Summary This position is located in the USDA, Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), Associate Chief Financial Officer for Shared Services (ACFO), Financial Management Services Center (FMS) at New Orleans, Louisiana. The incumbent of this position is responsible for the application of, or research into, computer science methods & techniques to store, manipulate, transform or present information by means of computer systems. Expert advisor & lead computer scientist for systems & security of OCFO. Responsibilities Serves as a technical authority in the organization responsible for engineering and integrating new systems and developing new theories, concepts, principles, standards, and methods. Provides engineering management for the programs under an Agency to establish program objectives and resolve conflicts between competitive requirements and resources. Provides recommendations on architecture of high-speed systems, interconnection structures, data-driven architectures and development of high-speed computing systems and real- time data acquisition systems. Advises on software concepts such as data representation, data structures, file systems, operating systems, computer languages, and network protocols. Develops requirements and rules for future programs and initiates changes or reorientation in objectives of programs. Coordinates with project managers, other organizations, user groups, and contractors in translating operational and mission needs into practical system concepts. Provides recommendations to team members in a consolidated report, which is the identification of critical technical problems and proposed solutions. Ensures system integrity and establishes compatibility between equipment, subsystems and components. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. This position has a Basic Education Requirement. Therefore, a Legible and Complete copy of your College/University transcript(s) is/are required to be attached to your application prior to the closing date of the announcement. Applicants who fail to submit their Complete Transcript(s) will not be given credit for their Education. The Application or Resume must clearly show that you possess the appropriate Specialized Experience requirements. You must possess the Series Basic Requirements (IOR) indicated below, AND Specialized Experience to be considered eligible for this position. Basic Requirements (IOR): Degree: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science. or Bachelor's degree with 30 semester hours in a combination of mathematics, statistics, and computer science. At least 15 of the 30 semester hours must have included any combination of statistics and mathematics that included differential and integral calculus. All academic degrees and course work must be from accredited or pre-accredited institutions. AND GS-14 Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service or equivalent responsibility in the private sector/pay systems that has equipped me with the particular competencies to successfully perform as a Computer Scientist. Examples of such experience include Advising personnel on computer science techniques and methodologies and problems of system design. Applying analytical methods and procedures to review and assess business processes and procedures to support the system engineering and development of projects or programs, or for resolution of mission critical problems. Making decisions to meet organizational or mission goals. Planning and coordinating project activities to meet priorities and deadlines. NOTE: This experience must be demonstrated on your resume and/or supporting documents. Time-in-Grade Requirements: Merit promotion applicants holding or having held a GS position in the past 52 weeks must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements. One year at the GS-13 is required to be eligible for the GS-14. Time-in-Grade requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. Applicants MUST submit a RECENT Appointment SF-50 that illustrates time-in-grade and reflects title, series, and grade. No Award SF-50 will be accepted. Time After Competitive Appointment: Candidates who are current Federal employees serving on a non-temporary competitive appointment must have served at least three months in that appointment. Additional qualification information can be found in the following Office of Personnel Management websites for the General Schedule Qualification Standards of the Computer Science Series 1550. Individual Occupational Requirements Link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1500/computer-science-series-1550/ Group Coverage Qualification Standard for Professional and Scientific Positions Link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=Group-Standards 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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Education Education must be reviewed and certified by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be creditable toward your qualifications. Therefore, you should provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit the NACES website. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation. Additional Information Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100. Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA). Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period. Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Refer to PUBLIC LAW 114-47-AUG. 7, 2015 for more information. TELEWORK: This position may be eligible to telework up to four days per week, based upon the duties of the position. This position may also be eligible for flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements. This position is not included in the bargaining unit. This is NOT a Remote/Virtual Position.