Cybersecurity Technical Writer

Summary

This announcement is issued under the Direct Hire Authority (DHA) to recruit for positions for which there is a critical hiring need. Selectee(s) will receive a career or career-conditional appointment in the competitive service and may be required to serve a one year probationary period. The official title of this position is Information Technology Cybersecurity Specialist (INFOSEC) GS-2210-12/13

Duties

This position is located in the Cybersecurity Division (CSD), which leads CISA's cybersecurity efforts as the nation's flagship civilian cyber defense organization. CSD collaborates with partners across the government and private sector to enhance the nation's cybersecurity posture. Typical work assignments at the full performance level include, but are not limited to: Creating, editing, and reviewing cybersecurity technical products to ensure accuracy, internal consistency, and correct use of technical terminology prior to release Improving internal and external partner engagement by refining publication workflows and deliverables based on feedback and mission priorities Determining what cybersecurity information should be published and when, based on operational relevance, partner impact, and available technical validation Working as part of cross-functional teams to review, enhance, and standardize incident response practices and technical guidance products Reviewing technical content on indicators, malware, signatures, and adversary to ensure products accurately reflect current operational threats and vulnerabilities Organizing and maintaining cybersecurity data, product inputs, and publication artifacts within knowledge management systems to support timely retrieval and reuse Facilitating coordination between technical contributors and publication stakeholders to reconcile differing perspectives and meet timelines

Qualifications

Do NOT copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position. Your resume must describe your work and experience, in your own words. To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required proficiency level of competencies and experience for the respective grade level in which you are applying. COMPETENCY REQUIREMENT: Experience must be Information Technology (IT)-related; the experience may be demonstrated by paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training (for example, IT certification), as appropriate. You must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the required competencies listed below and must meet or exceed the minimum proficiency level established for each by grade level. For more information, see Competency-Based Qualification Standard for the Information Technology Management Series, 2210. You qualify at the GS-12 and GS-13 grade levels, if you have the following competencies: Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail. (Minimum Proficiency Level: 4) 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. (Minimum Proficiency Level: 4) 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. (Minimum Proficiency Level: 3) Information Management - Identifies a need for and knows where or how to gather information; organizes and maintains information or information management systems. (Minimum Proficiency Level: 4) 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. (Minimum Proficiency Level: 4) 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. (Minimum Proficiency Level: 3) Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations. (For GS-12, Minimum Proficiency Level: 3 and for GS-13, Minimum Proficiency Level: 4) Teamwork - Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals. (Minimum Proficiency Level: 4) 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. (For GS-12, Minimum Proficiency Level: 3 and for GS-13, Minimum Proficiency Level: 4) AND SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the competency requirement listed above, you must have at least one year of specialized experience at the next lower GS-grade level (or equivalent). Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Such experience is typically gained in the IT field or through the performance of work where the primary concern is IT. You qualify at the GS-12 grade level, if you have: EXPERIENCE: At least one (1) year of specialized experience at the GS-11 grade level (or equivalent) performing all the following duties: Developing cybersecurity products (e.g., alerts/advisories, incident summaries, mitigation guidance, technical reports) for release to internal and external stakeholders; Collaborating across teams to deliver time-sensitive products under operational deadlines; AND Analyzing technical cybersecurity data to communicate indicators, malware behaviors, signatures, vulnerabilities, and adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures, and translating that into actionable mitigations and best practices. You qualify at the GS-13 grade level, if you have: EXPERIENCE: At least one (1) year of specialized experience at the GS-12 grade level (or equivalent) performing all the following duties: Reviewing and disseminating cybersecurity products (e.g., alerts/advisories, incident summaries, mitigation guidance, technical reports) to internal and external stakeholders; Leading coordination with internal and external stakeholders to gather input, adjudicate comments, and provide deliverables within established timeframes; AND Implementing improvements to work processes, publication workflows, or knowledge management systems to improve consistency, quality, and timeliness. 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