Duties

Summary

If you would like to be a part of a Federal organization dedicated to serving our Nation and those who defend it, consider a career with the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DoD OIG). The agency promotes integrity, accountability and improvement of critical DoD programs and operations to support mission accomplishment and to serve the public interest. The DoD offers the full range of Federal benefits and a flexible work schedule, depending on position requirements.
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

• Research and apply mathematical, statistical, and text analyses using software and in coordination with other analysts, through the use of CRISP-DM/Agile methods.
• Effectively communicate analytical methods and results to teammates and prepare technical documentation.
• Assist project teams by translating requirements into useful mathematical, statistical, or text analyses that contribute value to the organization?s mission.
• Assist with preparation of proposals by outlining the hypothesis, requirements, and potential impact of conducting the analysis.
• Provide data preparation for statistical analysis.
• Effectively work in teams to complete analytical projects.

Travel Required

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

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
12

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship or National
• Suitable for Federal Employment
• Registered for Selective Service (if applicable)
• This national security position, which may require access to classified information, requires a favorable suitability review and security clearance as a condition of employment. Failure to maintain security eligibility may result in termination.
• Drug Test required

Qualifications

You must meet the minimum qualification requirements as stated in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Operating Manual, Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions, http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/Standards/group-stds/gs-prof.asp .

Basic Requirement: A degree in operations research; or at least 24 semester hours in a combination of operations research, mathematics, probability, statistics, mathematical logic, science, or subject-matter courses requiring substantial competence in college-level mathematics or statistics. At least 3 of the 24 semester hours must have been in calculus.

Note: Courses acceptable for qualifying for operations research positions may have been taken in departments other than Operations Research, e.g., Engineering (usually Industrial Engineering), Science, Economics, Mathematics, Statistics, or Management Science. The following are illustrative of acceptable courses: optimization; mathematical modeling; queuing theory; engineering; physics (except descriptive or survey courses); econometrics; psychometrics; biometrics; experimental psychology; physical chemistry; industrial process analysis; managerial economics; computer science; measurement for management; mathematical models in social phenomena; and courses that involved application of operations research techniques and methodologies to problems of management, marketing, systems design, and other specialized fields; or other comparable quantitative analysis courses for which college-level mathematics or statistics is a prerequisite.

For the GS-7 level
A. One year of specialized experience equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to that of the next lower grade (GS-05) within the federal service, which demonstrates the ability to perform the duties of the position, is required.

Specialized experience is defined as: applying mathematical, statistical, or text analysis using software packages.

SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE

B. One full year of graduate level education in a field directly related to the position. (One full year of graduate education is the number of hours the school determines to equal one year. If this information is unavailable, 18 semester hours will be used as the standard);
OR
C. Experience as described in (A) above and education as described in (B) above which when combined totals 100% of the necessary education and experience to qualify for this position.
OR
Completion of all the requirements for a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with eligibility for superior academic achievement based on one of the following: a grade point average of a 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale, class standing in the upper third of your graduating class or major subdivision, or membership in a national scholastic honor society.

For the GS-9 level
A. One year of specialized experience equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to that of the next lower grade (GS-07) within the federal service, which demonstrates the ability to perform the duties of the position, is required.

Specialized experience is defined as: applying mathematical, statistical, or text analysis using software packages and developing written summaries and reports to communicate analysis results.

SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE
B. A Master's or equivalent graduate degree in a field directly related to the position or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D. that may be substituted to meet the specialized experience requirement.
OR
C. Experience as described in (A) above and education as described in (B) above which when combined totals 100% of the necessary education and experience to qualify for this position.

For the GS-11 level
A. One year of specialized experience equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to that of the next lower grade (GS-09) within the federal service, which demonstrates the ability to perform the duties of the position, is required.

Specialized experience is defined as: applying mathematical, statistical, or text analysis using software packages, communicating analysis results, and using those results to promote new policy formulation, program formulation and oversight in order to enforce program integrity.
OR
B. A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in a field directly related to the position.
OR
C. Experience as described in (A) above and education as described in (B) above which when combined totals 100% of the necessary education and experience to qualify for this position.Candidates will be further evaluated on the level and quality of their experience and possession of the following relevant competencies in order to determine the level of your qualifications. These competencies include:

• Skill in analyzing data
• Knowledge of data mining processes
• Skill in data preparation for modeling and analysis
• Knowledge of statistical software
• Mathematical and statistical analysis presentation

For the GS-12 level
One year of specialized experience equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to that of the next lower grade (GS-11) within the federal service, which demonstrates the ability to perform the duties of the position, is required.

Specialized experience is defined as: applying mathematical, statistical, or text analysis using software packages, and communicating analyses to promote new policy formulation, increased efficiency, and oversight in order to enforce program integrity.

Education is not substitutable for specialized experience for this grade level.

