Senior Survey Statistician Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. DH-24-048-SP Department U.S. International Trade Commission
Salary $139,395.00 to $181,216.00 Grade 14 to 14
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 5/3/2024 Close Date 5/20/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Job Description (Please follow all instructions carefully)

Summary

This position is located in the U.S. International Trade Commission, Office of Operations, Office of Analysis and Research Services, Statistical Analysis and Methodology Division. As a Survey Statistician, you will be involved in the collection, compilation, and analysis of data; preparation of reports; and the presentation of relevant information. In addition, you will develop analytic and management data tools, conduct research, and advance office initiatives.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.

Duties

A Survey Statistician (Economics) participates in providing statistical analysis and developing statistical applications, coordinates the Commission's survey work across mission areas, advises teams on using statistics to define and quantify analytical problems, suggests methodologically sound statistical treatments and approaches to resolve data issues, and coordinates reviews and data quality control procedures. Additionally, this position will also oversee the division's data warehousing efforts across all missions areas.

The incumbent in this position will plan, carry out, and lead assigned projects for collecting and analyzing detailed statistical data, in addition to checking the statistical accuracy of such work products. The incumbent should be knowledgeable in relational databases and in multiple computer programming languages including, importantly and in particular, SQL. The incumbent should also be well versed in international trade statistics, and in particular be knowledgeable in the area of U.S. merchandise import and export statistics. The incumbent should also be well versed in managing data across a number of platforms, software, and analytical tools including but not limited to the Microsoft office suite (Excel and Access), Oracle, PostgreSQL, SAS, R, and STATA. The incumbent will coordinate the management of the division's data warehousing efforts across all mission areas, and should be able to demonstrate the ability to translate analytical and programmatic needs into system requirements and actionable items for information technology support.

The incumbent in this position will also conduct qualitative and quantitative analyses in support of Commission statutory and non-statutory work products. Additionally, the incumbent in this position will manage the data portion of the Commission's technical assistance requests and oversee the provision and management of data used in many of the Commission's statutory work products, both programmatic and administrative. This position requires a high level of accuracy, resourcefulness, initiative, creativity, attention to detail, self-correction, and the ability to work independently.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen or national.
  • You may be required to serve a one-year probationary period.
  • You must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret clearance.
  • You will be required to submit a Financial Disclosure Statement.
  • You must be able to pass a background investigation.
  • You are required to register for Selective Service if you are a male born after 12/03/1959.

Qualifications

You must meet all the requirements below by the closing date of the announcement and they must be clearly identified in your application, resume, or supporting documents. This includes any general and specialized experience, education, and/or selective placement factors mentioned. These are used to determine if you possess the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities to successfully perform in this position. You must meet the following United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements for the advertised position. OPM's prescribed Group Coverage Qualification Standard for Statistics Series can be found at
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1500/statistics-series-1530/

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

To meet the Basic Qualifications, all applicants must meet one of the following:

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.

GRADE LEVEL REQUIREMENTS:
In addition to meeting the Basic Entry Requirements above, applicants must have the experience listed below.

Specialized Experience: For GS-14, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector which has given the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position. Specialized experience for this position includes: having technical judgment in the formulation of plans for statistical support programs, in the execution of plans, in the interpretation of findings, and in the recommendations; developing action plans to achieve objectives, establishing statistical project schedules and guidelines for the purpose of evaluating efficiency, accuracy and compliance to specifications; monitoring statistical program progress, analyzing program areas and solving difficult and unique statistical problems.

You must provide a copy of your transcript to support this requirement.

Education cannot be substituted for experience at this grade level.

Education

For proof of education, you are required to submit a copy of your transcript(s) or list of courses with credit hours, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements, if it has been certified. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. Click on the link for a list of accreditation organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials: https://www.naces.org/members

Unofficial transcripts are accepted when applying to the position. Official transcripts will be required if you are selected. Education is also verified as part of the background investigation.

Additional information

This announcement is issued under "direct-hire" authority. Consistent with 5 U.S.0 3304(a)(3) and OPM regulations (5 CFR 337 Subpart B) on direct-hire: All candidates who meet all the qualification and other eligibility requirements may be referred for consideration. Competitive examining rules providing for rating and ranking and veterans' preference do not apply.

Surplus or Displaced Federal Employees: The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) Programs are available to federal employees that qualify. Those eligible for these programs are granted special priority selection rights. To be considered, you must be deemed well-qualified by receiving a score of 85 or higher. If you are a federal employee claiming CTAP/ICTAP, you must provide the documents listed under the Required Documents section to verify your eligibility. Also, you must indicate in your application that you are applying as a CTAP or ICTAP eligible. For additional information regarding CTAP/ICTAP, please visit: http://www.opm.gov/policydata-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you are registered with the Selective Service or are exempt under Selective Service regulations. For additional information concerning Selective Service requirements, please visit https://www.sss.gov

Foreign Education Credential Interpretation: https://www.naces.org/members

Cover page to fax paper application - OPM Form 1203fx: Occupational Questionnaire - OPM Form 1203-FX

This position is included in the bargaining unit, AFGE Local 2211. This position may be designated as essential personnel. Essential personnel must be able to serve during continuity of operation events without regard to declarations of liberal leave or government closures due to weather, protests, and acts of terrorism or lack of funding. Failure to report for or remain in this position may result in disciplinary or adverse action in accordance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations (5 U.S.C. § 7501-7533 and 5 CFR Part 752, as applicable).

