Summary A USAHIRE ASSESSMENT is required as part of your application (see How To Apply).
The SSA Recent Graduates Program provides Recent Graduates with entry-level developmental experience and is designed to lead to a career in the federal government.
Upon successful completion of the program, you may be non-competitively converted to a term (not to exceed 1-4 years) or permanent appointment. Duties As a participant in the Recent Graduates Program, you will receive both formal and on-the-job training to develop the required knowledge and skill to successfully perform the duties of the position. | At the full performance level, supports the day-to-day functionality and protection of SSA information technology (IT) systems by developing and implementing cybersecurity programs, policies, procedures and digital tools. | Ensures the security and integrity of systems, networks and data through various methods. | Performs cybersecurity duties in support of cybersecurity operations, incident response, system administration and security, compliance and policy implementation, user support and training, documentation and reporting and continuous improvement.
Qualifications
READ THIS ENTIRE SECTION TO ENSURE YOU UNDERSTAND THE QUALIFICATION AND APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS POSITION.
To meet Minimum Qualifications for this IT Cybersecurity Specialist position, you must:
(1) demonstrate eligibility for the Recent Graduates Program,
(2) demonstrate the required IT Competencies,
(3) demonstrate Specialized Experience and/or optional education AND
(4) meet or exceed the cut-off score on the USAHire Assessment (see HOW TO APPLY).
(1) ELIGIBILIY
To be eligible for the Recent Graduates Program, you must have successfully completed a course of study resulting in a degree (associate's, bachelor's, master's, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical) or have successfully completed a qualifying certificate program from an accredited educational institution. Your degree/certification must have been conferred within the 2-year period preceding this announcement (i.e., not prior to November 2024).
Veterans who were unable to apply within the 2-year Recent Graduates eligibility period due to military obligations may begin the 2-year eligibility period upon discharge from active duty if supported by a DD-214. The new eligibility period may not extend beyond 6 years from the date a qualifying degree or certificate was conferred. (See REQUIRED DOCUMENTS to ensure you provide appropriate documents.)
ONLY APPLICANTS WHO DEMONSTRATE ELIGIBILITY AS A RECENT GRADUATE WILL BE EVALUATED (see transcript requirements under EDUCATION below)
(2) IT COMPETENCIES
You must demonstrate the following IT Competencies either through work (paid or unpaid) or specific IT-related education or training:
Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.
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.
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
Reasoning - Identifies rules, principles or relationships that explain facts, data, or other information; analyzes information and makes correct inferences or draws accurate conclusions.
Teamwork - Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals.
(3) SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE
Specialized Experience for this IT Cybersecurity position is the performance of basic IT cyber duties or education/training pertaining to incident monitoring and detection; compliance and audit support; documentation and reporting; system testing coordination and/or user support and access management.
GS-07 Specialized Experience must have been gained in a federal position at or above GS-05 OR (if your experience is on another federal pay scale OR outside of federal service) by performing duties at a level of responsibility and difficulty equivalent to GS-05. Credit will be given for relevant unpaid and/or part-time work. Your resume must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities for each position held.
Specialized Experience for this GS-07 entry level position can be demonstrated by:
-- assisting with diagnosing user needs and resolving entry-level IT incidents,
-- demonstrating basic literacy in IT security methods, system protocols and protective requirements and
-- gathering facts, analyzing system behavior and handling unscheduled halts or routine system errors.
If you have this experience (either from a job or performed as part of your education or training), you must describe, in your own words, the tasks you perform that demonstrate it. Reviewers cannot assume you perform duties you don't describe.
In lieu of specialized experience, you can meet requirements with a bachelor's degree that (1) shows Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) or (2) was followed by at least 1 full academic year of graduate level education. (See EDUCATION)
GS-09 Specialized Experience must have been gained in a federal position at or above GS-07 OR (if your experience is on another federal pay scale OR outside of federal service) by performing duties at a level of responsibility and difficulty equivalent to GS-07. Credit will be given for relevant unpaid and/or part-time work. Your resume must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities for each position held.
