Supervy IT Spec 'Engineering Manager' GS-2210-15, FPL GS-15

About the role

This position is in the U.S. Department of Education (ED), Federal Student Aid (FSA), Technology Operations Division (TOD).

The Technology Operations Division provides information technology operations services for all FSA systems, promoting the effective and secure use of technology to achieve FSA's strategic objectives through sound planning, investments, integrated technology architectures and standards, effective systems development, production support, and cybersecurity services.

What you will do

• This vacancy announcement is limited to the first 200 applications received and will close at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the day that we receive the 200th application, or at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the listed closing date, whichever occurs first.
• This position is eligible for Remote/Virtual work.
• However, this position may fall under the Presidential Memorandum titled "Return to In-Person Work" which will require you to go into the office if you are located within 50 miles of a Department of Education facility in these locations: Washington, DC, Dallas, TX, San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, Kansas City, MO, Chicago, Il, Atlanta, GA, Philadelphia, PA, New York City, NY, and location is negotiable.
• Actual salary will be based on location of selectee.
• Locality pay tables available at *** .
• We encourage you to read this entire vacancy announcement prior to submitting your application.
• As a Supervisory IT Specialist 'Engineering Manager' GS-2210-15, you will be responsible for: Leading the technical direction for FSA engineering by applying deep knowledge of modern software engineering practices to ensure systems are robust, reliable, and user-friendly along with cutting edge artificial intelligence (AI).
• Keeping the team focused on outcomes that directly improve the experience for millions of students and families.
• Evaluating, adopting, and championing new development tools, technologies, and methods that improve both productivity and software (AI, Cloud computing, Devops, Applications (apps), etc.) quality across the FSA lifecycle.
• Elevating the work of contractors and set a higher standard for product excellence across the organization.
• Fostering a culture that combines technical excellence with a relentless focus on mission outcomes.
• Provide coaching, feedback, and growth opportunities for both government staff and contractors, raising the bar for what good engineering looks like in a federal environment.
• Taking ownership of improving not just the product but also the internal processes that surround it.
• Proactively identifying and fixing inefficient, outdated, or processes that slow down delivery.
• Serve as a catalyst for change by removing obstacles, building alignment across stakeholders, and modeling a bias toward action.
• Providing authoritative data and recommendations to FSA senior leadership regarding the long-range strategic vision and near-term operational plans for the FSA software/technology portfolio and supporting management/governance structure along with integrating AI.
• Prepares deliverables that easily communicate comprehensive strategic and operational plans, performance metrics, and. financial analyses to wide variety of technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Requirements

• The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has interagency agreements (IAAs) with other agencies to ensure efficient delivery of funded programs and activities, and move closer to fulfilling the President's promise to return education to the states.
• Employees may receive detail assignments to these agencies in support of the IAAs).
• Condition of Employment: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a probationary period or trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.
• In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: - your performance and conduct; - the needs and interests of the agency; - whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and - whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
• Upon completion of your probationary period OR trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
• Key Requirements: Must be a US Citizen.
• Males 18 and over must be registered with the Selective Service.
• Must complete a Background Investigation and Fingerprint check.
• Must be determined suitable for federal employment.
• Relocation expenses will not be paid.
• You may be subject to serve a one-year probationary period.
• You may be subject to serve a one-year Supervisory probationary period You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement.
• 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; religious; 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.
• We will consider all qualifying experience, including any volunteer experience.

Education

Education cannot be substituted for experience for this position and grade level. Foreign Education: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States.

It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must submit a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, please click Foreign Education.

How you will be evaluated

We will review your application and documentation submitted to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications and competencies 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 USA Hires Assessment(s) required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Supervisory: Accountability, Customer Service, Decisiveness, Flexibility, Interpersonal Skills, Problem Solving, and Resilience You will be evaluated to determine if you meet qualifications required, and on the extent to which your application shows that you possess the knowledge, skills and abilities associated with this position as defined in the Qualifications section.

Please be sure to give examples in your resume and explain how often you used these skills, the complexity of the knowledge you possessed, the level of people you interacted with, and the complexity and sensitivity of the issues you handled. Based on the outcome of this evaluation, your application data may be further assessed by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) panel.

If your qualifications are not substantiated by your submitted resume, you may be eliminated from receiving further consideration. If you are found to be amongst the most highly qualified applicants, you will be referred to the selecting official.

As part of the assessment and selection process, the selecting official may invite you to participate in a structured interview, check your references, and/or request that you submit a writing sample or complete a written assessment or exercise to further evaluate your qualifications for this position.

