IT Specialist

Summary

This position is situated within the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO). As a Senior IT Specialist, the incumbent serves as an enterprise cloud engineer responsible for engineering, implementing, and administering Microsoft M365 and Azure cloud environments, while building proficiency to independently support the full spectrum of enterprise collaboration services.

Duties

• The physical worksite for this position is located in Alexandria, Virginia. Presence at the Alexandria, VA campus is required for this role, as it includes on site functions that must be performed in person. Position may be eligible for situational telework in accordance with agency policy/business unit discretion. The agency currently allows for 52 hours of telework per calendar year. We need your expertise if: GS-13 You thrive as a technical expert engineering, implementing, and administering Microsoft M365 and Azure cloud environments, ensuring scalability, reliability, security, and compliance with governance policies and architecture frameworks. You're energized by solving complex problems across enterprise cloud environments, analyzing performance data, isolating root causes, documenting solutions, and driving preventive measures to maintain service continuity. You excel at building consensus with senior leadership, cybersecurity teams, vendors, and business stakeholders to translate functional requirements into actionable technical designs and implementation strategies for enterprise cloud initiatives. You're committed to staying ahead of the curve, researching emerging cloud technologies and industry best practices to advise management on tools, standards, and innovative solutions that continually improve software. Your expertise shines in establishing technical documentation, standard operating procedures, and lifecycle management practices, providing guidance to team members and supporting certification, accreditation, and compliance activities. GS-14 You distinguish yourself as the recognized technical authority on Microsoft M365 and Azure cloud environments, setting enterprise-wide standards, defining security architectures, and making decisions that shape how the organization delivers and governs cloud services. You take ownership of resolving unprecedented challenges, diagnosing enterprise-impacting conditions, engineering innovative remediation strategies, and transforming lessons learned into systemic improvements that elevate organizational resilience. You're instrumental in driving strategic alignment among senior leadership, cross-agency partners, and vendors on enterprise cloud strategy, championing coordinated adoption of architecture decisions, policies, and standards even when competing priorities or organizational resistance arise. You're passionate about advancing enterprise cloud maturity, evaluating emerging technologies and applying business process engineering methods to identify transformational improvements that redefine how IT supports critical business functions. You're dedicated to shaping governance frameworks, technical standards, and compliance programs, mentoring multidisciplinary teams and serving as the authoritative resource for lifecycle management practices across the enterprise.

Qualifications

You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. OPM Qualifications Standards are available at Competency-Based Qualification Standard for the Information Technology Management Series, 2210. Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped applicants with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, you must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade in the Federal service. For this position, the next lower grade level is a GS-12 Specialized experience for this position includes: Experience engineering, implementing, and administering Microsoft M365 and/or Azure cloud environments, including configuration management, access controls, identity management, data protection and retention, and compliance with governance policies and security requirements; AND Experience monitoring, troubleshooting, and resolving complex issues in enterprise cloud environments, including analyzing usage and performance data, isolating configuration problems, and implementing solutions to meet operational and customer requirements; AND Experience collaborating with technical and business stakeholders to gather, analyze, and translate functional requirements into technical designs and customer delivery models, ensuring alignment with organizational goals, security mandates, and operational needs; AND Experience developing and maintaining technical documentation, standard operating procedures, and lifecycle management artifacts in support of enterprise cloud systems, including participation in certification, accreditation, and compliance activities. For this position, the next lower grade level is a GS-13 Specialized experience for this position includes: Experience serving as a recognized technical authority on Microsoft M365 and/or Azure cloud environments, defining enterprise-wide configuration baselines, security architectures, and data protection strategies, and making decisions that significantly influence IT policies and programs; AND Experience isolating and resolving unprecedented, enterprise-impacting technical conditions in cloud environments, applying advanced analytical methods to identify systemic risks, and engineering remediation strategies that strengthen organizational resilience and prevent future disruptions; AND Experience driving consensus among senior management, cross-agency partners, cybersecurity teams, and vendors to develop technology roadmaps, shape enterprise cloud architecture, and influence the adoption of standards and policies across multiple organizational boundaries; AND Experience establishing enterprise-level technical standards, governance frameworks, and lifecycle management programs for cloud systems, directing accreditation and compliance activities, and serving as a subject matter authority that other technical experts rely on for guidance and direction. Basic Requirement Competencies: The specialized experience must include, or be supplemented by, information technology related experience (paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training, as appropriate) which demonstrates each of the competencies, as defined: Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Information Management Interpersonal Skills Oral Communication Problem Solving Teamwork Technical Competency 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.

Education

Education may not be substituted for specialized experience at this grade level.

How to apply

This vacancy is also being announced under the USPTO's delegated examining procedures for non-status applicants under Job Announcement Number: TMCO-EUSO-26-13060656-MP. Please review that announcement to determine if you are eligible for consideration under that announcement. Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply 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. The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. 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. To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/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.