IT Specialist; APPSW

Overview

Department: Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory

Location: Cambridge, MA

Compensation: $84,579 - $109,959 / year

Final date to receive applications: 22 February 2026

Opening Date: February 17, 2026

Closing Date: February 22, 2026

Type of Position: Trust Indefinite (Non-Federal)

Division: Business Operations

Location: Cambridge, MA

Area of Consideration: This position is open to all eligible candidates.

Description: This is a career ladder opportunity with promotion potential to grade 12. Selection will be made at grade level 11. The candidate may be non-competitively promoted to the next higher grade level, up to grade 12, upon the supervisor's recommendation, based on classification requirements, satisfactory performance, and the employee's qualifications.

Trust Fund Positions: Trust Fund positions are funded from a variety of sources, including the Smithsonian endowment, business activities, donations, grants, and contracts. Trust employees are not part of the civil service and do not automatically gain Federal status. The salary ranges for trust positions are typically the same as for federal positions. Benefits may include Health, Dental & Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Transit/Commuter Benefits, leave provisions, 403b Retirement Plan, discounts, and other benefits listed in the organization materials.

• Participate in the software development lifecycle, including requirements, design, code, verification and test, maintenance, and support.
• Provide schedule assessment from a technical standpoint and ensure integration of software modules and subsystems (commercial and custom).
• Troubleshoot complex reports, processes, interfaces, and data structures; research and resolve issues.
• Design software in accordance with SAO ITS and OCIO standards and applicable vendor documentation; produce software documentation.
• Verify and evaluate generated software and maintain code as part of an overall system; collaborate with technical and administrative staff to obtain data and define applications.
• Application Development and Enhancement: design, code, test, and deploy modules; modify existing applications to improve functionality, performance, and user experience; conduct unit and integration testing; participate in technical reviews.
• Application Maintenance and Lifecycle Support: perform routine production maintenance, patching, version updates, configuration adjustments; troubleshoot issues and implement corrective actions; monitor performance and maintain technical documentation.
• Requirements Analysis and User Support: gather and document functional requirements; translate needs into technical specifications; provide Tier 2 user support and coordinate UAT; assist with training/demo of new features.
• Data Management: support database queries, validation, and migrations; collaborate with system administrators, cybersecurity staff, and DBAs to ensure integration.
• Security, Compliance, and Quality Assurance: implement security controls, conduct code reviews and vulnerability scans, ensure accessibility (Section 508) and other standards; participate in QA and ongoing improvement.
• Other duties as assigned.

For all positions: IT-related experience demonstrating the following four competencies:

• Attention to Detail – thorough and conscientious about detail.
• Customer Service – ability to work with clients and users to assess needs and provide quality service.
• Oral Communication – effective in presenting information and listening to stakeholders.
• Problem Solving – ability to identify problems, assess information, and recommend solutions.

AND

Candidates for grade 11 must possess a minimum of one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least grade 9 in the normal line of progression for this occupation, or a Ph.D./equivalent doctoral degree or three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D./equivalent degree.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• General knowledge of application development principles, programming languages, and software engineering practices; knowledge of system architecture, APIs, data structures, and relational databases.
• Knowledge of…