Specialized Experience for this GS-09 mid-level IT Cybersecurity position can be demonstrated by:
-- performing basic vulnerability scanning and analyzing network traffic alerts;
-- implementing basic security controls on systems or networks;
-- managing user permissions and implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA);
-- assisting with minor system modification and security component analysis; and
-- participating in IT security assessments and drafting routine incident and status reports.
If you have this experience (either from a job or performed as part of your education or training), you must describe, in your own words, the tasks you perform that demonstrate it. Reviewers cannot assume you perform duties you don't describe.
In lieu of specialized experience, you can meet requirements with a master's degree or at least 2 full academic years of progressively higher graduate-level education leading to a master's (or equivalent) degree. (See EDUCATION)
(4) USAHIRE ASSESSMENT
After you submit your initial application, you will be sent an email (to the email address in your USAJobs Account) pertaining to the USAHire Assessment. The USAHire Assessment is a crucial part of the application for this position and you cannot be considered for this position unless you complete the assessment and meet or exceed the cut-off score set by OPM (see HOW TO APPLY for more information).
For more information on OPM's Competency-Based Qualification Standards, visit: Competency-Based Qualification Standard for the Information Technology Management Series, 2210
NOTES ABOUT THIS CAREER-LADDER POSITION
This is an entry level or mid-level position leading to the GS-12 full performance level.
Assignments are developmental in nature and designed to provide experience and technical competence in the methods, procedures, principles and techniques of the full performance level.
The supervisor defines objectives, priorities and deadlines, is available for consultation and assists with unusual situations, problems or studies that do not have clear precedents.
Employees consult with higher graded analysts to identify problems and methods of approach, but are expected to perform standard, routine duties independently.
The supervisor evaluates reports and other completed work for technical soundness, appropriateness of conclusions or recommendations, consistency and relevance.
During this period of training, management broadens assignments to enable the incumbent to eventually perform all the duties of the next higher grade.
Consideration for promotion is at the discretion of management and is based on the existence of higher-level work your ability to perform that work, administrative requirements and current agency and/or organizational restrictions. Education TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED TO DEMONSTRATE ELIGIBILITY UNDER THE RECENT GRADUATES PROGRAM.
DO NOT SUBMIT A DIPLOMA IN LIEU OF A FULL TRANSCRIPT THAT SHOWS THE REQUIRED INFORMATION.
TRANSCRIPTS TO SUPPORT RECENT GRADUATES PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY: submit a copy of your full transcript showing your name, the name of the school, the program in which you were enrolled and the date your degree was conferred. The confer date must be within the previous 2 years. Transcripts without a confer date cannot be considered to have resulted in a degree and cannot be used to demonstrate your eligibility for the Recent Graduates Program.
TRANSCRIPTS TO SUPPORT EDUCATION IN LIEU OF SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: this may be the same transcript that supports your Recent Graduates Program eligibility or may be in addition to that transcript. To support education in lieu of Specialized Experience, your transcript must show your name, the name of the school, the program in which you were enrolled and the date your degree was conferred. Transcripts without a confer date cannot be considered to have resulted in a degree and may not be usable to demonstrate your "in lieu of Specialized Experience qualifications."
FOR GS-07: If you claim a bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement, in lieu of Specialized Experience, you must submit:
(1) a full transcript showing the confer date and final GPA OR
(2) a full transcript showing the confer date and official documentation showing your class-ranking OR
(3) a full transcript showing the confer date and official documentation showing your National Honor Society Membership.
If you claim a bachelor's degree followed by at least 1 academic year of graduate-level education (generally at least 18 graduate-level credits) in a relevant technology field (such as cybersecurity, computer science, information systems management, engineering, mathematics or operations research) you must submit a full transcript for your qualifying bachelor's degree in addition to a transcript for your graduate education.
FOR GS-09: If you claim a master's degree in lieu of Specialized Experience submit your full transcript showing your name, the name of the school, the program in which you were enrolled and the date your degree was conferred. Transcripts without a confer date cannot be considered to have resulted in a degree and may not be usable to demonstrate your "in lieu of Specialized Experience qualifications."
