Summary

The Information Technology Specialist position is located in the Department of Administrative Services (DAS), Administrative Systems Office (ASO), Strategic Planning Division (SPD). The SPD focuses on interacting with the customers, business owners and other stakeholders to understand their needs and defining the vision for the solutions or offerings provided by the ASO.

This job is open to

• Internal to an agency
  
  Current federal employees of this agency.

Clarification from the agency

This vacancy announcement is open to current employees of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO).

Duties

This position will report to the Quality Assurance Manager in the Strategic Planning Division (SPD), Administrative Systems Office (ASO), Department of Administrative Services (DAS). The ASO is seeking an experience Information Technology Specialist to serve as Quality Assurance (QA) Specialist. The QA Specialist's role is to work across all ASO teams to ensure processes and standards exist to effectively manage the team's development lifecycle. Additionally, the QA Specialist should work to build corresponding quality controls and perform periodic reviews to ensure teams' adherence to their own defined processes and standards.

The incumbent in this role is essential to instill visibility into processes, procedures and products associated with the ASO and ensure transparency which will enable senior management to take proactive measures to ensure the quality of all ASO deliverables. The result will be improved governance, quality, and customer satisfaction across ASO services. The incumbent will assist in the management, refinement, and improvement of the established QA program supporting over 72 national systems/applications, and work within a team setting of other QA professionals. The incumbent in this role will also work closely with other branches within the ASO and other offices throughout the DAS.

The duties of the position include, but are not limited to:

1. Working with the Quality Assurance Manager in support of the ASO mission to develop quality standards and practices; and auditing work products to ensure adherence to agreed-upon standards.
2. Developing strong relationships with key stakeholders across all teams.
3. Coordinating and communicating with the Project Managers, Branch Chief, Portfolio Managers, and Systems Execution Chief to achieve strategic and tactical quality objectives.
4. Creating, refining, and delivering long-term strategic plans and short-term tactical plans with management oversight.
5. Working with project teams to develop and maintain both governance and quality controls; and performing periodic reviews of project configurable items, such as the Project Management Plan, to validate that documents are up to date.
6. Developing bi-weekly status updates for quality initiatives and communicating to senior management to provide updates on major activities and any risks.
7. Presenting quality findings to project teams and developing corrective actions for any controls that are consistently "not met."
8. Contributing to a positive cultural environment rooted in transparency, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
9. Building, maintaining, and continuously improving quality controls.
10. Attending and observing interim project review (IPR) meetings and reviewing team reporting of key metrics such as schedule, cost, scope, risk to ensure consistent and accurate reporting.
11. Utilizing SharePoint, Microsoft Team, and work item manager tool (e.g., Planner) to track and manage status of on-going work.
12. Developing and implementing ASO's quality assurance policies, guidance, and procedures.
13. Recommending changes to existing methodologies, templates, guidelines, checklist, and other artifacts to establish repeatable processed for improving quality across teams.
14. Participating and representing the quality assurance team in change control board meetings.
15. Reviewing Root Cause Analysis and other operational reports for any impacted national systems and ensuring compliance in identifying the issue and proposing corrective action.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

1. All information is subject to verification. Applicants are advised that false answers or omissions of information on application materials or inability to meet the following conditions may be grounds for non-selection, withdrawal of an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed.
2. Selection for this position is contingent upon completion of OF-306, Declaration of Federal Employment during the pre-employment process and proof of U.S. citizenship for competitive status positions or conversion to a competitive status position with the AO. If non-citizens are considered for hire into a temporary or any other position with non-competitive status or when it is confirmed by the AO Human Resources Office there are no qualified U.S. citizens for a competitive status position (unless prohibited by a law or statue), non-citizens must provide proof of authorization to work in the U.S. and proof of entitlement to receive compensation. Additional information on the employment of non-citizens can be found at USAJOBS Help Center | Employment of non-citizens/. For a list of documents that may be used to provide proof of citizenship or authorization to work in the United States, please refer to Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.
3. All new AO employees will be required to complete an FBI fingerprint-based national criminal database and records check and pass a public trust suitability check.
4. New employees to the AO will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights/responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
5. All new AO employees are required to identify a financial institution for direct deposit of pay before appointment.
6. You will be required to serve a trial period if selected for a first-time appointment to the Federal government, transferring from another Federal agency, or serving as a first-time supervisor. Failure to successfully complete the trial period may result in termination of employment.
7. If appointed to a temporary position, management may have the discretion of converting the position to permanent depending upon funding and staffing allocation.

