Clarification from the agency

You must be a current or former federal employee eligible to apply under merit promotion procedures or otherwise be eligible as a status applicant (e.g., Veterans Employment Opportunity Act) OR be an individual who is eligible through an OPM interchange agreement or for a non-competitive appointment.

If selected for this position as a Data Scientist, GS-1560-09/11 your duties may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Assists higher-graded employees in the performance of continued projects in data science topics that include scientific, statistical, and predictive techniques (e.g., regression analysis, statistical analysis, modeling, mathematical programming, machine learning, and data visualization).
• Develops models, forecasts, and visualization based on generally accepted statistical methods to demonstrate the patterns identified and highlight indicators. Analyzes, designs, normalizes, develops, and implements databases or manipulates existing databases using a relational database management system or other database (e.g., Oracle, MySQL, SQL Server, Azure). Uses a variety of programming languages to write scripts, procedures, functions, expressions to manipulate or visualize data (e.g., VBA, Python, R, Julia, Scala, SQL, JavaScript, etc.). Uses a variety of tools and platforms to create data visualizations and other reporting needs (e.g., Statistical Analysis System (SAS), Apache Hadoop, Tableau, PowerBI, QlikView, D3.js).
• Assists senior specialists in presenting findings in the most relevant format, including text, graphs, charts, tables, and models.
• Assists in the development and integration of data mining capacities using algorithms as well as structured databases to perform predictive analytics on these data.
• Designing and implementing strategies, methodologies, and tools to collect data that is relevant, accurate, and representative of the target population or phenomenon of interest. Preparing the data and ensuring its suitability for the intended use (e.g., storage, analysis, or modeling) by cleaning, wrangling, and formatting the data. Organizing, storing, and maintaining data in a way that optimizes access patterns, security, and accommodates different data types and characteristics.
• Using computational/statistical techniques for analyzing data. This includes applying the algorithms and methods that underlie artificial intelligence (AI), data mining, machine learning, and statistical inference to gain knowledge or insights, build classifiers and predictors, or infer causality.
• Representing data and information visually through graphical or interactive means such as charts, graphs, maps, or dashboards. Explaining what the visualized data means considering context, point, implications, and possible ramifications.
• Developing, implementing, or leading data science initiatives, programs, or strategies while ensuring compliance, managing teams/resources, evaluating proposals, and maintaining reproducible work procedures. Developing, implementing, modifying, or providing recommendations on data visualization, healthcare AI, and other data science tools (e.g., machine learning).

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship requirement or proof of being a U.S. National must be met by closing date.
• Employment is subject to the successful completion of a background investigation, verification of qualifications, completion of onboarding forms, submission of required documents, and any other job-related requirement before or after appointment.
• Applicants must meet all qualifications requirements within thirty (30) calendar days of the closing date of this announcement, including time in grade.
• Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered with the Selective Service.
• The NIH maintains a tobacco free work environment and campus.
• Must be able to perform the essential duties of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• The National Institutes of Health 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.
• Based on your appointment, a one or two-year trial/probationary period may be required. A decision regarding your continued employment with NIH will be made as you near the end of this period.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: To qualify for a Data Scientist, GS-1560 position, you must have a bachelor's degree, or graduate/higher level degree with a major study in mathematics, statistics, computer science, data science, or a field that is directly related to the position; OR, a combination of education (at least 30 semester hours) and additional appropriate/related experience that is the equivalent to a major in mathematics, statistics, computer science, data science or a field directly related to the position.

All education, unless completed outside of the U.S., must be from an educational program from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the education was completed.

Additional Requirements: In addition, in order to qualify for this position at the GS-09 level, you must have:

At least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service, obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following types of tasks: 1.) extracting raw data from multiple sources in preparation for data cleaning and manipulation; 2.) conducting data cleaning with programming languages (e.g., R, Python) to transform raw data into clean, organized information; 3.) analyzing data to identify trends, patterns, or relationships using statistical methods/techniques (e.g., Logistic Regression, ANOVA); 4.) summarizing findings using data visualization tools to inform data-driven decisions;
or,
2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree in a related field;
or,
A combination of post baccalaureate education in a related field, and specialized experience that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.

