
IT Cybersecurity Specialists (Sysadmin/Infosec) - CES Recent Graduate
Defense Information Systems Agency
Fort Meade, MDFull-time$58–75K/yrPosted today
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At a glance
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Job overview
The Defense Information Systems Agency’s Recent Graduates Program places eligible recent graduates in a career development program with formal and on-the-job training. The role supports server and operating-system installation, configuration, testing, and maintenance; advises DoD and DISA leadership on technology developments; manages software and hardware updates; and helps manage customer computing requirements across large-scale IT projects.
Skills & qualifications
Skills
Qualifications
Benefits
Full job description
Summary
The recent graduates program targets individuals who have graduated recently from qualifying educational institutions or programs. To be eligible, applicants must apply within 2 years of degree or certificate completion, except for veterans precluded from doing so due to their military service obligations, who will have up to 6 years after degree or certificate completion. Successful applicants will be placed in a dynamic, career development program.
Duties
- As a participant in the Recent Graduates Program, you will receive both formal and on-the-job training to develop the required knowledge and skill to successfully perform the duties of the position.
- Plans, schedules, and executes the installation, configuration, testing, and maintenance of server hardware, multi-platform operating systems, and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) application software across physical and virtual environments.
- Prepares and presents cogent and cohesive analyses and briefings advising DoD and DISA management leadership on new technological developments, techniques, and enhancements that result in increased time and cost efficiencies.
- Manages the installation of software and hardware, systems fixes, updates, and enhancements.
- Directs the economical, effective, and technically sound management of customer computing requirements across large-scale IT projects.
Qualifications
Who May Be Considered: Individuals who have obtained a qualifying Associates, Bachelor's, Master's, Professional, Doctorate, Vocational or Technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution, within the previous 2 years. OR Veterans (as defined in 5 U.S.C. 2108) who were unable to apply within 2 years of obtaining a qualifying Associates, Bachelor's, Master's, Professional, Doctorate, Vocational or Technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution due to their military service obligation. Veterans have a full 2-year eligibility period to apply upon his/her release or discharge from active duty. The eligibility period for veterans must be within 6 years of degree completion. You MUST provide your DD-214 to support this claim. In addition to the eligibility requirement above, you must also meet the Basic Requirement: Undergraduate or Graduate 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. OR Attention to Detail - experience reviewing my own information technology-related work or data to ensure accuracy, completeness, and consistency with standards. My work or the data that I produce is typically reviewed by my supervisor or another colleague Customer Service - experience having brief contact with customers to provide information about available information technology products and services and providing customers with standard products or routine services to address information technology needs Oral Communication - experience informing my supervisor and other IT staff of the status of information technology systems, projects, or daily operations, including the status of information technology systems, projects, or daily operations, including the communication of basic technical information to a non-technical audience Problem Solving - identifying or selecting from a number of alternatives to address routine information technology-related issues by gathering and applying information from standard sources that provide a limited number of solutions In addition to the Eligibility, and the Basic Requirement, your resume must demonstrate the following Qualifying Experience: Your resume must describe at least one year of experience that demonstrates the competencies necessary for immediate success in the position. Experience refers to any paid or unpaid experience, including volunteer work and Military service, that would be considered equivalent to work normally performed at the next lower grade level in the federal service. For the GG-07 - Qualifying experience is defined as: Assisting with installing, configuring, and testing commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software and hardware components; diagnosing basic system and network connectivity issues; or applying routine security patches, updates, and baseline configuration standards and assisting with user account administration, network access permissions, and basic customer technical support. *****Candidates must describe how they meet the qualifying experience within the body of their resume. *****Veterans - DD-214 are required, and will render an ineligible rating if not submitted. *****Transcripts are required along with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50. The absence of this information will result in an ineligible rating. *****Candidate must meet Recent Graduate eligibility requirement by end of the Fall 2026 Semester.
Education
Substitution of education for experience at the 07 grade level (2 grade interval): Bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement or 1 academic year of graduate education (or law school, as specified in qualification standards or individual occupational requirements). Superior Academic Achievement: S.A.A. is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership. Qualifying Education Institution: Any of the following educational institutions or curricula that have been accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/ Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services at the time of application. National Association of Credential Evaluation Services. How You Will Be Evaluated
How You Will Be Evaluated: Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the applicant questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If, after reviewing your resume and or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. You can preview the Assessment Questionnaire here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13109960 Criminal History Inquiries- If you apply to this position and are selected, we will not ask about your criminal history before you receive a conditional job offer. If you believe you were asked about your criminal history improperly, contact the agency @ [email protected] Other Information
CES Interns are NOT eligible for conversion to a career/career-conditional appointment. CES Interns are eligible for non-competitive conversion to a term or permanent CES position in a CES designated organization: A trial period may be required if you have not previously completed a trial or probationary period in the excepted or competitive service. Management has the prerogative to select at either grade level. Selectee of this recruitment will be required to sign a Recent Graduate Program Participant Agreement. We may use this announcement to fill additional vacancies within 90 days of the closing date. Moving costs may be paid. Recruitment, relocation, or retention incentives are authorized. Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (to verify your registration status click here). The Department of Defense (DoD) policy on employment of annuitants issued March 18, 2004 will be used in determining eligibility of annuitants. Because this position is in the Cyber Excepted Service, Veterans' Preference will be applied to preference eligible candidates, as defined by Section 2108 of the Title 5 U.S.C. in accordance with the procedures provided in DoD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 3005, "CES Employment and Placement." If you are a veteran claiming veteran's preference, as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 U.S.C., you must submit documents verifying your eligibility with your application package. For more information on Cyber Excepted Service Personnel System, click here. For more information on veterans' preference, click here. For more information regarding qualifications requirements, click here. You may submit a cover letter which will be forwarded to the selecting official with your resume. Your cover letter will not be used to verify your qualifications or eligibility. All applicants are encouraged to apply electronically. If you are unable to apply on-line, you may contact 317-212-0454 for assistance. If selected, the authorized rate of pay may exceed the stated maximum salary rate range under certain circumstances. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 makes certain reimbursements/payments taxable. For information on these changes and the Relocation Income Tax Allowance (RITA), for which some appointees are eligible, click here. This position is covered under DoD Manual 8140 which will be subject to future Cyber Workforce requirements as defined by the Manual. You may submit a cover letter which will be forwarded to the selecting official with your resume. Your cover letter will not be used to verify your qualifications or eligibility.
How this job compares
Set against the 2,422 open Systems Administrator jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 10, 2026.
- Pay
- This posting$58–75K/yr
- Maryland median$104–170K/yr122 salary ranges
- US median$95–149K/yr1,490 salary ranges
This range's midpoint, $66K, is 52% below the Maryland median midpoint ($137K) — in the lowest quarter of Systems Administrator salary ranges in Maryland.
- Openings
- Olive Jobs lists 164 open Systems Administrator jobs in Maryland and 2,422 across the US. 5% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
- Experience
- This posting asks for at least 1 year of experience — less than three in four Systems Administrator postings that state a minimum ask for (median 5 years, across 2,024 postings).
- Education
- 347 of the 2,422 open Systems Administrator jobs (14%) 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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