Qualifications

Applicants must have demonstrated experience as listed below. This requirement is according to the AO Classification, Compensation, and Recruitment Systems which include interpretive guidance and reference to the OPM Operating Manual for Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions.

Specialized Experience: Applicants must have at least one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience which is in or directly related to the line of work of this position. Specialized experience must demonstrate experience in ALL areas defined below:

• Knowledge of the software development lifecycle including different methodologies such as Agile, Waterfall, and Rapid Application Development;
• Experience developing quality assessment documentation and performing evaluation activities; and
• Knowledge of navigating through documentation repository tools (e.g., SharePoint or similar) and application lifecycle management tools (e.g., JIRA or similar).

Applicants with the following certifications are highly desirable:

• Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
• Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt

Education

This position does not require education to qualify.

Additional information

The AO is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

• Benefits
  
  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  
  Review our benefits
  
  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

We will review your resume and supporting documentation and compare this information to your responses on the occupational questionnaire to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for this job. If you meet the minimum qualifications for this job, we will evaluate your application package, to assess the quality, depth, and complexity of your accomplishments, experience, and education as they relate to the requirements listed in this vacancy announcement.

You should be aware that your ratings are subject to evaluation and verification. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume and/or narrative responses, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Failure to submit the mandatory narrative responses will result in not receiving full consideration and/or rating credit. Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you, withdrawing an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed.

• Benefits
  
  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  
  Review our benefits
  
  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
• Required Documents
  
  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
  
  For this job announcement the following documents and/or information are required:
  
  • Resume - Any written format you choose to describe your job-related qualifications.
  • Citizenship - Include country of citizenship on resume.
  • Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) - All applicants outside of the AO must submit a copy of your latest SF-50 to verify current or former Federal employment status.
  • Veterans Preference documentation - Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214), if applicable Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (SF-15) and an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs or from a branch of the Armed Forces, certifying to the veteran's present receipt of compensation.
  
  
  
  If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
  
  Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
  schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
  
  Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
• How to Apply
  
  To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
  
  The complete application package must be submitted by 07/09/2024 to receive consideration.
  
  To begin, click
  
  • Apply Online to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account.
  • You will be taken to an online application. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application.
  • You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement.
  • To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
  • Click the following link to view and print the occupational questionnaire https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12450438
  
  
  Agency contact information
  
  Rosemarie Thompson
  
  Phone
  
  202-502-3800
  
  Email
  
  Rosemarie_Thompson@ao.uscourts.gov
  
  Address
  
  Department of Administrative Services
  
  One Columbus Circle, NE
  
  Washington, DC 20544
  
  US
  
  Next steps
  
  After a review of your complete application is made, you will be notified of your rating and referral to the hiring official if determined qualified. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted.
• Fair and Transparent
  
  The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
  
  
  • Criminal history inquiries
  • Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
  • Financial suitability
  • New employee probationary period
  • Privacy Act
  • Reasonable accommodation policy
  • Selective Service
  • Signature and false statements
  • Social security number request

Required Documents

For this job announcement the following documents and/or information are required:

• Resume - Any written format you choose to describe your job-related qualifications.
• Citizenship - Include country of citizenship on resume.
• Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) - All applicants outside of the AO must submit a copy of your latest SF-50 to verify current or former Federal employment status.
• Veterans Preference documentation - Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214), if applicable Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (SF-15) and an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs or from a branch of the Armed Forces, certifying to the veteran's present receipt of compensation.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

The complete application package must be submitted by 07/09/2024 to receive consideration.

To begin, click

• Apply Online to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account.
• You will be taken to an online application. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application.
• You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement.
• To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
• Click the following link to view and print the occupational questionnaire https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12450438

Agency contact information

Rosemarie Thompson

Phone

202-502-3800

Email

Rosemarie_Thompson@ao.uscourts.gov

Address

Department of Administrative Services

One Columbus Circle, NE

Washington, DC 20544

US

Next steps

After a review of your complete application is made, you will be notified of your rating and referral to the hiring official if determined qualified. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted.

Fair & Transparent

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

• Criminal history inquiries
• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
• Financial suitability
• New employee probationary period
• Privacy Act
• Reasonable accommodation policy
• Selective Service
• Signature and false statements
• Social security number request