Software Developer - Security Clearance Required

External Header

Source : External Applicants Only

Open : 2024-12-30

Closed : 2025-01-25

Band : 03

Location : St Louis, MO

Cover Letter

Applicants are not required to submit a cover letter for employment consideration with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. However, a cover letter is recommended. Applicants will have the option to attach a cover letter in the Qualifications - Attachments step of the online application.

Pay Band, Salary Range - Ext

2024 St. Louis Salary :

74,299 - $137,669

Permanent Change in Station

PERMANENT CHANGE IN STATION : PCS expenses are not authorized.

NGA Marketing Message

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) is the world leader in Geospatial Intelligence. We analyze imagery and data from many sources and incorporate it into visual displays of essential information for use in national defense, homeland security and safety of navigation. The extraordinary talents and skills of our teams of analysts and other professionals are vital to our success as the worldwide provider of GEOINT.

Know the World, Show the Way...from Seabed to Space!

Assignment Description

ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION : Software Developers identify, document, and analyze customer, business, and system requirements; evaluate alternative approaches; and design and develop solutions tailored to specific agency, systems, and customer requirements. They lead the testing and integration of new and modified solutions into the system. They review and provide guidance on software and configuration management of code developed internally and by vendors. They test software developed internally and by vendors and respond to urgent customer requests to develop and deliver unique solutions. They develop software, configure and manage code, plan and design systems architecture, write and maintain software program documentation, and investigate and evaluate new software technologies. They also ensure the rigorous application of information security and information assurance policies, principles, and practices to the delivery of application software services. They contribute to system and security design specification, documentation, and practice.

Promotion Opportunity

PROMOTION OPPORTUNITY : Promotion opportunities allow applicants at all band levels to be considered. Qualifications for NGA positions do not include specific time-in-band requirements. NGA will emphasize quality of experience, rather than duration, and assess how the quality of the experience demonstrates possession of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies necessary for successful job performance in the NGA occupational structure.

Additional Information

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION : Mid-Software Developers identify, document, and analyze moderately complex customer, business, and system requirements, evaluate alternative approaches, and design and develop solutions. They test and integrate system solutions. They develop software using various compiled or interpreted programming languages, configure and manage code, plan and design systems architecture, write and maintain software program documentation, and investigate and evaluate new software technologies. They ensure the rigorous application of information security and information assurance policies, principles, and practices in the delivery of application software services. They also lead system and security design specification, documentation, and practice.

Tasks :

1) Develop software applications, services, and systems (e.g., user-facing and back-end services).

2) Manage source code using industry version control best practices.

3) Research new techniques and technologies to stay current in software development methodologies and tools.

4) Utilize code validation tools to ensure that source code is valid, is properly structured, meets industry standards, is secure, and is compatible with browsers, devices, or operating systems.

5) Collaborate with customers to define needs and / or specifications and develop proposed solutions.

6) Test and integrate developed software applications into the operational baseline.

7) Perform test driven development utilizing strong unit testing techniques to include test cases mimicking external interfaces and addressing all browser and device types.

8) Modify or enhance existing software to correct errors, to adapt it to new hardware, or to upgrade interfaces and improve performance.

9) Create technical models, architectural artifacts, and / or prototypes that include physical, interface, logical, or data models (e.g., model view controller (MVC) programming practices).

10) Share actionable / valuable information with colleagues and leadership and engage with community as resident expert.

11) Prepare reports and consult with customers or other stakeholders to advise on technical issues, provide operational support, respond to questions, and offer status updates.

This position may be eligible for a RECRUITMENT INCENTIVE : selected candidates may be offered an incentive as part of the offer of employment. To receive the incentive, selected candidates must be eligible under 5 CFR Part 575, Subpart A, upon issuance of the Final Offer Letter. Changes in federal employment status prior to issuance of the Final Offer Letter may affect eligibility. To receive the incentive, selected candidates will be required to sign a service agreement to stay within the position at NGA for the agreed upon time. If the service agreement is terminated before its completion, the employee may be required to repay a pro rata share amount of the incentive to the government. Additional information regarding recruitment incentives for current federal employees can be found in DoDI 1400.25, Volume 2006.

Qualifications Mandatory

MANDATORY QUALIFICATION CRITERIA : For this particular job, applicants must meet all competencies reflected under the Mandatory Qualification Criteria to include education (if required). Online resumes must demonstrate qualification by providing specific examples and associated results, in response to the announcement’s mandatory criteria specified in this vacancy announcement :

1. Demonstrated experience using a programming language such as Java, Python, JavaScript, or equivalent to complete software applications.

2. Demonstrated experience with database technologies such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle Database, DynamoDB or equivalent.

3. Demonstrated experience with build automation tools such as Maven, Gradle, Webpack, NPM, Yarn, Jenkins, Gitlab CI or equivalent.

4. Demonstrated experience in applying agile development methodologies to develop software.

5. Demonstrated experience building web application programming interfaces (API) using standards such as REST or SOAP.

EDUCATION REQUIREMENT : A. Education : Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Engineering, Information Science, Information Systems Management, Information Technology, Mathematics, Statistics, or a degree that provided a minimum of 24 semester hours in one or more of the fields identified above and required the development or adaptation of applications, systems, or

networks. -OR- B. Combination of Education and Experience : A minimum of 24 semester (36 quarter) hours of college coursework in any area listed in option A, plus experience in software design, information technology engineering, or a related area that demonstrates the ability to successfully perform the duties associated with this work. As a rule, every 30 semester (45 quarter) hours of college work is equivalent to one year of experience. Candidates should show that their combination of education and experience totals 4 years. -OR- C. Experience : A minimum of 4 years of experience in software design, information technology engineering, or a related area that demonstrates the ability to successfully perform the duties associated with this work.

