Clarification from the agency

ALL US CITIZENS. DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.201) for this occupation.

• Oversee the development of detailed program/project plans, tasks, schedules, and helps identify milestone dates to ensure proper sequencing of events.
• Resolve conflicts in laws, regulations, policies, standards, or procedures of IT concepts to ensure architecture is compliant with regulatory policies, communication, software standards and with user requirements.
• Elicit customer support in the development of acquisitions, scope, and finalizing project schedule while reducing product risk to ensure appropriate interests are represented, functional requirements are included in analyses and designs, business practices are addressed and/or redesigned and incorporates stakeholder feedback.
• Apply technical knowledge to ensure project schedules and objectives are accomplished in accordance with established milestones.
• Provide feedback to leadership and stakeholders through appropriate reports, meetings, briefings, and information papers, both formally and informally.
• Accountable for the overall success of the program, ensuring alignment with agency or enterprise priorities.
• Develop methods to monitor and measure risk, compliance, and assurance efforts.
• Plan the work to be accomplished by assigning work to employees in the unit.
• Communicate guidelines and performance requirements to employees by conducting formal performance reviews which provide for the developmental and training needs of employees. Communicate guidelines and performance requirements to employees by conducting formal performance reviews which provide for the developmental and training needs of employees.

Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday, 0800 - 1630
Location: Washington DC /Location Negotiable
Duty Location Status: Will work from a VA owned or leased space
Telework: May be available upon Supervisor approval
Position Description Title/PD#: Supervisory Information Technology Specialist/PD209520
Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary and is performed for the most part while seated comfortably at a desk or table. Some physical exertions include standing, walking, and lifting
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required
Travel: Occasional Travel
Supervisory: Yes
VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Total Rewards

Applicants will be reviewed based on date of application. For each cut-off date listed below, all applicants that applied prior to each of these dates will be reviewed in groups. All qualified applications received prior to each established cut-off date will be referred to the hiring team for selection consideration. After a referral certificate is returned by the hiring manager, the subsequent group of applications that met the next cutoff date will be reviewed and referred in the same manner, until the position is filled. Please note: Re-submitting and updating your application will change your application date.

• Applications received between 7/10/2026 and 7/16/2026 at 11:59 pm
• Applications received between 7/17/2026 and 723/2026 at 11:59 pm
• Applications received between 7/24/2026 and 7/30/2026 at 11:59 pm
• Applications received between 7/31/2026 and 8/6/2026 at 11:59 pm
• Applications received between 8/7/2026 and 8/13/2026 at 11:59 pm
• Applications received between 8/14/2026 and 8/20/2026 at 11:59 pm

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
• Selectees are subject to a background/suitability investigation.
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• Selectees may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• A complete application package, i.e., Resume, Transcripts, etc., as required by the job announcement.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Participation in the Seasonal Influenza Prevention Program for VHA Health Care Personnel (HCP) is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs HCP.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Pre-employment physical evaluation may be required.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/10/2026.

For all positions individuals must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the four 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.

Decision Making: Makes sound, well informed, and objective decisions; perceives the impact and implications of decisions; commits to action, even in uncertain situations, to accomplish organizational goals; causes change.

Information Management: Identifies a need for and knows where or how to gather information, organizes and maintains information or information management systems.

Interpersonal Skills: Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, sex, disabilities, and other individual differences.

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 and analyzes problems; uses sound reasoning to arrive at conclusions; finds alternative solutions to complex problems; distinguishes between relevant and irrelevant information to make logical judgements.

Teamwork: Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals.

Technical Competence: Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on-the-job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues.

AND

You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

Specialized Experience GS-15 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-14 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: Mastery knowledge of system life cycle management principles, including software security and usability; knowledge of information technology (IT) acquisition/procurement life cycle process and requirements to carry out difficult complex assignments and develop new methods and procedures when necessary; experience with how information needs and collection requirements are translated, tracked, and prioritized; knowledge of information security policies, vulnerabilities of computer and data communications systems, and the basic tools and practices for protecting information systems; communicating ideas clearly, both orally and in writing. Must be able to demonstrate through work experience or training that you possess or have potential to develop qualities to successfully supervise. Experience providing expert guidance and support for system engineering of large-scale systems, major system elements, and interfacing systems that are part of a large complex network environment. Direct experience providing system engineering expertise in the following areas:

• Architecture

• Design

• Development

• Requirements analysis

• Data flow

• Cybersecurity

• Network design/implementation

• Health system interoperability

• Testing, and documentation for the system

  
  

AND

Selective Placement Factor: This position includes a skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristic basic to -and essential for- satisfactory performance of the job. Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. Evidence of the Selective Placement Factor must be reflected in your resume.

The Selective Placement Factor for this position is: Experience directing architecture and system engineering for integration of COTS EHR/ERP systems with existing legacy systems. This experience must be evident in your resume.

Applicants may also be considered to have satisfied the minimum qualification requirements for a position if they can present evidence that clearly justifies a high evaluation of their competence, such as one or more of the following:

• Appropriate licensure, registration(s), certification(s); or

• A substantial record of experience, achievement, and publications that demonstrates eminence in the appropriate profession/technical field.

Applicants can qualify fully on the basis of licensure, certification, registration, or special training as an alternative to experience.

NOTE: Evidence of claimed competence must be substantiated in your resume and upload copies of applicable certifications, licensures, registrations, etc, as supporting documentation.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received.

Documents Accepted:

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Other (1)
• PCS Orders
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Documents Required:

• Resume

Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application.Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).You will not be contacted for additional information. Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted.

Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.

Applications are accepted online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.

Next steps