Public Notice for IT Cyber Security Specialist (Direct Hire)

Duties

These vacancies will be filled through DHS/TSA's Direct-Hire Authority pursuant to TSA MD 1100.30-26. Under the Direct-Hire Authority, category grouping and Veterans' Preference does not apply.

This Public Notice for IT Cyber Security Specialist (Direct Hire) position is located in Enterprise Support, Information Technology, Technology Solutions Division, Systems Management & Operations Branch, Transportation Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Duties include but are not limited to:

• Provide comprehensive technical advice in the planning, implementation, operation, upgrade and maintenance of hardware devices and applications. Plans and schedules the installation of new or modified hardware and operating systems and applications software. Applies experience and comprehensive technical knowledge applicable to the discipline as well as an understanding of new technologies and methodologies, to solve complex problems and develop improved technical processes or systems.
• Manages systems resources including performance, capacity, availability, serviceability, and recoverability. Install and configure commercial off-the-shelf (COT S) applications and software/hardware enhancement products. Develops and documents systems administration standard operating procedures. Defines, organizes, and assigns resources to accomplish organizational objectives and allocates resources to accomplish large work activities within established schedules.
• Develops, interprets, plans, and applies policy, process, procedure, and strategy in the delivery of multi-discipline IT services required to achieve data and system integration/inoperability for assigned systems and applications. Resolves hardware/software interface and interoperability problems. Applies technical knowledge and skill to include operating systems, security standards and configurations, system administration, integration and interoperability processes and procedures. Ensures systems availability, functionality, integrity, and efficiency.
• Develops and implements system diagnostic and maintenance tools to ensure the availability and functionality of systems required to support organizational objectives. Implement security procedures. Manage the installation and integration of system fixes, updates, and enhancements and/or ensure the rigorous application of information security/information assurance policies, principles, and practices in the delivery of systems administration services.

If interested, please email your resume to: IT.TSD2025@tsa.dhs.gov & reference "Announcement Vacancy Number 12806715."

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.
6. Disclosure of your financial information is required.

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 requirements for all IT positions, to qualify for the SV-I Pay Band (equivalent to GS-13), you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the SV-H Pay Band or GS-12 in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position to be filled. Specialized experience MUST include all the following:

• Experience administering Cisco Firepower, Cisco Catalyst switches, and Juniper SRX firewalls.
• Experience administering F5 Local Traffics Manager and Global Traffics Manager
• Experience utilizing Cisco switching and routing including OSPF, NAT, VLAN, VTP, STP configuration and troubleshooting.

In addition to the requirements for all IT positions, to qualify for the SV-J Pay Band (equivalent to GS-14), you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the SV-I Pay Band or GS-13 in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position to be filled. Specialized experience MUST include all the following:

• Experience designing and deploying enterprise networks across multiple locations, including planning IP addressing schemes, subnetting, routing protocols (e.g., OSPF, BGP), and integrating diverse network devices.
• Experience designing and implementing secure network solutions, including next-generation firewalls, layer-2 and layer-3 switches, VPNs, IDS/IPS, and secure network architecture best practices, while conducting security audits, vulnerability assessments, and ensuring compliance with relevant security standards.
• Experience monitoring and optimizing network performance using tools such as NetFlow, Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMPv3), and Wireshark, diagnosing and resolving issues like bottlenecks, packet loss, latency, and hardware failures, and implementing load balancing and traffic shaping techniques to improve efficiency.
• Experience providing systems, network, or data support while ensuring compliance with FISMA, implementing NIST Zero Trust Architecture, and applying Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs).

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.

If interested, please email your resume to: IT.TSD2025@tsa.dhs.gov & reference "Announcement Vacancy Number 12806715."

Additional information

Annapolis Junction, MD locality rate 33.94% 120,579-185,234

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.

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.

If interested, please email your resume to: IT.TSD2025@tsa.dhs.gov & reference "Announcement Vacancy Number 12806715."

Client-provided location(s): Annapolis Junction, MD

Job ID: TSA-850458300

Employment Type: FULL_TIME

Posted: 2025-11-20T20:33:36