Duties

Summary

The Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics (STAA) Innovation Lab (Lab) is looking for inspired, talented individuals to apply their knowledge and perspective to challenging work that shapes the future of auditing at GAO through data science.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

• Leads projects through the innovation lifecycle from ideation through deployment in order to develop next generation advanced analytics capabilities in support of current and future audits, investigations, business operations, and other oversight challenges relevant to GAO's mission. As necessary, the incumbent will work with experts outside GAO to determine leading practices for advanced analytics.

• Applies and combines diverse data science techniques including: Machine Learning, natural language processing, artificial intelligence, geospatial analyses, graph-based network modeling, advanced visualizations, descriptive statistics, and other statistical/mathematical/analytical methods to produce cohesive, user-centric solutions.
• Builds, optimizes, orchestrates, deploys, and tunes data science models and prototypes. Assesses disparate impacts, mitigates model biases, and evaluates relevant performance criteria, as applicable.
• Uses common data science tools, including scripted languages such as R, Python, SQL, and Java Scripts; Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and analytics platforms such as RStudio, SageMaker, RapidMiner, SAS, and Domino Data Lab; open-source solutions such as Kibana, Kubernetes, and elastic search; commercial off-the-shelf tools such as Informatica and Neo4j; and hardware-based capabilities such as Graphics Processing Units (GPU).
• Implements data quality considerations, including complex data processing, data quality assessment, data imputation, and data governance-including metadata as well as engineered features. Develops forensically sound, auditable, flexible, repeatable, and scalable extract transform and load (ETL) capabilities on a variety of structure and unstructured data.
• Uses cloud-based Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) capabilities to perform data science. Guides implementation and configuration of tools and other computational resources within established information security boundaries.
• Contributes to process development for and agile team culture of the Innovation Lab. Understands Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS) and other relevant standards to advise GAO teams on best technical approaches to achieve quality results.
• Identifies deficiencies in problem statements, proposed approaches, and/or data access issues which are significant to the design, development, execution, and reporting out of advanced analytics pilots of the Innovation Lab.
• Supports the Assistant Director in developing, defining, and driving Innovation Lab strategy with regard to the exploration and deployment of advanced analytics techniques for improved or novel business outcomes.
• Supports Assistant Director in project management, acquisition project management, and stakeholder management. Incumbent may require certification as a level II COR, IT Project Manager, Scrum Master, or similar.
• Expands GAO's advanced analytics and computational capabilities through a rigorous process of problem definition, ideation, review, revision, and execution to determine the most promising solutions and approaches which, if successful, could profoundly change the business of audit, investigations, and program evaluation for the future GAO.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - .

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
NA

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be U.S. citizen
• You must be suitable for federal employment.
• You must be registered with the Selective Service as applicable.
• You may be required to submit a financial disclosure statement.
• Employees new to GAO must complete a two year probationary period.

Qualifications

Applicants must have 1 year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the next lower band level which has equipped the applicant with the skills and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience for this position is defined as:

• Applying at least three of the following advanced data science techniques in a professional setting:
  • Machine Learning (ML), including supervised, unsupervised, and adversarial;
  • Natural language processing (NLP), including sentiment classification and topic modeling;
  • Artificial Intelligence, including deep learning and robotics process automation (RPA);
  • Mathematical/statistical/analytical methods, including dimension reduction, entity resolution, rules-based queries, algorithm development, modeling, predictive analytics, descriptive statistics, sampling design, experimental design, and significance testing;
  • Extraction and processing methods for structured and unstructured data, including assessing data quality, imputation, applying governance, development of well-documented, flexible, repeatable, and scalable ETL routines across diverse data processing systems and data warehouses/lakes; and
  • Visualization, including descriptive charts and maps, geospatial analyses, and graph-based network modeling.

• Using at least two data science languages and at least two data science tools in a professional setting. Examples include:
• R, SAS, or STATA
• Python and Jupyter
• Tableau, Neo4J, or GIS
• Matlab, Maple, Mathematica
• SQL with relational databases

• Developing automation that reduced burden, increased efficiency, reduced errors, or increased productivity.
• Using agile techniques to manage data science projects.
• Communicating technical information to non-technical audiences.

You must meet all the requirements before the announcements closes.

Education

This position has a positive education requirement. Documentation to verify your education MUST be submitted with your application in order to be considered.

General Engineering Series, 0801

You must meet one of the following:

• Degree -- Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.
• Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. You are eligible only for positions that are closely related to the specialty field of your registration.
• Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
• Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements Degree. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in Degree.
• Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, AND at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance.

