Principal Continuity Communications Engineer

JOB OVERVIEW

The Target Hiring Range for this position is: $155,097- $173,000

About Us

The Senate Sergeant at Arms (SAA) plays a crucial role in upholding the operational integrity of the Senate community. Our vision is to foster an environment of innovation, collaboration, and adaptability, ensuring uninterrupted legislative proceedings irrespective of time, place, or circumstance.

Role Overview

Join the Sergeant at Arms Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) as a Principal Continuity Communications Engineer within the Technology and Communications Resilience Directorate. In this role, you will be responsible for communication resilience efforts ensuring the availability and integrity of communication capabilities. Your focus will be to provide expertise and drive innovation specific to secure and emergency communications. Additionally, you will provide general support for satellite communications, mobile communication vehicles, and data center resilience efforts. Your leadership and vision will be essential in balancing innovation with operational excellence while expanding our efforts.

Key Responsibilities

• Championing Innovation: Research and share technological or communication developments within the functional areas and provide long-term strategies for adoption within an existing infrastructure.
• Operational Leadership: Provide technical leadership within the team, identify operational gaps, and make recommendations to improve efficiencies. Represent the Technology and Communications Resilience Team and SAA interests remotely.
• Collaborative Engagement: Establish and deepen relationships with Industry Partners. Work in close collaboration with colleagues within the Technology and Communications Resilience team and liaise with SAA departments. Participate in cross-functional meetings as the subject matter expert for the key functional areas. Your role is critical in optimizing alignment in the execution of mission requirements.
• Evaluate and share knowledge of communication advances within private industry and government channels; evaluate and make recommendations for adoption and implementation of new and innovative technologies; provide expert-level technical support to the Mobile Communication Vehicle Program.
• Monitor, evaluate, and resolve communication issues; deploy the vehicle as directed. Conduct operational checklists and troubleshoot issues; provide support to the Senate community as directed. This requires excellent customer service and diplomacy skills.
• Ability to conduct research and develop a long-term strategic plan.

Key Accountabilities/Essential Job Duties

Engineers and designs secure and deployable communications infrastructure in support of Continuity Communications initiatives. Develops infrastructure drawings and operational documentation. Ensures device availability, integrity, and user confidence; maintains and reports situational awareness of procurement avenues; provides escalation troubleshooting support; coordinates regular functional testing. Leads Communications Security (COMSEC) initiatives; ensures Senate office compliance with established COMSEC policies and rectifies discrepancies with established NSA policies. Serves as an alternate Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) Manager. Assists managing programs to ensure sufficient safeguards are in place to protect sensitive information, personnel, and property against unauthorized access. This includes developing policies and procedures. Leads continuity communications exercises and drills with internal and external stakeholders. This includes coordinating feedback from stakeholders to draft COOP plans and after-action reports. Manages and utilizes emergency management notification systems and software to improve situational awareness during day-to-day operations and emergency events. Coordinates implementation of communications resources with other Senate and Legislative Branch stakeholders. Leads and participate in various communication. Other duties as assigned.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS

Required Education

High School Diploma/GED.

Other Duties/ Responsibilities

• Assists the Communication Resilience Manager with coordinating team schedules and deliverables.

Required Work Experience

• GED with 11-15 years of relevant work experience; Bachelor's with 8-11 years of relevant work experience; Master's with 6-8 years of relevant work experience.

Required Special Skills/ Knowledge

• As part of our hiring process, we may conduct a skills assessment to better understand an applicant’s proficiency in key areas relevant to the role.
• Knowledge of current and emerging secure and emergency communication technologies and principles of information technology management.
• Knowledge of capabilities and requirements of various computer platforms in centralized, distributed, and client server and stand-alone operating environments.
• Knowledge of project management principles and practices; ability to set goals and to plan, monitor and evaluate project or contract budgets; ability to organize and coordinate resources to achieve project and organizational goals and objectives efficiently and effectively.
• Knowledge of current industry best practices for business continuity, resilience, and recovery.
• Ability to plan, manage, and supervise various COOP exercises and events.
• Ability to provide budgetary forecasting and written justifications of expenditures.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with Senate staff.
• Ability to communicate effectively.

Desired Qualifications

• Ability to climb ladders.
• Ability to work in confined spaces.
• Ability to drive and operate a Mobile Communications Vehicle (Commercial Driver’s License not required) .

Working Conditions

• This position directly supports essential services of the U.S. Senate. As such, this position requires the employee be available and prepared to work during a lapse, in inclement weather, on holidays, weekends, and during late nights to ensure essential services to the Senate continue without interruption. In the context of government furloughs, this position is considered excepted.
• This position may require the incumbent to be available for sudden recall in response to emergency events affecting the Senate campus/community, which may include after-hours or weekend work, and to potentially deploy to alternate sites in support of the Senate’s contingency operations.
• Work is performed primarily on-site with some flexibility to work remotely. Work requires occasional walking, standing, bending, safely carrying items less than 25 pounds, and may require extended periods of computer use.

Security Clearance

• This position requires that the applicant obtain and maintain a Secret U.S. Government security clearance.
• Applicants must be U.S. citizens in order for the SAA to submit your application for a security clearance.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

To be employed by a Senate employing office in a paid position in the continental United States an individual must:

• Be a U.S. citizen;
• Be lawfully admitted for permanent residence and seeking citizenship as outlined in 8 U.S.C.
• 1324b(a)(3)(B);
• Be (i) admitted as a refugee under 8 U.S.C.
• 1157 or granted asylum under 8 U.S.C.
• 1158 and (ii) have filed a declaration of intention to become a lawful permanent resident and then a citizen when eligible; or
• Owe allegiance to the U.S. (i.e., qualify as a non-citizen U.S. national under federal law).

Employment is contingent on background / security investigation results.

Benefits At-a-glance

The SAA provides a highly competitive benefits package for all SAA staff. Our benefits extend beyond health care coverage to help provide employees with student loan reimbursement, professional development, transportation subsidy, TSP/retirement savings, access to our Employee Assistance Program, and more! For more information regarding SAA’s benefits, please visit https://sen.gov/OPPW .

ACCOMMODATIONS

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, the SAA is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you are interested in applying for employment with SAA and need special assistance or an accommodation to complete the application process, please submit your request to employment@saa.senate.gov with “Accommodation” in the subject line.

VOLUNTARY SELF-IDENTIFICATION FOR VETERANS' PREFERENCE

If you are identifying as veterans' preference eligible under the VEOA, please use this link to complete your application for Veterans' Preference AFTER you apply for this position. The link will also be available on the "Thank You" page after you have submitted your job application.

Candidates only need to apply one time for veterans’ preference to be considered for all future veterans’ preference positions within the Senate Sergeant at Arms.

• All supporting documents must ONLY be provided within the Veterans’ Preference Application and within the stated deadline of the job announcement.
• Late applications for veterans’ preference will not be considered.
• Documentation to obtain veterans’ preference will not be considered if attached to the job application.
• If you need to revise or resubmit your Application for Veterans' Preference/documents, please withdraw your previous Application for Veterans' Preference and resubmit. If you require assistance, please email SAARecruitment@saa.senate.gov .
• To view additional information regarding the VEOA, please click here .

An applicant who declines to self-identify as a disabled veteran and/or to provide information and documentation regarding his/her disabled veteran’s status will not be subjected to an adverse employment action, but the individual may be ruled ineligible for veterans’ preference.