IT Specialist (Appsw)

US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology; Salt Lake City (UT); On-site; USD 95,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Information and Technology (OIT), seeks a Senior Information Technology Specialist to develop, coordinate, and monitor development schedules for applications assigned to OIT within PDS, DTC, and Platform as a Service (PaaS).

Basic IT competencies are required, including attention to detail, customer service, oral communication, and problem solving, with specialized experience in platform governance, cross‑functional coordination, vendor

Qualifications

• Experience IT-related, exhibiting required competencies.
• Ability to work with clients and stakeholders to assess needs.
• Effective oral communication and problem-solving abilities.

Skills

Attention to Detail

Customer Service

Oral Communication

Problem Solving

Job description

This position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Information and Technology (OIT) within theses services: Product Delivery Service (PDS), Digital Transformation Center (DTC), Platform as a Service (PaaS). The incumbent will serve as Senior Information Technology (IT) Specialist. The purpose of the position is to develop, coordinate, and monitor, assess and elevate development schedules for applications assigned to OIT. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/16/2026.

You must meet the Basic Requirements Experience and Specialized Experience to qualify for this series as described below:

Basic Requirements Experience: Experience must be IT related; the experience may be demonstrated by paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training (for example, IT certification), as appropriate. For all positions individuals must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the five competencies listed below. 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.

• 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.

AND

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-13 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:
  • Familiar with Low-code process automation, API management, Declarative configuration (flows, validation rules), Platform architecture, AI implementation.
  • Understands PaaS platform capabilities and how they impact DTC processes, governance standards, and delivery decisions - enough to guide Business Owners and collaborate effectively with COEs and System Integrators.
  • Expertly guides product/project requests through the full PaaS lifecycle - triage through deployment and sustainment.
  • Capable of vendor management (especially where platforms are supported by different contractors).
  • Ability to perform cross-functional team coordination across engineering, security, and business stakeholders.
  • Effectively conduct change management and stakeholder communication. Execute budget/contract oversight for multiple platform licenses and SOWs. Familiar with NIST, FISMA, FEdRAMP, Section 508 compliance and security standards and PII/PHI data privacy handling.
  • Proactively identifies risks, removes blockers, and escalates issues through the appropriate chain to keep product requests on schedule.
  • Serves as the primary point of contact and trusted advocate for Business Owners, building durable relationships from intake through sustainment.

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; religions; 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.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.