IT Cybersecurity Specialist (Recent Graduates)

READ THIS ENTIRE SECTION TO ENSURE YOU UNDERSTAND THE QUALIFICATION AND APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS POSITION.

To meet Minimum Qualifications for this IT Cybersecurity Specialist position, you must: (1) demonstrate eligibility for the Recent Graduates Program, (2) demonstrate the required IT Competencies, (3) demonstrate Specialized Experience and/or optional education AND (4) meet or exceed the cut-off score on the USAHire Assessment (see HOW TO APPLY). (1) ELIGIBILIY To be eligible for the Recent Graduates Program, you must have successfully completed a course of study resulting in a degree (associate's, bachelor's, master's, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical) or have successfully completed a qualifying certificate program from an accredited educational institution.

Your degree/certification must have been conferred within the 2-year period preceding this announcement (i.e., not prior to November 2024). Veterans who were unable to apply within the 2-year Recent Graduates eligibility period due to military obligations may begin the 2-year eligibility period upon discharge from active duty if supported by a DD-214.

The new eligibility period may not extend beyond 6 years from the date a qualifying degree or certificate was conferred. (See REQUIRED DOCUMENTS to ensure you provide appropriate documents.) ONLY APPLICANTS WHO DEMONSTRATE ELIGIBILITY AS A RECENT GRADUATE WILL BE EVALUATED (see transcript requirements under EDUCATION below) (2) IT COMPETENCIES You must demonstrate the following IT Competencies either through work (paid or unpaid) or specific IT-related education or training: 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.

Interpersonal Skills - Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations Reasoning - Identifies rules, principles or relationships that explain facts, data, or other information; analyzes information and makes correct inferences or draws accurate conclusions.

Teamwork - Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals. (3) SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE Specialized Experience for this IT Cybersecurity position is the performance of basic IT cyber duties or education/training pertaining to incident monitoring and detection; compliance and audit support; documentation and reporting; system testing coordination and/or user support and access management.

GS-07 Specialized Experience must have been gained in a federal position at or above GS-05 OR (if your experience is on another federal pay scale OR outside of federal service) by performing duties at a level of responsibility and difficulty equivalent to GS-05. Credit will be given for relevant unpaid and/or part-time work. Your resume must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities for each position held.

Specialized Experience for this GS-07 entry level position can be demonstrated by: -- assisting with diagnosing user needs and resolving entry-level IT incidents, -- demonstrating basic literacy in IT security methods, system protocols and protective requirements and -- gathering facts, analyzing system behavior and handling unscheduled halts or routine system errors.

If you have this experience (either from a job or performed as part of your education or training), you must describe, in your own words, the tasks you perform that demonstrate it. Reviewers cannot assume you perform duties you don't describe.

In lieu of specialized experience, you can meet requirements with a bachelor's degree that (1) shows Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) or (2) was followed by at least 1 full academic year of graduate level education. (See EDUCATION) GS-09 Specialized Experience must have been gained in a federal position at or above GS-07 OR (if your experience is on another federal pay scale OR outside of federal service) by performing duties at a level of responsibility and difficulty equivalent to GS-07.

Credit will be given for relevant unpaid and/or part-time work. Your resume must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities for each position held.

Specialized Experience for this GS-09 mid-level IT Cybersecurity position can be demonstrated by: -- performing basic vulnerability scanning and analyzing network traffic alerts; -- implementing basic security controls on systems or networks; -- managing user permissions and implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA); -- assisting with minor system modification and security component analysis; and -- participating in IT security assessments and drafting routine incident and status reports.

If you have this experience (either from a job or performed as part of your education or training), you must describe, in your own words, the tasks you perform that demonstrate it. Reviewers cannot assume you perform duties you don't describe.

In lieu of specialized experience, you can meet requirements with a master's degree or at least 2 full academic years of progressively higher graduate-level education leading to a master's (or equivalent) degree. (See EDUCATION) (4) USAHIRE ASSESSMENT After you submit your initial application, you will be sent an email (to the email address in your USAJobs Account) pertaining to the USAHire Assessment.

The USAHire Assessment is a crucial part of the application for this position and you cannot be considered for this position unless you complete the assessment and meet or exceed the cut-off score set by OPM (see HOW TO APPLY for more information).

For more information on OPM's Competency-Based Qualification Standards, visit: Competency-Based Qualification Standard for the Information Technology Management Series, 2210 NOTES ABOUT THIS CAREER-LADDER POSITION This is an entry level or mid-level position leading to the GS-12 full performance level. Assignments are developmental in nature and designed to provide experience and technical competence in the methods, procedures, principles and techniques of the full performance level.

The supervisor defines objectives, priorities and deadlines, is available for consultation and assists with unusual situations, problems or studies that do not have clear precedents. Employees consult with higher graded analysts to identify problems and methods of approach, but are expected to perform standard, routine duties independently. The supervisor evaluates reports and other completed work for technical soundness, appropriateness of conclusions or recommendations, consistency and relevance.

During this period of training, management broadens assignments to enable the incumbent to eventually perform all the duties of the next higher grade. Consideration for promotion is at the discretion of management and is based on the existence of higher-level work your ability to perform that work, administrative requirements and current agency and/or organizational restrictions.

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.,At the full performance level, supports the day-to-day functionality and protection of SSA information technology (IT) systems by developing and implementing cybersecurity programs, policies, procedures and digital tools.,Ensures the security and integrity of systems, networks and data through various methods.,Performs cybersecurity duties in support of cybersecurity operations, incident response, system administration and security, compliance and policy implementation, user support and training, documentation and reporting and continuous improvement.