Data Scientist

Summary The position is responsible for providing technical expertise aggregating, collating, and analyzing data from databases including, but not limited to, the development, implementation and updating of data extraction queries, data mining and, developing strategies, action plans, data queries modification and maintenance, quality control and validation of collected data. The position works as part of a study team and contributes to the design for advanced data systems. Learn more about this agency Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. NOTE: Applicants must meet both the Individual Occupation Requirements (IOR) and the Specialized Experience as stated for the grade levels as listed below. Basic Requirements (IOR): A. 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 B. Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major field of study (30 semester hours) as shown in paragraph A above, plus additional education or appropriate experience. AND Specialized Experience: To qualify for the grade level GS-09: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-07) or a comparable pay band in federal or other service that demonstrates the particular competencies necessary to perform the work of this position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: Providing technical expertise aggregating, collating, and analyzing data from databases including, but not limited to, the development, implementation and updating of data extraction queries, data mining and, developing strategies, action plans, data queries modification and maintenance, quality control and validation of collected data. Generating and managing datasets, using SQL, R, SAS, SPSS, STATA and VINCI. OR Education Substitution for grade level GS-09:Applicants may substitute education for experience with an awarded master's or equivalent graduate degree (such as an LL. B or J.D.) from an accredited college or university, or two full years (36 semester hours or 54 quarter hours) of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. This graduate degree must meet the IOR with a degree Mathematics, statistics, computer science, data science or field of study directly related to the position. OR Applicants may combine education and experience to qualify for grade GS-09. If you have some, but not all, of the graduate education described above AND less than one full year of the specialized experience described above, you may qualify by combining the amount of creditable education and experience that you do have. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions, and per the IOR this education must contain courses equivalent to a major field of study as appropriate for the position, at grade GS-09. If you are claiming to qualify based on your education, your application must include an official or unofficial copy of graduate level transcripts that demonstrate this information. To qualify for the grade level GS-11: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-09) or a comparable pay band in federal or other service that demonstrates the particular competencies necessary to perform the work of this position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: Providing technical expertise aggregating, collating, and analyzing data from databases including, but not limited to, the development, implementation and updating of data extraction queries, data mining and, developing strategies, action plans, data queries modification and maintenance, quality control and validation of collected data. Generating and managing datasets, using SQL, R, SAS, SPSS, STATA and VINCI. OR Education Substitution for grade level GS-11: Applicants may substitute education for experience with an awarded master's or equivalent graduate degree (such as an LL. B or J.D.) from an accredited college or university. This graduate degree must meet the IOR with a degree Mathematics, statistics, computer science, data science or field of study directly related to the position. OR Applicants may substitute a combination of graduate education and specialized experience to qualify for grade GS-11. If you have some, but not all, of the graduate education described above AND less than one full year of the specialized experience described above, you may qualify by combining the amount of creditable education and experience that you do have. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions, and per the IOR this education must contain courses equivalent to a major field of study as appropriate for the position, at grade GS-11. An unofficial or official copy of your transcripts must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Preferred Experience: Conducts observational analysis using software and/or programming languages such as R, Python, Stata, SAS, or SQL to explore/group data, test hypotheses, predict outcomes, and inform decisions. Works with large datasets. Serves as a Data Analyst with the responsibility for the storage, retrieval and execution of data acquisition requirements and assisting other Agency professionals and contractors in solving complex and far-reaching problems for a wide range of systems, applications, and customers. Issues include data interface and storage, and require application of data management principles, procedures, and tools such as modeling techniques, data backup, data recovery, data dictionaries, data warehousing, data mining, data disposal, and data standardization processes. The position requires knowledge of principle and concepts of managing data through its life cycle. Use of data science tools to execute duties is gained from education and experience; these duties including programming, statistics, and data visualization. Constructs data pipelines using tools and techniques to handle data at scale. Support projects developed by investigators focusing on enterprise analytics. Examples of data accessed include health data, demographic data, administrative data, claims data, programmatic data, and patient behavior, provider activities, economic indicators, and expenditure data. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-09 to GS-11. Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary and does not require any special physical effort. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. Read more 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 window Learn 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.