Duties

Summary

The Bureau of Labor Statistics measures labor market activity, working conditions, price changes, and productivity in the U.S. economy to support public and private decision making.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

At the GS-07, duties may include, but are not limited to the following:

-Assists senior staff in performing mathematical statistical work covering the entire scientific method of investigation, background research, analysis of data, and documentation.

-Executes a series of standard tasks or calculations.

-Uses basic authoritative references on mathematical statistics.

-Analyzes factual information and recognizes significant factors, relationships, and trends.

-Writes technical reports on findings of statistical investigations.

-Develops approaches for quality surveillance for parts of major continuing statistical data collection systems.

-Participates in reviewing prospective new topics in the theory of sampling and non-sampling errors and in statistical inference.

At the GS-09, duties may include, but are not limited to the following:

-Provides technical support for the development and implementation of statistical methodology, including survey design planning and evaluation, creation of sampling frames, sampling design and sample selection, estimation of indexes and their sample variances, statistical validation of survey results, and quality measurement and control.

-Participates in research and evaluation studies to address issues in survey design, estimation, and other statistical issues.

-Participates in the development and implementation of a broad spectrum of sample and survey designs.

-Participates in research and evaluation studies to develop methodology to estimate index measures to determine the accuracy and variance of output indexes. Prepares drafts of technical statements of statistical findings, evaluations, and recommendations regarding survey design and estimation processes.

-Participates on interdisciplinary project teams for the development and implementation of sampling and survey methodology. Participates in team activities including efforts to plan the work of the team, set team priorities, monitor team progress, and resolve team issues. Serves as a statistical resource providing technical support for the team, conducting statistical analyses as needed, and explaining technical issues in a simple, understandable manner.

-Participates in developing requirements and specifications and performs acceptance testing for computer subsystems. Specifically, develops detailed statistical requirements and specifications for subsystems and processes and performs detailed user testing to ensure that developed software meets requirements.

-Uses software to conduct statistical analyses and studies including the development of prototypes to facilitate development of statistical processing systems.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
12 - There is no obligation to provide future promotions if you are selected. Promotions are dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, meet all the performance requirements, and the supervisor's recommendation to the next grade.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. citizen and at least 16 years of age.
• This position is inside the bargaining unit.
• Appointment to this position may require a background investigation.
• Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Males must be registered for Selective Service, see www.sss.gov.

Applicants must meet all legal and regulatory requirements. Reference the "Required Documents" section for additional requirements.

Qualifications

I. Mathematical Statistics Basic Requirements:

One of the following (A or B):

A. 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.

OR

B. 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 A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

NOTE: Courses acceptable toward meeting the mathematics course requirement of A and B above must have included at least four of the following: differential calculus, integral calculus, advanced calculus, theory of equations, vector analysis, advanced algebra, linear algebra, mathematical logic, differential equations, or any other advanced course in mathematics for which one of these was a prerequisite. Courses in mathematical statistics or probability theory with a prerequisite of elementary calculus or more advanced courses will be accepted toward meeting the mathematics requirements, with the provision that the same course cannot be counted toward both the mathematics and the statistics requirement.

AND

II. Grade-level Requirements

Applicants must also meet at least one of the following three requirements for directly-related education, specialized experience, or a combination of directly-related education and specialized experience.

1) Education

GS-07

Bachelor's degree and Superior Academic Achievement (SAA). SAA is the completion of all of the requirements for a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, and by meeting one of the following three: i. Class standing - must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; ii. Grade-point average (GPA) - GPA of 2.95 or higher overall, a GPA of 2.95 or higher for courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum, or a GPA of 3.45 or higher for your major GPA or for courses in your major completed during the final 2 years; iii. Membership in a national scholastic honor society.

OR

One year of graduate education (i.e. 18 semester hours or quarter hour equivalent, or as defined by the school)

GS-09

Master's or equivalent graduate degree or two years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Master's degree or equivalent

OR

2) Specialized Experience: Each of the specialized experience described below must be in or related to the field of mathematics and statistics, and have included the application and/or research of mathematical and statistical concepts, theories, methods, and techniques. Specialized experience must have equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience may have been in an unpaid or paid status.

GS-07

Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in scope and responsibility to the next lower grade level (i.e. GS-05) in the Federal Service. Examples of experience indicators at this level include assisting with ANY of the following activities described below:

Assisting with the design of a quantitative study that included addressing the following: identifying which data may address the phenomena being measured, identifying what statistics need to be produced, identifying how estimates will be calculated, and identifying how data will be analyzed OR;

Reviewing collected quantitative data to ensure its statistical accuracy (internal and/or external validity) or reliability (precision) OR;

Producing estimates and outputs. Examples include means, medians, rates, percentiles, totals, and indexes. This may have involved executing computations and/or creating or editing graphs/visualizations of estimates using statistical software.

GS-09

Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in scope and responsibility to the next lower grade level (i.e. GS-07) in the Federal Service. Examples of experience indicators at this level include assisting with ANY of the following activities described below.

Assisting in the process of deciding which persons or businesses to obtain or collect data from, and/or which statistical method(s) to use. This may have included assisting with activities such as identifying the sampling unit and gathering and preparing sampling frames OR assisting in the study, selection, or execution of a sampling method to draw samples from a sample frame, such as, probability sampling e.g. probability sampling may include utilizing cluster, simple random, proportional to size, stratified, systematic, or a combination of sampling methods (i.e. multi-stage sampling) OR;

Assisting with the preparation of data to include, but not limited to, performing statistical processes for weighting data and/or addressing sampling error, or non-sampling error (i.e. non-response error or response error) OR;

Assisting with drafting portions of technical papers that explain statistical requirements or statistical methods OR;

Assisting in performing statistical research that may have included, but not limited to the following topics: evaluating new sampling techniques, analyzing frame data, evaluating alternative estimators, evaluating alternative variance computation techniques, testing better approaches for obtaining survey data, evaluating non-response bias, evaluating seasonal adjustment procedures, evaluating imputation procedures, researching regression trees and estimators, OR systems development and/or testing to document statistical requirements/specifications or test software according to statistical requirements/specifications.

