Summary
This position is part of the Defense Human Resources Activity. The incumbent will work under the general supervision of the Deputy Director, DPAC, and exercises considerable independence in planning, designing, and carrying out projects, studies, and other assignments. The incumbent is a recognized expert and is responsible for providing authoritative advice and consultation to senior leadership within and outside the organization.
This job is open to
Federal employees - Competitive service
Current federal employees whose agencies follow the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's hiring rules and pay scales.
Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.
Veterans
Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces or a spouse, widow, widower or parent of a veteran, who may be eligible for derived preference
Military spouses
Military spouses of active duty service members or whose spouse is 100 percent disabled or died on active duty.
Individuals with disabilities
Individuals who are eligible under Schedule A.
Special authorities
Individuals eligible under a special authority not listed in another hiring path.
Clarification from the agency
Federal employee means current permanent competitive service employees, and Special authorities (Interchange Agreement agency employees) may apply. Veterans eligibilities include 30% or more Disabled Vet and Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA). Military Spouse Preference (MSP) eligibles, DOD Civilian Spouse eligibles, Retained Grade Preference (RGP) eligibles, and Military Reserve and National Guard Technician eligibles may apply.
Duties
As a Social Science Specialist at the GS-0101-12/13 some of your typical work assignments may include:
- Act as a key advisor and liaison between technical research teams and senior organizational leaders.
- Serve as an expert consultant to internal research teams, providing guidance on data visualization, science communication, and data sharing best practices.
- Translate complex analytical products into actionable recommendations and high-impact briefings for senior leadership and other stakeholders.
- Cultivate and manage relationships with stakeholders across the enterprise to understand research needs and represent the organization's analytical capabilities.
- Oversee the technical integrity of enterprise-wide surveys, ensuring valid and reliable measurement of psychological and social phenomena and alignment with federal statistical policies and standards.
- Develop and implement comprehensive strategies for disseminating research findings through symposia, conferences, and other channels.
- Lead and coordinate cross-functional project teams, developing comprehensive project plans and ensuring the timely completion of critical milestones.
If selected at the GS-12, the above duties will be performed in a developmental capacity.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- Must be a U.S. citizen
- Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
- Resume and supporting documents (See How To Apply)
- Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation
- May be required to successfully complete a probationary period
- Work Schedule: Full Time
- Overtime: Occasionally
- Tour of Duty: Flexible
- Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
- Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Exempt
- Financial Disclosure: Not Required
- Telework Eligibility: This position is telework eligible
Qualifications
You may qualify at the GS-12, if you fulfill the following qualifications:
A. One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service:
- Experience leading or coordinating research projects, including developing project plans, monitoring milestones, and adapting to changing requirements.
- Experience applying social science research methods and principles to analyze workforce, organizational, or policy-related issues.
- Experience translating complex scientific or technical findings into clear, actionable recommendations for leadership or diverse audiences.
- Experience providing expert consultation or technical review on research methodology, survey design, or data analysis to ensure compliance with standards.
- Experience cultivating relationships and negotiating research requirements with internal and external stakeholders.
You may qualify at the GS-13, if you fulfill the following qualifications:
A. One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service:
- Experience directing large-scale research programs or a portfolio of complex projects, which includes developing and executing research plans, allocating resources, and advising senior leadership on research priorities and implications of research findings.
- Experience applying advanced quantitative and/or qualitative methodologies to analyze and resolve novel or poorly defined workforce, organizational, or policy challenges, resulting in findings that shape strategic decisions.
- Experience translating highly complex and technical research findings into strategic, actionable recommendations to inform policy and guide decision-making for senior executive-level leaders.
- Experience providing authoritative consultation and technical oversight for major research programs, ensuring methodological rigor and compliance with federal regulations and statistical standards (e.g., Paperwork Reduction Act, OMB guidance).
- Experience developing and implementing strategies for stakeholder engagement, representing an organization's research capabilities, and negotiating with senior leaders to define and align on research requirements that significantly impact the mission objectives of stakeholders.
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, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
In addition to meeting qualifications, your application package must reflect the applicable experience to meet the Individual Occupational Requirements for the 0101 series.
- Degree in behavioral or social science; or related disciplines appropriate to the position OR
- Combination of education an experience that provided the applicant with the knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field. OR
- Four years of appropriate experience that demonstrated that the applicant has acquired knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.
*NOTE: Failure to provide transcripts will result in you being rated ineligible for this position.
Education
ARE YOU USING YOUR EDUCATION TO QUALIFY? You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims.
All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.
GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours that your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.
Foreign education may be qualifying if a private organization specializing in interpreting foreign education programs has deemed the foreign education equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program or a U.S. accredited college or university has given full credit for the foreign courses.
