Duties

As a Shift Management Lead in the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), Information Technology Operations (ITO) Division, you will lead and supervise Network Operations Security Center (NOSC) operations, teams, resources, and activities. The NOSC is the central coordinating and reporting authority for the DHS Homeland Security Enterprise Network (HSEN) and all DHS Component Network and Security Operation Centers (NOCs and SOCs) and is responsible for performing security operations and incident management/handling for DHS Headquarters.
As a DHS Cybersecurity Service Employee in the Leadership Track, at the Lead Cybersecurity Specialist level, you will continually and proactively participate in learning activities to enhance and apply your full, working-level expertise in the technical capability of Secure Network Operations and assist and delegate work to others who are less seasoned to perform a range of routine tasks, including:

• Leading and supervising one of four NOSC shift teams in monitoring, analysis, incident response, and handling for the DHS Information Enterprise, including overseeing the health, safety, and resilience of the HSEN wide area network and its constituent LANs and devices.
• In coordination with NOSC management, developing, coordinating, executing, and communicating the results of shift operational priorities and objectives and tracking all priority tickets from inception to closure, including developing shift hand-off and global event, incident, problem, and ticket monitoring procedures.
• Supervising and managing a team of Federal shift GWOs and analysts to improve outcomes and to further develop their knowledge, skills, and abilities to better handle cloud and cyber incidents.
• Helping to develop tactics, techniques, and procedures to better monitor all existing events, incidents, and problems, and developing dashboards and metrics to visualize and quantify status and effectiveness of NOSC network, cloud/platform, and cyber incident handling.
• Proactively analyzing network traffic patterns to identify possible threats - including analyzing log files from a variety of sources (e.g., individual host logs, network traffic logs, firewall logs, and intrusion detection system [IDS] logs) and use other analytic tools and data science methodologies.
• Leading and assisting others in monitoring the DHS environment for potential threats or vulnerabilities, providing DHS leadership with situational visibility across the enterprise.
• Delegating and supervising work related to threat assessments for vulnerabilities on networks, systems software, and hardware and recommend appropriate mitigation strategies.
• Ensuring incidents are managed in accordance with NIST stages of incident handling guidelines and assist others who are less seasoned in properly applying these standards.
• Customizing communications for different levels of leadership and audiences to provide strategic direction and support to Component leadership and/or their SOCs to enable mission capabilities.
• Collaborating with internal and external DHS stakeholders in performing critical security and network resilience operations and incident handling.
• Working with HQ and/or Component NOC/SOCs to block or deny access by hostile sites or restrict access by specific ports/protocols.
• Coordinating with DHS Components for network confirmation modifications in accordance with the DHS change management process
• Collaborating on processes to implement, configure, monitor, and maintain DHS enterprise Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools to monitor, detect and respond to threats on DHS networks and enclaves.
• Managing techniques for gathering, recovering, analyzing, interpreting, preserving, and presenting information and digital evidence (from computers, mobile devices, websites, network packets, et al.) to support legal prosecution or other departmental requirements.
• Using information known about incidents and their effects on networks, systems, and applications to recommend and prioritize short- and long-term recovery and repair actions.
• Integrating stakeholder feedback when recommending recovery action plans for repairs, including mitigation strategies for interim system vulnerabilities/deficiencies.
• Customizing communications (e.g., incident updates and after-action reports) to emphasize the most critical information and address anticipated follow-up concerns of specific target audiences.
• Proposing, managing, and maintaining a suite of DHS cybersecurity tools, to include SIEM and Endpoint Security Tools.
• Leading or assisting others in the development of software enhancements for cybersecurity tools (e.g., content development).
• Developing supporting documents and maintenance schedules.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or national.
• You must be 18 years of age.
• Must be registered for the Selective Service (if you are a male).
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI security clearance.
• Must be able to submit to a drug test and receive a negative result.
• Must be able to comply with ethics and standards of conduct requirements, including completing any applicable financial disclosure.
• May be required to serve a 3 year probationary period.
• While these positions are considered telework, individuals must live within 2 hours driving distance to a DHS SCIF in either Chandler, AZ; Stennis, MS; or Washington, D.C.
• Shift Management Leads will work on rotating 24/7 shifts (days, afternoons, and nights).

How You Will Be Evaluated

• Benefits

  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.

• Required Documents

  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.

  • Your resume. To help you prepare your resume before applying to the DHS Cybersecurity Service, visit our application portal and read the "Resume Tips" guide.

  • If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the online assessments, submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found here.

  • If you are a current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee please submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:- Position title- Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee)- Agency- Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

• How to Apply

  To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online questionnaire, required assessments, and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 04/11/2024 to receive consideration. The application process will follow the bullets outlined below.

  • To begin the application process, click the Apply Online button.

  • Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.

  • Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.

  • After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA HIRE platform. This message will be delivered via email notification.

  • If you are asked to take the online assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.

  Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning online assessments. Note: set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can re-use the URL sent to you via email and also found on the Additional Application Information page that can be located in the application record in your USAJOBS account.
  Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing online assessments on the USA HIRE platform, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the online assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations 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 online assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the online assessments. To determine if you need a Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for online assessments here: http://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire.

  Agency contact information

  DHS Cybersecurity Service Talent Team

  Email

  dhscsapplicants@hq.dhs.gov

  Address

  Cybersecurity Talent Management System
  245 Murray Lane SW
  Washington, DC 20528
  US

  Next steps

  The DHS Cybersecurity Service application process is designed to both prioritize fairness to all applicants and identify qualified candidates to join the DHS Cybersecurity Service. Successful applicants proceed through the following steps and will receive notifications as each step is completed: Submit Initial Information

  • Upload resume
  • Answer questions about your expertise and experience

  Assessment Interview

  • Complete multi-phase assessment process
  • Interview with the team you might join

  Tentative Job Offer Background Investigation

  • Receive a tentative job offer, including your compensation and benefits package
  • Receive an invitation to start the background investigation process

  Final Job Offer Start Date

  • Receive a final job offer
  • Determine your start date

  We will notify you by email after each of these steps has been completed. Your status will also be updated on USAJOBS throughout the process. To check your status, log on to your USAJOBS account, click on "Application Status," and then click "More Information."
  Note: If you successfully complete the application process and receive a tentative DHS Cybersecurity Service job offer, applicable employment eligibility requirements, including those you must comply with throughout your appointment at DHS, will be communicated to you in writing.
  Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U. S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U. S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.
  DHS uses e-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.(http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify).
  To learn more about DHS Cybersecurity Service employment eligibility, visit our application portal.

• Fair and Transparent

  The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

  • Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
  • Reasonable accommodation policy
  • Financial suitability
  • Selective Service
  • New employee probationary period
  • Signature and false statements
  • Privacy Act
  • Social security number request

Required Documents