Interviewing with the Technology Transformation Services (TTS) Design Team

We’re excited to be moving forward with your interviews! Below is more information to help you understand the interview and hiring process, along with additional resources covering our benefits and organization.

What to expect after submitting your resume

Applications are being reviewed on an ongoing basis. If the team finds that there is a position match for your skills and experience, we will reach out. Due to a high volume of applications received, we are unable to contact each applicant regarding the status of their application.
For those who are reviewed and there appears to be a potential match, we’ll move on to the “Interview process and timeline” section below

Interview process and timeline

The interview process is up to 4 rounds and is as follows. The total process will be up to 4+ hours in duration (spread across multiple dates). This process can take place over several weeks.

Phone Screen Interview (60 minutes) — Phone Interview with a member of the interviewing team to discuss your background *Note: For Spanish/English Bilingual roles the phone screen and interviews will be partly in Spanish
For Bilingual roles, there will be a written assessment in Spanish (Candidates will skip this step for non-bilingual opportunities)
Technical Interview (60 minutes) - This is a behavioral style interview which will deeper dive into your technical expertise. For Service Design, Product Design, or UX Design interviews, part of this interview will include going over a work sample provided by the candidate, and will also discuss the candidate’s approach. Note: For Bilingual roles, there will be a written assessment in place of the work sample (see step 2 above)
Collboration Interview (60 minutes) - This is a behavioral style interview which will deeper dive into a candidate’s experience with teamwork and collaboration
Core Values Interview (60 minutes) - This is a behavioral style interview to evaluate alignment with TTS core values of inclusion, integrity, and impact
A final call with the proposed destination team and candidate may occur at the end of the interview process. It is an open ended conversation and a chance for the candidate and proposed destination team to get to know each other to see if there is mutual interest and skillset fit

We typically use Google Meet for our video interviews — if you are not comfortable or familiar with using Google Meet let your recruiter know and they will be happy to set up a test chat with you prior to your interviews! If you have specific scheduling accommodation needs (such as closed captioning requirements, time of day availability, etc.) please let us know. In case there are technical issues with a video call, you will also be provided with a dial-in number you can call by phone. We realize video chats aren’t an option for everyone, so we are also happy to work with a candidate’s individual needs to ensure they have a good interviewing experience and can use their preferred method of communication.

Interviews can take up to several weeks as we try to work with everyone’s schedule. We encourage our hiring teams to make selections as quickly as possible, but it can sometimes take several weeks before we are able to share the team’s decision after your final interview. We want you to be able to present your best self! To help, we will provide Interview questions ahead of the interviews via email.

Please note, we will request references if you are selected to move forward in the process.

Time to hire

It’s important to note that once we have made a hiring decision, it can often take 2 - 2.5 months to move through the onboarding process and confirm your final start date. This part of the process includes some background checks for security clearance needs, sorting out IT gear,badging, direct deposit, and negotiating your start date. We have a member of the Talent Team fully dedicated to ensuring that this part of the process moves as smoothly as possible. Please let your recruiter know if this estimate conflicts with your required timeline for securing a new role.

Length of role

Government hiring is different from industry hiring. This role is a DHA (Direct Hire Authority) term appointment in the 2210 technical job series, with an initial term of 3 years which can be extended up to 8 years in duration based on solid performance in the role and organizational need.

Grade levels and calculating pay

This position is subject to the GS pay scale so if you haven’t already, please be sure to check out the pay for your locality using OPM’s pay calculator. GSA’s max salary has increased to $183,500. You cannot be offered more than this under any circumstance. Understanding the relationship between GS grade level, location, and compensation is important to understanding how salaries work at TTS. Each GS grade level contains a series of 10 steps. New employees are usually hired at Step 1 of a GS grade. However, in special circumstances, agencies may authorize a higher step rate for a newly-appointed federal employee based on a special need of the agency or superior qualifications of the prospective employee. Hiring needs throughout the year may include roles at the GS13, GS14, and GS15 level. Your approved GS level will depend on qualification from an HR specialist if you are selected at the end of the interview process. If you have questions or concerns about the salary for this role, please let your recruiter know so you can have a more in-depth conversation.

Benefits

In addition to joining a passionate, nationwide team, there are many other benefits and perks associated with joining TTS. The benefits package for federal employees includes medical, vision, and dental insurance, FSA accounts, life insurance, paid leave, and the Thrift Savings Plan (the government version of a 401K) with up to five percent matching. Our telework policy affords increased flexibility, and employees who use public transit to commute may access commuter benefits. TTS also supports employees’ ongoing professional development by providing training opportunities and encouraging employees to participate in conferences, training, and other industry events. The TTS Handbook includes:

Note: If you are coming over from another agency where you received award leave, unfortunately it will not carry over to GSA. Sick leave and annual leave do transfer, however.

More about working at TTS

The Technology Transformation Service (TTS) exists under the domain of the General Services Administration (GSA). TTS is home to the following offices: 18F, Centers of Excellence, Office of Acquisition, Office of Solutions, and Presidential Innovation Fellows. You can read more info about each office on our Join page. You can also read more about each of these groups at their TTS Handbook Pages: Acquisition | cloud.gov | Design | Engineering | login.gov | Product | Strategy

Thank you for taking the time to talk to our team and for your interest in public service!