Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Office of Epidemiology and Research, Division of Research. The duty location for this position is Rockville, MD.

**Applicants please note: Additional selections may be made across the Department of Health and Human Services through this vacancy announcement.**

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

As a Health Scientist, you use extensive knowledge and expertise in research methodology and analyzing complex data in maternal and child health.

Specifically, you will:

• Prepare guidance for grant and contract proposals which include developing protocols and scope of work.
• As project officer, apply subject matter knowledge and expertise to monitor grant and contract progress; and exercise decision making authority regarding these grants and contracts.
• Serve as a principal investigator, co-investigator and/or consultant to other members of OER, MCHB, HRSA, and other HHS Agencies in planning, executing, and analyzing maternal and child health studies and intervention trials that may relate to infant mortality, and developmental issues of young children, children's chronic illnesses and childhood mortality and morbidity.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance with the staff working with various research proposals, analyzing complex data, developing evaluation approaches, and scientific reports related to the survival and healthy development of infants and children.
• Use a variety of study design approaches, including descriptive and various analytic studies of population in order to conduct studies and to measure health effects.
• Design appropriate scientific investigations in order to detect the characteristics of the patients and/or environments that might confer an increased risk of adverse outcomes.

NOTE: Do not cut and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Expected travel for this position is up to 5% of the time.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
None

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U. S. Citizenship is required.
• Males ages 18 through 25 must be registered with the Selective Service.
• PHS Commissioned Corps applicants must submit current personnel orders.
• This position has an education requirement - transcripts are required.
• A one year probationary period may be required.
• Position is not in the Bargaining Unit.
• Recruitment incentives are not authorized.
• Student loan repayment incentive is not authorized.
• Employment is subject to the successful completion of the pre-appointment process (i.e., background investigation, verification of qualifications and job requirements, completion of onboarding forms, submission of required documents, etc.)

Qualifications

THESE QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS MUST BE MET BY THE CLOSING DATE: 03/25/2021

Do not cut and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

OPM EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:

You must have a Bachelor's or graduate degree with major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position being advertised. This degree must be from an educational program from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.

You must provide a copy of your unofficial transcripts that verify that you meet this education requirement by the closing date of this announcement. A copy of a diploma is not acceptable as verification.

SPECIALIZED EXPEREINCE:

In addition to the OPM Education requirements, to qualify for this GS-14 position, your resume must clearly demonstrate that you have one full year of specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-13 level in the federal service.

Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, an applicant's one full year of specialized experience must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for successful job performance.

Examples of qualifying specialized experience equal to the GS-13 level include performing the following types of tasks on a regular and recurring basis: Writing scientific publications for peer-reviewed journals on topics related to maternal and child health research; applying a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methods for the design, collection, analysis and interpretation of maternal and child health program outcome data; and providing oversight and direction in the administration of grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts activities.

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; community; student; social). If such experience is on a part-time basis, you must provide the average number of hours worked per week as well as the beginning and ending dates of the experience so it can be fully credited.

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

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH - Knowledge of the principles, practices, & methods of administering maternal & child health programs to provide advice & technical assistance to improve their activities, including analysis & evaluation of those programs at Federal, State & local government levels.
• SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH - Knowledge of the scientific principles, methodology, and processes used to conduct a systematic and objective inquiry; including study design, collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; and the reporting of results.
• SCIENTIFIC WRITING - Prepares written documentation to transfer scientific information about concepts, situations, products, services, or results to audiences with varying levels of scientific knowledge.
GRANTS MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION - Acquires and applies critical financial concepts and practices, based upon a thorough understanding of the Federal Government, to administer grants and cooperative agreements in accordance with organizational needs and deadlines.

TO PREVIEW THE OCCUPATIONAL ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE, please click on the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11033585

Education

This position has an education requirement. You must submit a copy of your transcripts (or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed and grades) to document that you have met the education requirement. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required prior to your starting work.

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 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 .

Additional information

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.

HHS is an equal opportunity employer. Selection for this position will be based solely on merit without regard to race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, political affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, marital or family status or other differences.

Click here for information on " Federal hiring for individuals with disabilities ".