OR

3) Combination of Education and Specialized Experience as described below.

GS-07

Graduate education (less than one year) and specialized experience as required for GS-07 (less than one year) that when combined totals one year.

GS-09

Graduate education (more than one year but less than two) and specialized experience as required for GS-09 (less than one year) that when combined totals one year. Only graduate education beyond the first year (18 semester hours or quarter hour equivalent, or as defined by the school) can be combined with experience to total one year.

Education

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum course work requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Additional information

DOL seeks to attract and retain a high performing and diverse workforce in which employees' differences are respected and valued to better meet the varying needs of the diverse customers we serve. DOL fosters a diverse and inclusive work environment that promotes collaboration, flexibility and fairness so that all individuals are able to participate and contribute to their full potential.

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION , ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION , FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be evaluated against the evaluation factors below and placed into a category based on your vacancy question responses.

Categories

Category A - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and has successful experience in the same or similar job that has demonstrated superior proficiency in applying critical competencies required by this position to work of increased levels of difficulty and complexity.

Category B - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and demonstrates satisfactory proficiency in the critical competencies required by this position.

Category C - Meets the specialized experience described in the minimum qualifications requirements section of this announcement and demonstrates proficiency in the basic competencies.

Evaluation Factors (Competencies) - All qualified applicants will be evaluated on the following key competencies:

Decision Making/Problem Solving-Makes sound, well-informed, and objective decisions; perceives the impact and implications of decisions; commits to action, even in uncertain situations, to accomplish organizational goals; causes change. Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgement to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.

Interpersonal Skills-Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences.

Oral Communication-Expresses information to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

Self-Management-Sets well-defined and realistic personal goals; displays a high level of initiative, effort, and commitment towards completing assignments in a timely manner; works with minimal supervision; is motivated to achieve; demonstrates responsible behavior.

Technology Application and Management-Uses machines, tools, instruments, or equipment effectively; uses computers and computer applications to analyze and communicate information in the appropriate format. Keeps up-to-date on technological developments. Makes effective use of technology to achieve results. Ensures access to and security of technology systems.

See Required Documents section for Continuation of How You Will Be Evaluated

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk

Trust determination process
Credentialing , Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED Continued

Writing-Recognizes or uses correct English grammar, punctuation, and spelling; communicates information (for example, facts, ideas, or messages) in a succinct and organized manner; produces written information, which may include technical material, that is appropriate for the intended audience.

Sampling and Estimation - Provides technical support for development/implementation of statistical methodology including creation of sampling frames, design and selection; estimation of indexes and their sample variances.

Maintenance and Improvement of Statistical Output - Participates in research/evaluation studies to develop methodology to estimate index measures of quality measures to determine the accuracy/variance of output indexes.

The information you provide may be verified by a review of your work experience and/or education, by checking references and through other means (ex. interview). The examining Human Resources Office (HRO) makes the final determination concerning applicant ratings. Your resume MUST provide sufficient information to substantiate your responses to the vacancy questions. If not, the HRO may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the level of competency indicated by the content of your resume. Your evaluation may also include a review by a Human Resources Specialist or panel and may include other assessments (ex. interview, panel review, written test, writing sample, etc.)

INFORMATION FOR ICTAP/CTAP ELIGIBLES ONLY: If you are eligible for special priority selection under ICTAP/CTAP, you must be well-qualified for the position to receive consideration. ICTAP/CTAP eligibles who are placed into Category B or higher will be considered "well-qualified".

Click Application of Veterans Preference for Category Rating Jobs for more information.

Required Documents

The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date. You are not required to submit a document if it does not apply to you. Warning: If you submit a document using the same document title, the 2nd submission will OVERWRITE the 1st submission. Also, do not upload password protected documents. -

Veterans Documents (if applicable): To be considered as a 5-point preference eligible, you must submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, DD214. Your DD-214 must show the type of discharge and dates of active duty. To claim 10-point preference, you must submit a copy of your DD214; an Application for 10-point Veteran's Preference, SF15; and the proof of entitlement of this preference which is normally an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability. (For active duty service members expecting honorable or general discharge or release within 120 days, click Active Duty ). Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran's preference. For more information, go to: http://www.fedshirevets.gov/hire/hrp/vetguide/index.aspx

- Displaced Employee Placement Documents - Only required if requesting priority consideration under CTAP or ICTAP eligibility.

- Cover Letters are not mandatory and will not be used to verify experience, but may be submitted Applicants selected for employment who are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship , and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires.

- Unofficial Transcript(s) (in English) - submit if using education as a basis for qualifying for this position. If so, you must submit all applicable academic transcripts demonstrating that you meet the qualifying educational requirements (ex. BA/BS, MA, JD, PHD, etc). If specific course work is required to qualify, you must supply transcripts from each academic institution in which the required courses were taken in order to receive credit.

You may upload your transcript(s) as one document (3 MB size limit). If over 3 MB, please submit via fax feature.

OFFICIAL Transcripts MUST BE RECEIVED prior to selection and report date. Reference the "Education Section" for College Transcript and Evaluation of Foreign Education.

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.