Information Technology Specialist (Direct Hire)

CO Salary Range: USD 63,163.00 - 82,108.00 per year

Duties

This vacancy will be filled through DHS/TSA's Direct-Hire Authority pursuant to TSA MD 1100.30-36. Under the Direct-Hire Authority, category grouping and Veterans' Preference does not apply.

This Information Technology Specialist (Direct Hire) position is located Enterprise Support, Information Technology, Technology Solutions Division (TSD), Transportation Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Duties include but are not limited to:

• Leads in software development project planning to ensure operational awareness of pending application design and functionality changes and analyzes the impact to operations and maintenance. Performs secure programming and identifies potential flaws in codes to mitigate vulnerabilities. Makes optimal use of resources under limited supervision to complete activities within established schedules.
• Technical proficiency in developing technical requirements for new or modified applications; analyzes and determines optimal hardware and software configurations; provides technical guidance in the design, coding, testing, and debugging process; assists customers in installing applications; troubleshoots post-installation problems; and coordinates the technical support of deployed applications.
• Contribute and participate as a member of a team developing preliminary design specifications; meets with customers to collect information about business requirements; and presents draft specifications to the team leader for discussion.
• Provides support for the Information System Security Officer (ISSO) and System Owner (SO) community in support of authorization activities. May represent the Division at meetings and conferences. Prepares briefings, status updates, option papers, and decision memoranda for senior specialists to address problems and recommend courses for action. Presents briefings to obtain consensus/approval on policies and projects. May act as a key technical point of contact for assigned activities.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

1. You must possess U.S. Citizenship or be a U.S. National.
2. You must have reached the minimum age (18) at the time of application.
3. You must complete a favorable Background Investigation (BI).
4. Selective Service registration is required.
5. You must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret Clearance.

If you fail to meet the conditions of employment or any other pre-employment requirements, such as missing any of the scheduled appointments, the hiring agency may rescind their tentative offer of employment.

Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for TSA to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.

Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.

Qualifications

FOR ALL IT POSITIONS: To qualify, you must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the four competencies listed below.

1. Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.
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.
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.
4. Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.

In addition to the minimum qualifications described above, you must meet the following requirement(s) to be considered qualified for the position:

To qualify for the SV-G pay band (equivalent to the GS-5/7/9), you must meet one of the qualification requirements (A, B, OR C) outlined below:
A. Experience: For those qualifying using experience, your application must clearly outline three (3) years of progressively responsible general experience, one year of which was equivalent to at least GS-4 in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Such experience will demonstrate the ability to:

• Analyze problems to identify significant factors, gather pertinent data and recognize solutions; and
• Plan and organize work; and
• Communicate effectively orally and in writing;

OR

B. Education: Undergraduate or Graduate Education: Degree in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management or degree 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

C. Combining of Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements, and may be computed by first determining the total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the position; then determining the education as a percentage of the education required for the position; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for the position.

Credit for experience is given based on a 40-hour workweek. Part-time experience is credited on a part-time ratio, i.e., working 20 hours per week for two months equals one month of experience. No additional credit is given for overtime.

National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

You must meet the qualification requirements for this position no later than the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

The Ideal candidate for this position will have training in the following areas: Agile methodology to design, test, and implement solutions to meet the needs of the end users; Training in developing software using modern tools and methods including, git-based version control, Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery, test driven design (TDD), and integrated DevSecOps collaboration platforms (e.g. GitLab, GitHub); And training deploying containerized software packages on Kubernetes-based Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) platforms.

Education

For positions requiring positive education requirements, or if you are using education to meet all or part of the qualification requirements, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or an itemized list of college courses from an accredited college or university, which includes equivalent information from the transcript (course title, semester/quarter hours, and grade/degree earned) in your resume. The information must be provided with the application by the closing date of the announcement. If selected, the applicant must supply a transcript or certification of degree.

Additional information

Salary with Locality:
Annapolis Junction, Maryland 33.94% $84,601-$109,975
Colorado Springs, Colorado 20.15 % $75,890-$98,652

Eligibility to apply for other Federal positions: TSA is an Excepted Service agency exempt from most of Title 5 United States Code, including regulations which apply to displaced Federal employees (CTAP/ICTAP) of other agencies, and employment with TSA does not confer "Competitive Status" that generally results from selection and service in Competitive Service agencies. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has established an Interchange Agreement, which allows most permanent TSA employees to apply and be considered for vacancies in Competitive Service agencies. Information from OPM on this or other Interchange Agreements is available at: www.opm.gov/

To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully pass a background investigation as a condition of placement into this position.

DHS uses E-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify , including your rights and responsibilities.

If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment , and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment.

TSA employees who are absent for the purpose of performing military duty may apply for any vacancies announced in their absence.

More than one position may be filled from this announcement.

If you are entering TSA employment on an appointment without time limitations, you must serve a basic trial period unless you have already met the requirement.

DHS offers competitive salaries and an attractive benefits package, including: health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance; retirement plan; Thrift Savings Plan [similar to a 401(k)]; Flexible Spending Account; Employee Assistance Program; personal leave days; and paid federal holidays. Other benefits may include flexible work schedules; telework; tuition reimbursement; transportation subsidies; uniform allowance; health and wellness programs; and fitness centers. DHS is committed to employee development and offers a variety of employee training and developmental opportunities. For more information, go to the DHS Careers website and select "Benefits." Disabled veteran leave will be available to any Federal employee hired on or after November 5, 2016, who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or more.

Employees who transfer to TSA from an agency that allows employees to maintain an annual leave balance higher than the maximum accumulation for the appointed position will have their leave ceiling set to the maximum accumulation for the appointed position (e.g., United States duty location - 240 hours, foreign duty location - 360 hours, or TSES position - 720 hours). TSA will not make a monetary payment for any leave forfeited under these circumstances.

Client-provided location(s): Colorado Springs, CO

Job ID: TSA-850623800

Employment Type: FULL_TIME

Posted: 2025-11-21T20:25:43