IT Specialist (Applications Software)

Summary

This vacancy is for a IT Specialist (Applications Software) position in the Office of the Chief Information Officer located at the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This Job Opportunity Announcement may be used to fill other IT Specialist (Applications Software), ZP-2210-3 positions within the Bureau of Economic Analysis in the same geographical location with the same qualifications and specialized experience.

Duties

• Engage in database-related development, modernization, and enhancement (DME) and operational and maintenance activities associated with BEA’s statistical, collection and dissemination, and business support statistical systems.
• Execute all phases of the BEA Software Development Life Cycle, including business analysis/requirements gathering, design/documentation, development, testing, implementation, and operation and maintenance.
• Identify and assist in the implementation of common database structures and techniques across BEA’s database-driven applications and systems, where appropriate.

Qualifications

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. For all positions individuals must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the four competencies 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 Specialized Experience: For the Band 3 (GS-11) you must have one year of experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the Band 2 (GS-9) in the Federal service. Experience for this position includes: working with Microsoft SQL Server Database Management System; building and maintaining database objects such as tables, views, schemas, synonyms, stored procedures, user defined functions using the Transact Structured Query Language (T-SQL) programming language; executing database normalization activities; experience with SQL graph data structures; working with data pipelines to support batch data processing and Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) activities; working with agile software development and Development, Security, and Operations (DevSecOps) methodologies; using software tools such as SQL Server Management Studio, ERWIN Data Modeler, and Visual Studio Code; experience with software version control systems Git; experience with data formats such as JSON, XML, and CSV. OR Education: 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. 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. After you submit this application, you will receive an e-mail informing you that a USA Hire assessment is required. You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement, 11/06/2026, to complete the assessment as this assessment is part of your application.

How You Will Be Evaluated

Category Rating Procedures: If you meet the minimum qualifications stated in the job opportunity announcement and scoring requirements for all applicable assessments, you will be placed in one of three pre-defined categories. These categories are "gold," "silver," and "bronze." Your resume and/or optional cover letter must support your responses to the questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. Candidates placed in the "gold" category will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview. How you will be evaluated for preference eligibility: Within each category, those entitled to veterans' preference will be listed at the top of the pre-defined category for which they are placed. Preference eligibles with a service-connected disability of 10% or more will be listed at the top of the highest quality category (gold). For more information on category rating, please go to: OPM: Competitive Hiring - Category Rating Online Assessment: Applicants must complete the online USA Hire Competency Based Assessments measuring critical general competencies required to perform the job. Examples used in the assessment may include general situations not directly related to this position. The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. CTAP and ICTAP candidates: CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be eligible for selection priority if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a rating of 85 out of 100. Information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Career Transition Resources website, The Employee's Guide to Career Transition. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Accountability Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork We recommend that you preview the online questions for this announcement before you start the application process. Do NOT include the following types of information in your application if included on your resume you will not be considered for this position: Social Security Number (SSN) Date of Birth (DOB) Photos of yourself Personal information: such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc. You may preview the questionnaire for this vacancy: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13098558. Other Information

Applicants who apply under this Job Opportunity Announcement may opt-in (at their request) to allow the sharing of their resume, cover letter, transcripts, certifications, and other associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Department of Commerce (DOC) Bureaus/Offices who have vacancies within the same occupational series, grade and pay band (or its equivalent), and full performance level in the same duty location or commuting area of the duty location listed on the Job Opportunity Announcement. Applicants that apply for General Schedule (GS) positions can be considered for pay band positions under one of the DOC's alternative personnel systems (i.e., Commerce Alternative Personnel System (CAPS), or Alternative Personnel Management System (APMS)) that have the equivalent GS grade level and full performance level, and similarly, CAPS and APMS applicants may be considered for GS positions or one of DOC's alternative personnel systems. Upon acceptance of a position, the employee will be subject to the corresponding pay system (i.e., GS, CAPS or APMS). Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which they wish to receive consideration. Individuals who have received a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment, otherwise known as a buyout, must repay that incentive if they are reemployed by the Federal Government within five years of separation. Additionally, the following links provide information on various hiring authorities that do not fall under competitive examining procedures; however, they may enable you to apply through merit assignment procedures or be eligible for a non-competitive appointment. VRA (GS-11 or below) VEOA (permanent positions) 30% or more disabled veteran Military Spouse Persons with disabilities CTAP ICTAP Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. The Department of Commerce also provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the Human Resources Office. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis. TTY users can contact the Human Resources Office via the Federal Relay Service, 1-800-877-8339.