QA Automation Engineer

Summary

IT positions located in the Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Office of Technology and Survey Processing (OTSP) provide IT support to all aspects of BLS data development initiatives. BLS measures labor market activity, working conditions, price changes, and productivity in the U.S. economy to support public and private decision making.

Duties

• This is not a software development position. The role focuses on maintaining system reliability and sustaining existing systems rather than building new software capabilities. OTSP QA Automation Engineers are responsible for the following: Software Delivery: Leading end-to-end software delivery in an Agile and/or Agile-Waterfall environment. Using CI/CD platforms (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI) to automate builds and deployments and apply DevOps practices to strengthen security and delivery. Database Configuration Management: Running SQL scripts in Oracle production environments Following strict configuration and change management processes to ensure system integrity and traceability Using project tracking tools (e.g. JIRA, Agility, Redmine), version control platforms (e.g. GitLab), and database development tools (e.g. Toad, SQL Developer). System Validation: Conducting system testing, including web applications, databases, and integrated components, to validate functionality and reliability. Identifying and documenting issues and risks, maintaining technical artifacts, and developing clear requirements and user-friendly guides for both technical and non-technical staff.

Qualifications

Qualification requirements include meeting minimum proficiency levels for required competencies and demonstrating one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, i.e. GS-12, in the Federal Service. Competencies Attention to Detail - is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail. (Advanced-level proficiency or higher). 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. (Advanced-level proficiency or higher). 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. (Intermediate-level proficiency or higher). Information Management - identifies a need for and knows where or how to gather information; organizes and maintains information or information management systems. (Advanced-level proficiency or higher). 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. (Advanced-level proficiency or higher). 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. (Intermediate-level proficiency or higher). Problem Solving - identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations. (Advanced-level proficiency or higher). Teamwork - encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals. (Advanced-level proficiency or higher). Technical Competence - uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or 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. (Advanced-level proficiency or higher). Specialized Experience Specialized experience serves as evidence that an applicant possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities/competencies required for successful performance in the position. For this position, specialized experience is defined as one year of the following: Demonstrated experience supporting end-to-end SDLC operations across Agile-Waterfall, Agile, or DevOps environments. Examples of experience indicators at this level may include supporting any of the following: Agile flexibility (i.e. iterative-based work with Agile practices) and Waterfall controls (e.g. change requests, structured release gating, deployment checklists); or Agile (e.g. Scrum, SAFe); or DevOps automation (e.g. CI pipelines, automated testing, environment deployments)

Education

Education may not be substituted for experience at this level.

How to apply

Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or have speech disabilities, please dial 711 to access telecommunications relay services. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, including submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. Your application and ALL required supplemental documents MUST be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the vacancy closing date to receive consideration. Important - Save your information before the 30-minute system timeout! For help, go to the USAJOBS Help Center. STEP 1 - Create USAJOBS Account on www.usajobs.gov, including Resume and Saved Documents. For each employment period, include start/end month & year and note full-time or part-time (if part-time, include # of hours worked per week) otherwise, your application may be considered incomplete. NOTE: In alignment with the Presidential Memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, applicants may only submit a resume limited to two (2) pages. Only the résumé uploaded under the 'Resume" document type in USAJOBS will be reviewed. If the resume submitted exceeds two (2) pages, the application will be deemed ineligible for further consideration. STEP 2 - Complete the 1st part of the application process (USAJOBS). Once you have identified a job on USAJOBS that you wish to apply for, click on the job title and then click the Apply button. For questions about the vacancy, contact the Agency Contact at the bottom of the announcement. Proceed through the steps noted at the top of the USAJOBS page. You will be able to select a resume and documents from your USAJOBS Account that you can submit as a package as part of your DOL application. In the final step, once you have certified your application, click the Continue to agency site button. STEP 3 - Complete the 2nd part of the application process (DOL). On the Department of Labor (DOL) page, create a DOL Account if you have not already and click Apply to this vacancy. Continue through the progress steps at the top of the DOL page. The 2nd progress step is where you answer the vacancy-specific questions. The 3rd progress step Documents is where you submit the required documents (only if applicable to you) specified in the Required Documents section of this vacancy. STEP 4 - On the Review and Submit step, verify each section of your application is complete and correct. In order to submit your application, you must have a check mark next to each section listed. If there is an X, return to the appropriate section and follow the prompts. When it is ready for submission, certify your application and click the Submit Application button. STEP 5 - Edit Application as needed by 11:59 pm Eastern Time of Closing Date by returning to USAJOBS, clicking the vacancy, then Update Application. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 2 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. For more detailed information on applying for positions with DOL click here to view the U.S. Department of Labor, How to Apply website.