The incumbent in this position serves as an Information Technology (IT) specialist for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Information and Technology (OI&T), Product Support Service (PSS), Health Product Support (HPS) organization. HPS supports and is responsible for the mandatory sustainment of the Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) and nationally deployed enterprise/web applications and programs.
To qualify for this position, all qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement 08/14/2025. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For the GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Applicants must meet all requirements when a request is received to fill a vacancy. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Basic Requirements 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 five competencies listed below. The employing agency is responsible for identifying the specific level of proficiency required for each competency at each grade level based on the requirements of the position being filled. 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 GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as: Demonstrated experience with VistA and enterprise application software functionality, sustainment maintenance, patch review and release processes, and trouble ticket troubleshooting for those VistA and enterprise applications for medical center customers; analyzing of existing VistA or enterprise applications to isolate problem areas, solving operational problems, identifying new requirements tests programs to ensure systems meet business expectations. Experience with Windows networking TCP/IP networking is a plus. 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; religions; 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. 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.
OIT Mission: The mission of the Office of Information and Technology (OIT) is to collaborate with our business partners to create the best experience for all Veterans. OIT Vision: To become a world-class organization that provides a seamless, unified Veteran experience through the delivery of state-of-the-art technology. Major Duties: Provides support of VistA and enterprise/ web based applications utilized throughout the organization. Analyzes and provides solutions to customer requirements, applications and interactive functions. Liaisons between facilities and development. Assists facilities on installs or updates to assigned package software. Assists in standardizing the processes and procedures for support. Provides input to request for modifications or new development projects in their area of expertise. Troubleshoots complex software/hardware problems. Utilizes medical information systems expertise to assist national task forces, fact finding groups and committees in determining nation-wide goals, specifications and policy. Supports as the Verifier throughout the VistA Patch Release process and is responsible for assisting with the coordination with the patch release process. Works with Initial Operating Capability (IOC) test sites. Completes the VistA Verifier Checklist. Coordinates with patch development team on patch completion. Releases the patch and sets the patch compliance date. Possesses knowledge of information security policies, vulnerabilities of computer and data communications systems, and the basic tools and practices for protecting information systems. Researches new technologies for production of documentation and advises upper management as to methods which will improve product delivery and business practices. Manages stressful situations and deal with obstacles within the working environment. Handles multiple tasks while remaining flexible, creative and a team player. Plans, coordinates, develops, improves and implements efficient and economical management of information systems in support of new or existing applications software. Position Description/PD#: IT Specialist/PD14297A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required Travel Required: Occasional travel may be required as needed for this position. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8AM-4:30PM; Tour of duty will be determined based on organizational needs. Compressed/Flexible: As determined by the Agency Policy Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Physical Demands: The work is predominantly sedentary and does not require any special physical effort. Some work may require walking and standing in conjunction with travel and attendance at meetings and conferences away from the work site. Employee may carry light items such as meeting materials and a portable computer, and may be required to drive a motor vehicle to meetings. Since the VA VistA and Enterprise applications are used at VA facilities throughout the nation, considerable travel to facilities and national meetings is required. Incumbent will be required to work off-hours and weekends to ensure continuity of computer operations. The work requires almost constant use of a video display device. Working Conditions: The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. The work environment involves everyday risks and discomforts that require normal safety precautions. Most work is performed in an office setting. The work often requires long hours to meet project deadlines and to devise corrective action and solutions to unexpected technical and/or management crises resulting in sometimes highly stressful work situations. The work requires almost constant use of a video display terminal. Travel is required for educational and training programs, national and local meetings, consultations, evaluations, installations, and maintenance of systems software and hardware, which may subject the incumbent to various resultant environmental changes. The incumbent may be expected to access remote databases at VA facilities throughout the nation. In doing so incumbent must take all necessary measures to guarantee the integrity and confidentiality of such information. Appropriate security measures must be taken to guard against disclosures of access codes and sensitive data contained on these systems.