Your degree must be from an accredited institution in a relevant technology field (such as cybersecurity, computer science, information systems management, engineering, mathematics or operations research) or include at least 24 semester hours of coursework in those areas.
If you claim a bachelor's degree followed by 2 academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree in a relevant technology field (such as cybersecurity, computer science, information systems management, engineering, mathematics or operations research) submit the full transcript for your bachelor's degree as well as the transcript that supports your 2 academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree.
Unofficial transcripts or screenshots of electronic/web transcripts with the required information will be accepted at the time of application. CHECK YOUR UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT TO CONFIRM IT SHOWS THE REQUIRED INFORMATION. You must upload your transcripts as part of your application. Documents will not be accepted via email or regular mail.
Foreign Education: Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the education requirement, but you must also provide documentation that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in a conventional/accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to acquire and provide Certification of US equivalency as part of your application. For a list of Credential Evaluation Services see: Credential Evaluation Services.
If selected, you will be required to provide your official college transcripts prior to the effective date of your appointment.
How you will be evaluated You must complete a USAHire Assessment as part of your application (see HOW TO APPLY for more information).
(1) You will receive a score based on your responses to the USAHire Assessment, which will evaluate your knowledge, skills and abilities as they pertain to:
Accountability
Arithmetic
Attention to Detail
Customer Service
Decision Making
Flexibility
Integrity/Honesty
Interpersonal Skills
Learning
Mathematical Reasoning
Reasoning
Self-Management
Stress Tolerance
Teamwork
The USAHire Assessment includes a cut-off score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in the critical competencies. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut-off score or fail to complete the assessments.
(2) HR will review transcripts for applicants who meet or exceed the USAHire cut-off score to determine eligibility for the Recent Graduates Program.
(3) Resumes and transcripts for applicants who meet or exceed the USAHire cut-off score and demonstrate eligibility for the Recent Graduates Program will be forwarded to the hiring office for further consideration.
The hiring office will review those documents and determine which applicants they want to interview.
Remember that your application documents will form the hiring office's first impression of your qualifications. Not all applicants will be interviewed so it's important to be clear and specific about your education, IT Competencies and experience.
APPLICANTS WITHOUT SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:
It's expected that some applicants may qualify on education alone and may not have relevant work experience, but you must still submit a resume that details your qualifications. For entry level positions, any tasks you performed, for example, during a capstone project, internship or heavy coursework can be considered experience and should be included in your resume.How to apply To successfully apply for this position, you must complete:(1) the Initial Application AND (2) the USAHire Assessment
You may email HR Staffing - Team Seven@ssa.gov with inquiries about the initial application process PRIOR TO the closing of the announcement. Questions pertaining to the USAHire Assessment must be submitted to the USAHire Help Desk (see below).
(1) INITIAL APPLICATIONS must be received by 11:59 pm (EST) November 6, 2026, and must include:
A. responses to questionnaire
B. uploaded resume, transcript(s) and, if applicable DD-214
See QUALIFICATIONS, EDUCATION, REQUIRED DOCUMENTS and HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED before you submit your application,
To submit the initial application:
(1) Click APPLY to create a USAJobs Account or log into your existing account.
(2) Confirm that your USAJobs Biographic Information is correct.
(3) Follow prompts to complete the questionnaire and upload required documents.
(4) Click Submit My Answers at the end of the process.
(5) Recommended: "View/Print My Answers" to confirm you have answered every question as intended
(6) Optional: Print a copy of the announcement for your reference if you are called for an interview
(7) REQUIRED: Look for an email with information about completing the USAHire Assessment
The questionnaire takes about 5 minutes. Answer all questions and follow instructions. Your eligibility will be based on your responses compared to your supporting documents. Be sure to answer all questions.
We cannot accept documents submitted via email, fax, or standard mail, but you may email inquiries about the position or How to Apply PRIOR TO the closing of the announcement.
