Clarification from the agency

Current federal civilian employees in the competitive service on permanent career or career-conditional appointments; Former federal employees with reinstatement eligibility; Current federal employees eligible under Interchange Agreements; and Applicants eligible under special hiring authorities (Schedule A, etc.) If you do not meet one of these categories, you may apply under the concurrently advertised vacancy announcement: OFO-2026-0033, which is open to all United States Citizens.

APPLICATION LIMIT: This vacancy announcement is limited to the first 200 applications received and will close at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the day that we receive the 200th application, or at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the listed closing date, whichever occurs first.  

We encourage you to read this entire vacancy announcement prior to submitting your application.

As a Personnel Psychologist, GS-0180-13, you will be responsible for:
•    Determines the appropriate professional standards and methods to apply in various selection and assessment scenarios, including problem identification, data collection, statistical analysis, interpretation of results, and documentation of findings.
•    Continuously collects and analyzes data improving assessment methodologies for evaluators and other stakeholders, advising on any technical problems which may exist while recommending and developing new solutions. 
•    Conducts competency modeling and assessments supporting and improving human capital and retention initiatives, and workforce development and engagement efforts.
•    Develops policies and procedures guiding operations and supporting HCSD's specific performance and strategic goals.
•    Evaluates the effectiveness of programs and initiatives through qualitative and quantitative methods and identifies trends and recommendations for improvement to key stakeholders and senior leaders. 

Conditions of employment

• Must be a US Citizen
• Males 18 and over must be registered with the Selective Service.
• Relocation will not be paid.
• A background investigation and fingerprints will be required.
• You may be subject to serve a one-year probationary period.

Condition of Employment:

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a probationary period or trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: • your performance and conduct; • the needs and interests of the agency; • whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and • whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period OR trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement.

If you are a current federal employee, you must meet all time-in-grade and time-after competitive appointment qualifications within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement. To verify that you meet these requirements, we will review your responses to the core eligibility questions on the occupational questionnaire, as well as your submitted resume and required documents. To make an accurate determination, you will need to include on your resume your federal position title, pay plan, occupational series, grade level, agency, dates for which you held the grade level (stated as MM/YYYY to MM/YYYY, OR MM/YYYY to PRESENT), and total hours worked per week. 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; spiritual; community, student, social).

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification Requirements
You may meet the minimum qualifications for the GS-13, if you possess the specialize experience.

Specialized Experience for the GS-13
One year of experience in either federal  service that is equivalent to at least a GS-12 performing two (2) out of three (3) of the following duties or work assignments:
1. Experience conducting competency modeling and assessments to support human capital initiatives, enhance workforce retention, or improve employee engagement efforts.
2. Experience developing policies and procedures aligned with performance and strategic goals, ensuring operational effectiveness and compliance.
3. Experience evaluating program effectiveness using qualitative and quantitative methods, identified trends, and presented actionable recommendations to senior leadership for continuous improvement.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) 
The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). You do not need to provide separate narrative responses to these KSAs, as they will be measured by your responses to the occupational questionnaire (you may preview the occupational questionnaire by clicking the link at the end of the Evaluations section of this vacancy announcement).

1.    Skill in identifying and articulating the agency's problems and needs relating to the substantive areas of human resources administration and management.
2.    Skill planning and executing behavioral science research including instrument development, field data collection, database management, and data reduction and analysis.
3.    Knowledge of psychological assessment methodology as applied to the civilian population.
4.    Ability to communicate effectively and efficiently verbally and written when developing recommendations, writing, presenting written agreements and policy guidance.

5.    Knowledge of the theories, principles, practices, and techniques of behavioral science research in one or more of aforementioned areas of concentration.

How you will be evaluated

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

We use a multi-step process to review and evaluate applicants:

1. Eligibility and Minimum Qualifications

Once the vacancy announcement closes, we will review your submitted resume and documents to determine if you meet the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, including any required education, experience, and/or selective placement factors. You will be rated as ineligible if you are outside of the area of consideration (i.e., who may apply) or your application is missing any required documents. You will be rated as not qualified if you do not possess the minimum qualification requirements.

2. Rating and Ranking

If you are found to meet both the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, we will assess the quality of your experience and the extent to which you possess the required KSAs by comparing your submitted resume and documents against your responses to the occupational questionnaire. (The occupational questionnaire is the list of questions in the automated system that you will have an opportunity to answer once you apply for the position). Based on the outcome of this evaluation, you will be assigned a numerical score (out of 100 possible). If your responses to the occupational questionnaire are not substantiated by your submitted resume, you may be eliminated from receiving further consideration.

3. Referral and Selection

If you are found to be amongst the most highly qualified applicants, you will be referred to the selecting official. As part of the assessment and selection process, the selecting official may invite you to participate in a structured interview, check your references, and/or request that you submit a writing sample or complete a written assessment or exercise to further evaluate your qualifications for this position.

• Your DD-214 or Statement of Service shows if you qualify for Veterans' Preference, the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 or the Veterans Opportunity to Work to Hire Heros Act. We prefer the member 4 copy of your DD-214.
• If you are a disabled veteran and want to claim preference, you must submit a letter on VA letterhead with your overall combined service-connected disability rating.
• If you are claiming military spouse preference, include proof of marital status, like a marriage certificate.
• Include a performance appraisal as proof of federal employment.
• A separation notification used to determine employment eligibility.
• Your SF-15 shows if you qualify for 10-point Veterans' Preference.
• Your SF-50 shows a federal position you've held, grade level and duty location. Your SF-50 can support position changes, conversions or separation for employment eligibility.
• Transcripts may support your qualifications for a federal job and can include high school, college or other schools.

You must submit (REQUIRED FOR ALL APPLICANTS):

• A resume demonstrating your education, experience, training, and accomplishments as it relates to the qualifications for this position and substantiating your responses to the occupational questionnaire.  

Please limit your resume to 2 pages with the font size no smaller than 10 points.  If your resume is more than 2 pages, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed and considered for the qualifications determination. 

• Transcript: This position has a positive education requirement and requires proof of education for eligibility. You must submit an unofficial transcript that includes the following information: name of accredited institution, major(s), grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. If any required coursework is not easily recognizable on transcripts, or if you believe a portion of a particular course can be credited toward meeting an educational requirement, you must also provide a memorandum on letterhead from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official stating the percentage of the course that should be considered to meet the requirement and the equivalent number of units. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to produce the original official transcripts. This also applies to ED employees.
• If you are a current or former federal employee (including current U.S. Department of Education employees), you must also submit: • A Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50), which demonstrates your competitive status eligibility. To verify your eligibility, we will review your SF-50 to determine your tenure (block 24) and position occupied (block 34). Examples of sufficient SF-50s include appointments, promotions, within-grade increases, and pay adjustments. If you currently hold or previously held a federal position at or above the highest grade of this position or you have/had promotion potential at or above the highest grade of this position, you must also submit an SF-50 documenting your highest grade level held or promotion potential. Examples of sufficient SF-50s include appointments and promotions. • A Copy of your most recent Performance Appraisal and Awards, as applicable. Your performance appraisal and awards are requested to further assess the quality of your experience should your application be referred to the selecting official.
• If you are claiming eligibility under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA), you must submit: • A copy of your DD-214 that shows active service and character of discharge, member copy 4 (Separated Members only); OR • A certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions within 120 days from the date of application (Current Active Duty Members only); AND/OR • The Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (SF-15) AND all documents indicated on the form as proof of type of preference.
• If you are claiming eligibility under any Special Hiring Authority, you must submit: • Adequate proof of your eligibility (e.g., Documentation of noncompetitive eligibility as a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, Documentation of noncompetitive eligibility for employment under Schedule A as a person with severe physical disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, and intellectual disabilities.)

• Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP/CTAP)?

  • If you are a current or former Federal employee who was displaced (for example, due to a Reduction-in-Force) and want priority consideration, you must submit the documents listed below.
    • Required documents for Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan consideration (All are required):

                    1. Proof that you were displaced, such as Reduction-in-Force (RIF) notice or notice of proposed removal.

      2. SF-50s (Notification of Personnel Action) showing:
      • RIF as the Nature of Action (Box 5B)
      • Career or career-conditional status (Box 24 must be 1 or 2)
      • Competitive status (Box 34 must be 1)
      • Promotion potential or full performance level of the position from which you were or are being displaced. This is likely your appointment SF-50 for that position.
      • Duty location
      3. Your most recent performance appraisal showing a rating of Fully Successful or higher.

  • Your Federal position at the time you were displaced must be within the local commuting area for a location listed in this announcement. The definition of local commuting area varies based on duty location and hiring agency policy. To receive priority consideration, you must also be found well-qualified, which means you score 75 or higher based on this announcement's assessment rating criteria.

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