Duties

Summary

The incumbent serves as a health information systems specialist responsible for evaluating and developing approaches for strengthening the standardization and utility of national health information systems, their products, policies, and processes, with specific emphasis on electronic data interchange and electronic media.
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

As a Health Scientist (Informatics) you will:

• Evaluate and develop approaches for strengthening the standardization and utility of national health information systems, their products, policies and processes.
• Conduct studies related to the use of standardized data for public and private health care information systems that advance improvements in health care quality, cost and access through the routine use of information technology.
• Analyze requirements for health information systems that meet the needs of public health programs and systems.
• Represent the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) in the development, maintenance and implementation of national healthcare standards to meet the needs of population health and to support NCHS program activities.
• Support the work of the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics, and other standards related organizations as assigned, in developing, recommending and implementing data standards.
• Serve as the Contracting Officer's Representative for contracts related to the development and enhancement of health data standards and policies.
• Support informatics project management for professional services contracts and cooperative agreements within the Centers Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel domestically 5% and internationally 1% of the time for this position.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
13

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• US Citizenship is required.
• Background Investigation is required.
• E-Verify: If you are selected for this position, the documentation that you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-Verify" System. Federal law requires DHS to use the E-Verify System to verify employment eligibility of all new hires, and as a condition of continued employment obligates the new hire to take affirmative steps to resolve any discrepancies identified by the system. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is an E-Verify Participant.
• Direct Deposit: All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• One-year probationary period may be required.
• Travel, transportation, and moving expenses will be paid: No
• Bargaining Unit Position: Yes
• Drug Screening Required: No
• Recruitment Incentive may be authorized: Yes
• Annual Leave for non-federal service may be authorized: Yes
• Research position: No
• Promotion potential: No
• Supervisory position: No
• Time in grade (TIG) must be met within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.
• All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

A Bachelors or graduate/higher level degree: major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position. This degree must be from an educational program from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (https://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/) at the time the degree was obtained.

Minimum Qualifications:

Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-12 in the Federal service as defined in the next paragraph.

Specialized experience is experience which is directly related to the position which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) to successfully perform the duties of the position to include developing electronic data standards and the application of information technology to improve public health information systems.

Education

Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the education requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit:
https://www.cdc.gov/jobs/future-applicant-information.html .

Additional information

This vacancy is also being announced concurrently with vacancy announcement HHS-CDC-D2-20-10911293
under competitive procedures. Please review that announcement to see if you are eligible for consideration under competitive procedures.

NOTE: Applicants must apply separately for each announcement in order to be considered.

To Remain An Active Duty USPHS Commissioned Corps Officer

• Join more than 6,500 highly qualified public health professionals as part of the U.S. Public Health Service. Overseen by the Surgeon General, you will be part of an elite and diverse team of professionals essential to public health leadership and exemplary clinical service
• PHS Commissioned Corps Officers interested in performing the duties of this position with the Commissioned Corps, you are welcome to apply and receive a courtesy referral. Note that a courtesy referral is not a competitive civil service process and does not provide civil service status for the selected employee. Click Here for the comparison chart of Commissioned Corps ranks to civil service, which advises you on potential billet rankings.

Additional selections may be made within the same geographical location CDC-wide.

The utilization of shared certificates within multiple Centers of the Center of Disease Control and Prevention may be used from this vacancy announcement for specialties to include but not limited to: Applied Epidemiology, Behavioral Epidemiology, Chronic Diseases, Emergency Preparedness and Response, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Environmental Health, HIV/AIDS, Immunization, Infectious Diseases (e.g. Viral, Parasitic, etc.), Influenza, Malaria, Non-communicable Diseases, Outbreak Investigations, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), Surveillance, Tropical Medicine, Tuberculosis (TB), Viral Hepatitis, and/or Zoonotic Diseases.

If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and you are claiming 5-points veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit an SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" plus the proof required by that form. For more information on veterans' preference see http://www.usajobs.gov/Veterans

Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service, www.sss.gov .

For information on "People with Disabilities" please see http://opm.gov/disability/PeopleWithDisabilities.asp
and https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/disability-employment/getting-a-job/sampleschedaletters.pdf .

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): For information on how to apply as an ICTAP eligible see http://opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp#ictap. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 85.0 or above on the rating criteria for this position.

To view the questionnaire, click on the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10911294

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document(s), 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.

Former and Present Peace Corps personnel may be considered to fill vacancies. If you have completed no less than 36 months of continuous service without a break in service of 3 days or more under section 7(a) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2506) which pertains to the appointment of Peace Corps staff (not volunteers); or within 3 years after separation from qualifying service with the Peace Corps. A copy of your SF-50 is required to support your request.

Peace Corps Volunteers may be considered to fill vacancies. Executive Order 11103-Provides eligibility for appointment in the competitive service any person who is certified by the Director of the Peace Corps as having served satisfactorily as a Volunteer or Volunteer Leader under the Peace Corps Act and who passes such examination as the Office of Personnel Management may prescribe.

"Additional selections may be made for similar positions across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the local commuting area(s) of the location identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) at HHS. Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions across HHS."
Once the application process is complete, a review of resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If, after reviewing your resume 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. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

• Knowledge health care information systems.
• Knowledge of and skills in data base design and management.
• Skill in written communication.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:

Your résumé showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed.

Other supporting documents:

• Cover Letter, optional
• Veterans Preference Documentation, if applicable
• Most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (The SF-50 should include your tenure code in Item Number 24 of the document), if applicable
• Transcripts (required)*
• Schedule A Eligibility Letter, if you are applying as a Schedule A candidate
• Career Transition Assistance Program documentation, if applicable (e.g., Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal).
• *Note: You may submit an unofficial transcript or a list of college courses completed indicating course titles, credit hours, and grades received. An official transcript from an accredited educational institution is required if you are selected for the position.

For Active Duty USPHS Commissioned Corps Officers

• Submit your latest Personnel Order (PHS-7063) as an USPHS Active Duty Commissioned Officer

Failure to submit any of the above mentioned required documents will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

For Résumé and Application Tips visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Tips.

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.