This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) solicitation utilizing the DHA for Certain Personnel of the DoD Workforce to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service. About the Position: The HQ, U.S. MEPCOM, North Chicago, IL, is a jointly staffed command, staffed by representatives of all branches of the Armed Forces and through its 66 military processing locations determines if applicants are qualified for enlistment based on standards set by each of the service.

Duties

As an Information Technology Specialist (Customer Support), you will be responsible for the following: Providing technical support to Information Technology (IT) customers. Communicating issues and outages following established information technology policies/procedures. Training customers/users in use of computer systems and applications. Preparing documentation on hardware, software, networks, solutions or workarounds. Analyzing data to troubleshoot computer hardware, software, and network problems. Troubleshooting hardware and software problems. Installing computer hardware and software using established information technology procedures. Following security policies to ensure a secure computing environment. *** These duties are described at the full performance level GS-09. The position is being filled at the GS-07 or GS-09 level. If selected at the GS-07 level the position will be developmental and eligible for non-competitive promotion to GS-09.

Requirements

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• This position has been designated as non-critical sensitive as defined in DoD 5200.2-R, and requires you to possess, or obtain and maintain for the duration of employment, a Secret security clearance.
• This position requires that you must be able to obtain and retain IT Level II Security Clearance.
• This position requires you to earn the required certification for this position as outlined in DoD 8570.01-M, Information Assurance Workforce Improvement Program, dated December 19, 2005 (incorporating Changes 4, 10 November 2015).
• This position requires you to possess or obtain and maintain MS Office Certification within 6 months of hire date.
• This position requires you to possess or obtain and maintain CompTIA A + Certification, or higher, within 6 months of hire date.
• This position requires shift work of 8 hours between the hours of 3:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Starting times may vary and supervisory sets work hours.

Qualifications

**Telework eligible position - Position has an official duty location of North Chicago, IL and is eligible for Situational Telework at the discretion of the Command. This position is NOT eligible for remote work (remote duty location). If telework is approved, selectees will be required to report to their official duty location as outlined in their telework agreement.** TERM Information: This position is a TERM not to exceed 366 days, with provisions to extend up to eight years. DEVELOPMENTAL: Management may select at any of the grade levels announced. This recruitment provides promotion opportunity to the target grade of the position without further competition when selectee is eligible and recommended by management. Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the experience and/or education requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Basic Requirement for GS-7 level: Specialized and Other Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes Providing technical Information Technology (IT) support to customers that are covered by an IT problem resolution database; Referring customers to appropriate resources for computer problem resolution; Logging computer problem events/resolutions into IT trouble/problem tracking database. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-05). OR Education: One full year of graduate level education from an accredited or pre-accredited institution in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management; or, graduate level education from an accredited or pre-accredited institution 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 Superior Academic Achievement: Successful completion of all the requirements for a bachelor's degree from an accredited or pre-accredited institution in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management; or, bachelor's degree from an accredited or pre-accredited institution 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. Superior Academic Achievement is based on: (1) Class Standing - You must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR (2) Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) - You must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.; OR (3) Honor Society Membership - You may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achsnatl.org/). Basic Requirement for GS-9 level: Specialized and Other Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes: Providing hands-on and phone Information Technology (IT) support to customers on resolving personal computer issues (such as issues with operating systems, applications, network, and hardware); Troubleshooting customer computer problems with the use of remote assistance tools; Configuring enterprise email accounts for command users; Documenting known IT issues, workarounds and/or repairs for use by IT technicians and/or customers. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-07). OR Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree from an accredited or pre-accredited institution in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management; or, two full years of graduate education from an accredited or pre-accredited institution 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. AND for both: THIS SECTION APPLIES TO BOTH GRADE LEVELS: The specialized experience must include, or be supplemented by, information technology related experience (paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training, as appropriate) which demonstrates each of the four competencies, as defined: (1) Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail. Examples of IT-related experience demonstrating this competency include: completing work independently that rarely requires editing or review by others. 2) 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. Examples of IT-related experience demonstrating this competency include: resolving simple and routine problems, questions, or complaints and providing support and guidance to customers on non-routine issues; serving as a primary resource for customers, requesting assistance with complex issues when necessary; and participating in meetings and providing advice to customers in own area of expertise. (3) 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. Examples of IT-related experience demonstrating this competency include: expressing facts and ideas in a clear, concise, convincing, and organized manner; clearly conveying moderately complex ideas, concepts, and information to customers; exhibiting active listening by demonstrating understanding of audience comments and/or questions. Qualifications continued under Education section below:

Education

Continuation of Qualifications Section:

(4) Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations. Examples of IT-related experience demonstrating this competency include: identifying and solving problems by gathering and applying information from a variety of materials or sources that provide several alternatives; recognizing and taking action to address non-routine problems; soliciting feedback from multiple stakeholders to understand an issue or problem and accurately assess its root causes and potential solutions; seeking supervisory review where appropriate.

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FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

In order to qualify for this position, based on your education, education substitution, or combination of education and experience, you must have either completed the education requirement, or will complete this requirement within 30 days from the closing date of this announcement. If you will not complete this requirement within 30 days from the closing date of this announcement, you will be rated as Not Qualified for this position.

You must provide appropriate documentation to reflect when you will meet the education requirement. Appropriate documentation includes: (1) Resume indicating your projected completion/graduation date; (2) Transcripts indicating your projected completion/graduation date; (3) A letter signed by the institution's registrar indicating your projected completion/graduation date.

Contacts

• Address BG-APF-W37NAA HQ US MEPCOM DO NOT MAIL Rock Island, IL 61299 US
• Name: Army Applicant Help Desk