IT Specialist

Full Job Description

This position is located with Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), in the Software Services Support (JDT) organization, Grid Ops Application Services (JD), of Information Technology (J).

A successful candidate in the IT Specialist position will perform a combination of systems analysis, applications software and systems administration.

BASIC REQUIREMENT: 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.

For all positions individuals must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the four competencies listed below.

The employing agency is responsible for identifying the specific level of proficiency required for each competency at each grade level based on the requirements of the position being filled.

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.

To meet this requirement, you must demonstrate proficiency in each of the four competencies listed above as follows: GS-13: Advanced - You can perform the actions associated with each of these competencies without assistance.

You are recognized within your immediate organization as "a person to ask" when difficult questions arise regarding each of these competencies.

Focus is on broad organizational/professional issues; You have consistently provided practical/relevant ideas and perspectives on process or practice improvements which may easily be implemented; You are capable of coaching others in the application of each of these competencies by translating complex nuances relating to each competency into easy to understand terms; You participate in senior level discussions regarding these competencies; You assist in the development of reference and resource materials in these competencies.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: A qualified candidate's resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-12) in the Federal service.

Specialized experience is defined as: Experience in 1) performing IT analytical processes involving system administration, software license management, software quality assurance, data services, or reporting, 2) applying new IT solutions to support new and existing software and meet the business and customer's requirements, and 3) developing and managing system to enhance or optimize existing IT architecture.

"Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience.

Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations.

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. You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Major Duties:

As an IT Specialist, you will: Lead/conduct studies designed to identify potential improvements in the way information technology is applied to key business functions.

Plan and coordinate implementation of process improvement methods and concepts to improve the quality of software products.

Identify and evaluate highly effective systems design methodologies and benchmarks best practices from industry and other government organization.

Lead efforts to create, improve, and replace IT policies, standards, processes, and procedures.

Maintain an overall current knowledge of data processing trends, tools, and capabilities within BPA and industry-wide.

Plan and coordinate the installation, configuration, maintenance, and upgrade of enterprise management software and related enterprise-level changes to the systems infrastructure.

Develop procedures for responding to new threats to systems confidentiality, integrity, and availability, e.g., checking key files for problems and reviewing running operations to ensure only authorized processes are running.

Occasionally called outside regularly scheduled hours for consultation related to computer operations, equipment failure or program revisions.