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IT Specialist (Operating Systems)

Department of State Headquarters

Blackstone, VAFull-time$131–171K/yrPosted today

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At a glance

Compensation
$131–171K/yr
Location
Blackstone, VA
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
Not specified

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Job overview

This position is in the Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Office of the Chief Technology Officer, Integrated Systems Division. The division oversees information technology activities including systems engineering, enterprise engineering, content management, network integration, requirements analysis, systems design and development, and project management. The specialist leads service-improvement practices, evaluates operational approaches, advises on IT hardware, monitors contractor services, and coordinates with other offices and agencies.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Attention to Detail, requiredCustomer Service, requiredOral Communication, requiredProblem Solving, requiredQuality Management, nice to haveContinuous Improvement, nice to haveChange Leadership, nice to haveIT Hardware Acquisition, nice to haveFederal Acquisition Regulations, nice to haveInteragency Collaboration, nice to haveWriting, nice to haveInterpersonal Skills, nice to haveTeamwork, nice to haveTechnology Orientation, nice to haveSelf-Management, nice to have

Qualifications

52 Weeks at Lower Grade, required1 Year Specialized IT Experience, required

Full job description

Summary

This positioin is located in Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Office of the Chief Technology Officer, Integrated Systems Division (DS/CTO/IS). The Integrated Systems Division oversees a broad range of Bureau information technology activities andoperations that includes systems engineering, enterprise engineering and content management support, networked systems integration, requirements analysis, systems design and development, and project management.

Duties

  • Leads changes and quality management practices that make IT services more responsive to customers and end users.
  • Evaluates new developments and presents business cases that recommend better ways to run and maintain IT operations.
  • Advises management on developing and buying IT hardware and related services, including how new hardware will affect current DS operations.
  • Serves as Government Technical Monitor (GTM) with the contracting officer's representative (COR) and oversees contractor IT operations and maintenance services to make sure they meet acquisition rules and CTO requirements.
  • Works with IT specialists in other Department offices and federal agencies to keep CTO consistent with Department and federal IT policies, procedures and best practices.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the required qualification requirements described below by the closing date of this announcement. NOTE: Applicants must meet time-in-grade and time after competitive appointment requirements, by the closing date of this announcement. Time-In-Grade Requirements: Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions, per 5CFR 300, Subpart F. Applicants applying for the GS-14 grade level must meet the following requirements: Have IT-related experience demonstrating EACH of the four competencies AND specialized experience 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. AND Have at least 1 full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal service which provided you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following: Experience managing IT operations and maintenance, including advising on new hardware and approaches to improve services. Experience overseeing contractor IT services and reviewing contract documents such as statements of work and task orders. Experience representing an organization on interagency committees and working groups on IT policy issues NOTE: In order to qualify for this position, your 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. There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-14 position.

Education

Education requirements do not apply to this vacancy announcement. How You Will Be Evaluated

The evaluation process consists of the ApplyGov Competency Based Assessments for which applicants will be assigned a score between 70 and 100. A resume review by subject matter experts will be conducted for the top qualified candidates based on total score. Resumes longer than two pages will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered further. You will be assessed on the following job-related competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Non-Supervisory: Oral Communication, Writing, Interpersonal Skills, Problem Solving, Teamwork, Technology Orientation, Customer Service, Attention to Detail and Self-Management. Set aside at least 2 hours to take the external assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. There are timed sections that must be completed within the allotted timeframe. Your score from the external assessment (i.e., Non-supervisory) will remain on file for 180 days, allowing you to apply for multiple DOS-announced positions without needing to retake the assessments. Top applicants may be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration. The assessment is used to measure the degree in which your background matches the competencies and KSAs required for this position. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies: Knowledge of quality management and continuous improvement methods. Ability to lead changes that improve IT services for customers. Ability to give expert technical advice on IT hardware acquisition practices and related services. Knowledge of federal, Department and DS acquisition regulations and policies. Ability to build working relationships with IT specialists across the Department and other agencies. Resume review: Subject matter experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine your qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. Your resume should demonstrate how you meet all aspects of the specialized experience statement. SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., links embedded in your resume will not be opened.). If meeting basic qualifications through education only or a combination of education and experience, applicants will not be referred to the SME panel but will be reviewed by the HR Specialist for referral. Applicants found to be among the top qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview. Qualified non-competitive candidates must be deemed best qualified based on the applicant assessment in order to be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview. In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We do not make assumptions regarding your experience. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application may result in your removal from consideration. You may preview questions for this vacancy. Other Information

For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at [email protected]. If eligible, situational telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department for up to 240 days. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.

How this job compares

Set against the 300 open IT Specialist jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 10, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$131–171K/yr
  • US median$95–133K/yr226 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $151K, is 33% above the US median midpoint ($114K) — in the top quarter of IT Specialist salary ranges across the US.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 22 open IT Specialist jobs in Virginia and 300 across the US. 4% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in Virginia
Experience
This posting asks for at least 1 year of experience; IT Specialist postings that state a minimum ask for 1 year at the median (227 postings).
Education
32 of the 300 open IT Specialist jobs (11%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 10, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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