United States Court of Federal Claims

717 Madison Place NW

Washington, DC 20005

POSITION VACANCY

Announcement Number: CFC-2024-02-IT

Position Title: Systems Engineer

Open Date: January 15, 2024

Close Date: Open Until Filled

Type of Appointment / Position: Permanent / High Sensitive

Grade / Salary Range: CL-28 ($79,339 - $128,992)

Promotion potential up to CL-29

Duty Location: Washington, DC (conveniently located across from the White House 

and Lafayette Park, one block from McPherson Square Metro) 

Who May Apply: U.S. Citizens (or persons eligible to work in the United States)

Position Overview and Representative Duties:

The Systems Engineer is responsible for all servers and related equipment hosted locally at the U.S. Court of 

Federal Claims (USCFC) as well as the virtual servers and environment hosted at the Judiciary Datacenters 

(JDC). This position is located in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims IT/Systems Office. The incumbent is 

responsible for the engineering, configuration, installation, maintenance, and upgrade of all windows-based 

equipment including all servers, storage, and host operating systems on physical or virtual servers; provides 

technical IT support and training to the court unit staff; works with major national systems and those 

developed or customized for local use. The incumbent works with management in planning, design, 

maintenance, and support of systems to improve efficiencies. Customer service is a key to the success of the 

court unit and must be demonstrated by the incumbent.

This position is eligible for regular and recurring telework. The actual amount of telework is based on the 

suitability of the candidate, the position, and the needs of the court.

No relocation expenses will be paid.

General Experience:

The candidate must have IT support experience and a performance history that demonstrates outstanding 

customer service and troubleshooting skills. The candidate will be responsible for the installation, 

configuration, and administration of all servers and associated computer center equipment. The ideal 

candidate will have significant experience and certifications in the areas of VMWare and Microsoft Windows 

Server/Active Directory. The successful candidate will be a self-starter who is able to work with minimal 

direction. The ability to create and maintain appropriate system configuration documentation is also required.

• Design, configure, and implement enterprise class computer system hardware and operating system 

software.

• Install, configure, and maintain enterprise storage solutions. 

• Design, install, and maintain server environments using virtualization technology.
• Provides expert level systems administration of Windows Active Directory including maintaining file 

servers, group policy, replication, print servers, DNS, DHCP, and VMware with DEM.

• Install, configure, and utilize enterprise tools for the monitoring and administration of enterprise 

network and server systems, ensuring efficient operations 24/7.

• Plan, coordinate, implement, and test system security measures to protect data, software, and 

hardware. Monitor and optimize hardware, operating systems, and databases to improve system 

performance and reliability.

• Develop and implement short-term and long-range system improvement plans for the court unit, 

ensuring that the changes can be implemented with minimal disruption at the court site.

• Provides expert level assistance to other IT/Systems Office Staff in areas including system 

administration, PC configuration, troubleshooting, and management.

• Provide training on new hardware, programs, and databases to all staff members as well as refresher 

training as needed.

• Provide day-to-day system backup, and regularly monitor day-to-day operations of the equipment and 

systems. Recommend updates to ensure continued operation, and act as the technical expert in 

solving computer system problems. Install security, operating system patches, and database software 

upgrades.

• Other technical duties as assigned.

Certifications:

• Candidates with certifications from Microsoft and VMware are strongly preferred.

IT experience in federal courts, law firms, or other legal environments is highly desirable, as is training in or a 

working knowledge of the following areas: Office 365, SharePoint, OneDrive, Kace Systems Deployment, 

and other areas relevant to the position. 

The successful candidate must be a self-starter as well as detail oriented. The candidate must be highly 

organized and tactful, possess good judgment, poise and initiative, and maintain a professional appearance 

and demeanor at all times. Must have strong prioritizing and problem-solving skills. Must have solid 

communication skills (written & oral) to communicate effectively with persons within the court of various 

levels of technology expertise front line staff to chambers, as well as with persons outside the court. A 

demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with others in a team environment and to exhibit a professional 

manner is a must. 

To qualify at the CL 28 level: Two years of specialized experience, including at least one year equivalent to 

work at the CL-27 or the completion of a master’s degree or two years of graduate study (27 semester or 54 

quarter hours) in an accredited university in information technology or a field closely related to the subject 

matter of the position. Specialized experience is progressively responsible experience in or closely related to 

the work of the position that has provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the 

position successfully. 

Preferred Qualifications: Completion of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in 

information technology or a related field. Five (5) years of specialized experience which demonstrates 

working knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the Systems Engineer may be 

substituted for the degree requirement.
Benefits:

• 11 paid holidays, 13-26 days paid annual leave (increases with service), 13 days paid sick leave 

annually

• Family and Medical Leave Act and Paid Parental Leave after 12 months of federal, civilian service

• Participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). Optional participation in the Thrift

Savings Plan (up to 5% employer matched contributions).

• Optional participation in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB), Federal Dental and 

Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP), the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (FEGLI), and the 

Flexible Benefits Program

• Public transportation subsidy, on-site fitness center, Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

• Public Service Loan Forgiveness program pursuant to the term of the (PSLF) program

How to Apply: 

To apply for this position, you must combine ALL documents listed below into a single PDF file and email to 

uscfcjobs@cfc.uscourts.gov. Zip files and faxes will not be accepted. Please include the Title and Job 

Announcement Number in the subject line.

• Cover Letter (include the Announcement Number and the position title and address your qualifications 

relating to the duties and responsibilities of this position);

• Résumé;

• Form AO78 Federal Judiciary Application Form which can be found at: 

www.uscourts.gov/uscourts/FormsAndFees/Forms/AO078.pdf;

• Three (3) business/professional references with name, affiliation, and contact information;

• Salary History for prior three (3) years;

• If a current Federal Civilian Employee, your latest Personnel Evaluation and your latest SF-50; and,

• If a current or recently discharged or retired military member, your latest Officer Evaluation Report 

(OER), Enlisted Evaluation Report (EER) or equivalent, and a copy of your DD Form 214.

What to Expect Next

• The court will conduct an evaluation of each applicant’s qualifications and materials after receipt of a 

complete application package. 

• Applicants selected for an interview will be contacted. Interviews may commence immediately. 

• The court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement, to withdraw the job 

announcement, and/or to commence interviews immediately, any of which actions may occur without 

prior written or other notice.

• This is an “Excepted Appointment” and an “At Will” position. Federal Government Civil Service 

classifications or regulations do not apply.

• All appointments are subject to a full background check including an FBI Fingerprint Background 

Check, as well as periodic reinvestigation.

• If offered employment, such employment will be provisional pending the satisfactory completion of a 

mandatory Fingerprint and Background Investigation. The provisional nature of your employment, 

however, will not affect your start date, salary, or other benefits.

• No phone calls please. Only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
• The United States Court of Federal Claims is an Equal Opportunity Employer.