Individuals with hearing or speech disabilities may use the listed email or 7-1-1 for TTY-based Telecommunications Relay Services to call the listed phone number. Additional Telecommunications Relay Services options are available in each state: https://www.fcc.gov/general/trs-state-and-territories.
Notice Concerning Materially False, Fictitious or Fraudulent Statements -- Anything you claim in the occupational questionnaire, or your resume is subject to verification. By submitting your application, you are certifying that any statements you make are true, complete, and correct to the best of your knowledge and belief and are made in good faith. Materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or representations are subject to disciplinary action.
(2) USAHIRE ASSESSMENT
After you successfully submit your Initial Application, you will be sent a notification (on-screen and by email) advising if you are required to take the USAHire Assessment. Check Spam and Junk folders!
If you completed an assessment for the same grade and series within the previous year, you may not have to complete another assessment at this time. Some applicants may have taken a portion of the assessment during a previous application for a different grade and/or series and will only be required to take the remaining portions.
If you are required to take the Assessment, you will receive a unique URL to access USAHire using your USAJOBS login. Review the USAHire instructions prior to beginning the assessment.
Set aside 2-3 hours to take the assessment; however, it usually takes less time. The deadline for completion of the USAHire Assessment will be stated in the email, but you'll have at least 48 hours to complete it.
You can stop an assessment and continue later by re-using the URL but note that some parts are timed and it's not advised to stop during those parts. Continuing at a later time does not extend the deadline! (The URL can also be found on the Additional Application Information page located in the application record in your USAJOBS account.)
If you need USAHire assistance (e.g., inability to access the assessment link, technical difficulty after accessing the link or other questions) contact Submit a USA Hire Help Desk ticket.
Reasonable Accommodation for USAHire Assessment: If you have a physical or mental disability covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 that would interfere with completing the USAHire Assessment you may request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. The request and supporting documents must be received prior to starting the USAHire Assessment. Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis and you will receive notice of the decision prior to receiving an email to complete the USAHire Assessment. You must complete the assessment within 48 hours of receiving the URL. See USAHire Reasonable Accommodation Request for more information. Other information Additional selections for this position may be made for up to six months from the closing date of this announcement.
If you are a male born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov .
If you are a federal contractor, do not identify yourself as a federal employee.
See QUALIFICATIONS and EDUCATION for important information pertaining to this position.
See HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED, HOW TO APPLY and REQUIRED DOCUMENTS for information on applying for this position.
This is a developmental /career-ladder position offering the opportunity for noncompetitive promotion up to GS-12 based on performance.
Selectees will participate in a 1-year developmental program. Upon successful completion of the program, you may be non-competitively converted to a term (not to exceed 1-4 years) or permanent appointment.
This is an Excepted Service, non-bargaining unit position on a full-time, flex-time schedule.
This position is not authorized to be filled virtually or through outstationing. One or more positions may be filled at any of the listed locations / Official Duty Stations (ODS). To participate in telework, when authorized, you must reside within a 2-hour commute to your assigned/chosen ODS.
Relocation expenses will not be paid; salary will be set in accordance with locality pay provisions.
DENVER: GS-07 $56,262 - $73,142 GS-09 $68,819 - $89,470
DURHAM: GS-07 $52,693 - $68,502 GS-09 $64,453 - $83,794
WOODLAWN: GS-07 $58,193 - $75,653 GS-09 $70,623 - $91,815
Work is performed in an office environment but may involve occasional travel or after-hours work during security incidents or system upgrades. No special physical effort is required.
Successful performance of work in this position and adherence to conditions of this position will be assessed during the 1-year trial period served by new appointees under the Recent Graduates Program.
This is a special sensitive position. You may be required to complete Standard Form 86, Questionnaire for Sensitive Positions, to have the appropriate investigation conducted.
Program participants serving on appointments for 1 year or less are generally not eligible for the Federal Employees Retirement System or the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance program and the Thrift Savings Program.
Participants serving on appointments for more than 90 days may be eligible for the Federal Employees Health Benefits program.
Position is assigned to:
Security and Resiliency
Cybersecurity