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

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., 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 require 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.

Candidates 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., Step 2: Create a resume using the USAJOBS resume builder or upload a resume into your USAJOBS account. Ensure that your resume demonstrates your education, experience, training, and accomplishments as it relates to the qualifications for this position and substantiates your responses to the occupational questionnaire.

Step 3: Upload any required documents into your USAJOBS account (must be less than 3MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, or Word (DOC or DOCX)).

Step 4: Click "Apply Online" and follow the prompts to complete the occupational questionnaire and attach any required documents. Verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBS transfer into the agency's hiring system. You will have the opportunity to upload any additional required documents in the agency's hiring system. Click "Finish" to submit your application.

NOTE: You may update your application or required documents at any time while the announcement is open by logging into your USAJOBS account, clicking on "Application Status," clicking on the position title, clicking "Update Application," and following the prompts., 2. After we review your submitted resume and supporting documentation, we will inform you if you are eligible and qualified, if your application was referred to a subject matter expert or panel of subject matter experts for further evaluation, and if you were amongst the most highly qualified candidates referred to the selecting official.

3. Finally, we will inform you of your final disposition for this announcement (e.g., if/when a selection is made, if/when the announcement is cancelled)., Work site options Telework eligible Yes-According to agency policy and position may be eligible for Remote Work. Remote job No Relocation expenses reimbursed No

Specialized Experience for the IT Specialist (INFOSEC), GS-2210-14 One 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 Requirements

You 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 nine 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 (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. Decision Making - Makes sound, well-informed, and objective decisions; perceives the impact and implications of decisions; commits to action, even in uncertain situations, to accomplish organizational goals; causes change.
4. Information Management - Identifies a need for and knows where or how to gather information; organizes and maintains information or information management systems.
5. Interpersonal Skills - Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations
6. 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.
7. Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.
8. Teamwork - Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals.
9. Technical Competence - Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or on-the-job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues.

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., Non-Supervisory: Oral Communications, Writing, Interpersonal Skills, Problem Solving, Teamwork, Technology Orientation, Customer Service, Attention to Detail and Self-Management

You will be evaluated to determine if you meet qualifications required, and on the extent to which your application shows that you possess the knowledge, skills and abilities associated with this position as defined in the Qualifications section. Please be sure to give examples in your resume and explain how often you used these skills, the complexity of the knowledge you possessed, the level of people you interacted with, and the complexity and sensitivity of the issues you handled., Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Pulled from the full job description

• Loan repayment program
• Flexible spending account, This position is eligible for Remote/Virtual work. However, this position may fall under the Presidential Memorandum titled "Return to In-Person Work" which will require you to go into the office if you are located within 50 miles of a Department of Education facility in these locations: Washington, DC, Dallas, TX, San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, Kansas City, MO, Chicago, Il, Atlanta, GA, Philadelphia, PA, New York City, NY, and location is negotiable. Actual salary will be based on location of selectee. Locality pay tables available at www.opm.gov ., * Must be a US Citizen.
• Must complete a Background Investigation and Fingerprint check.
• Males 18 and over must be registered with the Selective Service.
• Relocation will not be paid.
• You may be subject to serve a one-year probationary period.

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., 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.

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.

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., * Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP/CTAP)?

• If you are a current or former Federal employee who was displaced (for example, due to a Reduction-in-Force) and want priority consideration, you must submit the documents listed below.
• Required documents for Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan consideration (All are required):

1. Proof that you were displaced, such as Reduction-in-Force (RIF) notice or notice of proposed removal.

• SF-50s (Notification of Personnel Action) showing:
• RIF as the Nature of Action (Box 5B)
• Career or career-conditional status (Box 24 must be 1 or 2)
• Competitive status (Box 34 must be 1)
• Promotion potential or full performance level of the position from which you were or are being displaced. This is likely your appointment SF-50 for that position.
• Duty location

3. Your most recent performance appraisal showing a rating of Fully Successful or higher.

• Your Federal position at the time you were displaced must be within the local commuting area for a location listed in this announcement. The definition of local commuting area varies based on duty location and hiring agency policy. To receive priority consideration, you must also be found well-qualified, which means you score 75 or higher based on this announcement's assessment rating criteria., $127,829 - $197,200 per year Pay scale & grade GS 14 Promotion potential 14 Learn more about pay scale and grade Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job. Work schedule Full-time Travel Required Not required Appointment type Permanent Occupations and job series

• 2210 Information Technology Management

Supervisory status No Federal service type This job is in the Competitive Service Represented by a union No Drug test No Security clearance Other Position sensitivity and risk High Risk (HR) Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job. Background check type

• Credentialing
• Suitability/Fitness

Financial disclosure required No Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests. Announcement number FSA-2026-0127 Control number 877168200