Duties

Summary

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.
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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

Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service

Position has been designated as Noncritical Sensitive. The incumbent is required to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.

Unless you have already completed a creditable probationary period, you will be required to serve a two-year probationary period.

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.

The incumbent must adhere to the DoD Standards of Conduct.

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, you must have:
A. At least 52 weeks of specialized experience at the GS-5 or equivalent level. Specialized experience is defined as: applying mathematical, statistical, or text analysis using software packages;
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);
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
D. 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, you must have:
A. At least 52 weeks of specialized experience at the GS-7 or equivalent level. Specialized experience is defined as: applying mathematical, statistical, or text analysis using software packages and developing written summaries and reports to communicate analysis results;
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, you must have:
A. At least 52 weeks of specialized experience at the GS-9 or equivalent level. 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;
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

All qualification and time-in-grade (if applicable) requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

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

Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specialized in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html .
Accreditation: Only degrees from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education are acceptable to meet positive education requirements or to substitute for experience. For additional information, please go to the Office of Personnel Management website at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/ and U.S. Department of Education website at http://www2.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html .

Additional information

Position(s) may be filled by displaced Department of Defense (DoD) employees through the Priority Placement Program.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies within 90 calendar days of the initial issue date of the referral list.

If applicable, you may apply under the appropriate Special Appointment Authority and be considered for non-competitive appointments. Please see link for definitions of the Special Appointment Authorities: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/hiring-authorities/ .
Military retirees seeking to enter civil service in the Department of Defense now require a waiver if they are within 180 days following their official date of retirement (5 United States Code 3326.)
Veterans' Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA): See Veterans Guide for definition. Submit a copy of your most recent DD-214 (member 4) showing length of active duty, character of service and type of discharge.
Disabled Veterans: See Veterans Guide for definition. Submit a copy of your most recent DD-214 (member 4) showing length of active duty, character of service and type of discharge and a VA Certification Letter.
Family Members Eligible under Executive Order 12721: Submit a SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, from the position and any other documentation proving eligibility.
Interchange Agreements: Submit an SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, or equivalent document providing information pertinent to your appointment eligibility for the position to which you are applying.
Military Spouse: Submit a copy of the spouse's PCS orders or VA certification of disability or death of service member, along with any other documentation proving eligibility such as a most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action.
NAF/AAFES Interchange Agreement: Submit a SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, from the position and any other documentation proving eligibility.
Severely Disabled (Schedule A):Submit proof of disability in the form of written certification from a licensed medical professional, OR a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist, OR any Federal agency, State agency, or agency of the District of Columbia or a U.S. territory that issues or provides disability benefits.
Reemployed Annuitants: DoD policy on employment of annuitants will be used in determining eligibility of annuitants. The DoD policy is available at http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/1400.25-V300.pdf .
Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP):Provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. Applicants must be well-qualified, which is defined as meeting all of the minimum qualification standards and eligibility requirements as well as possessing skills that clearly exceed the minimum qualification requirements for the position established by the Best Qualified category definition.

If you are unable to apply online, view the following link for information regarding Alternate Application .

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirement listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application package, you may be excluded from consideration for this position. If you are found to be among the best qualified candidates, you will be referred to the hiring official for employment consideration.

All qualified candidates will be evaluated on the following competencies:

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

Preview the assessment questionnaire here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10537663

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Secret

Drug test required
Yes

Required Documents

Your complete application package includes:

• Resume showing relevant experience (cover letter optional). Resume should include the following: where you worked, job title, duties and accomplishments, employer's name and address, supervisor's name and phone number, starting and end dates (Mo/Yr), hours per week and salary;
• An official or unofficial transcript documenting that you meet this position's basic education requirement;
• Completed assessment questionnaire;
• Copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, if applicable, which documents current Competitive (#1 on block 34 of SF-50) position occupied. If the position currently occupied is Excepted Service (#2 on block 34 of SF-50), you must provide an SF-50 that provides proof that you've held a permanent position with career or career-conditional status, unless your Excepted Service appointment qualifies you for appointment through an interchange agreement or miscellaneous authority. If currently occupying an excepted service VRA, provide an SF-50 documenting your current Veterans Recruitment Appointment.
Most recent Performance Appraisal - All current Federal employees must submit a copy of their most recent completed annual performance appraisal received within the past 18 months. The performance appraisal must include the final rating. If a completed performance appraisal does not exist, is incomplete or unavailable, you must submit an explanation as to why it is not available at the time of your application submission. Mid-year progress reviews will not be accepted.
• To claim veterans' preference, submit aDD-214indicating the most recent dates of service, character of service and type of discharge. To claim 10% or more disability, submit aVA certification letter in addition to a DD-214(If selected, a completed and signed SF-15 will be required prior to your entrance on duty.). Future military retirees can submit a "Statement of Service" only if retirement DD 214 or proof of transitional leave is not yet available. The "Statement of Service" must be signed by, or by direction of, the adjutant, personnel officer, or commander of your unit or higher headquarters and must indicate when your terminal leave will begin, your rank, dates of active duty service, the type of discharge and character of service (i.e. honorable).
• Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): Provides eligible displaced federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. Applicants must be well-qualified, which is defined as meeting all of the minimum qualification standards and eligibility requirements as well as possessing skills that clearly exceed the minimum qualification requirements for the position established by the Best Qualified category definition. You must submit one of the following as proof of eligibility for this program: a separation notice, a SF-50 documenting separation; an agency certification that you cannot be placed after injury compensation has been terminated; an OPM notification that your disability annuity has been terminated; or a Military Department or National Guard Bureau notification that you are retired under 5 U.S.C. Section 8337(h) or Section 8456. Information about ICTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/
• Military Spouse Preference (MSP) - Spousal Travel Orders/Permanent Change of Station(PCS) Orders, Marriage Certificate, and Military Spouse Preference Self Certification checklist
• Any additional documentation that would provide proof of your eligibility category for which you are applying. Required documents are listed next to the eligibility category in the "Other Information" section below.

Submission of a resume alone is NOT a complete application. This position may require the completion of additional form/s and/or supplemental materials. Failure to provide the required information and/or materials will result in your application not being considered for employment. All documentation must be received by the closing date of this announcement.