Statistician (Data Scientist)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the agency Americans trust with their lives. As a global leader in public health, CDC is the nation's premier health promotion, prevention, and preparedness agency. Whether we are protecting the American people from public health threats, researching emerging diseases, or mobilizing public health programs with our domestic and international partners, we rely on our employees to make a real difference in the health and well-being of people here and around the world. This position is located in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dep Director for Public Health Science and Surveillance (DDPHSS), National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Division of Research and Methodology (DRM), Office of the Director (OD), in Hyattsville, MD. CDC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
DUTIES SUMMARY
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, some CDC employees have been authorized to work virtually. However, when CDC is cleared to return back to work, you will be required to report to the location identified in the vacancy announcement for which you applied.
RESPONSIBILITIES
As a Statistician (Data Scientist), you will: Design experiments, test hypotheses, and assist in building scalable data science models.

Assist in data analysis and design basic algorithms using data science and artificial intelligence (e.g., machine learning) methods.

Work with senior data scientists and collaborate with CIO subject matter experts to select the relevant sources of information, which may include non-traditional datasets.

Work with Information Technology (IT) teams to support data collection, processing, storage, access, analysis, dissemination, retention, and confidentiality requirements based on the survey and vital statistics data collected.

Assist in solving the Division's analytics problems and communicate results and methodologies.

Collaborate with the data stewards to ensure that the information used follows the compliance, access management, and control policies and that it meets confidentiality and privacy legislative mandates (i.e., CIPSEA, Privacy Act, etc.) and NCHS quality and assurance requirements.
REQUIREMENTS
Conditions of Employment

US Citizenship is required. Background Investigation is required.

E-Verify: If you are selected for this position, the documentation that you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-Verify" System. Federal law requires DHS to use the E-Verify System to verify employment eligibility of all new hires, and as a condition of continued employment obligates the new hire to take affirmative steps to resolve any discrepancies identified by the system. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is an E-Verify Participant.

Direct Deposit: All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. One-year probationary period may be required.

Travel, transportation, and moving expenses paid: No

Bargaining Unit Position: Yes

Drug Screening Required: No

Recruitment Incentive authorized: No

Annual Leave for non-federal service authorized: No

Research position: No

Promotion potential: Yes. This position has promotion potential to GS-13. Promotion to the next grade level is at management's discretion and is based on your meeting qualifications and time-in-grade requirements, demonstrated ability to perform the higher level duties, the continuing need for the higher level duties, and administrative approval. Promotion to the next grade level is not guaranteed and no promise of promotion is implied.

Supervisory position: No. Public Trust/Moderate Background Investigation (5) is required Current or Former Political Appointees: Agencies must seek prior approval from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level under the provisions of title 5, United States Code. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Human Resources Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service. Current or Former Political Appointees: Submit SF-50.
QUALIFICATIONS
Basic Qualifications Requirements

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

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.

Minimum Qualification Requirements

For GS-11 - Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-09 in the Federal service as defined in the next paragraph. Specialized experience is experience which is directly related to the position which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) to successfully perform the duties of the position to include experience assisting in the implementation of data collection systems; producing and documenting analytic data files; or conducting basic statistical analyses of population, clinical, health, or administrative data.

or

You must possess a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree. This education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be determined from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as equivalent to 1 year of full-time study.

or

Combination of Experience and Education: You must have an appropriate combination of successfully completed graduate level education and experience. The quality of the combination of education and experience must be sufficient to demonstrate that you possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the occupation To determine your combination, first compute your experience as a percentage of the experience listed above; then determine your education as a percentage of the education listed above; then add the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent. Only graduate education in excess of 2 years (36 semester hours) may be used to qualify.

For GS-12 - Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-11 in the Federal service as defined in the next paragraph.

Specialized experience is experience which is directly related to the position which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) to successfully perform the duties of the position to include experience designing, conducting, and documenting statistical analyses of population, health, or administrative data related to health topics for publication.

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.
EDUCATION
Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the education requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: cdc.gov/jobs/future-applicant-information.html
HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED
Current, active duty PHS Commissioned Corps Officers interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps (not as a career/career-conditional employee) are encouraged to apply under the merit promotion announcement (if applicable). If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and you are claiming 5-points veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit an SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" plus the proof required by that form. For more information on veterans' preference see fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx.

Once the application process is complete, a review of the resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Category rating procedures will be used to rate and rank candidates. The category assignment is a measure of the degree to which your background matches the competencies required for this position. Qualified candidates will be ranked into one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified or Qualified. The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-9 level or higher). Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics).