Mathematical Statistics Series, 1529

You must meet one of the following:

• Degree -- that included 24 semester hours of mathematics and statistics, of which at least 12 semester hours were in mathematics and 6 semester hours were in statistics.
• Combination of education and experience -- at least 24 semester hours of mathematics and statistics, including at least 12 hours in mathematics and 6 hours in statistics, as shown in Degree, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Additional information

This is a bargaining unit position.

Based on the staffing needs, additional selections may be made through this vacancy announcement.

Selectee may be required to file a Financial Disclosure Statement.

Travel and relocation expenses will not be paid for by the GAO.

Males born after 12/31/59 and at least 18 years of age must be registered with the Selective Service System. Visit http://www.sss.gov/.

Please be aware that applicants will be required to complete questions contained on the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) at the time a tentative job offer is made. If selected, at the time of appointment, selectees will be required to update the OF-306.

If you are selected for this position, you will be subject to a determination of your suitability for Federal employment.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office's policy is to provide equal employment opportunity for all regardless of race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

The U.S. GAO is part of the Legislative Branch of the Federal government. As such, all positions are in the excepted service. Initial appointments, permanent or indefinite, to the GAO require completion of a one-year or two-year probationary period.

Newly hired or recently promoted PE-I staff begin their careers by participating in GAO's 2-year Professional Development Program (PDP) for entry-level analysts. The PDP experience includes a combination of on-the-job and classroom training, regular feedback and coaching, and exposure to different projects, issues, and management styles. Project assignments are based on a combination of GAO's needs and your background and interests. The PDP will place you in various project assignments that provide you with a range of developmental opportunities.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

There is a severe shortage of candidates for this position. To expedite the hiring process, we have eliminated competitive rating and ranking, veterans' preference, and "rule of three" or category rating procedures.

Please make sure that your responses to the assessment questions are supported in your resume and follow all instructions carefully. If you provide incomplete answers, fail to provide a narrative response to any assessment question(s) that requires further explanation, or if your response to an assessment question is "see resume," your application may be affected or you may be determined ineligible

All applicants will be evaluated based on their responses to the assessment questions, in conjunction with the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's):

• Knowledge of all of, and skill in applying three or more of, the following data science techniques:
  • Machine Learning (ML), including supervised, unsupervised, and adversarial;
  • Natural language processing (NLP), including sentiment classification and topic modeling;
  • Artificial Intelligence, including deep learning and robotics process automation (RPA);
  • Mathematical/statistical/analytical methods, including dimension reduction, entity resolution, rules-based queries, algorithm development, modeling, predictive analytics, descriptive statistics, sampling design, experimental design, and significance testing;
  • Extraction and processing methods for structured and unstructured data, including assessing data quality, imputation, applying governance, development of well-documented, flexible, repeatable, and scalable ETL routines across diverse data processing systems and data warehouses/lakes; and
  • Visualization, including descriptive charts and maps, geospatial analyses, and graph-based network modeling.
• Skill in applying emerging theoretical methods to solve complex and previously unsolved data science problems.
• Ability to use cloud-based Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) capabilities for data science, which may include implementing and configuring tools and resources within established information security boundaries.
• Skill applying principles and methods with sufficient rigor to support activities under the Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS) and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
• Skill in selecting, organizing, and presenting appropriate information in a concise and balanced manner as well as skill in communicating such information to non-technical and technical target audiences alike.
• Ability to communicate well both in writing and orally, including preparing reports, participating in interviews and meetings, and to making presentations. By way of definition, oral communication may include methods used by employees with disabilities such as sign language interpretation, text-to-speech or TTY technology, and amplification devices.
• Ability to collaborate and work effectively and complete projects in a group setting, particularly across organizational boundaries and with those with less technical backgrounds.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Secret

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

You must provide a complete application package which includes:

- Resume: must be created using the USAJOBS resume builder and show relevant work experience.

- If you are using your education to qualify (even partially), you must submit a copy of your transcripts. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you will be required to provide official transcripts. Foreign Education: If you are submitting a transcript from a non-US educational institution, applicants must submit all necessary documents to a private U.S. organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials, commonly called a credential evaluation service.

For every transcript uploaded, ensure the transcript shows the name of the school, degrees earned at the school, and the date degrees were conferred.

- Current or former federal employees may submit their most recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50 or equivalent), showing tenure, type of service (competitive/excepted) and the highest grade held.

-Are you using professional registration, licensure, or written test to meet the basic requirements? Upload proof of your claim under Copy of License Document Type in Career Connector.

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.

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.