IT Specialist (Systems Analysis)"Product Manager", GS-2210-14, FPL GS-14, Term, DH, Open Continuous

Summary

This position is in the U.S. Department of Education (ED), Federal Student Aid (FSA), Technology Directorate (TD). The Technology Directorate provides information technology services for all FSA systems, promoting the effective and secure use of technology to achieve FSA’s strategic objectives through sound planning, investments, integrated technology architectures and standards, effective systems development, production support, and cybersecurity services.

Duties

• This is an open continuous announcement with cutoff dates.
• Applications will be referred based on receipt of application and established cutoff dates as follows:1st cutoff date: 07/20/2026Last cutoff date: 07/30/2026This is a term position with a Not to exceed 13 months which can be extended up to ten year with a possibility of being converted to permanent.
• Note: There is a full time permanent competitive position being announced at the same time for another position under FSA-2026-0125, if you would like to be considered for both.
• Applicants must apply for both announcements as they are two different appointment lengths.
• We encourage you to read this entire vacancy announcement prior to submitting your application.
• As an IT Specialist (System Analysis) "Product Manager",
• GS-2210-14, you will be responsible for:
• Leading the development of FSA products by understanding the needs of students, families, and stakeholders, translating insights into product roadmaps, prioritizing high-impact features, and measuring success by user outcomes.
• Serving as the bridge between policy goals, technical systems, and user needs by translating complex constraints into actionable requirements and ensuring compliant, secure, and user-friendly solutions at national scale.
• Collaborating and aligning with contractors, partner agencies, and cross-functional teams to align efforts with the product vision, hold vendors accountable for outcomes, and deliver tangible improvements for users.
• Fostering a product culture of experimentation, data-driven decision-making, and continuous improvement while providing vision and expert recommendations that align government staff and vendors around shared goals for students and families.
• Applying deep experience building and managing products at scale to ensure FSA systems deliver accurate, secure, reliable, and seamless experiences while protecting sensitive personal and financial data.

Requirements

• Conditions of employment
• Must be a US Citizen.
• Must complete a Background Investigation and Fingerprint check.
• Males 18 and over must be registered with the Selective Service.
• Relocation will not be paid.
• You may be subject to serve a one-year probationary period.
• Condition of Employment:
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a probationary period or trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.
• In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:
• Your performance and conduct;
• The needs and interests of the agency;
• Whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• Whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
• Upon completion of your probationary period OR trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
• You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement.
• 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 paid employment.
• We will consider all qualifying experience, including any volunteer experience.

Qualifications

• Minimum Qualification

Requirements

• You may meet the minimum qualifications for the GS-14, if you possess the specialize experience.
• Specialized Experience for the GS-14:
• One year of experience in either federal or non-federal service that is equivalent to at least a GS-13 performing two (2) out of three (3) of the following duties or work assignments:
• Experience serving as the product expert in the development of a scaled technology platform.
• Experience serving as a product manager, overseeing internal and external software development, testing, integration, and operation.
• Experience communicating technical concepts to non-technical audiences and translating business requirements into technical user stories.
• Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities (KSAs)
• The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). You do not need to provide separate narrative responses to these KSAs, as they will be measured by your responses to the occupational questionnaire (you may preview the occupational questionnaire by clicking the link at the end of the Evaluations section of this vacancy announcement).
• Knowledge of product management principles, with a focus on user-centered design and measurable outcomes.
• Skill in translating policy and technical requirements into intuitive, scalable product solutions.
• Skill in managing vendors and cross-functional teams to deliver results and drive tangible product improvements.
• Ability to inspire and sustain a mission-driven product culture and drive collaborative efforts amongst the teams.
• Knowledge of building and operating large-scale, mission-critical systems or comparable technology infrastructure.
• Education
• Applicants may qualify by meeting or exceeding the minimum proficiency level established for each of the required competencies, in addition to meeting the specialized experience requirement as demonstrated through the assessment of skills.
• You must possess IT-related experience (paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training (e.g., IT certification), as appropriate) demonstrating each of the nine competencies listed below.
• Attention to Detail
• Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.
• Customer Service
• Works with clients and customers (i.e., 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.
• 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.

Additional Information

Veterans’ Career Counseling: If you are a veteran interested in receiving tips on preparing a Federal resume and/or how to prepare for an interview, you may email careers@ed.gov to schedule a session with a career counselor (“Veterans Counseling Session” should be placed in the subject line of the email).

Student Loan Default: If selected for this position, we will verify that you have not defaulted on any loan funded or guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are found to be in default, we will contact you to make arrangements for repayment prior to making an official offer of employment.

Suitability and Investigation: If selected for this position, you will be required to complete the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine your suitability for federal employment and successfully complete a pre-appointment investigation/background check.

Essential/Non-Essential: This position is considered essential for purposes of reporting to work during federal government closures.

Financial Disclosure: This position does not require financial disclosure.

Bargaining Unit: This position is not included in the bargaining unit.

Selections: Agencies have broad authority under law to hire from any appropriate source of eligibles and may fill a vacancy in the competitive service by any method authorized. We may make additional selections from this vacancy announcement within 90 days from the date the selection certificates are issued, should vacancies occur.

We may also share selection certificates amongst program offices across the agency.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package.

As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding.

As an ED employee, you will also benefit from our family-friendly work environment. As part of our commitment to maintain a work life balance, we offer excused leave for Parent/Teacher Conferences (3 hours); excused leave for annual health screenings (4 hours); and matching leave for community volunteer service. Other flexibilities that may be available to you include alternative work schedules.

You may be eligible to receive a recruitment incentive for this position. To receive this incentive payment, you will be required to sign a service agreement obligating you to remain with the U.S. Department of Education for a specified period as agreed upon. You may be eligible to receive a relocation incentive for this position.

To receive this incentive payment, you will be required to sign a service agreement obligating you to remain with the U.S. Department of Education for a specified period as agreed upon. You may be eligible to participate in the Student Loan Repayment Program as a recruitment incentive for this position.

To receive student loan repayments, you will be required to sign a service agreement obligating you to remain with the U.S. Department of Education for a specified period as agreed upon.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be EvaluatedYou will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

We will review your application and documentation submitted to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications and competencies listed in this vacancy announcement.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), and the result of the Monster Competency Based Assessment(s) required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

Non-Supervisory: Oral Communications, Writing, Interpersonal Skills, Problem Solving, Teamwork, Technology Orientation, Customer Service, Attention to Detail and Self-ManagementYou will be evaluated to determine if you meet qualifications required, and on the extent to which your application shows that you possess the knowledge, skills and abilities associated with this position as defined in the Qualifications section.

Please be sure to give examples in your resume and explain how often you used these skills, the complexity of the knowledge you possessed, the level of people you interacted with, and the complexity and sensitivity of the issues you handled.

Based on the outcome of this evaluation, your application data may be further assessed by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) panel. If your qualifications are not substantiated by your submitted resume, you may be eliminated from receiving further consideration.

If you are found to be amongst the most highly qualified applicants, you will be referred to the selecting official. As part of the assessment and selection process, the selecting official may invite you to participate in a structured interview, check your references, and/or request that you submit a writing sample or complete a written assessment or exercise to further evaluate your qualifications for this position.

You may preview questions for this vacancy.