IT Specialist (SYSADMIN/OS)

Summary This position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Information and Technology (OIT), Infrastructure Operations (IO) serving as a Senior Systems Administrator, IT Specialist (SYSADMIN/OS), responsible for operating systems, related hardware and software, installation, configuration, sustainment, and maintenance in support of VA systems. Responsibilities Major Duties: Research, designs, implements, and maintains SA related automated tools supporting provisioning, configuration management, patching, virtual machine administration, directory services, volume management, and system monitoring. Assess security vulnerabilities and evaluate system impact and risks; determines corrective actions. Develop systems security plans and contributes technical security practices for the hardening guides. Monitors and reviews departmental systems' performance on a regular basis to evaluate CPU, memory, network and disk input/output (I/O), as well as other system resources to ensure system performance meets current and future system processing needs. Manages the installation and integration of systems fixes, updates, and enhancements. This position is primarily aligned to the following NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework work role: Cybersecurity Code 451: Systems Administrator. Responsible for setting up and maintaining a system or specific components of a system in adherence with organizational security policies and procedures. Includes hardware and software installation, configuration, and updates; user account management; backup and recovery management; and security control implementation. Cybersecurity Code 541: Vulnerability Analysis. Responsible for assessing systems and networks to identify deviations from acceptable configurations, enclave policy, or local policy. Measure effectiveness of defense-in-depth architecture against known vulnerabilities. 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/OS)/PD15114A Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm; Tour of duty may be subject to change based on organizational needs. Compressed/Flexible: As determined by Agency Policy Telework: Yes, as determined by Agency Policy. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Physical Demands: The work is sedentary. Some work may require walking and standing in conjunction with travel and attendance at meetings and conferences away from the work site. Some employees may carry light items such as small IT hardware components, papers, books, or laptops. Working Conditions: The work area is adequately lighted heated, and ventilated. Some employees may occasionally be exposed to circuitry of electronic equipment during hardware installation or testing, and therefore must apply precautions to avoid personal injury. Designated Drug Testing Position: Not applicable This is a Bargaining Unit Position. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation 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 dentification 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 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, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/25/2026. You must meet the Minimum Qualification Requirements, Specialized Experience and Selective Placement Factors to qualify for this series as described below: Minimum Qualifications Requirements 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- 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. Specialized experience is defined as advanced technical knowledge of a wide range of operating systems including Microsoft Windows, Red Hat Linux as well as database platforms such as Oracle and SQL, cloud services like Azure, and various content management systems is required; Expertise in security hardening, operating system performance optimization, volume management, provisioning, data communications, networking, configuration management and administration of complex hosting environments; Proficiency with supporting software and automation tools, and a strong understanding of the interrelationships between system components; Comprehensive experience with automation, virtualization, configuration, security, networking, clustering, disaster recovery, storage, and performance optimization is essential for successfully supporting and advancing enterprise web hosting environments; and Strong oral and written communication skills are necessary for managing projects, collaborating with systems administrators, and providing solutions. -AND- SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR: In addition to the minimum qualifications described above, you must meet the following requirement(s) to be considered qualified for the position: Mastery in these areas ensures the delivery of secure, compliant, and user-friendly web solutions essential to the digital delivery of veterans' health and education benefits. Demonstrated knowledge of the principles and methods of web technologies, tools, and delivery systems including web security, privacy policy practices, and user interface issues. 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. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Education There is no educational substitution at this grade level. Additional Information Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If selected you will be required to report to one of the following locations: Little Rock, AR North Little Rock AR Phoenix, AZ Anaheim, CA Long Beach, CA Los Angeles, CA Oakland, CA San Francisco. CA Aurora, CO Denver, CO Washington DC Miami, FL Orlando, FL St. Petersburg, FL Tampa, FL Atlanta, GA Chicago, IL Hines, IL North Chicago, IL Bedford, MA Boston, MA Baltimore, MD Detroit, MI Minneapolis, MN St. Louis, MO Eatontown, NJ Albany, NY Cleveland, OH Philadelphia, PA Pittsburgh, PA Davidson, TN Nashville, TN Murfreesboro, TN Arlington, TX Austin, TX Dallas, TX Houston, TX San Antonio, TX Salt Lake City, UT SeaTac, WA Seattle, WA Martinsburg, WV Shepherdstown, WV