STATISTICIAN Job in Anywhere in the U.S. (remote job)

Vacancy No. RMA-25-12581525-DHA-DAPM-CM Department Risk Management Agency
Salary $62,107.00 to $115,079.00 Grade 11 to 13
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 10/22/2024 Close Date 11/8/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Anywhere in the U.S. (remote job)


Summary

This vacancy will be filled using the Office of Personnel Management's Direct-Hire Authority.
Veterans' preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to positions filled under this announcement.

This position is located in the Risk Management Agency (RMA), Deputy Administrator for Product Management (DAPM), Actuarial, Prices and Filing Division.

This vacancy will close at the end of the open period or when selections has been made, whichever comes first.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL) and The Public. This is a Direct-Hire Authority position; applications will be accepted from U.S. citizens. Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to this vacancy.

Duties

  • Conducts methodological research to evaluate the adequacy of actuarial methods and premium rates for existing crop insurance policies and those proposed by other parties, including those proposed through the 508(h) process.
  • Researches, plans, and implements projects that represent an important segment of Agency operating programs.
  • Initiates, applies, and plans developmental studies, providing recommendations for advancing programs and/or methods.
  • Establishes premium rates for assigned crops and analyzes proposals to change the terms in insurance contracts or to extend coverage to crops or areas not previously insured.
  • Verifies the accuracy and validity of the data and underlying assumptions.
  • Uses statistical modeling to develop and provide recommendations to subject-matter specialists on interpreting multiple, conflicting, or incomplete data obtained from crop insurance program participants, 508(h) program proposals, and other sources.
  • Analyzes data collected to identify areas of comparable productivity and risk.
  • Provides technical input to publications or other documents that are the basis for formulating methodology, policy or procedure.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a US Citizen or US National
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check. If selected, you will be sent instruction on obtaining fingerprints. Please note we are not able to reimburse any fees incurred for fingerprints.
  • Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.
  • Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov/

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the listed closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined.

ALL APPLICANTS MUST MEET BASIC REQUIREMENTS AS LISTED BELOW:
A. Degree: that included 15 semester hours in statistics (or in mathematics and statistics, provided at least 6 semester hours were in statistics), and 9 additional semester hours in one or more of the following: physical or biological sciences, medicine, education, or engineering; or in the social sciences including demography, history, economics, social welfare, geography, international relations, social or cultural anthropology, health sociology, political science, public administration, psychology, etc. Credit toward meeting statistical course requirements should be given for courses in which 50 percent of the course content appears to be statistical methods, e.g., courses that included studies in research methods in psychology or economics such as tests and measurements or business cycles, or courses in methods of processing mass statistical data such as tabulating methods or electronic data processing.
OR
B. Combination of education and experience -- courses as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. The experience should have included a full range of professional statistical work such as (a) sampling, (b) collecting, computing, and analyzing statistical data, and (c) applying statistical techniques such as measurement of central tendency, dispersion, skewness, sampling error, simple and multiple correlation, analysis of variance, and tests of significance.

IN ADDITION TO THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS, APPLICANTS MUST MEET SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE AS LISTED BELOW:

Specialized Experience for GS-11: Possess at least one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the Federal GS-09 level or higher, which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Examples of specialized experience at this level include, but are not limited to, conducting methodological research to existing mathematical or statistical methodologies, procedures; evaluating actuarial methodologies and premium rates using statistical methods; interpreting data from insurance and analyzing data collected to identify areas of comparable productivity and risk; on a recurring basis with minimal, if any, oversight or assistance.
OR
Education Substitution for the GS-11: Completion of at least three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education resulting in a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited college or university, 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.M., if directly related. Related degrees include mathematics, statistics, economics, engineering, actuarial science, or other technical degree.
OR
Combination of experience and education: Possess a combination of education and experience as described above which totals at least 100% when combined.

Specialized Experience for GS-12: Possess at least one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the Federal GS-11 level or higher, which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Examples of specialized experience at this level include, but are not limited to, conducting methodological research and recommending improvements to existing mathematical or statistical methodologies, procedures, and insurance policy provisions; evaluating actuarial methodologies and premium rates using statistical methods; providing recommendations on interpreting data from insurance and analyzing data collected to identify areas of comparable productivity and risk; on a frequent recurring basis with minimal, if any, oversight or assistance. You must have experience using programming software packages used to manipulate databases (ex. R, SAS, STATA, SQL, etc.).

