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Data Scientist

Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
This job announcement has closed

Summary

These positions are located in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), within multiple Institutes/Centers or the Office of the Director. The Data Scientist will provide support to meet organizational strategic goals that advance the use of data science methods and tools for scientific discovery and promoting public health.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
12/14/2020 to 12/23/2020
Salary
$86,335 to - $133,465 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12 - 13
Location
Montgomery County, MD
Many vacancies
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with policy. Only the Office of the Director/Office of Data Science Strategy (ODSS) is offering relocation expenses.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
NIH-SR-DE-21-10978276
Control number
586899700

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National. Foreign nationals or legal permanent residents are not eligible for consideration.

Duties

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  • Gather and analyze user requirements for information systems, including development of a catalog to record identified needs.
  • Apply analytical, machine learning, natural language processing, graph/network, visualization, and reporting tools to data sets in order to further scientific understanding and derive knowledge from data.
  • Assist in providing scientific/technical guidance in planning and conducting data science.
  • Aid in design and implementation of computer-based solutions, including tools, techniques, and practices, that broaden the use of IC data sets and knowledgebases and ensure access to research data throughout its lifecycle.
  • Manage the scope and development of initiatives drawing on project management best practices and planning to achieve success.
  • Serve as a resource to various public, private, and/or nonprofit health and/or data science organizations on scientific and technical issues.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship requirement or proof of being a U.S. National must be met by closing date.
  • Employment is subject to the successful completion of a background investigation, verification of qualifications, completion of onboarding forms, submission of required documents, and any other job-related requirement before or after appointment.
  • Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
  • Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered with the Selective Service.
  • Position requires education, please provide transcripts.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, you must meet the education requirement and specialized experience listed below.

EDUCATION REQUIREMENT

This is an interdisciplinary position where you can meet the education requirement by possessing any of the following:

General Health Science 0601 -

A bachelor's degree, or graduate/higher level degree with a major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of this position.

General Physical Science 1301 -

A. A Bachelor's degree, or graduate/higher level degree with a major study in physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics.

OR

B. A combination of education and experience that is equivalent to a major in physical science, engineering, or mathematics. You must have completed course work that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

General Mathematics And Statistics 1501 -

A. A Bachelor's degree, or graduate/higher level degree with a major study in mathematics, statistics, or actuarial science.

OR

B. A combination of education and experience that is the equivalent to a major in mathematics, statistics, or actuarial science. You must have completed course work that included at least 24 semester hours in mathematics, statistics, or actuarial science, plus have appropriate experience or additional education.

All degrees and education must be from an educational program from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained or education completed.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE

In addition, in order to qualify for a Data Scientist position at the GS-0601/1301/1501-12 level, you must have:

(1) year of qualifying experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in either the public or private sector that includes working on organizational data analysis, standardization, integration, sharing, and security initiatives to provide information to the relevant stakeholders (e.g., researchers, leadership). This specialized experience includes responsibilities such as:

1. Creating and modifying applications using programming languages (e.g., R, Python, SQL, Scala, Java, C/C++, Julia) to facilitate data clean-up, standardization, analysis, and retrieval efforts across an organization;
2. Presenting findings through data visualization techniques (e.g., interactive dashboards, charts, graphs) using programming languages (e.g., R, Python, SQL, Scala, Java, C/C++, Julia)or software packages (e.g., MatLab, Tableau);
3. Analyzing large datasets (i.e., over a billion data rows) using predictive analytics, such as the Natural Language Processing (NLP) or other Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) tools.

In addition, in order to qualify for a Data Scientist position at the GS-0601/1301/1501-13 level, you must have:
(1) year of qualifying experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in either the public or private sector that includes partnering with the relevant stakeholders (e.g., researchers, leadership) to build consensus around data standardization, integration, sharing, and security processes. This specialized experience includes responsibilities such as:

1. Supporting scientific data and knowledge management systems by providing guidance on administration and management functions such as architecture, infrastructure, policy development, technology evaluation, short- and longterm planning, etc.;
2. Creating and modifying scientific research applications using common programming languages (e.g., R, Python, SQL, Scala, Java, C/C++, Julia) to facilitate data clean-up, standardization, analysis, and retrieval efforts across an organization conducting scientific research;
3. Presenting research findings through data visualization techniques (e.g., interactive dashboards, charts, graphs) using programming languages (e.g., R, Python, SQL, Scala, Java, C/C++, Julia) or software packages (e.g., MatLab, Tableau);
4. Analyzing large datasets (i.e., over a billion data rows) using predictive analytics, such as the Natural Language Processing (NLP) or other Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) tools.

Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

You will receive credit for all experience material to the position, including experience gained in religious, civic, welfare, service, and organizational activities, regardless of whether you received pay.

Preview assessment questionnaire before you apply: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10978276

Education

This position has an education requirement. You are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your transcripts (or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed and grades). Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer. Click here for information on Foreign Education.

Additional information

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.

  • This position is designated as a "non-emergency/teleworker" position and the selected candidate will be considered a "non-emergency/teleworker" employee. In the event of a closure, you must be available to telework or request leave.
  • A one-year probationary period may be required upon selection/placement.
  • PHS Commissioned Officers interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps should apply online to this announcement to receive consideration.
  • At the supervisor's discretion, this position may offer work schedule flexibilities: telework, compressed schedules, flexible schedules.
  • The National Institutes of Health participates in the USCIS 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.
  • We may make additional selections for similar positions within the commuting area(s) of the locations listed through this vacancy announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with any interested selecting official(s). Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions.
  • The NIH maintains a tobacco free work environment and campus.
  • Must be able to perform the essential duties of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation.
  • Visit our Applicant FAQs page for helpful information on the application process.
  • Visit our Total Compensation page for a detailed look into the benefits, awards, leave, retirement and other incentives employees may receive as part of a rewarding work environment.

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 for this position, your application and responses to the online questionnaire will be evaluated under Category Rating and selection procedures for placement in one of the following categories:

  • Best Qualified - for those who are superior in the evaluation criteria
  • 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 but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Applicants determined to be Best Qualified will be referred for further consideration. Preference eligibles in the Best Qualified category are referred before all other applicants.

To determine your qualifications and referral status, we may review your resume and supporting documentation and compare it against your responses to the vacancy questionnaire. Ensure you support your self-ratings by the information you provide in your application. We may verify or assess your qualifications at any time. Inflated or unsupported qualifications may affect your rating. Any misrepresentation or material omission of facts may be sufficient cause to end further consideration of your candidacy. Persons listed as having knowledge of your past accomplishments or experience in your application may be contacted for verification purposes at any time. Verification may, but need not, begin prior to receiving an offer.

To be considered well qualified for the purposes of the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) and the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), you must be able to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry and substantively exceed the basic qualifications by scoring at least an 85 on the assessment and meet all eligibility, physical, medical, suitability, and all other requirements.

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