Sr. Production Support Engineer

Full Job Description

IT Specialist positions located in DOL, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Office of Technology and Survey Processing (OTSP) provide IT support to all aspects of BLS data development initiatives.

BLS measures labor market activity, working conditions, price changes, and productivity in the U.S. economy to support public and private decision making.

Candidates must demonstrate proof of meeting the Minimum Qualifications, that is, both the Experience and the Specialized Experience listed below.

Minimum Qualifications Experience IT-related experience; experience may be demonstrated by paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training (for example, IT certification), as appropriate.

Experience must have demonstrated each of the four competencies listed below. Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.

An experience indicator at this level includes planning, prioritizing, and organizing project/program requirements.

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.

An experience indicator at this level includes in-depth analysis and resolution of complex problems such as assessing customers' needs and identifying or tailoring information about products and/or 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.

An experience indicator at this level includes orally justifying decisions, conclusions, findings, and/or recommendations in a professional setting such as orally presenting project/program related information to engage in open and constructive discussions and sharing of information.

Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.

An experience indicator at this level includes gathering and analyzing facts, drawing conclusions, and developing recommendations/identifying alternatives to solve complex problems such as utilizing various sources to conduct research to determine proper alternatives and providing recommendations to resolve project/program level issues that impact the work and outcomes of an organization.

AND Specialized Experience Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, i.e. GS-12, in the Federal Service.

Specialized experience is defined as both of the following: 1. Demonstrated experience contributing to end-to-end operational SDLC support in a hybrid Agile-Waterfall or DevOps environment.

Examples of experience indicators at this level include supporting either (a) or (b) as follows: (a) Agile flexibility (i.e. iterative-based work) and Waterfall controls (e.g.

change requests, structured release gating, deployment checklists); or (b) DevOps automation (e.g. CI pipelines, automated testing, environment deployments). 2.

Demonstrated experience executing automation scripts in cross-platform environments (Linux/Unix and Windows) using scripting tools.

Examples of experience indicators may include the following: - Running automation using Bash on Linux/UNIX and PowerShell on Windows systems - Executing Python and Perl scripts deployed on both Windows and Linux hosts Major Duties:

This position is located in OTSP, Division of Enterprise Web Systems (DEWS).

DEWS operates, maintains, designs, and develops BLS internet data dissemination facility (LABSTAT), internet data collection facility (IDCF), and central intranet facility (BLS Central).

ITSPEC (Systems Analysis/Policy Planning) Sr. Production Support Engineers advance DEWS initiates by allocating project resources for LABSTAT, IDCF, and BLS Central system updates.

These roles coordinate system enhancement efforts, data-release workflows, and operational support to ensure accurate, timely dissemination of BLS's data across public-facing platforms.

Specific functions include but are not limited to: Software Delivery: Supporting end-to-end software delivery in hybrid Agile-Waterfall environments, from requirements through production support.

Using CI/CD platforms (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI) to automate builds and deployments and apply DevOps practices to strengthen delivery.

Linux/Unix Operations: Performing Linux/Unix operations on production systems by executing command-line tasks (such as shell scripts for system administration), running script-based applications (such as automated test scripts in Ruby or Python), and executing Perl-based automation (such as scripts to monitor and troubleshoot routine processes).

Database Configuration Management: Running SQL scripts in Oracle production environments (such as updating database metadata).

Following strict configuration and change management processes to ensure system integrity and traceability, using project tracking tools (e.g. JIRA), version control platforms (e.g.

GitLab), and database development tools (e.g. Toad/SQL Developer).

System Validation: Conduct system testing of web applications, databases, and integrated components to validate functionality and reliability, and develop clear technical requirements and user-friendly guides that support both technical and non-technical staff.

This is not a software development position.

The role focuses on supporting production environments, maintaining system reliability, executing automation, and sustaining existing systems rather than building new software capabilities.