Unofficial transcripts from U.S. Department of Education accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions listing your name, the name of the school, the date and degree awarded, and the list of classes and credits earned are acceptable for the application process. If selected, official transcripts are required before a firm job offer is made. A photocopy of your degree/diploma is not acceptable.
When relying on foreign education, submit transcripts and a copy of the equivalency evaluation results letter with a course-by-course listing. Documents must be in English or include an English translation. The hiring employer for this position does not evaluate degrees from foreign colleges or universities. For further information, visit: Foreign Education
Additional information
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
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.
Once the application process is complete, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the Occupational Questionnaire. 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. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):
Competencies:
- Program Management
- Research
- Social Science Method
- Stakeholder Management
Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP):This program applies to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria AND 2) be rated well-qualified for the position AND 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. Well-qualified means you possess the type and quality of experience that exceeds the position's minimum qualifications.
Priority Placement Program (PPP) DoD Retained Grade Preference (RGP): To receive this preference, you must choose to apply using the (RGP) eligibility. If you are claiming RGP and are determined to be Well Qualified for the position, you will be referred to the hiring manager as a priority applicant.
Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible (PPP DoD MRNG):In order to receive this preference, you must choose the (PPP DoD MRNG) eligibility, and fill out and submit the
Military Reserve and National Guard Technician PPP Self-Certification Checklist and copies of the appropriate documentation.
Priority Placement Program, DoD
Military Spouse Preference (MSP) (PPP MSP): In order to receive this preference, you must choose to apply using the(MSP) (PPP MSP) eligibility. If you are claiming MSP (PPP MSP) and are determined to be Well Qualified (score of 85 or above) for the position, you will be referred to the hiring manager as a priority applicant.
Required Documents
The documents you are required to submit vary based on the authority you are using to apply (i.e., applying as a veteran, applying as a current permanent Federal employee, applying as a reinstatement, etc.). Your complete application includes your COMPLETE resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.
The following documents are REQUIRED
1. Resume:
- IMPORTANT UPDATE: Your resume must not exceed two (2) pages. If your resume exceeds the two-page limit, you will be removed from consideration for this announcement. The resume and required supporting documentation should provide the minimum qualifications and relevant experience for the announced position. Must include the work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment, and duties performed. If multiple resumes are submitted by an applicant, only the last resume submitted will be reviewed for qualifications and referred for selection consideration, if eligible. The resume must not be more than 5MB and should be saved and uploaded as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. Page margins should be 0.5 inches, and font styles must be legible. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text. We recommend using a font like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans.
- Additional guidance on writing a federal resume can be found at: USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job? The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started.
2. Transcripts:
- College transcript (s), required if meeting the Individual Occupational Requirement based on education. We accept unofficial transcripts, as long as they contain your name, the name of the school, the date and degree that was awarded, and the list of classes and credits earned.
3.
SF50
- All current and former civilian Federal employees must submit a copy of your MOST RECENT SF50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing your tenure, grade and step, salary, and type of position occupied (i.e., Excepted or Competitive); or similar Notification of Personnel Action documentation, i.e., Transcript of Service, Form 1150, etc. This is also a requirement to verify your Time in Grade (TIG).
4. Veteran's Documents:
- If applying using veteran's preference or under a Veteran's hiring authority you must submit the following documents: DD214 showing character of service, SF-15 Form and VA letter showing final percentage, or certification of expected discharge or release from active duty.
PLEASE REVIEW THE BELOW LINK FOR OTHER SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS needed for proof of eligibility:
https://www.dla.mil/Portals/104/Documents/Careers/downloads/DODCustomersRequiredSupportingDocumentation.pdf
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 online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date to receive consideration.
- To begin, click Apply Online to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account.
- You will be taken to an online application. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application. NOTE: Resumes up to a total of two pages will be accepted. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration.
- You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement.
- To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, https://www.usajobs.gov, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To preview the questionnaire, please go to
https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12987726.
Review the General Application Information and Definitions at:
https://www.dla.mil/Portals/104/Documents/Careers/downloads/DoDGenAppInfo%2012-1-2020.pdf?ver=ECNbdsHtGilTd3OENN4A0Q%3d%3d
As required by 5 C.F.R. § 302.106., DLA will provide Section 508 conformant ICT to employees with disabilities. All ICT interfaces with the public related to vacancy announcements and career transition opportunities must conform to the applicable requirements in the current ICT Standards and Guidelines (36 C.F.R. § 1194).
Next steps
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated. You will receive another notification about the status of your application. A list of qualified applicants will be created and sent to the selecting official. All applicants reviewed and/or referred will receive a notification letter. All applicants must meet qualifications and eligibility criteria by the closing date of the announcement.
This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.