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