Documents you must provide

• A resume demonstrating your education, experience, training, and accomplishments as it relates to the qualifications for this position and substantiating your responses to the occupational questionnaire.
• Please limit your resume to 2 pages with the font size no smaller than 10 points.
• If your resume is more than 2 pages, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed and considered for the qualifications determination.
• If you are claiming Veteran's Preference, you must submit: A copy of your DD-214 that shows active service and character of discharge, OR A certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions within 120 days from the date of application (Current Active Duty Members only); AND/OR The Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (SF-15) AND all documents indicated on the form as proof of type of preference; AND/OR Proof of Sole Survivorship Preference (e.g., certificate of death or 100% disability as a result of serving in the armed forces).
• Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP/CTAP)?
• If you are a current or former Federal employee who was displaced (for example, due to a Reduction-in-Force) and want priority consideration, you must submit the documents listed below.
• Required documents for Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan consideration (All are required): Required documents for Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan consideration (All are required): Your most recent performance appraisal showing a rating of Fully Successful or higher.
• RIF as the Nature of Action (Box 5B) Career or career-conditional status (Box 24 must be 1 or 2) Competitive status (Box 34 must be 1) Promotion potential or full performance level of the position from which you were or are being displaced.
• This is likely your appointment SF-50 for that position.
• Duty location Proof that you were displaced, such as Reduction-in-Force (RIF) notice or notice of proposed removal.
• SF-50s (Notification of Personnel Action) showing: Your Federal position at the time you were displaced must be within the local commuting area for a location listed in this announcement.
• The definition of local commuting area varies based on duty location and hiring agency policy.
• To receive priority consideration, you must also be found well-qualified, which means you score 75 or higher based on this announcement's assessment rating criteria.

Benefits

As an ED employee, you will also benefit from our family-friendly work environment. As part of our commitment to maintain a work life balance, we offer excused leave for Parent/Teacher Conferences (3 hours); excused leave for annual health screenings (4 hours); and matching leave for community volunteer service.

Other flexibilities that may be available to you include alternative work schedules. You may be eligible to receive a recruitment incentive for this position. To receive this incentive payment, you will be required to sign a service agreement obligating you to remain with the U.S. Department of Education for a specified period as agreed upon.

You may be eligible to receive a relocation incentive for this position. To receive this incentive payment, you will be required to sign a service agreement obligating you to remain with the U.S. Department of Education for a specified period as agreed upon. You may be eligible to participate in the Student Loan Repayment Program as a recruitment incentive for this position.

To receive student loan repayments, you will be required to sign a service agreement obligating you to remain with the U.S. Department of Education for a specified period as agreed upon.

What to expect next

As an applicant, you may check your application status through your USAJOBS account at any time. We will also notify you via email of your application status at three key stages in the recruitment process.1. Once the vacancy announcement closes, we will inform you that your application has been received.2.

After we review your submitted resume and supporting documentation, we will inform you if you are eligible and qualified, if your application was referred to a subject matter expert or panel of subject matter experts for further evaluation, and if you were amongst the most highly qualified candidates referred to the selecting official.3.

Finally, we will inform you of your final disposition for this announcement (e.g., if/when a selection is made, if/when the announcement is cancelled).

Additional information

Veterans' Career Counseling: If you are a veteran interested in receiving tips on preparing a Federal resume and/or how to prepare for an interview, you may email *** to schedule a session with a career counselor ("Veterans Counseling Session" should be placed in the subject line of the email).

Student Loan Default: If selected for this position, we will verify that you have not defaulted on any loan funded or guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are found to be in default, we will contact you to make arrangements for repayment prior to making an official offer of employment.

Suitability and Investigation: If selected for this position, you will be required to complete the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine your suitability for federal employment and successfully complete a pre-appointment investigation/background check.

Essential/Non-Essential: This position is considered essential for purposes of reporting to work during federal government closures. Financial Disclosure: This position does require a financial disclosure. Bargaining Unit:This position is not included in the bargaining unit.

Selections: Agencies have broad authority under law to hire from any appropriate source of eligibles and may fill a vacancy in the competitive service by any method authorized. We may make additional selections from this vacancy announcement within 90 days from the date the selection certificates are issued, should vacancies occur.

We may also share selection certificates amongst program offices across the agency.

Reasonable Accommodation 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 here: *** If you are unable to apply online and would like to request information about the Alternate Application process, please use the contact information at the bottom of this announcement.