Supervisory Data Scientist (Associate Division Chief)

Clarification from the agency

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC - Open to all U.S. Citizens. Individuals who typically apply for positions under other authorities may also apply competitively to this position. (e.g. VRA, Schedule A, Peace Corps, Students, Recent Graduates, Military Spouses, National Guard, Indian Preference, Land Management, Family of Overseas Employees, Federal Employees, Agency Employees, ICTAP) Non-citizens may be eligible for this excepted service position under certain circumstances.

As Associate Division Chief, the incumbent serves as subject matter expert and advisor, providing leadership and oversight to a professional staff of data scientists, data analysts, and other professional and technical employees. The Supervisory Data Scientist has responsibility for (a) providing OEA enterprise data program oversight, strategic planning, policy recommendations, and establishing goals and objectives for enterprise data architectures, standards, data models, modeling and simulation, business intelligence, system design, and development of enterprise data platforms; (b) working with OEA senior leadership to provide program guidance and/or advice; (c) overseeing the coordination and implementation of enterprise data policies, governance, strategy, regulations, Executive Orders, OMB Circulars, and Agency data goals and objectives; (d) managing the implementation of large enterprise data collections from planning through availability of finalized data; (e) providing senior-level analytic and technical support to Bureaus and Offices in the analysis of data; and (f) supervising data scientists, IT specialists, project managers, and other staff. The incumbent reports to the Chief of the Data Division and/or other OEA leadership on specific assignments, projects and initiatives.

Conditions of employment

• US Citizenship.
• Suitable for employment as determined by a background investigation.
• Serve a probationary period of one year, if applicable.
• Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.
• Financial disclosure statement may be required upon assuming the position.
• Resume must not exceed two pages and must meet resume format criteria.
• Education-Transcripts Required

Please note your resume must thoroughly support your responses to the vacancy questions.  Your resume is an integral part of the process for determining if you meet the basic qualifications of the position and determining if you are to be among the best qualified.

Qualifications

Interested candidates should be passionate about the ideals of our American republic, committed to upholding the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution, and committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government. Hiring decisions will not be based on race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.

Applicants must meet eligibility and qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.  Time in grade restrictions do not apply to Direct Hire procedures.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

GS-15

Candidates must meet the following qualification criteria in order to be deemed as qualified:

1. Education;
2. Specialized Experience; and
3. Competencies

EDUCATION

Degree: Mathematics, statistics, computer science, data science or field directly related to the position. The degree must be in a major field of study (at least at the baccalaureate level) that is appropriate for the position or combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major field of study (30 semester hours) plus additional education or appropriate experience.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE

1. Leading or overseeing complex, organization-wide data management and/or data governance programs, including the implementation, development, and/or operation of enterprise data catalogues, data warehouses, data lakes, or other data platforms; 

2. Overseeing the design, development, implementation, or improvement of enterprise data platforms, large-scale data collections, analytical systems, dashboards, data models, or automated reporting solutions; 

3. Managing the development and implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML), including through the use of Large Language Models (LLMs), to facilitate data discovery, enhance data analytics, and/or support data science programs with large, complex datasets; 

4. Establishing or implementing data governance, data quality, validation, data management, or analytical standards and processes across multiple programs or organizational components; 

5. Providing technical leadership in the use of advanced statistical, analytical, computational, or data science methods to identify trends, evaluate data quality, solve complex problems, and support organizational or policy decisions; 

6. Coordinating and directing the implementation of data architecture, data frameworks, and technological infrastructure supporting data collections and complex datasets, including those containing large-scale or nationwide geospatial data; 

7. Advising senior management on complex data, analytical, technical, or program issues and translating technical findings into clear recommendations for technical and non-technical audiences; and 

8. Leading multidisciplinary teams and projects involving data scientists, analysts, information technology professionals, project managers, contractors, or other technical and professional staff. 

PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: 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.

COMPETENCIES

• Ability to apply advanced data science, statistical, computational, geospatial, and analytical methods to large, complex, structured, and unstructured datasets to identify patterns, evaluate data quality, solve complex problems, and develop reliable findings that support organizational and policy decisions. 
• Skill leading the development and implementation of enterprise data strategies, governance frameworks, data standards, data quality controls, large-scale data collections, and data platforms to ensure that organizational data are accurate, accessible, secure, usable, and appropriately managed.
• Skill leading complex data programs, projects, and multidisciplinary teams involving data scientists, analysts, IT professionals, contractors, and other stakeholders. 
• Ability to effectively establish priorities, allocate resources, resolve technical and programmatic problems, evaluate results, and ensure successful completion of major organizational initiatives. 
• Ability to communicate complex data management, data governance, data science, and other analytical and technical information clearly to senior executives, policymakers, attorneys, technical specialists, regulated entities, and other stakeholders; and in so doing, provide authoritative advice and recommendations that translate complex governance and analytical findings into understandable information supporting executive-level decision-making. 

