IT Spec (ENTARCH) "Platform/site Reliability Engineer", GS-2210-14 FPL GS-14 (DE)

SummaryThese positions located in the Federal Student Aid (FSA), Chief Technology Office Technology Operations Division. FSA is modernizing the systems that serve over 17 million students and power more than $120 billion in financial aid each year. We are building a team of senior platform and reliability engineers to strengthen the technical foundation of one of the federal government's highest-impact digital ecosystems.Learn more about this agencyDutiesHelpAPPLICATION LIMIT: This vacancy announcement is limited to the first 250 applications received and will close at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the day that we receive the 250th application, or at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the listed closing date, whichever occurs first.We encourage you to read this entire vacancy announcement prior to submitting your application.As a Platform/Site Reliability Engineer, you will lead the design, development, and evolution of the cloud platforms, automation, and reliability systems that power FSA's applications. You will develop infrastructure, tooling, and observability capabilities that enable teams to deliver secure, reliable, and high-performing services at scale. You'll collaborate with cross-functional partners to standardize cloud architectures, improve system reliability, and modernize FSA into a platform-driven, engineering-centric organization.This role blends the mission of public service with the complexity of major commercial cloud and SRE organizations. Your job is to lead the creation of the platforms, guardrails, and reliability practices that let teams ship changes safely and confidently. If you enjoy designing scalable infrastructure, optimizing system reliability, and enabling engineers to move faster, this is the role.As a Platform/Site Reliability Engineer, GS-2210-14, you will be responsible for:Serving as an advisor to the IOG Director and Chief of the Network Support Division, acting as a network architect and engineer to develop and implement solutions across cloud and on-premises environments, while designing reusable platform services, container environments, identity integrations, networking patterns, and infrastructure components.Provide input to design and technical documentation, review final deliverables, and ensure adherence to the enterprise network operations engineering framework through leadership, while serving as a principal-level expert in platform engineering, cloud architecture, Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) practices, and infrastructure automation.Engage with technology leaders, business partners, and contractors to ensure operational requirements and needs are met, while clearly communicating technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders and producing platform standards, design documents, and technical evaluations.Evaluate system security plans and procedures, manage and direct office support contractors, address IT compliance issues, and oversee project planning and updates, while designing and maintaining continuous improvement/continuous Development (CI/CD) pipelines to support automated testing, deployment, change control, and compliance validation.Drive network engineering direction and response for CISA Binding Operational Directives (BODs) impacting data center operations, developing plans and processes to strengthen security, while implementing secure cloud configurations, identity and access management (IAM) models, encryption, and zero-trust architectural patterns.RequirementsHelpConditions of employmentRelocation will not be paid.Males 18 and over must be registered with the Selective Service.You may be subject to serve a one-year probationary period.Must be a US CitizenMust complete a Background Investigation and Fingerprint check.Condition of Employment:As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a probationary period or trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:• your performance and conduct;• the needs and interests of the agency;• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period OR trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement.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. We will consider all qualifying experience, including any volunteer experience.QualificationsSelective Placement FactorYou must meet the following selective placement factor:Candidates must possess any combination of the following certifications from a recognized professional organization at the time of hire and acceptance of the position:IT Information Library v4 (ITIL)Project Management Professional (PMP)AWS Certified Advanced NetworkingCertified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP)F5 Networks Certified Technology SpecialistApplicants who do not meet the Selective Placement Factor will be rated as not qualified and will not receive further consideration for this position.Minimum Qualification RequirementsYou may meet the minimum qualifications for the GS-14, if you possess the specialize experience.Specialized Experience for the SUPVY IT Specialist (Project Manager), GS-2210-14One year of experience in either federal or non-federal service that is equivalent to at least a GS-13 performing two (2) out of three (3) of the following duties or work assignments:1. Direct technical experience designing, deploying, and operating scalable cloud platforms using Infrastructure as Code (IaC), CI/CD, containers, and automated security controls to accelerate engineering delivery and ensure compliance.2. Direct technical experience enhancing reliability and observability for distributed systems, including use of tracing/metrics/logs for observability, SLO/SLA development, incident response and analysis, and/or measurable performance/automation improvements.3. Experience translating platform and reliability engineering concepts into clear documentation, technical standards, and architecture guidance for non-technical audiences, and influencing engineering practices across multiple teams.Basic Experience RequirementsYou must possess IT related experience (paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training (e.g., IT certification), as appropriate) demonstrating each of the four competencies listed below.1. Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.2. Customer Service - Works with clients and customers (i.e., 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.3. Oral Communication - Expresses information (e.g., ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (e.g., technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.4. Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). You do not need to provide separate narrative responses to these KSAs, as they will be measured by your responses to the occupational questionnaire (you may preview the occupational questionnaire by clicking the link at the end of the Evaluations section of this vacancy announcement).1. Skill in designing and implementing cloud and hybrid network solutions, including reusable platform services, container environments, identity integrations, and infrastructure components.2. Skill in applying systems engineering and Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) concepts to ensure reliability, performance, scalability, security, and maintainability across complex, multi-cloud environments.3. Knowledge of platform and reliability engineering principles and the ability to apply them through real-world implementation, debugging, optimization, and modernization of cloud environments.4. Skill in computer engineering cloud automation, observability tooling, testing frameworks, and Continuous improvement/Continuous development (CI/CD) pipelines, including telemetry, logging, alerting, and distributed tracing.5. Ability to leverage modern cloud, data, and security technologies to design, test, and deploy resilient platform and reliability systems that support mission-critical applications.EducationEducation cannot be substituted for experience for this position and grade level.Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must submit a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, please click Foreign Education.Additional informationVeterans' Career Counseling: If you are a veteran interested in receiving tips on preparing a Federal resume and/or how to prepare for an interview, you may email careers@ed.gov to schedule a session with a career counselor ("Veterans Counseling Session" should be placed in the subject line of the email).Student Loan Default: If selected for this position, we will verify that you have not defaulted on any loan funded or guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are found to be in default, we will contact you to make arrangements for repayment prior to making an official offer of employment.Suitability and Investigation: If selected for this position, you will be required to complete the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine your suitability for federal employment and successfully complete a pre-appointment investigation/background check.Essential/Non-Essential: This position is considered essential for purposes of reporting to work during federal government closures.Financial Disclosure: This position does not requires financial disclosure.Bargaining Unit: This position is not included in the bargaining unit.Selections: Agencies have broad authority under law to hire from any appropriate source of eligibles and may fill a vacancy in the competitive service by any method authorized. We may make additional selections from this vacancy announcement within 90 days from the date the selection certificates are issued, should vacancies occur. We may also share selection certificates amongst program offices across the agency.Expand Hide additional informationCandidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.BenefitsHelpA career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.As an ED employee, you will also benefit from our family-friendly work environment. As part of our commitment to maintain a work life balance, we offer excused leave for Parent/Teacher Conferences (3 hours); excused leave for annual health screenings (4 hours); and matching leave for community volunteer service. Other flexibilities that may be available to you include alternative work schedules. You may be eligible to receive a recruitment incentive for this position. To receive this incentive payment, you will be required to sign a service agreement obligating you to remain with the U.S. Department of Education for a specified period as agreed upon. You may be eligible to receive a relocation incentive for this position. To receive this incentive payment, you will be required to sign a service agreement obligating you to remain with the U.S. Department of Education for a specified period as agreed upon. You may be eligible to participate in the Student Loan Repayment Program as a recruitment incentive for this position. To receive student loan repayments, you will be required to sign a service agreement obligating you to remain with the U.S. Department of Education for a specified period as agreed upon.Review our benefits