Security and Background Requirements: If not previously completed, a background security investigation will be required for all appointees . Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. False representation may be grounds for non-consideration, non-selection and/or appropriate disciplinary action.

E-Verify: HRSA participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). E-Verify helps employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their social security numbers.

Direct Deposit: All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.

Creditable Service: A newly appointed or reappointed employee may receive service credit for annual leave for prior work experience directly related to the duties of the position being filled. The use of this service credit is at the discretion of the selecting official and must be finalized prior to selectee's entrance on duty. For more information, please click here .

HRSA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. Telework eligibility may be discussed during the interview process.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

To determine your qualifications and referral status, we may review your resume and supporting documentation and compare it against your responses to the vacancy questionnaire. Ensure you support your self-ratings by the information you provide in your application. We may verify or assess your qualifications at any time. Inflated or unsupported qualifications may affect your rating. Any misrepresentation or material omission of facts may be sufficient cause to end further consideration of your candidacy. Persons listed as having knowledge of your past accomplishments or experience in your application may be contacted for verification purposes at any time. Verification may, but need not, begin prior to receiving an offer. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Category rating procedures will be used to rate and rank candidates. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies required for this position. Qualified candidates will be ranked into one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified or Qualified.

If you meet the minimum qualifications for this position, your application and responses to the online questionnaire will be evaluated under Category Rating and selection procedures for placement in one of the following categories:

• • Best Qualified - for those who are superior in the evaluation criteria
  • Well Qualified - for those who excel in the evaluation criteria
  • Qualified - for those who only meet the minimum qualification requirements

The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-9 level or higher).

Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP)/ Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): Must be found to be well-qualified to exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 85.0 or above on the rating criteria for this position. Click here for more information on ICTAP/CTAP .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please contact either HRSA's Office of Human Resources at (301) 443-3780 or by email: askhr@hrsa.gov or HRSA's Reasonable Accommodation programs at (301) 443-2538 or by email: RA-Request@hrsa.gov . You must contact the Reasonable Accommodations Program prior to the closing date of this announcement to receive assistance. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Hours of operation: Monday through Friday 7:30AM to 4:00PM EST (except Federal holidays).

Submission of a resume alone is not a complete application. To apply for this position, you must provide a complete online Application Package which includes:

1. A current Resume - For resume writing guidance, please visit USAJOBS Resources Center or view their video tutorial. Your resume must thoroughly describe how your skills and experiences align to the criteria defined in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement and it must support your responses to the assessment questionnaire. We cannot assume you have performed the necessary experience required for this position regardless of your employment history or academic career. To ensure all of the essential information is in your resume, we encourage you to use the USAJOBS online Resume Builde r.
If you choose to use your own resume, curriculum vitae, or any other written form you choose, then you must ensure it contains all of the required information and you organize it so we can associate the following information for each experience/position:

Job title

Name of employer

Beginning and ending dates of employment (month/day/year format)

Hours worked per week. We will assume full-time unless otherwise stated. We will prorate part-time employment in crediting experience.

Detailed description of job duties, accomplishments, related skills, and responsibilities to include any supervisory/managerial responsibilities and number of staff supervised (if applicable)

Your resume must show the series and grade or equivalent for all federal positions you have held. (if a federal position)

You must also ensure that the duties performed are clearly matched to each period of employment.
Do not include a photograph or video of yourself, or any sensitive information (age, date of birth, marital status, protected health information, religious affiliation, social security number, etc.) on your resume or cover letter. We will not access web pages linked on your resume or cover letter to determine your qualifications.

2. A complete Assessment Questionnaire

3. Other supporting documents to be submitted with application:

• 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 (Member 4 Copy), 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. Click here for more information on veterans' preference .
• Personnel Orders: PHS Commissioned Corps Officers must submit a copy of latest personnel orders in lieu of SF-50.
• If you are currently serving in a pay banded position, please include a copy of your pay band chart with your application.
• College Transcripts or other official documentation from the qualifying educational institution showing that you meet the eligibility requirements for this program, as described in the "Qualifications and Evaluations" sections of this announcement. (if the position has a positive education requirement, or you are qualifying on the basis of education).

For Résumé and Application Tips visit the USAJOBS Resource Center .

The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 03/25/2021.

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.