SME REVIEW

For candidates who meet the educational requirements, subject matter experts will review the candidate's resumes to determine whether or not the submitted resumes demonstrate all of the required specialized experience and the required competencies. For candidates whose resumes demonstrate the required specialized experience and competencies, such applicants will be referred to the selecting official for hiring consideration. For candidates whose resumes do not demonstrate the required specialized experience and competencies, such applicants will not be referred to the selecting official for hiring consideration.

How you will be evaluated

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

As this position is being advertised under DEU and Merit Promotion hiring procedures, applicants will be rated on the extent and quality of experience and education relevant to the duties of the position using the hiring procedures outlined below.

Optional Four Essay Questions

At the time of application, applicants have the option of answering the following four short, free-response essay questions.

1. How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government? Provide a concrete example from professional, academic, or personal experience.
2. In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness? Provide specific examples where you improved processes, reduced costs, or improved outcomes.
3. How would you help advance the President’s Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired.
4. How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements? Provide one or two specific examples, and explain how those qualities would enable you to serve effectively in this position.

Applicants will be required to certify that they are using their own words, and did not use a consultant or AI (such as a large language model [LLM]). The responses to each question cannot exceed 200 words per question.

***Your resume must clearly document how you meet the specialized experience in order to meet the minimum qualification requirements for this vacancy. Some positions require supplemental document(s).  All required supporting documents MUST be received by midnight U.S. Eastern Time of the closing date of the announcement, as specified in this announcement. If you do not submit a required document (e.g. transcripts, etc.) your application will be considered incomplete and you will not receive further consideration. Once you apply to this vacancy you will be prompted by the system to upload the documents.  If you are unable to upload the required documentation, contact the HR Specialist listed on the vacancy announcement prior to 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement.***

Merit Hiring Plan Resume Requirements

In compliance with Executive Order 14170, Reforming the Federal Hiring Process and Restoring Merit to Government Service resumes must not be longer than two pages in length. The resume must address minimum qualifications and other requirements listed in the job announcement.

Resumes must include all of the following information outlined below:

Contact Information

Name and how best to contact you, including email address and phone number.

Relevant Work Experience

• Job Title and Employer (including series and grade for any Federal positions)
• Start and end dates with month/year (e.g., 05/2019 –08/2022)
• The number of hours you worked per week

Ensure work experience descriptions are aligned with the job announcement and address all required qualifications. Brief descriptions should demonstrate your ability to perform the tasks at the required level as stated in the job announcement.

Resumes must be formatted as outlined above. If the two page resume criteria and/or the resume formatting requirement is not met candidates will be rated as ineligible and will not be referred for hiring consideration.

The FCC is providing the following applicant resume resources: 

• Applicant Guidance on the Two-Page Resume Limit
• USAjobs-How to Write a Federal Resume

Required Documentation for CTAP and ICTAP eligibles

1. An SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, or other official documentation, which shows that you were declared displaced or surplus while serving as a career or career conditional competitive service employee, in tenure group 1 or 2, OR are a current or former Executive Branch agency employee in the excepted service serving on an appointment without time limit, at grade levels GS-15 or equivalent and below, and who has been conferred noncompetitive appointment eligibility and special selection priority by statute for positions in the competitive service.
2. An SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, or other official documentation which shows the position you may be or are being separated from has the same or higher promotion potential as that of the vacancy.

Additionally for CTAP eligibles

A copy of your Reduction in Force (RIF) separation notice;
- A notice of proposed removal for declining a directed reassignment or transfer of function outside the local commuting area;
- A Certificate of Expected Separation; your agency's certification that you are in a surplus organization or occupation (this could be a position abolishment letter, a notice of eligibility for discontinued service retirement, or similar notice).

Additionally for ICTAP eligibles

- A copy of your RIF separation notice, a notice of proposed removal for declining a directed reassignment or transfer of function outside the local commuting area;
- An OPM notice that your disability annuity has been (or will be) terminated;
- Certification from your former agency that it cannot place you after your recovery from a compensable injury; or
- Certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for a disability retirement and will receive the special OPM annuity.
- A copy of a current (or last) performance rating of record of at least fully successful or equivalent (not required if you are an ICTAP eligible due to compensable injury or disability retirement).

For more information on CTAP and ICTAP download a copy of The Employee's Guide to Career Transition at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/ctap_guideline.pdf

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