Advising and Consulting (3) Analytical Planning and Specification Continuous Development Customer Service Data Analysis and Interpretation Data Monitoring Problem Solving Research Presentation and Publication Statistical Software Literacy Written Communication
OTHER INFORMATION
This position may be represented by the following union certified by the Federal Labor Relations Authority as the exclusive representative:

National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), Chapter 287
BUS Code: 3591Phone Number: Hyattsville, MD Office (202) 572-5500 - Atlanta, GA Office (404) 728-1630

For more information you may contact CDC Employee and Labor Relations Team or your local human resources office at 770-488-1124 or TSimmons1 at cdc dot gov

References: FLRA The Statute NTEU Chapter 287 - CBA.pdf (cdc.gov) https://www.nteu.org/ Additional selections may be made within the same geographical location CDC-wide. The utilization of shared certificates within multiple Centers of the Center of Disease Control and Prevention may be used from this vacancy announcement for specialties to include but not limited to: Applied Epidemiology, Behavioral Epidemiology, Chronic Diseases, Emergency Preparedness and Response, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Environmental Health, HIV/AIDS, Immunization, Infectious Diseases (e.g. Viral, Parasitic, etc.), Influenza, Malaria, Non-communicable Diseases, Outbreak Investigations, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), Surveillance, Tropical Medicine, Tuberculosis (TB), Viral Hepatitis, and/or Zoonotic Diseases. Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be authorized. Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see sss.gov).

For information on "People with Disabilities" please see opm.gov/disability/PeopleWithDisabilities.asp
and opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/disability-employment/getting-a-job/sampleschedaletters.pdf.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP)/ Career Transition Assistance Program(CTAP): For information on how to apply as an ICTAP/CTAP eligible see opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp#ictap.

To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 85.0 or above on the rating criteria for this position. Former and present Peace Corps personnel may be considered to fill vacancies. Peace Corps personnel are eligible for consideration if you have completed at least 36 months of continuous service, without a break in service of 3 days or more. This requirement is consistent with section 7(a) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2506), which pertains to the appointment of Peace Corps staff (not volunteers) and is applicable within 3 years after separation from qualifying service with the Peace Corps. A copy of your SF-50 is required to support your request. Peace Corps Volunteers may be considered to fill vacancies. Executive Order 11103 provides eligibility for appointment in the competitive service for any person who is certified by the Director of the Peace Corps as having served satisfactorily as a Volunteer or Volunteer Leader under the Peace Corps Act and who passes such examination as the Office of Personnel Management may prescribe. To view the questionnaire, visit: apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11335773
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Executive Order 14043, Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees, states in part that federal employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. This applies to all employees regardless of duty location or work arrangement (e.g., telework, remote work). Limited exceptions to this requirement may apply where provided for by law. If selected, you will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination by November 22, 2021 or before appointment or onboarding with the agency, if after Nov. 22. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request of the agency a legally required exception from this requirement. If an exception is approved, the selectee will be required to follow safety procedures for unvaccinated individuals. If an exception is not approved, the selectee must comply with the requirement for full vaccination according to instructions and within deadlines set by the agency based on OPM guidance. Any federal employee in violation of this executive order and associated requirements may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. When an individual fails to meet a requirement stated in the job opportunity announcement, the agency may take action up to and including rescinding the offer for an applicant or termination from service of a new employee (or removal for an employee who has accrued adverse action rights). For more information see the Vaccinations section of the Safer Federal Workforce website.

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes: Your résumé showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed. Other supporting documents: Cover Letter, optional Veterans Preference Documentation, if applicable Transcripts (Required)* Schedule A Eligibility Letter, if you are applying as a Schedule A candidate Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) / Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) documentation, if applicable (e.g., Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal). For USPHS Commissioned Corps Call-To-Active Duty (CAD) Candidates: In lieu of PHS Personnel Order (PHS-7063), submit an official copy of your USPHS CAD Medical and Professional Boarding notifications stating you are physically qualified and recommended for appointment. *

Note: You may submit an unofficial transcript or a list of college courses completed indicating course titles, credit hours, and grades received. An official transcript from an accredited educational institution is required if you are selected for the position. Failure to submit any of the above mentioned required documents will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted. For Résumé and Application Tips visit: help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Tips
HOW TO APPLY
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 01/20/2022 of this announcement to receive consideration.

To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Follow the prompts to select your résumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online if at all possible. Applying online, through your USAJOBS account, will expedite the application process and allow you to check your application. If you utilize the Alternate Application method, your USAJOBS account will not display this application and you will not receive status updates. To view the questionnaire, click on the following link: apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11335773
WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT
Once the online questionnaire is received you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. The most highly qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. We expect to make a selection within 45 days of the closing date of this announcement. You will receive notice via email once this process is completed (generally 4-6 weeks).