IT Specialist (Datamgt)

Transportation Security Administration•Annapolis Junction, MD

About The Position

This position is in the Enterprise Technology & Data, Data and AI Division, within the Data Engineering branch of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Department of Homeland Security. The incumbent develops and supports enterprise data-management, data-engineering, data-science, analytics, and application-development capabilities. The role analyzes complex data sets using statistical and exploratory methods, develops data-processing solutions and reporting, and supports database and system performance. At the full-performance SV-J band, the specialist advances capabilities for Secure Flight and other TSA vetting, credentialing, and risk-assessment systems. The role serves as a subject matter expert and technical advisor, provides guidance to stakeholders and lower-level staff, and helps ensure reliable, secure, and compliant systems and data processes. Work includes analyzing data from disparate sources, designing enterprise-scale algorithms and workflows, and developing operational reporting and decision-support capabilities.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship or U.S. national status.
Must have reached age 18 by the time of application.
Must complete a favorable background investigation.
Selective Service registration is required.
Must obtain and maintain a Secret clearance.
Must meet the position's financial disclosure requirement.
IT-related experience demonstrating attention to detail, customer service, oral communication, problem solving, technical competence, and information management.
For the SV-I band (equivalent to GS-13): one year of specialized experience at the SV-H band or GS-12 in Federal service, or equivalent private-sector experience. Specialized experience includes using Agile methods such as SAFe or Scrum in complex data-management, analytics, and application-development environments; applying data mining, warehousing, storage, exploratory analysis, and statistical methods; assessing customer requirements; gathering and validating data; developing tools, scripts, and queries; optimizing data-processing performance; presenting data for operational and management use; investigating application issues, outages, web-service problems, and data anomalies using structured problem-solving, statistical analysis, and root-cause analysis; and troubleshooting SQL queries and data-processing code, execution or optimization plans, stored procedures, scripts, database tables, indexes, and data structures in on-premises or AWS/Azure environments.
For the SV-J band (equivalent to GS-14): one year of specialized experience at the SV-I band or GS-13 in Federal service, or equivalent private-sector experience. Specialized experience includes serving as a technical advisor for complex data-management, analytics, database, application-development, and data-science activities; using SQL, Python, R, Java, Scala, or similar languages; applying data mining, data warehousing, exploratory analysis, predictive modeling, and statistical methods to define requirements, develop technical approaches, optimize data processes, resolve complex system issues, and deliver operational reporting and decision-support capabilities across on-premises or AWS/Azure environments; leading or guiding development of reports, dashboards, and visualizations; applying cybersecurity, vulnerability-management, and configuration-management requirements across the system lifecycle; assessing system security requirements and impacts; reviewing vulnerability-assessment results; and creating reports and dashboards based on gathered requirements, business rules, and reporting criteria.
Experience credit is based on a 40-hour workweek; part-time experience is credited proportionally, and overtime receives no additional credit.
Qualification requirements must be met by the vacancy announcement closing date.
Current or recent (within the last five years) political Schedule A, Schedule C, non-career SES, or Presidential appointees in the Executive Branch must disclose that status to the Human Resources Office.

Responsibilities

Drive innovations, efficiencies, and new capabilities for Secure Flight and other TSA vetting, credentialing, and risk-assessment systems.
Use technical and domain expertise to identify and solve complex problems, and serve as a subject matter expert, principal technical specialist, project manager, or team leader for large work activities.
Advise system users, developers, and stakeholders on the technical and operational impacts of proposed system and process changes.
Develop and facilitate data-gathering methods; derive strategic insights from large data sets; and present technical information to technical and nontechnical audiences.
Apply technical knowledge, including knowledge of new technologies and methodologies, to solve complex problems and improve technical processes or systems.
Support the operation, protection, and restoration of IT systems, services, and capabilities; assist with system security vulnerability assessments; and advise lower-level staff on difficult technical issues.
Monitor, evaluate, and help ensure data and system compliance with IT security requirements.
Perform data analysis and support data-processing workflows using SQL, Python, R, Java, Scala, or similar languages and relational database platforms such as Oracle, MSSQL, or DB2, as well as AWS or Azure cloud platforms.
Develop and administer data standards, policies, and procedures, and perform code reviews to ensure industry standards and best practices are met.
Review standard operating procedures and knowledge-base articles before their introduction into production.
Analyze data from multiple disparate sources to provide security and privacy insight.
Design and implement custom algorithms, workflow processes, and layouts for complex, enterprise-scale data sets used for modeling, data mining, and research.
Provide technical guidance on complex data-management, analytics, database, application-development, and data-science activities.
Lead or provide technical guidance on developing and enhancing reports, dashboards, and data visualizations.
Apply cybersecurity, vulnerability-management, and configuration-management requirements throughout the system lifecycle; assess security requirements and impacts and review vulnerability assessment results.
Gather reporting requirements, identify business rules and reporting criteria, and produce data visualizations and written products for management and stakeholders.