Qualifications Desirable

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATION CRITERIA : In addition to the mandatory qualifications, experience in the following is desired :

1. 3 years of demonstrated experience with developing and deploying containerized applications to a Kubernetes container orchestration system.

2. 3 years of demonstrated experience with frameworks such as Python Flask, Java Spring, Java Spring Boot, or JavaScript React.

3. 3 years of demonstrated experience designing, developing, testing, and deploying software to include full stack web-based applications using industry standard DevOps tools.

4. 3 years of demonstrated experience writing unit and integration tests for application code.

5. 3 years of demonstrated experience applying software security techniques, controls, and best practices to engineer software to mitigate vulnerabilities and risk against malicious attacks and ensure continued operations.

6. 3 years of demonstrated experience with Platform-as-a-Service such as Red Hat OpenShift.

Special Info External

As a condition of employment at NGA, persons being considered for employment must meet NGA fitness for employment standards.

• U.S. Citizenship Required
• Security Clearance (Top Secret / Sensitive Compartmented Information)
• Polygraph Test Required
• Position Subject to Drug Testing
• Two Year Probationary Period
• Direct Deposit Required

Applicant Evaluation Process

APPLICANT EVALUATION PROCESS : Applicants will be evaluated for this job opportunity in three stages :

1) All applicants will be evaluated using the Mandatory Qualification Criteria,

2) Qualified applicants will then be evaluated by an expert or panel of experts using a combination of qualification criteria to determine the best-qualified candidates,

3) Best-qualified applicants may then be further evaluated through an interview process.

Military retiree applicants, if selected, may be impacted by the 180-day appointment restrictions of DODI 1402.01. HD personnel will provide additional information if applicable.

Applicants are encouraged to carefully review the Assignment Description, Additional Information Provided By the Selecting Official, and the Qualification Requirements; and then construct their resumes to highlight their most relevant and significant experience and education for this job opportunity. This description should include examples that detail the level and complexity of the performed work. Applicants are encouraged to provide any education information referenced in the announcement. If education is listed as a mandatory requirement, only degrees obtained from an institution accredited by an accrediting organization recognized by the Secretary, US Department of Education will be accepted.

In accordance with section 9902(h) of title 5, United States Code, annuitants reemployed in the Department of Defense shall receive full annuity and salary upon appointment. They shall not be eligible for retirement contributions, participation in the Thrift Savings Plan, or a supplemental or redetermined annuity for the reemployment period. Discontinued service retirement annuitants (i.e., retired under section 8336(d)(1) or 8414(b)(1)(A) of title 5, United States Code) appointed to the Department of Defense may elect to be subject to retirement provisions of the new appointment as appropriate. (See DoD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 300, at http : / / www.dtic.mil / whs / directives .)

All candidates will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, disability, or sexual orientation.

NGA provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. Applications will only be accepted online. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify us at recruitment@nga.mil. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis.

DCIPS Statement

NGA utilizes all processes and procedures of the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS). Non-executive NGA employees are assigned to five distinct pay bands based on the type and scope of work performed. The employee's base salary is established within their assigned pay band based on their unique qualifications. A performance pay process is conducted each year to determine a potential base pay salary increase and / or bonus. An employee's annual performance evaluation is a key factor in the performance pay process. Employees on term or temporary appointments are not eligible to apply for internal assignment opportunity notices.

This position is a DCIPS position in the Excepted Service under 10 U.S.C. 1601. DoD Components with DCIPS positions apply Veterans' Preference to preference eligible candidates as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 USC, in accordance with the procedures provided in DoD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 2005, DCIPS Employment and Placement. If you are an external applicant claiming veterans' preference, as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 U.S.C., you must self-identify your eligibility.

Benefits

Pay is only part of the compensation you will earn working for the Federal Government. We offer a broad array of benefits programs and family friendly flexibilities to meet the needs of you and your family.

For more information on the array of benefits programs, please visit https : / / www.nga.mil / careers / Benefits_&_Pay.html.

How To Apply

Application submission involves applying using NGA's online application process at NGA Careers Portal . Additional information concerning NGA's hiring process can be found by visiting NGA Hiring Process .

All announcements close at 11 : 59PM EDT on the closing date listed. Be sure to complete and submit your application by that time in order to be considered.

ONLY ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Both applicants for employment and current employees of NGA are entitled to request religious accommodations from generally applicable employment-related rules and requirements, so long as the accommodation requested would not result in an undue hardship to the conduct of NGA’s business.

What To Expect Next

After visiting the NGA Careers Portal and applying via NGA's online application process, applicants can follow their status via that same NGA online application functionality. Several other topics relating to what is involved in the hiring process and how long it takes can be found by visiting the NGA Hiring Process .

Special Requirements

You must be able to obtain and retain a Top Secret security clearance with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information. In addition, you are subject to a Counterintelligence Polygraph examination in order to maintain access to Top Secret information. All employees are subject to a periodic examination on a random basis in order to determine continued eligibility. Refusal to take the examination may result in denial of access to Top Secret information, SAP, and / or unescorted access to SCIFs.

Employees with SCI access and who are under NGA cognizance are required to submit a Security Financial Disclosure Report, SF-714, on an annual basis in order to determine continued eligibility. Failure to comply may negatively impact continued access to Top Secret information, Information Systems, SAP, and / or unescorted access to SCIFs.

Salary : $74,299 - $137,669