overseeing three specialized application development teams: Platforms, Custom Coding, and Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Software implementation.

Setting goals, performance metrics, and accountability standards for each team while ensuring collaboration across branches.

Managing workload distribution and prioritizing projects based on organizational needs and strategic objectives.

Serving as the primary decision-maker for application development initiatives, ensuring alignment with business priorities.

Developing and maintaining a comprehensive application development roadmap aligned with strategic objectives.

Collaborating with enterprise architects, business stakeholders, and senior leadership to define long-term application strategies and technology standards.

Championing a customer-centric approach by ensuring all application development initiatives prioritize user needs, deliver exceptional service experiences, and maintain strong stakeholder engagement throughout the project lifecycle.

Understanding the technology needs, challenges and opportunities of customers and key stakeholders to efficiently promote their business effectiveness through optimized solutions.

Defining and enforcing technical standards and best practices for application development. Establishing governance mechanisms and success measures to ensure effective execution.

Monitoring emerging technologies and recommending solutions that align with business objectives.

Overseeing security, compliance, and risk management; ensuring interoperability and performance across platforms.

Interpreting and operationalizing federal IT policies, legislative mandates, and regulatory requirements into activities and technical guidelines.

Developing and maintaining compliance programs, audit frameworks, monitoring mechanisms, and accountability structures.

Recruiting, mentoring, and developing technical talent; fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.