IT Specialist (Operating Systems)

Summary

WHAT IS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY? A description of the business units can be found at: https://www.jobs.irs.gov/about/who/business-divisions Position(s) are to be filled in following area(s): IT - Infrastructure Technology Operations-Mainframe Operations REVIEW THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BELOW FOR FURTHER DETAILS

Duties

• The following are the duties of this position at the full working level. If this vacancy includes more than one grade and you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform these duties and receive training to help you grow in this position. Install, configure, and maintain operating systems components; and install updates and temporary fixes to existing programs. Assist in readying the operating environment to support testing activities. Assist in the installation of operating systems update packages; run tests and correct problems; and recognizeand refer serious problems to more experienced specialists or vendors. Implement small IRS IT projects or be involved in the product software upgrades helping to identify operating system requirements and limitations while defining user problems and needs. Analyze reports; identify deficiencies in operating systems parameters; and recommend remediation to a more experienced specialist. Build automated backup and recovery procedures. Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Federal experience is not required. Experience may have been gained in the public sector, private sector or through Volunteer Service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume. You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement. QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: To qualify for this position, you must meet the qualification requirements outlined below: Experience, GS-5 Level: You must have one year of IT-related experience which was at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-4 grade level in the Federal service. IT related experience for this position includes: Assisting with routine IT support, operations, or administrative activities involving computer hardware, software, systems, applications, or related technology resources. Following established procedures to enter, update, verify, organize, or maintain IT-related information, records, documentation, or system data. Responding to basic customer or user requests and referring more technical issues to higher-level personnel. Using standard tools, applications, or automated systems to perform assigned tasks and support daily IT operations. Assisting with troubleshooting, testing, installation, configuration, or maintenance activities under close supervision. Specialized Experience, GS-7 Level: You must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-5 level in the Federal service. Applying basic IT principles, methods, and practices to support computer systems, software, applications, hardware, networks, or related technology services. Assisting in identifying, documenting, and resolving routine technical issues affecting users, systems, applications, or services. Supporting system, software, or application testing activities and preparing or updating technical documentation and user instructions. Working with customers, users, or team members to gather information, respond to service requests, and provide technical assistance. Monitoring routine system, application, or service operations and reporting issues, deficiencies, or unusual conditions to higher-level staff. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADE 9 LEVEL (GS or Equivalent): You must have Information Technology-related experience demonstrating each of the following five competencies: 1) Attention to Detail, 2) Customer Service, 3) Interpersonal Skills, 4) Reasoning, and 5) Teamwork. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-9 LEVEL: You must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-7 grade level in the Federal service? Specialized experience for this position includes: Applying IT principles, concepts, and practices to support, maintain, troubleshoot, configure, or implement computer systems, software, applications, hardware, or related technology services. Performing IT assignments involving technical requirements and established procedures, including system, application, or software testing and configuration activities. Identifying, analyzing, and resolving routine and technical issues affecting users, systems, applications, or services. Preparing technical documentation, reports, procedures, or recommendations related to assigned IT activities. Supporting compliance with established security, privacy, and operational requirements while assisting customers, users, and technical teams. AND You must also meet the following requirement(s): PERFORMANCE RATING: Current federal employees must have at least a fully successful or equivalent performance rating to receive consideration. TIME AFTER COMPETITIVE APPOINTMENT (TACA): By the closing date (or if this is an open continuous announcement, by the cut-off date) specified in this job announcement, current civilian employees must have completed at least 90 days of federal civilian service since their latest non-temporary appointment from a competitive referral certificate, known as time after competitive appointment. For this requirement, a competitive appointment is one where you applied to and were appointed from an announcement open to "All US Citizens" TIME IN GRADE (TIG): Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements. For positions above the GS-05, applicants must meet applicable time-in-­grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year (52 weeks) at the next lower grade level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the grade you are applying for. For positions at the GS-05, you cannot advance to the GS-05 if you have held a GS-02 in the past 52 weeks. There is no TIG restriction for GS-02, 03, or 04 positions. MINIMUM AGE REQUIREMENT: Minimum age for federal employment is 18 years old, or at least 16 years old and have: Graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or Completed a formal vocational training program; or Received a statement from school authorities agreeing with your preference for employment rather than continuing your education. For more information on qualifications please refer to OPM's Qualifications Standards.

Requirements

Probationary Period - All newly appointed employees to the competitive (or excepted) service are subject to a probationary (or trial) period. During this time, your performance, conduct, and suitability for continued employment will be evaluated. You will not automatically convert to permanent status at the end of the probationary (or trial) period. Your supervisor must affirmatively determine that continued employment is in the best interest of the Federal service. If no certification is made before the probationary (or trial) period ends, your appointment will be terminated. You are encouraged to actively engage with your supervisor, seek feedback, and understand role expectations. Additional guidance and support will be provided during onboarding. Probationary Period - A person who is required to go through a probationary period and then is transferred, promoted, demoted, or reassigned before he or she completes such period is required to complete the remainder of the probationary period in the new position. Government Credit Card - Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.. Key Eligibility Requirements: U.S Citizenship - Must be a U.S. Citizen or National and provide proof of U.S. Citizenship. Selective Service Registration - Males born after December 31, 1959 are required to be registered with the Selective Service System or prove they are exempt from having to do so. Personal Identity Verification (PIV) - Must provide 2 forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S. These documents must be unexpired original or certified copies. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS SHOWN IN QUALIFICATIONS OR ADDTIONAL INFORMATION SECTIONS

Education

A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page. FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. Click here (Section 3, Explanation of Terms) or here for Foreign Education Credentialing instructions. We recommend choosing an evaluator from a member organization of one of the following national associations of credential evaluation services: National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or Association of International Credentials Evaluators (AICE).

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on 09/17/2026. To begin the application process, click the "Apply Online" button. You will be re-directed to USA STAFFING to continue your application process; answer the online questions. To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click the following link:https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13053155. Upload all required documents. (To submit supporting documents, import documents from USAJOBS to the appropriate document types. If the document you need is not imported from USAJOBS, you may upload it directly into this application.) Click the Submit Application button. Reasonable Accommodations (RA): We provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process. To review reasonable accommodation policies and procedures please visit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/disability-employment/reasonable-accommodations/. To update your application, including supporting documentation: Visit USAJOBS - How to Update Application during the announcement open period, make updates or add supporting documentation, then continue through the entire application process and click Submit Application to send updates to the hiring agency. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the job status or your application status: Visit USAJOBS - How to View Application/Job Status. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.