IT SPECIALIST (ENTERPRISE DATA ARCHITECT)

About the role

The Surface Transportation Board is an independent federal agency that is responsible for the economic oversight of the nation's freight rail system. The position is located in the Office of the Managing Director, Section of System Services and serves as an Information Technology Specialist (ENTERPRISE DATA ARCHITECT)

What you will do

• THIS JOB ANNOUNCEMENT has an applicant limit of 50.
• Therefore, the announcement will close the day 50 applicants have been received, which may be before the date listed above.
• In this position you will serve as an Information Technology Specialist (ENTERPRISE Data Architect) responsible for serving as the agency's principal data architecture expert, designing and governing enterprise level data architectures that align information assets, applications, and technologies to mission outcomes under the Federal Data Strategy and Board Data Management policies.
• You lead the definition of current and target business, data, application, and technology architectures; establishe standards and data models; and ensures secure, interoperable, and high quality data across enterprise systems and platforms (cloud and on-premises).
• As a Data Architect in STB, you will perform the following duties: - Design and implement enterprise data architectures that integrate diverse data sources and platforms, ensuring scalability, reliability, and alignment with organizational needs. - Collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate business requirements into effective data solutions that support strategic objectives. - Serve as the organization's subject matter expert on data exchange standards, formats, and technologies, ensuring accurate, secure, and reliable data interchange with external stakeholders. - Partner with external stakeholders - to define, negotiate, and maintain standardized data submission formats and specifications. - Own the change-management process for data submission standards, including version control, stakeholder communication, documentation updates, and rollout coordination. - Validate and troubleshoot incoming data submissions, resolving discrepancies and format issues end-to-end and ensuring adherence to defined standards. - Build and maintain data pipelines and system integrations, applying both hands-on engineering skills and higher-level architectural design. - Lead enterprise data architecture initiatives, providing technical guidance and best practices in data modeling, metadata management, governance, and security. - Develop and maintain comprehensive documentation, including architecture diagrams, data dictionaries, and submission format specifications, to support operations, compliance, and knowledge sharing. - Stay current with emerging technologies, data standards, and industry trends, and proactively evolve the enterprise data architecture to drive innovation and continuous improvement. -Design and implement data architectures and services that support the Board's future artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives and enable advanced analytics, machine learning, and AI applications.

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• All qualification requirements must be met by 09/25/2026.
• Please Note: Your application package will not receive consideration if it lacks any of the required documents under the "Required Documents" tab.
• Probationary Period: A One-year probationary period may be required.
• Required to participate in the Direct Deposit program.
• Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law.
• See *** E-Verify: If you are selected for this position, the documentation that you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form 1-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-Verify" System.
• The STB is an E-Verify Participant.
• Required to participate in the Direct Deposit program.
• Employment is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of a background investigation and the granting of a Federal suitability clearance.
• If selected, you may be offered a tentative offer until the background investigation has been adjudicated.
• Background Suitability Investigation: Continued employment is contingent upon satisfactory completion of a background investigation and the granting of a Federal suitability or security clearance.
• Please Note: If selected, you may be offered tentative employment until the background investigation has been fully adjudicated.
• Relocation expenses are not authorized.
• You may be asked for a writing sample during the Interview process.
• You will not receive consideration if your package is missing any of the items outlined under the required documents section.

Education

Education may not be used as a substitute for experience at this grade level.

How you will be evaluated

This position is being filled using Direct Hire Authority and is open to all U.S. Citizens. All applicants who meet the basic qualification requirements will be forwarded to the Selecting Official for consideration. Your application will be reviewed to determine if you meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position.

Your resume must document specialized experience and support your responses to the assessment questionnaire. Your application package will be further evaluated to determine your possession of the critical knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics listed below.

Your application may be further assessed by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) panel to verify your qualifications. If your qualifications are not substantiated by your submitted resume, you will be eliminated from further consideration.

As part of the selection process, the Selecting Official may invite you to participate in a structured interview, check references, and/or request a writing sample or work exercise to further evaluate your qualifications for this position.

Competencies: Customer Service Data Analysis Data Extraction and Transformation Technology Application DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC.

WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

All answers provided in the on-line process must be substantiated by a resume. If, upon review, it is determined that your resume and/or supporting documents do not support your answer choices, your application may be removed from consideration.Preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click .***

Documents you must provide

• Please be advised, the following documents are required even if you are already a current Federal or STB employee: 1.
• Resume must clearly articulate how your skills and experiences align to the criteria defined in the qualifications section of this announcement and it must support your responses to the assessment questionnaire.
• For each position you must describe your duties, accomplishments, related skills, and responsibilities.
• Your resume must also include the month and year that you began and ended for each position held.
• Full-time employment will be assumed unless otherwise stated on your resume.
• Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience.
• Not providing this information may result in the lowering of your assessment score or an ineligible rating.
• Please limit your resume to 2 pages.
• For resume writing guidance, please visit the USAJobs Resource Center.
• Responses to questionnaire.
• Supporting documents verifying your eligibility or any preference eligibility along with your application package.These documents may include, but are not limited to: Veterans' documentation: All veterans MUST submit a DD-214, MEMBER 4 copy, if you are currently on active duty, you must submit an official statement of service from your command or other official documentation that proves your military service was performed under honorable conditions.
• Preference eligible documentation: If claiming 10-point preference you must also submit a SF-15 and any other proof that you are eligible for 10-point preference if a job offer is extended to you, final VA letter including percentage (please do not include letter from VA noting specific private medical information); ICTAP documentation: RIF separation notice along with last performance rating or appraisal;

What to expect next

Once referred, you may be asked to complete a structured interview, written demonstration, and/or fit interview. Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you or for dismissing you from the position/agency during the probationary period. Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email.

Your application will be evaluated. You will receive another notification about the status of your application.

Additional information

A career with the U.S. Government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. In addition, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) has work/life-balance flexibilities that may be right for you, such as.

A Flexible Work Schedule options. This position is telework eligible based on STB Policy.

Fitness Center: STB employees, at no cost, have access to the fitness center conveniently located in the building; and A monthly transit subsidy for a portion of your commuting costs to help defray the commuting costs of employees who use mass transportation, including commuter bus, Metrorail or Metrobus, or commuter rail systems.

More than one position may be filled from this announcement. The lnteragency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal 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 rated well-qualified by scoring 85 or better on the assessment.

Please use this link to find out additional information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources.