IT Specialist (SYSADMIN)

Join OIT's Infrastructure Operations to support VA's digital transformation. Provide secure, reliable IT services-including compute, storage, database, cloud, and client management. As an IT Specialist (SYSADMIN), help protect and enhance VA's critical systems to better serve Veterans and families. Apply today! To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/04/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement. Basic Requirements: This position allows eligibility through meeting either the requirements specified in the section titled Education or the requirements specified in the section titled Experience. EDUCATION: Degree in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management or degree that provided a minimum of 24 semester hours in one or more of the fields identified above and required the development or adaptation of applications, systems or networks. For the GS-11, you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. OR Experience - 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. You must submit relevant transcripts if qualifying based on education. -OR- EXPERIENCE: To qualify for this position, you must have information technology-related experience demonstrating all of the four competencies listed below. Ensure that this experience is clearly described in your resume: 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. -AND- To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level, you must possess all of the following minimum qualifications by the closing of the announcement: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Such experience is typically gained in the IT field or through the performance of work where the primary concern is IT. -AND- Selective Placement Factor: Experience in installing, configuring, and updating virtual desktop and application or equivalent back end infrastructure. To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level, you must possess all of the following minimum qualifications by the closing of the announcement: Specialized Experience: you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level. Specialized experience is defined as updating, maintaining, and troubleshooting Citrix Virtual Applications and Desktops or Azure Virtual Desktop backend infrastructure technologies in both on-premise and cloud service provider environments. AND Selective Placement Factor: Experience in installing, configuring, and updating virtual desktop and application or equivalent back end infrastructure. Evidence of the Selective Placement Factor must be reflected in your resume. 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those who have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. Manage and maintain foundational IT infrastructure including servers, storage, cloud platforms, and databases. Monitor system performance, troubleshoot issues, and implement solutions to ensure reliability and availability. Apply and sustain operational security controls to protect VA networks, systems, and data. Support the deployment, configuration, and optimization of client management tools and software. Develop and update documentation for system processes, configurations, and standard operating procedures. Collaborate with teams to support projects, resolve incidents, and enhance overall IT service delivery for Veterans and staff. Maintain and troubleshoot server and network infrastructure to ensure optimal system performance and uptime. Implement and support security best practices to safeguard VA information systems and data. This is a Bargaining Unit Position. This position is primarily aligned to the following NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework work roles: Cybersecurity Code 451-System Administrator: Responsible for setting up and maintaining a system or specific components of a system (e.g., for example, installing, configuring, and updating hardware and software), establishing and managing user accounts, overseeing or conducting backup and recovery tasks, implementing operational and technical security controls, and adhering to organizational security policies and procedures. Cybersecurity Code 411-Technical Support Specialist: Provides technical support to customers who need assistance utilizing client-level hardware and software in accordance with established or approved organizational process components. For more information about these work roles, where they fit within the larger Cyber Workforce, and how they can support your unique career journey, please visit the Cyber Career Pathways tool on the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies website: https://niccs.us-cert.gov/workforce-development/cyber-career-pathways Position Description/PD#: IT Specialist (SYSADMIN)/PD20063A and PD20062A Travel Required: Occasional travel may be required as needed for this position. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00am to 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: As determined by the Agency Policy Telework: This position may be authorized for ADHOC telework. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Some work may require walking and standing in conjunction with travel and to attendance at meetings and conferences away from the work site. Some employees may carry light items, such as papers, books, or small parts, or drive a motor vehicle. The work does not require any special physical effort. Working Conditions: The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions. Some employees may occasionally be exposed to uncomfortable conditions in such places as research and production facilities. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Selectee is subject to background/suitability investigation. Selected applicant will be required to complete an online onboarding process. This position is subject to pre-employment and random drug testing. Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required. To be considered for this position, applicants must complete all required steps in the process. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: - your performance and conduct; - the needs and interests of the agency; - whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and - whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period or 2-year trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Please be advised, there is no educational substitute for the GS-12 Grade Level. Education must be from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For additional information, refer to the U.S. Department of Education web site at http://www.ed.gov. Submit a copy of your college transcript (unofficial is acceptable) or you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the courses. Foreign Education: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet Federal qualification requirements if you can show that your foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States. For example, specific courses accepted for college-level credit by an accredited U.S. college or university, or foreign education evaluated by an organization recognized for accreditation by the Department of Education as education equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. college or university. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence with your application. See Recognition of Foreign Qualifications for more information. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.