TRAVEL REQUIRED:

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

RELOCATION AUTHORIZED:
Relocation expenses reimbursed No

KEY REQUIREMENTS:
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This announcement is issued under the Direct Hire Authority to recruit for positions for which the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, has a critical hiring need.

Probationary Period: You may be required to serve a probationary period of 1 year.

Residency Requirement: There is a residency requirement for all applicants not currently employed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. This residency requirement states that candidates must have, for three of the last five years immediately prior to applying for this position; (1) resided in the United States; OR (2) worked for the United States Government as an employee overseas in a Federal or Military capacity, OR (3) been a dependent of a U.S. Federal or Military employee serving overseas.

Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.

Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Conditions of Employment:

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National to apply for this position.
• Successfully pass a Background Investigation including financial disclosure.
• You must pass a drug screening.
• You must submit resume and supporting documentation.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered with the Selective Service.
• Political appointees may require OPM approval before on-boarding.

Relocation expenses are authorized if you are a USCIS employee assigned to the Refugee, Asylum and International Operations program and have been approved for rotation from an overseas assignment. Relocation expenses for USCI employees assigned to an OCONUS location will be considered on a case-by-case basis

This vacancy is limited to the first 150 applications received. All applications received prior to midnight (11:59ET) of the day the application limit is reached will be accepted and considered. If the application limit is not reached by the closing date of the announcement, all applications received during the open period will be considered. Any required documents must be submitted at the time that you apply as documents will not be accepted past the day the application limit is reached, if applicable. If you choose to edit your application after it has been submitted, it will be removed from consideration until you re-submit your application. The date your application is last submitted will be used to determine whether you meet the cut-off criteria.

Basic Education - Is required for this position please see education section

GS-7: You qualify at the GS-7 level if you possess one (1) year of specialized experience, which is equivalent to the GS-5 level in the federal government, that equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. You must have experience performing the following duties:

• Assisting with the design of a quantitative study that included addressing the following: identifying which data may address the phenomena being measured, identifying what statistics need to be produced, identifying how estimates will be calculated, and identifying how data will be analyzed.
• Reviewing collected quantitative data to ensure its statistical accuracy (internal and/or external validity) or reliability (precision).
• Producing estimates and outputs. Examples include means, medians, rates, percentiles, totals, and indexes. This may have involved executing computations and/or creating or editing graphs/visualizations of estimates using statistical software.OR
• You may substitute successful completion of one full year of graduate level education for the experience required at the GS-7 level. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent one year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester or 27 quarter hours should be considered as satisfying the one year of full-time study requirement. This education must have been obtained from an accredited college or university and demonstrate the skills necessary to do the work of the position. OR
  - You may also substitute superior academic achievement for the experience required at the GS-7 level. You must have completed the requirements for a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with either: (1) class standing in the upper third of a graduating class or major subdivision; or, (2) a grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale based on four years of education or the final two years; or, (3) a grade point average of 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or, (4) membership in a national scholastic honor society.

GS-9: In addition to the requirements at the lower grade level(s), to qualify at the GS-9 level if you possess one (1) year of specialized experience, which is equivalent to the GS-7 level in the federal government, that equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. You must have experience performing the following duties:

• Assisting with the preparation of data to include, but not limited to, performing statistical processes for weighting data and/or addressing sampling error, or non-sampling error (i.e. non-response error or response error).
• Assisting with drafting portions of technical papers that explain statistical requirements or statistical methods.
• Assisting in performing statistical research that may have included, but not limited to the following topics: evaluating new sampling techniques, analyzing frame data, evaluating alternative estimators, evaluating alternative variance computation techniques, testing better approaches for obtaining survey data, evaluating non-response bias, evaluating seasonal adjustment procedures, evaluating forcasts and projections. OR
• You may substitute a Master's or equivalent degree, or two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or a J.D. or L.L.B degree for experience required at the GS-9 grade level. Such education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. Check with your school to determine how many credit hours comprise two years of graduate education. If that information is not available, use 36 semester or 54 quarter hours

GS-11: In addition to the requirements at the lower grade level(s), to qualify at the GS-11 level if you possess one (1) year of specialized experience, which is equivalent to the GS-9 level in the federal government, that equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. You must have experience performing the following duties:

• Develops with the preparation of data to include, but not limited to, performing statistical processes for weighting data and/or addressing sampling error, or non-sampling error (i.e. non-response error or response error).
• Drafts portions of technical papers that explain statistical requirements or statistical methods.
• Designs and develops performing statistical research that may have included, but not limited to the following topics: evaluating new sampling techniques, analyzing frame data, evaluating alternative estimators, evaluating alternative variance computation techniques, testing better approaches for obtaining survey data, evaluating non-response bias, evaluating seasonal adjustment procedures, evaluating imputation procedures, researching regression trees and estimators, OR systems development and/or testing to document statistical requirements/specifications or test software according to statistical requirements/specifications.
• Manages field data collection activities in large scale statistical surveys or studies. OR
• You may substitute a doctoral degree (PhD or equivalent degree) or three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in any field, or L.L.M. if related for experience at the GS-11 grade level or such education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. Check with your school to determine how many credit hours comprise three years of graduate study. If that information is not available, use 54 semester or 81 quarter hours.

