Disaster Recovery Specialist

US Railroad Retirement Board; Illinois; Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The US Railroad Retirement Board is hiring a GS-13 Disaster Recovery Specialist responsible for developing and implementing the agency's disaster recovery program. The selected candidate may work at our HQ in Chicago or at various district office locations.

This role requires experience in leading disaster recovery activities, ensuring alignment with NIST standards and FISMA compliance. Candidates should have strong problem-solving, communication, and customer service skills. This position offers an opportunity to enhance resilience across various IT environments.

Qualifications

• One year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-12 grade level in Federal service.
• Experience in leading IT Disaster Recovery and Continuity of Operations activities.
• Experience producing disaster recovery documentation and advising leadership on DR risks.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the agency's disaster recovery program.
• Ensure compliance with NIST and FISMA requirements.
• Lead disaster recovery planning and execution for system resilience.

Skills

Attention to Detail

Customer Service

Oral Communication

Problem Solving

Job description

The Railroad Retirement Board is hiring a GS-13 Disaster Recovery Specialist.

NOTE: The selected candidate may work at our HQ in Chicago, or in any of our district office locations. Please see the job announcement on USAJOBS.GOV for the list of locations. In addition, the salary range indicated in the job announcement will be adjusted to include locality payment once a candidate is selected.

As a Disaster Recovery Specialist, you will:

• Be responsible for development, implementation, and continuous improvement of the agency's enterprise disaster recovery program.
• Ensure alignment with NIST SP 800-34, NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 Contingency Planning controls, and FISMA requirements while supporting the agency's Risk Management Framework.
• Lead disaster recovery planning, testing, and execution to ensure system resilience, defined recovery objectives (RTO/RPO), and continuity of mission essential functions across all operating environments, including mainframe and cloud.
• Perform management control reviews for infrastructure services with full risk assessments.
• Provide input on new and revised guidance to be incorporated into the agency's IT standards.
• Provide advice and assistance to other agency components regarding infrastructure services.
• Coordinate disaster recovery integration across hybrid infrastructure, including on-premises systems, mainframe, and cloud environments, ensuring alignment with Zero Trust principles and modern cyber resilience strategies.

Minimum Qualifications for GS-13 level:

One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service.

Specialized Experience;

One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service that demonstrates your experience which includes: leading IT Disaster Recovery (DR) and Continuity of Operations (COOP) activities, including developing and maintaining DR strategies, policies, procedures, and governance documentation. Experience should include planning and executing disaster recovery tests (tabletop, functional, and offsite), assessing recovery capabilities, identifying gaps, coordinating with internal teams and vendors, and recommending corrective actions.

Experience is also required in evaluating IT infrastructure components—such as network, servers, storage, cloud services, and applications—to determine recovery requirements, RTO/RPO alignment, and resilience improvements. Experience producing DR documentation (runbooks, recovery procedures, test plans, after‑action reports) and advising leadership on DR risks, readiness, and infrastructure vulnerabilities, as well as coordinating cross‑functional teams supporting DR readiness.

In addition to above requirements, the incumbent must have IT‑related experience demonstrating each of the four competencies listed below:

Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.

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.

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.

Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Accountability
• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reasoning
• Self Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

Please use the link to view the full job announcement and apply for the position at USAJOBS.GOV.