IT Specialist (APPSW)

Summary

This position is located in the Resilience Federal Insurance Directorate Insurance Acquisition & Technology Division. Ideal candidate for this position will be a automation specialist with experience researching emerging technologies and prototyping low-code tools, AI workflows, dashboards, and scripts to improve NFIP operations and services.

Duties

What will I do in this position if hired? In this position, you will be an IT Specialist. Typical assignments include: Supporting the identification and analysis of opportunities for automation and AI enabled workflow improvement across NFIP business operations, customer facing services, map modernization support, underwriting, and other program areas in coordination with business SMEs, analysts, UX, engineering, and data stakeholders. Assisting in configuring, prototyping, and testing low code/no code solutions, AI agents, workflow automations, dashboards, forms, lightweight applications, and scripts (for example Python) or utilities to query, transform, create, or validate data and workflow outputs using approved enterprise platforms such as Power Platform, GCP enabled tools, DHSChat, Python libraries, or similar technologies. Helping convert approved business and user requirements into working technical implementations by supporting workflow logic development, automation and AI agent configuration, data input and output definition, integration analysis, prototype documentation, and technical hand off materials for engineering, security, and operational teams. Conducting market, technology, and policy research on emerging automation, artificial intelligence, digital service, geospatial, insurance technology, and AI governance trends to help the Innovation Branch remain current and identify practical modernization opportunities. Supporting evaluation of prototypes and AI enabled workflows for feasibility, usability, accuracy, operational fit, and governance alignment through functional testing, user feedback, AI output review, exception testing, human in the loop validation, responsible AI practices, and coordination with engineering, cybersecurity, data, UX, geospatial, and business teams. What else do I need to know? At FEMA, our mission is to help people before, during and after disasters, and every employee at FEMA has a role in emergency management. Every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities, though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites. All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee's official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions.

Qualifications

In addition to the minimum qualifications described below, you must meet the following requirement(s) to be considered qualified for the position: IOR - Experience Experience must be 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. Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail. Customer Service - Works with clients and customers 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. Note: Clients and customers include 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. 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. Information Management - Identifies a need for and knows where or how to gather information; organizes and maintains information or information management systems. 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. 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. Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations. Teamwork - Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals. 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. The qualification requirements listed below must be met by the closing date of this announcement. To qualify for this position at the GS-13 level, you must possess one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal government, which has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Experience may be obtained in the federal government, a state or local government, or private sector, and must demonstrate the following: Configuring, prototyping, and testing technical solutions using approved technology platforms; AND Developing workflow automations, AI-enabled workflows, or scripts to support business processes; AND Translating business or user needs into technical requirements, workflow logic, data inputs and outputs, or implementation documentation. Please read the following important information to ensure we have everything we need to consider your application: 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 serves as the basis for experience related qualification determinations, and you must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable), as it relates to this job opportunity. Please use your own words, be clear, and specific when describing your work history. We cannot make assumptions regarding your experience. Are you qualifying based on your work experience? Qualifications are based on your ability to demonstrate in your resume that you possess one year of the specialized experience for this announcement at a comparable scope and responsibility. To ensure all of the essential information is in your resume, we encourage you to use the USAJOBS online Resume Builder. If you choose to use your own resume, it must contain the following information organized by experience/position: (1) job title, (2) name of employer, (3) start and end dates of each period of employment (from MM/DD/YY to MM/DD/YY), (4) detailed description of duties performed, accomplishments, and related skills, and (5) hours worked per week (part-time employment will be prorated in cr