Duties

Summary

About the Position: Serves as an Operations Research Analyst Office in the of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (FM&C), Deputy Assist Secretary of the Army (DASA) developing and reviewing cost benefits analyses (CBAs), independent cost estimates (ICE) and component cost estimates (CCA) for major defense acquisition program decisions and program restructuring or for Army mission areas, either individually or as part of a team under the general direction of supervisor.
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Responsibilities

• Leads or supports the planning, coordinating, and conducting of operations research studies of assigned acquisition systems.
• Develops independent life-cycle cost estimates in support of the systems acquisition process.
• Conducts cost and economic analyses of assigned programs.
• Develops information memoranda or briefings to prepare ASA (FMC) for discussions with the Army Secretariat, HQDA General Staff, and OSD.
• Analyzes assigned Cost-Benefit Analyses and formally presents results of review to leadership.
• Prepares formal Cost Analysis Briefs explaining program cost positions.
• Develops cost models, analytical tools, and parametric studies in support of systems acquisition and the PPBES.

Travel Required

25% or less - Business travel may be up to 25% of the time.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
13

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities.

• External Recruitment Military Spouse Preference
• Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan

In order to be qualified for this position, applicants must meet the following basic education requirement:

Bachelors Degree or higher: 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: You must attach a copy of your transcripts).

Evaluation of Education:

The primary requirement of operations research work is competence in the rigorous methods of scientific inquiry and analysis rather than in the subject matter of the problem. Therefore, applicants should have sufficient knowledge of applied mathematics to understand and use the fundamental concepts and techniques of operations research methods of analysis. In addition, some positions may require knowledge of a specific subject area. 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; queueing 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.

In addition to meeting the basic education requirement above, applicants must also meet the following requirement:

To qualify for the GS-11 level, all applicants must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-09). Specialized experience is defined as: Applying a wide variety of standard principles, theories, techniques and practices of quantitative and statistical analysis used in cost estimating; Researching, gathering, analyzing and consolidating management and/or programmatic information and data; Conducting analytical studies using scientific methodology and problem solving for matters of a factual nature.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of the requirements of a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts)

-OR-
Combination of Graduate Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience may be used to meet total experience requirements. Only graduate level education in excess of a master's degree may be combined with experience.

To qualify for the GS-12 level, all applicants must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-11). Specialized experience is defined as: Applying and adapting principles and methods for operational research, systems analysis, data analytics and data science; Experience with the principles and practices of operations research to investigate and provide technical advice on operational Cost Analyst and cost estimating, Prepare written reports and/or oral presentations regarding study findings, conclusions, and recommendations for leadership.

To qualify for the GS-13 level, all applicants must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-12). Specialized experience is defined as: Experience with Programming, Budgeting and Execution System (PPBES); Applying operations research methods and techniques to evaluate the cost and economic analyses of: information, communications, electronics, or weapons systems; Providing technical guidance on statistical, econometric and/or operations research concepts as they apply to cost and economic analysis studies.

You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas:

• Communications
• Cost Estimation and Analysis
• Scientific Research
• Technical Credibility

Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS-11) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-09).

Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS-12) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-11).

Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS-13) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-12).

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes 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://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
• You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
• Two year trial/probationary period may be required.
• Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
• Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
• If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
• This is a Career Program (CP) #11 - Comptroller position.
• You may claim military spouse preference.
• Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
• Management may select at any of the grade levels announced.
• Noncompetitive promotion potential to target grade.
• Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
• Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority for this position. To receive selection priority, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria (2) be rated well-qualified for the position and; (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. To be considered well-qualified and receive selection priority applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a score of 90 or above. Additional information about the program is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website.
• 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 .
• Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.

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 application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your résumé and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your résumé and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

Basis for Rating: Qualified candidates will be assigned to one of three quality categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified and Qualified. Veteran preference eligibles are listed ahead of non-preference eligibles within each quality category.

• Best Qualified. Candidates in this category possess exceptional skills and experience to exceed well above the minimum requirements for the announced position.
• Highly Qualified. Candidates in this category possess good skills and experience above the minimum requirements for the announced position.
• Qualified. Candidates in this category meet the minimum experience requirements for the announced position.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Secret

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist (External) .

As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

1. Your resume:

• Your resume may be submitted in any format and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement.
• If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
• For qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week and the dates of employment (i.e., HRS per week and month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you may not receive consideration for this position.
• For additional information see: What to include in your resume .

2. Other supporting documents:

• Cover Letter, optional
• Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
• This position has an individual occupational requirement and/or allows for substitution of education for experience. If you meet this requirement based on education you MUST submit a copy of your transcript with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. See: Transcripts and Licenses
• This position requires a job-related license or certification. You MUST submit a copy of your license or certification with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. See: Transcripts and Licenses

NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

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.