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Information Technology Specialist (Computer Specialist)

Department of Justice
Justice, Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Corrections professionals who foster a humane and secure environment and ensure public safety by preparing individuals for successful reentry into our communities.

Overview

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Job canceled
Open & closing dates
04/17/2025 to 04/24/2025
Salary
$67,867 to - $96,887 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 09 - 11
Location
Forrest City, AR
2 vacancies
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Travel may be required for training and/or work related issues.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
Yes
Announcement number
SCR-2025-0206
Control number
835457200

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

• BOP Reassignment Eligible nationwide are those who are not required to “compete”. The full performance level of this position determines your eligibility. • DOJ Surplus and Displaced (CTAP) Employees in the local commuting area. • Duty Location: FCC Forest City, AR

Duties

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Assists in coordination of personal computer service, maintenance and training throughout the institution.

Provides basic and advanced hardware and software technical support to users of personal computers and associated equipment.

Provides technical support to Bureau of Prisons (BOP) data communications users.

Performs diagnostics, troubleshooting and repairs on field personal computers and all related equipment.

Analyzes the need for new computer equipment and recommends means of acquisition.

Required to perform investigations involving staff misconduct in respect to information and computer security.

Along with all other correctional institution employees, incumbent is charged with responsibility for maintaining security of the institution. The staff correctional responsibilities precede all others required by this position and are performed on a regular and recurring basis.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is Required.
  • See Special Conditions of Employment Section.

The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP eligibility, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and score 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at: Click Here

Qualifications

To be considered for the position, you must meet the following requirements specified in the section titled Education or in the section titled Experience/Specialized Experience:

Basic Requirement:

Education:

GL-09: Master's or equivalent graduate degree OR two (2) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master’s degree or equivalent graduate degree.

GS-11: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR three (3) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.

Graduate Education: Major study - 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

Experience:

GL-09 and GS-11: You 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 judgement to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.

AND

Specialized Experience:

GL-09 and GS-11: You must have one year of specialized experience at the next lower GS-grade (or equivalent). Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular qualifications 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.

Some examples of qualifying experience:

GL-09:

  • Experience identifying and resolving issues and problems.
  • Experience implementing and supporting IT security applications.
  • Experience evaluating established methods and procedures and preparing recommendations for changes in methods and practices where appropriate.
  • Experience assisting in development, configuration, installation and maintenance of networked systems.
  • Experience recovering data in the event of hardware of software failure.

GS-11:

  • Experience providing basic and advanced hardware and software technical support to users of personal computers and associated equipment. Support is primarily on PC hardware configurations, DOS, Windows 95/NT, WordPerfect, Lotus compatible spreadsheets, Internet browsers, and database applications.
  • Experience enhancing institution operations and efficiency by developing local applications (using BOP approved software) in conjunction with management and line staff.
  • Experience performing diagnostics, troubleshooting and repairs on field personal computers and all related equipment. Equipment includes, but is not limited to, all levels of software, LAN equipment, modems, printers, monitors, tape backup units, and multi-user systems.
  • Experience providing configuration requirements for new computer acquisitions, recommending methods of using existing equipment to satisfy new requirements, and performing benchmark tests of proposed new equipment.
  • Experience training management and line staff to use computer programs designed to enhance their ability to perform their assigned duties i.e., grammar checking, outlining systems, idea processors, project management, and decision modeling programs and a wide variety of commercial and agency developed software.

If applicable, credit will be given for paid and unpaid experience. To receive proper credit, you must show the actual time (such as number of hours worked per week) spent in the activities.

**Your eligibility for consideration will be based on your responses to the questions in the application.**

Education

See Qualifications Section for education requirements, if applicable.

ONLY if education is a requirement/substitution for specialized experience, applicant MUST upload legible transcripts as verification of educational requirement. Transcripts MUST be uploaded and electronically linked from USAJOBS at the time you apply and MUST include identifying information to include School Name, Student Name, Degree and Date Awarded (if applicable). All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, Click Here.

Foreign Education: For information regarding foreign education requirements, please see Foreign Diploma and Credit Recognition at the U.S. Department of Education website: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications.

If you are selected for this position and qualified based on education (i.e. basic education requirement and/or substitution of education), you will be required to provide an OFFICIAL transcript prior to your first day on duty.

Additional information

This position IS included in the bargaining unit.

In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 3307, a maximum entry age of 36 has been established for initial appointment to a position in a Bureau of Prisons institution.   

The representative rate for this position is $81,984 per annum ($39.28 per hour).

Special Conditions of Employment Section:

Appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of a urinalysis, physical, and background investigation.  All applicants are subject to National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and credit checks.

All applicants not currently working in an institution will be required to complete a qualification inquiry regarding convictions of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence in order to be authorized to carry a firearm.

The Core Value Assessment (CVA) is an in-person assessment that must be facilitated at a Bureau of Prisons Human Resource Servicing office.  On the day of the scheduled interview, a CVA will be administered.  The applicant assessment must be completed within a 70 minute time period and a passing score must be obtained.  Further employment consideration will not be extended if the applicant fails to complete the examination or fails to achieve a passing score.  Note: The Core Value Assessment will not be administered to current BOP employees.

Successful completion of the "Introduction to Correctional Techniques," three-week training course at Glynco, Georgia is required.

The addresses listed on the USAJOBS account/resume must be the primary residence at the time of application.  You may be required to provide proof of residence.

Additional selections may be made if vacancies occur within the life of the certificate.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

If your composite score exceeds the average score for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your online assessment questionnaire responses and utilized to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed in this announcement. If you rate yourself higher than what is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

There are several parts of the application process that affect the overall evaluation of your application:

  • Your resume, which is part of your USAJOBS profile;
  • Your responses to the eligibility questions;
  • Your responses to the online assessment questionnaire;
  • Your supporting documentation, if required.

Time-in-Grade: Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements for consideration. You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.

If you applied to more than one grade level, BE ADVISED that you may be selected at ANY grade level for which you applied and are found qualified (i.e., if the job is announced at the 9/11 grade levels and you apply for the GS/GL-9 and the GS-11,and you are found qualified at BOTH grade levels, you may be selected at either grade level).

What Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities are Required for this Position?

The following Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's) are required:

GL-09 and GS-11:

  • Ability to prepare and present technical information, both orally and in writing, in a manner understood by the targeted audience.
  • Ability to analyze, troubleshoot, solve data, information and/or program problems, telecommunications, hardware and operating system problems.
  • Knowledge of network systems.
  • Knowledge of LAN systems.
  • Knowledge of information security procedures and policies.
  • Skill in organizing and managing projects.

You may preview questions for this vacancy.

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