IT Specialist (Data Engineer)

About the role

This position is located in the Railroad Retirement Board's Bureau of Information Services. The incumbent will be responsible for designing, building, and maintaining scalable data pipelines and infrastructure to collect, store, process, and deliver large datasets in support of the agency's mission. This job announcement may be used to fill one or more vacancies.

This is a bargaining unit position. This position is represented by the Council of AFGE Locals in the Board.

What you will do

• Design, implement, and optimize end-to-end data pipelines to ingest, process, and transform large volumes of structured and unstructured data from agency and external sources.
• Design and build large-scale data systems and database architectures to support both Online Transaction Processing (OLTP) and Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) environments.
• Manage the strategic planning, operation, and maintenance of data infrastructure across on-premises and cloud environments to ensure high levels of efficiency, security, scalability, and availability.
• Implement Data Operations (DataOps) best practices to improve the quality, speed, and reliability of data delivery across the agency.
• Serve as the agency's recognized technical authority for data engineering, providing expert guidance to cross-functional teams.

Education

There is no education substitution for this position.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), and the result of the online assessment for this position. In order to be considered for this position, you must complete the USA Hire Assessment.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Accountability Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.

Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Documents you must provide

• Resume showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed.
• Resume must not exceed 2 pages.
• Applicants will be removed from consideration if their resume is longer than 2 pages.
• Please see "How to Apply" for additional information regarding the limit.
• SF-50: If you are a current or former Federal employee, you must submit a copy of a recent Notification of Personnel Action, SF-50, showing competitive status.
• (Blocks #24 and #34 must be completed.) Performance Appraisal: If you are a current or former Federal employee, you are encouraged to submit a complete copy of a current or last performance appraisal.
• The performance appraisal may be used as part of the ranking process and/or to verify your responses to the questionnaire.
• Veterans' Documentation: If you are a veteran, you must provide a copy of your Record of Military Service (DD-214), and proof of your veterans' preference, if applicable.
• Veterans with a service connected disability must also submit a completed claim form SF-15 (click here for form) along with the required proofs.
• Go to FedsHireVets-Veterans Preference for more information.
• Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) documentation: If you are eligible under ICTAP, you must submit all required materials verifying your eligibility as listed in "Additional Information." These materials include: Proof of eligibility: You must submit documentation such as a separation notice or other required material; and SF-50: You must submit a copy of a recent Notification of Personnel Action, SF-50 that shows career or career-conditional competitive service status (Blocks #24 and #34 must be completed); and Performance Appraisal: You must submit your most recent performance appraisal, which must be rated at least fully successful or equivalent.
• (This is not required if you are eligible for ICTAP due to compensable injury or disability retirement.) The performance appraisal may also be used as part of the ranking process and/or to verify your responses to the questionnaire.

What to expect next

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After a review of your complete application is made, you will be notified of your rating and possible referral to the hiring official. If further evaluation or interviews are required you will be contacted.

Additional information

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application.

Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis.

If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision.

You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement.

To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

(***) Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA): To be eligible for a VEOA appointment under Merit Promotion procedures, the veteran must be a preference eligible or a veteran separated after 3 years or more of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions.

INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP): ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority for competitive service vacancies.

You must be determined to be well-qualified for the vacancy to be eligible for special selection priority.

After submission of an acceptable application which meets ICTAP eligibility, you will be determined to be well-qualified for a vacancy if your rating places you in the 85th percentile or higher in total possible points. ICTAP eligibles must submit proof of eligibility for special selection priority. Please see the Required Documents section below for more information.

Click here for more information on ICTAP.

Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities: For more information on noncompetitive appointment authority eligibility requirements: Special Hiring Authorities for Veterans Special Hiring Authorities for Certain Military Spouses Other Special Appointment Authorities If you are a male applicant who was born after 12/31/59 you are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act; the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency.