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Social Science Research Analyst

Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
This job announcement has closed

Summary

As a Social Science Research Analyst, GS-0101-7/9, you will serve in a trainee capacity assisting with performing program and policy analyses of services provided by HHS programs. Assists with conducting studies using survey, market research and statistical methodologies

Upon successful completion of the Recent Graduate program, the employee MAY be eligible for a conversion to a career-conditional or career appointment.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
12/17/2018 to 12/21/2018
Salary
$45,972 to - $73,105 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7 - 9
Locations
Many vacancies in the following locations:
Washington DC, DC
Bethesda, MD
Woodlawn, MD
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Drug test
No
Announcement number
CMS-RG-19-10376019-DE
Control number
519429100

Duties

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  • Assist in the development of drafts of program policy and analyses.
  • Conducts segments of activities involved in conducting surveys of program populations.
  • Interpret data tabulations and graphs; identify critical factors such as data limitations, biases, sampling errors, and inconsistencies.
  • Serve as liaison with representatives of the health care industry to obtain expert input, and promote understanding of HHS program issues.
  • Develop clearly written and concise issue papers and talking points for senior staff.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen or National to apply for this position.
  • You must possess a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
  • You must meet all program, qualification and education requirements.
  • You will be subject to a background and suitability investigation.
  • You must sign a Pathways Participant Agreement before starting employment.

Qualifications

PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

GPA Requirement: You must possess a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on the unweighted 4.0 scale upon completion of your academic degree or
certificate program. (GPA 2.95 is rounded to 3.0 and 2.94 is rounded to 2.9.)

To be eligible as a Recent Graduate:

  • Individuals who within the previous 2 years, completed a qualifying associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution. Therefore, you must have completed your educational program no earlier than 12/21/2016. Veterans who were precluded from applying due to their military service obligation, begin their 2- year eligibility period upon release or discharge from active duty. Eligibility for veterans cannot exceed 6 years from the date on which they completed their degrees (or certification). Therefore, veterans must have completed your educational program no earlier than 12/21/2012.
  • To verify your eligibility as a Recent Graduate, you must submit the following at the time of application: A copy of your unofficial transcripts from the educational institution you attended attesting to your possession of the required education. Your unofficial transcripts must reflect: (1) your name; (2) overall grade point average (GPA); (3) Degree Type (e.g., Bachelor's, Master's, etc.) and Degree Major; AND (4) the date your Degree was conferred. Failure to submit proof of degree/certificate completion at time of application will result in the withdrawal of your application from consideration for this position.
To be eligible as a Degree Candidate for Fall 2018:
  • Individuals who are degree candidates for this current semester/term, i.e. Fall 2018, scheduled to complete a qualifying Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, Doctorate, professional, vocational or technical degree or certificate program AND degree/certificate has not been conferred at time of application.
  • To verify your eligibility as a Degree Candidate for Fall 2018, you must submit the following at the time of application: A copy of your unofficial transcripts from the educational institution you attended attesting to your education completed to date. Your unofficial transcripts must reflect: (1) your name; (2) overall grade point average (GPA); AND (3) Degree Type (e.g., Bachelor's, Master's, etc.) and Degree Major -AND- You must submit an additional unofficial transcript that confirms the date your degree was conferred by 11:59pm ET on January 18, 2019 to email RecentGrads@cms.hhs.gov. Failure to submit proof of degree/certificate completion by this deadline will result in the withdrawal of your application from consideration for this position.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

In order to qualify for the GS-07, you must meet the following:
  • Specialized Experience: You must demonstrate in your resume at least one year (52 weeks) of qualifying specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal government, obtained in either the private or public sector, to include: 1) Collecting information that will be used to conduct studies or surveys, and 2) Providing information that will be included into draft operational and program policies. - OR -
  • Substitution of Education for Experience: You may substitute education for specialized experience at the GS-07 grade level by possessing at least one full year of graduate level education with coursework directly related to the position being filled. 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 obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. - OR -
  • Superior Academic Achievement: A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university AND one of the following provisions of superior academic achievement:
    • A grade-point average of "B" (3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale) for all completed undergraduate courses or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study. For example, 2.95 is rounded to 3.0, and 2.94 is rounded to 2.9.
    • A grade-point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale for all required courses completed in your major field of study, or those required courses in your major completed in the last two years of your undergraduate study. Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university, or major subdivision.
    • Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. - OR -
  • Combination of Experience and Education: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total experience requirements at the GS-07 grade level. The percentage of your total qualifying experience the education must equal to 100% to qualify for this grade.

In order to qualify for the GS-09, you must meet the following:
  • Specialized Experience: You must demonstrate in your resume at least one year (52 weeks) of qualifying specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal government, obtained in either the private or public sector, to include: 1) Utilizing surveys, market research, or statistical techniques to assist with conducting studies or surveys related to the operation of a health or human service program and 2) Collecting information that will included into draft operational and program policies. - OR -
  • Substitution of Education for Experience: You may substitute education for specialized experience at the GS-09 grade level by possessing a Master's Degree or equivalent graduate degree or at least 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree - degree/coursework must be directly related to position. - OR -
  • Combination of Experience and Education: Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the GS-07 grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at the GS-09 grade level. Therefore, only education in excess of one full year of graduate level education may be used to combine education and experience. 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 obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended.

TRANSCRIPTS are required at the time of application to verify satisfactory completion of the educational requirement related to substitution of education for experience and combination of experience and education. Please see "Required Documents" section below on what documentation is required.

Education

EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: In addition to meeting the above Qualification Requirements, all candidates must meet one of the following education/experience requirements for the Social Science series:

  • Degree in behavioral or social science; or related disciplines appropriate to the position. - OR -
  • Combination of education and experience: some coursework from an accredited college or university in the appropriate disciplines related to the position and some experience that, when combined, provided knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field. - OR -
  • Four years of appropriate experience related to the position that demonstrates knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.


Click the following link to view the occupational questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10376019

Additional information

Bargaining Unit Position: Yes
Tour of Duty: Flexible
Recruitment/Relocation Incentive: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure: Not Required

Salary Range by Location:

Bethesda, MD - $45,972 to $73,105
Washington, D.C. - $45,972 to $73,105
Woodlawn, MD - $45,972 to $73,105

All CMS Pathway employees are hired at the Step 1 of the grade in which they are selected.

For more information about pay based on locality, please visit the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Salaries & Wages Page.

Additional Forms REQUIRED Prior to Appointment:

  • Optional Form 306, Declaration of Federal Employment and the Background/Suitability Investigation - A background and suitability investigation will be required for all selectees. Appointment will be subject to the successful completion of the investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements may be grounds for appropriate personnel action. In addition, if hired, a reinvestigation or supplemental investigation may be required at a later time. If selected, the Optional Form 306 will be required prior to final job offer. Click here to obtain a copy of the Optional Form 306.
  • Form I-9, Employment Verification and the Electronic Eligibility Verification Program - CMS participates in the Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). E-Verify helps employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers. If selected, the Form I-9 will be required at the time of in-processing. Click here for more information about E-Verify and to obtain a copy of the Form I-9.
  • Standard Form 61, Appointment Affidavits - If selected, the Standard Form 61 will be required at the time of in-processing. Click here to obtain a copy of the Standard Form 61.

Additional selections may be made from this announcement for similar positions within CMS in the same geographical location. For Central Office vacancies, the "same geographical location" includes Baltimore, Maryland; Bethesda, Maryland; and Washington, D.C.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

How you will be evaluated

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

If you meet the minimum qualifications and education requirements for this position, your application and responses to the online occupational questionnaire will be evaluated under Category Rating and Selection procedures for placement in one of the following categories:

  • Well Qualified - for those who excel in the evaluation criteria
  • Qualified - for those who only meet the minimum qualification requirements
The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three" but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans' preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent will be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of professional or scientific positions at the GS-09 level or higher).

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):
  • Analysis
  • Oral Communication
  • Research
  • Writing


Once the announcement has closed, your online application, resume, transcripts and CMS required documents will be used to determine if you meet eligibility and qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are found to be among the top qualified candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating.

CMS Pathways - Recent Graduate candidates must meet the qualification requirement consistent with the OPM qualification standards applicable to the position being filled. Veterans' preference applies to selections made under the Pathways authority in accordance with Part 302 of 5 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Candidates who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements need not be further evaluated.

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