It Specialist (Sysadmin)

Summary
The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. This position is located in the Office of Chief Information Officer (OCIO), Office of Information Technology Operations (OITO), Data Center Operations and Network Server Administration Division (DCO/NSAD).
This job is open to

• Internal to an agency
  Current federal employees of this agency.

Clarification from the agency
Current Smithsonian Institution Internal Employees/Agency Employees Only may apply including current Smithsonian Institution employees with Federal career/career-conditional status or eligibility. More than one selection may be made from this announcement.
More than one selection may be made from this announcement.
Duties
The Information Technology Specialist (Systems Administration) is responsible for advising management on IT policies, procedures, and recommends enhancements.
In this position, you will:

• Manage the network server environments in the areas of fault tolerance, capacity, performance, and security management. Plan, acquire, operate, maintain, and upgrade both hardware and software. Coordinate local area network server, email, and directory services with supported SI units, identifying potentially conflicting requirements from different SI units.
• Coordinate, review and provide expert technical and engineering advice relative to research, design, development, and maintenance. Provide expert technical direction, management and leadership in the conceptual analysis, design, development, deployment, maintenance, and enhancement of the Smithsonian's local area network servers.
• Develop project plans, operating plans, determine scope, methods and resource requirements and schedules for all activities in accordance with systems administration principles and techniques including project management, planning and work breakdown to plan, execute, and control IT (Information Technology) projects.
• Formulate spending plan in accordance with Federal budgeting, procurement and contracting laws, policies, regulations, and practices to direct contractor-supported automated information systems (AIS) projects.
• Present technical advice/expert opinion, briefings, and justifications to management regarding the analysis, design, development, deployment, maintenance, and enhancement of local area network servers.
• Develop project plans, operating plans, determine scope, methods and resource requirements and schedules for all activities in accordance with systems administration principles and techniques including project management, planning and work breakdown to plan, execute, and control IT projects.

Requirements
Conditions of Employment

• Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation
• May need to complete a Probationary Period
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer
• Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.
• Performance Appraisal
• SF-50

Conditions of Employment
Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions on OPM website.
Qualifications
Experience: You qualify for this position if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal Service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as working with local area network servers, e-mail (Exchange online), directory services (Active Directory & Azure Entra ID), Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, VMWare vSphere infrastructure, Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS), Microsoft 365 Software as a Service (SaaS), Microsoft Azure Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS).
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.
Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.
In addition to meeting the Specialized Experience above for all positions individuals must have 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: Anticipates and meets the needs of both internal and external business partners and customers (any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unity produces including the general public, individuals who work in the agency, other agencies, or organizations outside the Government). Provides information or assistance. Delivers high-quality products and services; is committed to continuous improvement. Effectively manages customer relationships.
3. Oral Communication: Makes clear and convincing oral presentations to individuals and groups. Listens effectively; clarifies information, as needed. Speaks and writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner that is appropriate to the audience. Facilitates an open exchange of ideas to ensure all group input is considered. Handles technical, sensitive, or controversial topics with agility involving executives/managers as appropriate.
4. Problem Solving: Identifies and analyzes problems, weighs relevance and accuracy of information, generates and evaluates alternative solutions, and makes sound recommendations.

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.
In the Basic requirement questions section below you will have an opportunity to prepare narrative relating to your IT experience which demonstrates each of the four competencies (Attention to Detail, Customer Service, Oral Communication, and Problem Solving).
Education
There is no education substitution at this grade level.
Additional information

• This position is included in the bargaining unit.

Current or Former Political Appointees: Beginning January 1, 2010, agencies must seek prior approval from OPM before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level under the provisions of title 5, United States Code. If you are currently or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Office of Human Resources. Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:

• Position title;
• Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
• Agency; and,
• Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

Recruitment Incentive: Recruitment incentive(s) may be authorized for this position. However, approval for incentives are contingent upon various availability. If authorized, certain incentives will require the incumbent to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a certain time period.
Note: This statement does not imply nor guarantee an incentive will be offered and paid.
Selections may be made for vacancies across the Smithsonian Institution (SI). By applying to this position, you agree to allow your application and other personal information to be shared with one or more SI hiring officials for employment consideration for same/similar positions within the location(s) identified in this announcement.

• Benefits
  The Smithsonian offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, vacation and sick leave, holidays, health/life insurance, accident insurance, and excellent retirement program options.
  Please see Benefits at www.sihr.si.edu for a complete description.
  Flexible Spending Accounts - http://www.fsafeds.com/fsafeds/index.asp
  Health Insurance - http://www.opm.gov/insure/health/index.asp
  Leave - http://www.opm.gov/oca/leave/index.asp
  Life Insurance - http://www.opm.gov/insure/life/index.asp
  Long Term Care Insurance - http://www.ltcfeds.com
  Retirement Program - http://www.opm.gov/retire/index.asp

How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your application will be evaluated first for the basic qualifications described above. The applications that meet the basic qualifications will be evaluated further against the following criteria:

• Mastery of and skills in the concepts, theories, principles, practices, and techniques of computer data communication engineering.
• Expert skills in the use of information security/information assurance policies, principles, and practices in the delivery of e-mail (Exchange online), directory services (Active Directory & Azure Active Directory), Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, VMWare vSphere infrastructure, Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS), Microsoft 365 Software as a Service (SaaS), Microsoft Azure Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) and application services in an enterprise environment.
• Knowledge of systems administration principles and techniques including project management, planning and work breakdown.
• Ability to communicate orally.
• Ability to communicate IT technical requirements in writing.

Important Note:
Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire or other assessment tool for consistency. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Your resume should provide sufficient information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.
You may preview questions for this vacancy.

• Benefits
  The Smithsonian offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, vacation and sick leave, holidays, health/life insurance, accident insurance, and excellent retirement program options.
  Please see Benefits at www.sihr.si.edu for a complete description.
  Flexible Spending Accounts - http://www.fsafeds.com/fsafeds/index.asp
  Health Insurance - http://www.opm.gov/insure/health/index.asp
  Leave - http://www.opm.gov/oca/leave/index.asp
  Life Insurance - http://www.opm.gov/insure/life/index.asp
  Long Term Care Insurance - http://www.ltcfeds.com
  Retirement Program - http://www.opm.gov/retire/index.asp
• Required Documents
  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
  Your application package should include the following documents:
  
  • Resume - Your resume can be uploaded and attached to your application or created using the USA Jobs on-line resume builder. Ensure your resume contains the job title (including the occupational series and grade if it is Federal), job-related qualifications, starting and ending dates (month and year), hours worked per week, and salary for each employment period. It is your responsibility to ensure all information is submitted. Failure to include this information may result in disqualification for the position.
    For assistance with creating a resume, please click here.
  • Proof of Veteran's Preference - DD214 (Member 4 Copy), if you are a veteran. Additionally, applicants claiming 10-point preference must complete Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, as well as additional documentation required by the SF-15, such as a VA letter.
  • Unofficial school transcripts, if the position has an education requirement or if you are using education to qualify. If selected for the position, you must provide an official transcript before appointment.
  • Proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study, if applicable.
  
  If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
  Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
  Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
• How to Apply
  Click on the "Apply Online" button on the upper right side of the page. Please Note:
  
  • You must apply for this position online through the 'Apply Online' button and submit required supplemental documents (if they are relevant to you).
  • You may submit required documents by uploading them online during the application process.
  • The complete application package, including any required documents, is due in the Smithsonian Office of Human Resources on the closing date of the announcement by 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
  • If you are unable to apply online, paper applic...