Federal Experience
If you are using current or prior federal experience as a basis for qualifying for this position, the grade levels and length of employment (mm/dd/year) at each grade level must be listed in your work history. This information will be further validated if selected for this position.

National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience)
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build criteria competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer service. Please provide the dates and amount of time/hours worked earning this experience.

Basic Education Requirement: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree that included 15 semester hours in statistics (or in mathematics and statistics, provided at least 6 semester hours were in statistics), AND 9 additional semester hours in one or more of the following: physical or biological sciences, medicine, education, or engineering; or in the social sciences including demography, history, economics, social welfare, geography, international relations, social or cultural anthropology, health sociology, political science, public administration, psychology, etc. Credit toward meeting statistical course requirements should be given for courses in which 50 percent of the course content appears to be statistical methods, e.g., courses that included studies in research methods in psychology or economics such as tests and measurements or business cycles, or courses in methods of processing mass statistical data such as tabulating methods or electronic data processing.
2. Combination of education and experience courses as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. The experience should have included a full range of professional statistical work such as (a) sampling, (b) collecting, computing, and analyzing statistical data, and (c) applying statistical techniques such as measurement of central tendency, dispersion, skewness, sampling error, simple and multiple correlation, analysis of variance, and tests of significance.


COMBINING QUALIFYING EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: If you do not qualify based on experience or education alone, you may be able to qualify based on a combination of your experience and education. For more information on combining education and experience, visit the following website: General Schedule Qualification Standards.

DHS offers competitive salaries and an attractive benefits package, including: health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance; retirement plan; Thrift Savings Plan [similar to a 401(k)]; Flexible Spending Account; Employee Assistance Program; personal leave days; and paid federal holidays. Other benefits may include: flexible work schedules; telework; tuition reimbursement; transportation subsidies; uniform allowance; health and wellness programs; and fitness centers. DHS is committed to employee development and offers a variety of employee training and developmental opportunities. For more information, go to the DHS Careers website and select "Benefits." Disabled veteran leave will be available to any Federal employee hired on or after November 5, 2016, who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or more.

Background Investigation
To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, this position requires completion and adjudication of a background investigation. This may include a review of financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs. The background investigation process is initiated after a selection is made. For more information visit the OPM Mythbuster Page.

If a SECRET or TOP SECRET clearance is needed, all selected candidates must meet the requirements for these clearances prior to placement AND maintain that level of clearance while encumbering the position.

Special Hiring Authorities
The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR § 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR § 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps/VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.

USCIS uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify.

Additional Information
It is our responsibility to eliminate any risks to national security, public health, and public safety that could be posed by individuals who use illegal drugs. This position may be subject to random testing as a condition of employment. A positive drug test or refusal to be tested will result in disciplinary action, up to and including removal from Federal service.

Note:If you previously retired from the Federal service and are receiving an annuity, your salary may be offset by the amount of your annuity.

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You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Under the provisions of the Direct Hire Authority, veterans' preference and category rating do not apply.

You will be evaluated for this position based upon information reflected in your resume. Your resume must support your responses to the job specific assessment questionnaire, level of education claimed, experience, and/or training. To remain in consideration for this position, please ensure your resume covers this requirement and that your resume has been successfully submitted as part of your on-line application package.

Creation of this package includes uploading your resume, and uploading any required supporting documents.

NOTE: Your resume and supporting documentation will be verified. If you rated yourself higher than what is supported by your application material, you may be excluded from consideration for this job. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

If you are found best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be contacted for an interview. To preview the job questionnaire, click here https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10503328 .

Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) Eligible
If you have never worked for the Federal government, you are not CTAP/ICTAP eligible. Information about CTAP or ICTAP eligibility can be found by clicking here to access OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To be considered well qualified under CTAP/ ICTAP, you must be placed in the Well-Qualified category for this position, as described above. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement.

Note: Applicants who are referred to the hiring office for selection consideration may be required to complete a writing sample and/or other writing exercise as part of the interview/selection process. If the hiring office decides to request a writing sample and/or other writing exercise as part of its selection process, a designated contractor or Agency representative will contact you to: (1) inform you of this requirement; and (2) provide further instructions.

Note:

• For definitions of terms found in this announcement, please click here.
• This position is in the bargaining unit.
• This position is not considered "essential" for purposes of reporting to work when the facility might otherwise be closed.
• USCIS may fill one or more positions using this vacancy.

Read more Security clearance Not Required

Drug test required Yes