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 critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

Additional information

• This position is located in the Department of Defense (DoD) Office of the Inspector General (OIG), Mission Support Team (MST), The incumbent is a data scientist (Operations Research Analyst) responsible for providing timely, technical advice on applied data science and mathematical and statistical analyses that solve critical problems, promote program integrity, and detect fraud, waste, and abuse.
• Competitive wages, flexible schedules and one of the most comprehensive benefits packages found in either government or private sector. These extraordinary benefits encompass health, pay, work/life balance, growth & learning.
• Moving expenses will not be paid. (If a case exam, must choose either will or will not be paid. The may/may not can ONLY be used for OCAs.)
• Selections are subject to restrictions resulting from the DoD Program for Stability of Civilian Employment.
• A two year probationary period may be required.
• Travel requirement is Seldom (1-25%)
• The incumbent is required to submit to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment and is subject to random drug testing for the duration of service with Department of Defense (DoD) OIG. Organizational entities with the DoD are not required to conduct drug testing for DoD civilian employees moving by transfer or reassignment from one DoD Testing Designated Position (TDP) to another TDP with no break in service within the DoD, unless deemed appropriate on a case-by-case basis by the gaining Component.
• Telework availability will be based upon the mission requirements and supervisory determination.
• We may use this announcement to fill additional vacancies within 90 days of the closing date.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or be exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov )
• Retired Civil Service Employee: Employment of retired Federal employees receiving an annuity is subject to the requirements of the Department of Defense (DoD) policy guidance. (See DoD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 300, at http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives .)
• Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) Priority Consideration: If you are a displaced Federal Civil Service employee and attain a rating of at least 90, you may be entitled to receive special priority selection under the ICTAP. For more information on ICTAP, click here ICTAP Guidance . NOTE: If you have never worked for the Federal Government, you are NOT ICTAP eligible.
• If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application .

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

IMPORTANT NOTE - YOU MUST FOLLOW ALL APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY. ERRORS OR OMISSIONS MAY AFFECT YOUR RATING.
Your application will be evaluated and rated under the Category Rating and Selection Procedures. We will review your resume and supporting documentation and compare this information to your responses on the occupational questionnaire to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for this job. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Eligible candidates will then be placed for selection consideration into 3 categories as described below:

Qualified Category: Meets the minimum qualifications and demonstrates minimum experience and/or training only based on responses to occupational questionnaire.

Highly Qualified Category: Meets the minimum qualification requirements and demonstrates full-performance level experience based on responses to occupational questionnaire.

Best Qualified Category: Meets the minimum qualification requirements and demonstrates experience as an expert in the field or recognized as a senior specialist, team lead, etc.

The Assessment Questionnaire takes approximately 15 minutes to complete and collects information on your education, training and experience related to the following critical competencies:

• Data Analysis
• Data Management
• Data Mining
• Data Visualization
• Technology Application

You can preview the Assessment Questionnaire here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10548613

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Secret

Drug test required
Yes

Required Documents

You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

1. Resume: You are encouraged to choose only ONE method of submitting your resume. (HR will review the resume that the system date stamps as the latest one received and this may not be the resume, which best reflects your qualifications for the job and may result in an ineligible rating.) You may submit your resume by: attaching in your USAJOBS account. For assistance in preparing your resume, take a look at the DFAS Resume Tools .
2. Complete Assessment Questionnaire: Your resume must describe the quality of work in regards to responses to the occupational self-assessment questionnaire as they generate your numerical rating.
3. Other Supporting Documents.
4. Military Spouse Preference:Spousal Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders or travel orders, marriage certificate/license and the Self-Certification form are required to claim Military Spouse Preference.

The following supporting documents are ONLY required if applicable to your personal qualifications or status. They must be received by the closing date of the announcement or at the time of application if applying to an announcement with an extended closing date.

1. Transcripts and/or Certifications: All applicants to include current agency employees, must submit proof of education if the job announcement requires education to meet the basic qualification requirements, or if substituting education to meet the specialized experience requirements. Many applicants must also submit documentation for proof of meeting the basic education requirement. For additional information on acceptable documents, click here Transcripts and Certifications. All applicants to include current agency employees/contractors must also document your education and/or certifications in your resume. To be creditable, education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
2. Cover Letter: You may submit a cover letter which will be forwarded to the selecting official with your resume. Your cover letter will not be used to verify your qualifications or determine eligibility for preference.
3. Veterans Preference: If you are claiming veteran's preference, you MUST submit the appropriate documentation. Failure to do so WILL result in the loss of veteran's preference, and will possibly impact your placement on the certificate. For more veterans' information please click here .

• You must submit a copy of your DD Form-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty", showing the dates of active duty service, type of discharge and the character of service. Alternatively, If you are a current military member in active duty service and do not have a copy of your DD Form-214, you must submit a written documentation (certification) from your branch of service certifying that you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty under honorable conditions no later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted with your application for this position. The certification should also include your rank, dates of active duty service and what they condition of discharge is thought to be.
• If claiming 10-point preference and/or are a 30% or more Disabled Veteran, you must submit both a DD Form-214 or expected discharge documentation as described above AND a copy of a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or your branch of service certifying the presence of service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of disability
• If you are claiming eligibility based on 10-point derived veterans' preference (i.e. a spouse, widow/widower, or parent of a veteran claiming veterans' preference when the veteran is unable to use it), you must also submit a Standard Form 15 (SF-15) "Application for 10-Point Veteran's Preference" and any required documents indicated on the SF-15 to substantiate the claimed preference.
• Click to review veterans authorities and required documents that verify eligibility for VEOA, VRA and/or 30% or more disabled veterans hiring authorities .

4. Military Spouse Preference: Copy of spousal travel orders providing eligibility.
5. ICTAP Eligibles: A copy of the RIF separation notice and SF-50 if available.

WARNING: Failure to submit a complete application package including any required documentation by 11:59 PM (EST) on 07/25/2019, or at the time of application for announcements with an extended closing date, may result in an ineligible rating and loss of consideration. To verify that your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, select Application Status and More Information. The Details page will display the status of your application. It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered, uploaded, or faxed is received, legible and accurate. HR will not modify answers submitted by an applicant.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.