IndexAbstractPosition in the Department of Homeland SecurityRelationship to the Criminal Justice SystemJob Details, Duties, Qualification Requirements, and Selection ProcessJob Details and DutiesQualification RequirementsSelection ProcessConclusionAbstractThis document is a description of the information Job title of Technology Specialist within the Department of Homeland Security. It covers the job description and duties to be performed, the necessary education and experience requirements, as well as the selection process for the job. Also explain why I would be interested in this job position and how it relates to the criminal justice system. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay One career in the criminal justice system that seemed interesting to me is that of an information technology specialist working for the Department of Homeland Security. I currently have a bachelor's degree in Cyber Security and am working on my bachelor's degree in Computer and Network Security. A career dealing with cybercrime would be the ideal fit once you graduate. However, before making a decision, it is important to research the job itself, the scope of duties, the requirements, and the selection process before applying. Location in the Department of Homeland Security It is important to know the information technology specialist location before getting into the details of the job title itself. According to the USAJOBS announcement (2015), the position is with the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team, or US-CERT. The job posting goes on to list each department that US-CERT is a part of, starting with the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC), then the Office of Cybersecurity & Communications, then the National Protection & Programs Directorate, and ending to the Department of Homeland Security. According to the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (2015), “US-CERT develops timely, actionable information for distribution to federal departments and agencies, state and local governments, private sector organizations, and international partners.” (para. 8). Citing the same source, the National Cybersecurity Protection System (NCPS) is also operated by US-CERT and provides intrusion prevention and detection capabilities to some federal agencies (para. 8). Relation to the Criminal Justice System From this information in the previous section alone, it could be deduced that the role of an information technology specialist has a great impact on the criminal justice system with regards to cybercrime. This is primarily because the US-CERT team is providing information on the issue to multiple levels of government. There is further evidence that the US-CERT team has an even more important role than providing information via pranks. According to Bartley (2015), Andy Ozment was the assistant secretary of the Office of Cybersecurity and Communications and testified that US-CERT was involved in the investigation of the Office of Personnel Management hack. Being part of a forensic investigation related to cybercrime, an information technology specialist at US-CERT is undoubtedly a career strongly linked to the criminal justice system. Job Details, Duties, Qualification Requirements, and Selection ProcessJob Details and DutiesAs described earlier in this document, the Information Technology Specialist is a member of the US-CERT team, which focuses on cyberattacks and cybercrime. Going into more detailof the job itself, USAJOBS (2015) describes the primary purpose of specific positions as “…[applying] digital forensics and malware analysis to evaluate, contain, and eliminate malicious software.” (par. 2). Additionally, assistance will be provided to other personnel on issues related to digital evidence (“USAJOBS,” 2015). Therefore, the role of the specific job posting I am reviewing focuses on malware and forensics. According to Shanks (2014), “incident response practices can be improved through forensic analysis, memory dump analysis, and malware sandboxing techniques.” (page 25). Remembering that the US-CERT team provides government agencies with information regarding cyberattacks, this position's role enhances the incident response practice provided by the team. Finally, the USAJOBS post also states that occasional travel of up to 6-10 nights per month is required. Given that this position is heavily focused on malware assessment and forensic analysis, it's safe to say that the purpose of the trip is more than likely to capture forensic images after a cyber attack for later analysis. Qualification Requirements For the purposes of this document, I will limit myself to covering the requirements for the lowest level for this job. USAJOBS (2015) lists three different employment levels available, from GS-11 to GS-13. The Office of Personnel Management states that "The general program has 15 grades: GS-1 (lowest) to GS-15 (highest)" and that "Agencies establish (classify) the grade of each work based on the level of difficulty, responsibility and qualifications required.” Since I don't have much experience at the moment, I'm just finalizing the qualifications for a GS-11 Information Technology Specialist. The first qualification that will be discussed is the prior experience required that to qualify for the position. a candidate must have at least one year of IT experience in a GS-09 level position, or comparable experience in the public or private sector ("USAJOBS", 2015 USAJOBS also requires prior experience to demonstrate 4 competencies Core: Attention to detail, customer service, oral communication, and problem solving In addition to these skills USAJOBS (2015) states:…experience must include activities such as: 1) Assisting in gathering and evaluating system security information. IT; 2) perform forensic analysis on media captures to identify malicious activities and document analytical results derived from such activities; 3) implement and support applicable forensic applications and tools; and 4) document information security incidents and escalation of events, as necessary. (para. 8) Although the requirements for prior experience seem very advanced, I believe they are achievable with hard work and commitment. The second potential qualification is education. According to USAJOBS (2015), a completed Ph.D. or The doctorate may be used in place of the GS-09 year of work experience. This is in line with another article that also states that the education level of the GS-11 position is that of a Ph.D. or Doctorate (Crosby, n.d.). The USAJOBS post (2015) also indicates multiple other equivalent education substitutions, which in any case are almost equivalent to the required educational qualification. This requirement may be more difficult to qualify for than experience and may not be worth the money invested in education. First, completing a doctoral program can take 5 years or more and can cost an average of $123,500 to $181,500 total (“How Much Does a Doctorate Cost?”, n.d.). Second, the GS-11 pay scale only ranges from $51,298 to.
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