IT CYBERSECURITY SPECIALIST (INFOSEC) CES Recent Graduate

About the Program

The Recent Graduates Program targets individuals who have graduated recently from qualifying educational institutions or programs. To be eligible, applicants must apply within 2 years of degree or certificate completion, except for veterans precluded from doing so due to their military service obligations, who will have up to 6 years after degree or certificate completion. Successful applicants will be placed in a dynamic, career development program with both formal and on-the-job training to develop the required knowledge and skills.

Responsibilities

• Perform feasibility studies to develop or modify information systems to meet user requirements.
• Provide technical advice to users, evaluating alternative means of satisfying user requirements and suggesting technically feasible approaches.
• Review proposals for change, addressing objectives, scope, and user expectations, particularly for problems requiring significant departure from established practice.
• Prepare testing and implementation plans, establishing test criteria and data to ensure all program modules and outputs are tested for completeness and accuracy.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• This national security position requires a favorable suitability review and security clearance. Failure to maintain security eligibility may result in termination.
• Current Federal Career/Career-Conditional employees will be placed on an Excepted appointment.
• This position is covered under DoD Manual 8140 and is subject to future Cyber Workforce requirements.
• This is a drug-testing designated position.

Qualifications

Who May Be Considered:

• Individuals who have obtained a qualifying Associates, Bachelor's, Master's, Professional, Doctorate, Vocational, or Technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution within the previous 2 years.
• Veterans (as defined in 5 U.S.C. 2108) unable to apply within 2 years of obtaining a qualifying degree due to military service obligation. Veterans have a full 2-year eligibility period upon release or discharge from active duty, with eligibility within 6 years of degree completion. You must provide your DD-214 to support this claim.

Basic Requirement:

• Undergraduate or Graduate Education: Degree in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management, or a degree that provided a minimum of 24 semester hours in one or more of these fields and required the development or adaptation of applications, systems, or networks.
• Experience demonstrating the following competencies:
  • Attention to Detail: Reviewing your own information technology-related work or data to ensure accuracy, completeness, and consistency with standards.
  • Customer Service: Providing brief contact with customers to offer information about IT products/services or delivering standard products/routine services.
  • Oral Communication: Informing supervisors and IT staff about the status of systems, projects, or daily operations, including basic technical information to non-technical audiences.
  • Problem Solving: Addressing routine IT-related issues by gathering and applying information from standard sources with limited solutions.

Qualifying Experience:

• GG-07: Identifying and resolving stable, routine technical problems using established guides, protocols, and standard operating methods.
• GG-09: Handling stable cybersecurity issues independently and evaluating/selecting standard methods for readily available solutions.
• GG-11: Independently planning and executing conventional IT Cybersecurity projects or analyzing and resolving complex cybersecurity issues by adapting standard methods.

Candidates must describe how they meet the qualifying experience within the body of their resume.

Education

• Transcripts: Required, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.99. Absence of this information will result in an ineligible rating.
• Education Substitution:
  • GG-07: Bachelor’s degree with Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.) or 1 academic year of graduate education (or law school). S.A.A. is based on class standing, GPA, or honor society membership.
  • GG-09: Completion of a Master’s or equivalent graduate degree, or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B./J.D.
  • GG-11: Completion of a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M. in a directly related field.
• Qualifying Education Institution: Must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/).
• Foreign Education: Must be evaluated by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) at the time of application.
• Eligibility Deadline: Must meet Recent Graduate eligibility requirement by the end of the Fall 2026 semester.

Additional Information

• Recent Graduates are not eligible for conversion to a career/career-conditional appointment but may be non-competitively converted to a term or permanent position in a designated organization.
• A trial period may be required if you have not previously completed one in the excepted or competitive service.
• Selectees must sign a Recent Graduate Program Participant Agreement.
• Additional vacancies may be filled within 90 days of the closing date.
• Moving costs, recruitment, relocation, or retention incentives are not authorized.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service.
• DoD policy on employment of annuitants will determine eligibility.
• Veterans’ Preference applies to preference-eligible candidates in the Cyber Excepted Service.
• Candidates should be committed to improving Federal government efficiency, upholding the U.S. Constitution, and the rule of law.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits designed to make your career rewarding. Learn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position and whether it is full-time, part-time, or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more details.