If you are selected, travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid by the Commission. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting to work in this position will be your responsibility.

Except in special circumstances, those new to the federal government will be hired at the starting salary (step 1) of the applicable grade range listed in the Overview section.

Assessment Question: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12394230

Vacancy ID number: 12394230

Reasonable accommodations: This agency provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the contact listed on the vacancy announcement. The decision to grant a reasonable accommodation is made on a case-by-case basis. Verification of information: Any information claimed on your resume and in application materials, such as education, credentials, employment history, etc., will be verified as part of the security clearance process.

Verification of information: Any information claimed on your resume and in application materials, such as education, credentials, employment history, etc., will be verified as part of the security clearance process.

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.

This position is announced under a government-wide Direct Hire Authority (DHA) for Statistics positions in the GS-1530 series. Under this Direct-Hire authority, applicants are required to the meet the minimum qualification requirements at the grade level of interest. Veteran's Preference, Schedule A, Category Rating, and other methods of consideration DO NOT APPLY under Direct-Hire Authority regulations.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

  1. Skill in applying statistical data for analysis and development of statistical applications.
  2. Knowledge of international trade statistics, especially merchandise goods imports and exports.
  3. Experience in with relational databases and SQL, as well other processing and programming tools.
  4. Written and oral communication skills
We will evaluate your relevant education and/or work experience as they relate to the competencies, knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) mentioned above. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job.

Your responses to the self assessment questions serve as the basis for your initial rating. You will receive a numerical score based on your responses to these questions. Next, your responses will be evaluated by a Human Resources Specialist and/or a subject matter expert against the information provided in your resume. The best qualified candidates will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview. If referred all relevant documents submitted with your application package will be forwarded to the selecting official. Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for not hiring you or for changing your scored responses to questions you've answered, which may affect your overall final score.

View Assessment To preview the assessment questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12394230

We will review your resume and supporting documents, to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications and/or education on the information provided and evaluate your relevant education and/or work experiences as it relates to fundamental competencies, competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) mentioned above. Based on the results of this evaluation, if you are selected for an interview, you can expect a structured panel interview process, which will include between 2 and 4 members.

Required Documents

To receive consideration, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified below by 11:59 PM ET 05/20/2024.

1. Resume:
Your resume may be in any written format you choose, and to be sufficient, should contain the required information as specified in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. Insufficient resumes, or resumes that contain inappropriate information, such as privacy information or photographs, will result in an ineligible rating.

2. Occupational Questionnaire: A complete job-specific occupational questionnaire submitted through your Application Manager account or faxed using the methods outlined in the How to Apply section.

3. Transcripts: You MUST submit a copy of your academic transcript(s), as specified under the Education section of this announcement. Unofficial transcripts are sufficient for application purposes, provided they show your classes, grades, dates of attendance and award of any degree. If selected, an official/sealed academic transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.

Foreign Education: You can use education you completed in a foreign college or university if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. You must provide an official statement certifying that your education is equivalent with your application package. The link contains a list of accredited organizations that specialize in interpreting of foreign education credentials: https://www.naces.org/members. If you are selected for a position, you must submit an official/sealed college transcript(s) prior to employment.

4. Veterans' Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to direct hire positions; however, the Commission considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor in the hiring of all positions. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include such information in their cover letter, or resume, and submit supporting documents (e.g. DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active duty) as part of their application package. Although the point preference system is not used as in the competitive service, applicants eligible to claim a 10-point preference must submit a Standard Form 15 (SF-15), and documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed, as listed on the SF-15. Specific information is available on the Office of Personnel Management website at: http://www.opm.gov.

5. Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) Eligibles. You must submit the following documents:

  • a copy of your agency notice;
  • a copy of your most recent performance rating; and
  • a copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, noting your current position, grade level, and duty location.

6. Cover Letter. This is optional.

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

To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 05/20/2024 to receive consideration.

1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.

2. Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package. It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation are submitted prior to the closing date.

3. To verify that your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

4. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

The Vacancy ID is 12394230.

Agency contact information

Melanie West

Address

Office of Analysis and Research Services
500 E St SW
Washington, DC 20436
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

You will receive an auto-generated e-mail from USAJOBS informing you of the receipt of your application. After the closing date of the announcement, your application package will be reviewed by the Human Resources Office for completeness and satisfaction of the basic qualification requirements for this position. Applicants who have complete applications and meet the qualification requirement are referred to the hiring official in accordance with the process outlined in the How You Will Be Evaluated section of this announcement.

Your application may also be reviewed by Subject Matter Expert(s). If you are selected for an interview, you can expect a structured interview process, which may include a meeting with 2 to 4 Commission staff members. You may also be subject to additional assessments during the selection process (e.g., technical writing sample or other work sample, job knowledge test, case scenario analysis, scientific data assessment, etc.).

We appreciate your interest in the Commission and commit to keeping you informed on the status of your application. You will be notified of the following major milestones:

  • Receipt of your application;
  • Determination whether your application shows you meet the minimum qualifications for the position;
  • Determination whether your application was in the group for referral to the hiring official; and
  • The final outcome of the vacancy.
These notices will be emailed and posted directly on your USAJOBS account.

You can always check the status of your application as the recruitment process moves along by:

1. Logging into your USAJOBS account;
2. Selecting Application Status; and
3. Reviewing the Status column.


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