In order to qualify for this position at the GS-11 level, you must have:

At least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service, obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following types of tasks: 1.) developing recommendations for the most efficient ways to collect quantitative information; 2.) creating data cleaning/wrangling scripts to transform data into a suitable format for analysis or storage; 3.) analyzing data with programming languages (e.g., R, Python) using statistical methods/techniques (e.g., Logistic Regression, ANOVA) to extract insights/findings; 4.) summarizing data analysis results using data visualization tools to prepare presentations for internal stakeholders or team members;
or,
3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in a related field;
or,
A combination of post baccalaureate education above the master's level in a related field, and experience that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.

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

You will receive credit for all experience material to the position, including experience gained in religious, civic, welfare, service, and organizational activities, regardless of whether you received pay.

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 knowing your past accomplishments or experience in your application may be contacted for verification purposes at any time. Verification may, but need not, begin before receiving an offer.

Preview application questionnaire before you apply: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12962740

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies:

• Attention to Detail
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

The position(s) advertised in this announcement are covered by the agency's Reemployment Priority List (RPL). RPL candidates will be rated, placed into one of the quality categories below, and referred to the hiring office, once veterans' preference is applied.

• Qualified
• Well Qualified
• Best Qualified

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.

To be considered well qualified for the purposes of the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP)and the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), you must be able to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry and substantively exceed the basic qualifications by scoring at least 80 points on the assessment(s) and meet all eligibility, physical, medical, suitability, and all other requirements.

Required for All Applicants
RESUME:

Your resume must clearly demonstrate, in two pages or less, how your skills and experiences align with the "Qualifications" section and support your questionnaire responses. While cover letters provided with your application will be shared with hiring officials, they will not be used for initial qualification determinations. We cannot assume required experience based on your work or academic history. If your resume exceeds two pages, only the first two will be reviewed. Use a legible font such as Lato, Calibri, Helvetica, or Arial, with 0.5-inch margins. Suggested formatting: 14-point for titles and 10-point for body text. You may use the USAJOBS Resume Builder or upload your own resume. If uploading, ensure it includes all required information and is organized so we can match the following to each position:

1. Job title
2. Employer name
3. Employment dates (MM/DD/YYYY)
4. Hours worked per week (full-time assumed; part-time prorated)
5. Detailed duties, accomplishments, skills, responsibilities, and supervisory details (if applicable)
6. Series and grade or equivalent (for federal positions)

If the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying on the basis of education, you must list your education history including the type of degree and your major of study. If the position requires a certain number of credit hours, you are strongly encouraged to list the relevant courses in your resume.

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.

For resume writing guidance, please visit the following resources: NIH Help Applying, USAJOBS Resource Center, and the USAJOBS Resume Guidance.If the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying on the basis of education, you need to list your education history including the type of degree and your major of study.

APPLICATION QUESTIONNAIRE:
You must submit a completed application questionnaire.

ELIGIBILITY DOCUMENTATION:
You must submit the following documentation, if applicable to you AND respond accordingly to the associated question on the online questionnaire. If you do not provide the required information, we will assume you are not eligible or you do not wish to be considered for any preference or eligibility.

• SF-50 - A copy of your most recent competitive career or career conditional SF-50 that shows the effective date of your latest position and the full performance level. You may obtain a copy of your SF-50 from your eOPF.
• Veteran Documentation: (DD-214, VA Disability Letter, etc.). Reference Standard Form 15 (SF-15) for required documentation if you are a 10-point preference eligible. Submission of SF-15 is not required, unless you have derived preference (XP) as described in questions 7, 8, or 9 on the SF-15. In those cases, you must submit a completed SF-15 and the required documentation. For 5 point preference eligibles, you must submit your DD-214 (if separated) or any written documentation from the armed forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted with your application package.
• Schedule A (Disability Appointment): Documentation of eligibility for employment under Schedule A can be obtained from a licensed medical professional (e.g., a physician or other medical professional certified by a state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory to practice medicine); a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist (i.e., state or private); or any Federal agency, state agency, or agency of the District of Columbia or a U.S. territory that issues or provides disability benefits. The letter must be printed on a medical professional's letterhead. Please note the Schedule A hiring authority neither guarantees employment, nor gives an individual preference in the hiring process.
• Visit our sites on Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP)for more information and required documentation.

Do not submit documentation that is not requested of you. To protect your personal information, we will only send your resume and cover letter to the selecting official(s).

Next steps