Lead Information Technology Specialist

Summary This position is located in the Mobile Communications (MC) Unit, Executive Technology, Office of the Executive Secretariat, Office of the Secretary of State (S/ES-ET). You will serve as a Lead Info Tech Specialist responsible for leading a team of Info Management Specialists. The team provides coordination and deployment of Mobile Comms support and special communications for the Secretary of State while travelling domestically and internationally. Responsibilities Develops and interprets policies, procedures, and strategies governing the planning and delivery of mobile communications services for the Secretary and their travel team. Directs a team of Foreign Service IT Specialists and ensures that S/ES-ET 's strategic plans, missions, and values are communicated to the team and integrated into the team's strategies, goals, objectives, work products and services. Ensures all pertaining equipment is up-to-date, state-of-the-art to the extent possible, is tested; SOPs are current, kits are certified, and that all equipment is deployable at a moment’s notice in compliance with Department security mandates. Stays abreast of emerging technologies and security threats to continuously enhance the security posture and mandates. As needed, serves as primary point of contact for MC with the White House Communications Agency (WHCA) on joint trips between the Secretary of State and the President. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications Applicants must meet all the required qualification requirements described below by the closing date of this announcement. NOTE: Applicants must meet time-in-grade and time after competitive appointment requirements, by the closing date of this announcement. Time-In-Grade Requirements: Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions, per 5CFR 300, Subpart F. Applicants applying for the GS-13 grade level must meet the following requirements: Have IT-related experience demonstrating EACH of the four competencies AND specialized experience listed below: Attention to Detail - Mastery of and skill in applying advanced IT principles, concepts, methods, standards, and practices sufficient to develop and interpret policies, procedures, and strategies. Customer Service - Mastery of and skill in applying customer support principles, methods, and practices; interrelationships among different IT disciplines. Oral Communication - Mastery of and skill in communication methods and techniques; and new customer support technologies sufficient to receive, respond to, and ensure complete resolution of any customer issues. Problem Solving - Mastery of and skill in the enterprise IT infrastructure; problem resolution databases; troubleshooting and data analysis methods. AND Have at least 1 full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service which provided you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following: Experience applying IT developments and applications to existing mobile communications issues; Experience leading a team in identifying, distributing and balancing workloads and tasks in accordance with established workflow, skill level and/or occupational specialization; Experience researching new technological capabilities and opportunities to increase efficiencies while enabling solutions for a travel team; Experience recommending acquisition and testing of new equipment and software; AND Experience serving as a liaison with internal/external stakeholders, boards, committees and panels. NOTE: To qualify for this position, your experience MUST be IT related; the experience may be demonstrated by paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training (for example, IT certification), as appropriate. There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-13 position. Education Education requirements do not apply to this vacancy announcement. Additional Information For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at (202) 663-3474 or OAA@state.gov. If eligible, telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in this Bureau for up to 240 days and may require a higher or lower security clearance. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.