Summary

This position is located in the Railroad Retirement Board's Bureau of Information Services; Policy & Compliance; Project Management Office. The incumbent will be responsible for implementation of information technology projects using waterfall, hybrid or agile methodologies for the Railroad Retirement Board.

This job announcement may be used to fill one or more vacancies.

This is a bargaining unit position. This position is represented by the Council of AFGE Locals in the Board.

Duties

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As an IT Project Manager/Scrum Master, you will:

• Lead multifaceted Information Technology (IT) software and infrastructure projects using waterfall, hybrid or agile delivery methods for the Railroad Retirement Board.
• Work across functional and organizational lines and deal with the full range of issues and concerns associated with IT systems within the agency.
• Manage project resources, including overseeing contractors and mentoring IT and business teams.
• Develop and implement plans, providing cost-benefit analysis, designing and conducting analytical studies, managing resources, and defining objectives and risks.
• Develop information systems testing strategies, identifying standards for infrastructure configuration, and developing information security plans and procedures.
• Serve as an Agile scrum master for application development projects by developing and executing user/epic stories, roadmap, product backlog, sprints, Kanban tracking, retrospectives, etc.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service
• Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary period
• Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment.
• Within 1 year of appointment as Project Manager must acquire and maintain certification as a Contracting Officer's Representative (FAC-COR), Level 1 or higher. (Contracting Officer's Representative (FAC-COR) | FAI.GOV)
• Within 2 years of appointment as Project Manager must acquire and maintain certification as a Certified Program and/or Project Manager from the Federal Acquisition Institute as a Mid-Level P/PM IT. (Program and Project Managers (FAC-P/PM) | FAI.GOV)
• Incumbent may be required to work outside of normal duty hours, such as nights, weekends, and holidays, due to operational needs.

Qualifications

Selective Placement Factor:

This position includes a job-related knowledge, skill, and/or ability that is required for satisfactory performance for the position. Selective placement factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represents minimum requirements for a position. Application materials must demonstrate the selective placement factor. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration.

The Selective Placement Factor for this position is:

Certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute. (Project Management Professional (PMP)® Certification | PMI)

In addition to meeting the selective placement factor above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below.

For Grade GS-14:

Applicants must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the four competencies listed below. Applicants must demonstrate possession of these competencies within the body of the resume; no separate statements addressing them are required.

1. Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.

-AND-

One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service.

Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities/competencies to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.

Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:

• Leading complex software and infrastructure IT projects using waterfall, hybrid, and Agile methodology.
• Developing IT project plans that incorporate risk controls, testing/training needs, acceptance criteria, change management, and IT governance.
• Executing IT project work by monitoring technical progress, updating activities in tracking tools, resolving system-related impediments, and ensuring all required IT deliverables are completed accurately and on schedule.
• Planning and leading scrum ceremonies such as standups meetings, backlog grooming, sprint planning, sprint review (demonstrations), release planning, and sprint retrospectives.
• Leading project teams and contractors by coaching, establishing goals, monitoring performance, and providing constructive feedback.
• Managing stakeholder expectations by gathering input, resolving issues, and communicating project status to ensure transparency.

Time-in-grade restrictions: Applicants who are current or former Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements (52 weeks at the next lower grade level).

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.

Only experience obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.

Documenting experience: IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Qualifications are based on breadth/level of experience. In addition to describing duties performed, applicants must provide the exact dates of each period of employment (from MM/YY to MM/YY) and the number of hours worked per week if part time. As qualification determinations cannot be made when resumes do not include the required information, failure to provide this information may result in disqualification. Applicants are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to develop their federal resume.

Do not copy and paste the duties or specialized experience from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

Education

*There is no education substitution for this position.*

Additional information

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here.

Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA): To be eligible for a VEOA appointment under Merit Promotion procedures, the veteran must be a preference eligible or a veteran separated after 3 years or more of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions.

INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP):

• ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority for competitive service vacancies. You must be determined to be well-qualified for the vacancy to be eligible for special selection priority. After submission of an acceptable application which meets ICTAP eligibility, you will be determined to be well-qualified for a vacancy if your rating places you in the 85th percentile or higher in total possible points.
• ICTAP eligibles must submit proof of eligibility for special selection priority. Please see the Required Documents section below for more information. Click here for more information on ICTAP.

Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities: For more information on noncompetitive appointment authority eligibility requirements:

Special Hiring Authorities for Veterans

Special Hiring Authorities for Certain Military Spouses

Other Special Appointment Authorities

If you are a male applicant who was born after 12/31/59 you are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act; the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered, or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency.

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Benefits

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A 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.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.