FMS-ACES Tier 2 Application Support Specialist (Appian Service Desk)

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This position supports the Foreign Military Sales – Army Case Execution System ( FMS-ACES ) Product Office. FMS-ACES is the first Defense Business System (DBS) program in the DoDI 5000.87 Software Acquisition Pathway, within Capability Program Executive (CPE) Enterprise Software and Services ( CPE ES2 ), located in the PMO Acquisition, Training & Readiness ( AT&R ) portfolio.

FMS-ACES is a cloud-based Platform as a Service (PaaS) providing a user-centric journey design that will modernize the Army’s FMS case execution and management processes from end to end. By stream-lining business processes, data standardization, integrated through state-of-the-art interface management, FMS-ACES will provide accurate case management and business analytics enabling real-time, accurate and informed data-drive decisions for Senior Leaders. FMS-ACES is in development and once fielded subsumes capabilities of a 50-year-old legacy system and consolidates two disparate systems into a single source of Army FMS data. The new system will exchange information with 26 distinct financial and logistic systems of record partners for end-to-end process execution. FMS-ACES will support 2000 users, incorporating 6,200 active FMS cases and 88,000 active requisitions.

Key Features and Capabilities:

Developed using Agile methodologies, FMS-ACES provides a unified environment for managing the full lifecycle of an FMS case:

• Case Management: Streamlines everything from initial case implementation to closeout.
• Real-Time Data: Connects to over 20 government data source systems to provide case officers with accurate, real-time information.
• Enhanced Reporting: Includes advanced automated workflows, data visualization, and comprehensive reporting capabilities.
• Transparency and Collaboration: Allows better end-to-end transparency and coordination between stakeholders like the Department of State and other military departments.

Job Description:

Summary: The Tier 2 Application Support Specialist delivers advanced technical application support, incident resolution, and user enablement for the Foreign Military Sales – Army Case Execution System (FMS-ACES). Operating within the Army Enterprise Service Management Platform (AESMP / ServiceNow), the specialist diagnoses intermediate-to-advanced application, data, and platform issues on the Appian Cloud environment, coordinates Tier 3 engineering escalations, and champions user adoption across the Army FMS enterprise.

Core Duties & Responsibilities:

• Serve as the primary Tier 2 escalation point, diagnosing complex incidents across the Appian platform.
• Perform root-cause analysis to distinguish between user training gaps, platform configuration errors, and backend software defects.
• Execute SQL queries to inspect backend data structures, validate data integrity, and isolate transactional anomalies.
• Package diagnostic data, system logs, and reproducible steps to execute seamless handoffs to Tier 3 engineering and DevOps teams.
• Manage end-user lifecycle support: user account provisioning, role-based access control (RBAC), and authentication troubleshooting.
• Log, track, and manage tickets within the Army Enterprise Service Management Platform (AESMP/ServiceNow) adhering strictly to defined Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
• Provide scheduled on-call support for mission-critical and severity-1 system incidents.
• Analyze recurring ticket trends to recommend system optimizations, workflow automation, or targeted training interventions.
• Author and update Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Knowledge Base (KB) articles, user manuals, and desk reference guides.
• Partner with Quality Assurance (QA) and Database Administrators (DBAs) to test bug fixes and validate performance.
• Actively participate in Agile/Scrum ceremonies (Sprint Planning, Daily Standups, Retrospectives) to relay user feedback and defect reports directly to development squads.
• Support User Acceptance Testing (UAT), deployment dry-runs, and user training sessions across the enterprise.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Mathematics, or related technical discipline (or equivalent accredited technical training / 4+ years additional direct experience in lieu of degree).
• 4+ years of progressive IT service desk or application support experience.
• Hands-on experience troubleshooting enterprise low-code platforms (Appian Cloud environment preferred).
• Proficiency in writing and executing SQL queries for data validation and issue analysis.
• Working knowledge of ITSM frameworks (ITIL) and enterprise ticketing systems (AESMP / ServiceNow).
• CompTIA Security+ CE (or active DoD 8140/8570.01-M IAT Level II baseline certification) OR ITIL 4 Foundation certification (as specified by task order requirements).
• Familiarity with DoD 8500-series directives, NIST SP 800-37 / RMF concepts, and DISA STIG compliance standards.
• Active DoD Secret Clearance (U.S. Citizenship mandatory).

Preferred / Desired Qualifications

• 2+ years supporting enterprise implementations of Contract Writing Systems (CWS) or defense financial/case management systems.
• Direct operational knowledge of the Army Foreign Military Sales (FMS) enterprise.
• Working knowledge of Appian architecture, including in-memory engines (KDB), custom plug-ins, and REST/SOAP API integrations.
• Experience with Agile/Scrum delivery tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence).
• Appian Certified Associate Developer or Appian Certified Analyst credential.

Place of Performance:

• The contractor will follow a hybrid work environment for the Place of Performance:
• On-site performance of services by the Contractor at Government facilities shall be accomplished primarily in northern Virginia, when required. Quarterly workshops at New Cumberland or northern Virginia.

Benefits

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Training & Development
• Wellness Resources