Specialized Experience for GS-13: Possess at least one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the Federal GS-12 level or higher, which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Examples of specialized experience at this level include but are not limited to conducting methodological research and recommending improvements to existing mathematical or statistical methodologies, procedures, and insurance policy provisions; developing and evaluating actuarial methodologies and premium rates using statistical methods; providing recommendations on interpreting data from insurance and analyzing data collected to identify areas of comparable productivity and risk; and initiating and planning developmental studies by providing significant and innovative recommendations for advancing insurance programs and methods. You must be proficient manipulating databases using various programming software packages (ex. R, SAS, STATA, SQL, etc.), and do so regularly as part of your normal job duties.

For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/Standards/group-stds/gs-admin.asp.

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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

You must submit a copy of your transcripts to include course number, title, completion and grade. 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. If a relevant course is not clearly qualifying (e.g. special topic, seminar, research, thesis, obscure or misleading course title, etc.), please submit an official course syllabi and/or detailed course description from the university/college for that particular course to ensure you are properly evaluated. Please note that qualifications determinations are based solely on the information submitted for each particular vacancy announcement.

Important: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. Click on this link for more information.

Failure to provide all of the required documents/information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

Additional information

  • For more information on OPM's authorization of Direct Hire Authority, please visit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/direct-hire-authority/
  • Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.
  • Promotion Potential: If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.
  • This position is announced under a government-wide Direct Hire Authority (DHA) for Statistician positions in the GS- 1530 series. Under this Direct-Hire authority, applicants are required to meet minimum qualification requirements at the grade level(s) of interest. Veteran's Preference, Schedule A, Category Rating, and other methods of consideration DO NOT APPLY under Direct-Hire Authority regulations.
  • Appointments made under this authority will be processed as new appointments to the Federal Service. Current Federal employees would, therefore, be given new appointments to the Federal Service. Current Federal employees may be required to serve a new probationary period (5 CFR 315.802(b).
  • Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be authorized.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

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 for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. An initial list of applications received may be referred 30 days after the opening of this vacancy announcement to the selecting official. Subsequent cutoffs for each location will be established based on need. Referrals will be determined based on applicants' quality of experience and the extent they possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) or competencies:

    • Attention to Detail
    • Computer Skills
    • Research

Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Those determined to be in the best qualified category will be referred to the selecting official for consideration.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

Clicking the link below will present a preview of the application form; i.e. the online questionnaire. The application form link below will only provide a preview and does not initiate the application process. To initiate the online application process, click the "Apply" button to the right.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12581525

Required Documents

The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, your system failure, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.

  • Resume that includes:1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment (Month and Year); title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) other qualifications.
  • If education is required or you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application if it includes your name and the necessary course information; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit the NACES website. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
  • If claiming veteran's preference, you must submit a DD214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty (Member-4 COPY), which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. If currently on active duty you must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty service under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. Veteran's preference must be verified prior to appointment. Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran's preference and your application will be evaluated based on the material(s) submitted.
  • If claiming 10-point veteran's preference you must provide the DD214(Member-4 Copy) or certification requirements (see above bullet), plus the proof of entitlement of this preference as listed on the SF-15 Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference. The SF-15 should be included but is not required. Failure to submit these documents could result in the determination that there is insufficient documentation to support your claim for 10-point preference. For more information on veterans' preference visit FEDSHIREVETS
  • Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.

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.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing.

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this.

To begin, click "Apply" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents.

NOTE: If a document is resubmitted, it replaces the previous submission, which means the previous document is no longer available to the Human Resources Office. If you are adding to, rather than replacing a previous submission, you must upload both the old document and the new document. You must verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBS transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Applicants may combine all like required documents (e.g. SF-50s or veteran docs) into one or more files and scan for uploading into the application. Each file must not exceed 3MB. Grouping like documents into files will simplify the application process. Documents must be in one of the following formats: GIF, JPEG, JPG, PDF, PNG, RTF, or Word (DOC or DOCX). Uploaded documents may not require a password, digital signature, or other encryption to open.

Agency contact information

Cheryl Manning
Address
Risk Management Agency
1400 Independence Ave SW
Washington, DC 20250
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS to check your application status. We expect to make a final job offer approximately 40 days after the deadline for applications.

You must choose to turn on email notifications in your USAJOBS profile if you want to receive important email notifications that may impact your applicant experience (e.g. If you start an application and do not submit it prior to the closing date, USAJOBS will send an email reminder that the closing date is approaching and your application is in an incomplete status).

Under the Fair Chance Act, agencies are not allowed to request information about an applicant's criminal history until a conditional offer of employment has been made, except as allowed for access to classified information; assignment to national security duties or positions; acceptance or retention in the armed forces; or recruitment of a Federal law enforcement officer. An applicant may submit a complaint or any other information related to an organization's alleged noncompliance with the Fair Chance Act. The complaint must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged noncompliance. To make a Fair Chance Act inquiry or complaint, send an email with the appropriate information to SM.FairChanceFBC@usda.gov, subject line: Fair Chance Act.

Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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