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Lead Social Scientist

Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Click on "Learn more about this agency" button below to view Eligibilities being considered and other IMPORTANT information.

WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OTHER IRS CAREERS? Visit us on the web at www.jobs.irs.gov

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
09/28/2021 to 10/12/2021
Salary
$108,885 to - $172,500 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
IRS Nationwide Locations, United States
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
21-11240483M-SBN-0101-14
Control number
615570500

Duties

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WHAT IS THE SMALL BUSINESS/SELF EMPLOYESDIVISION?
A description of the business units can be found at: https://www.jobs.irs.gov/about/who/business-divisions

The following are the duties of this position at the full working level. If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform these duties and will receive training to help you grow in this position.

As a technical authority the incumbent leads the initiation, planning, implementation, controlling, modifying, and executing of all or part of an entire research project. Duties include guiding the specification of the methodology to be used, preparation of appropriate specifications and procedures, and review of computer system specifications and materials, and instructions needed for assuring the adequacy of the study's design. In addition, reviews on an as needed basis of the results of the social science research process.

Formulates policies, develops plans, designs and issues directives and instructions, and develops recommendations to improve national research programs, projects and policies to business executives.

Leads the resolution of very complex research problems requiring incumbent's in-depth knowledge to guide the location and exploration of the areas of research in relation to the agency's program and needs. Duties include guiding the formulation and completion of research plans, policies, interpretation, and application of findings, and development and presentation of recommendations to support these plans and policies.

Serves as the expert and instructor on preparing and presenting team deliverables to top level audiences which include policy statements, executive presentations and other methods to convey the results of program analysis.

Provides management guidance in determining the scope, goals, and schedules for future research programs, especially programs of a social economic and psychological nature.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

STANDARD POSITION DESCRIPTIONS (SPD):
PD95976

Visit the IRS SPD Library to access the position descriptions.

- We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
- This is a non-bargainingunit position.
- Tour of Duty: Mon - Fri, 8am-4:30pm
- Alternative work schedule, staggered work hours or telework may be available.
- If you are in a telework eligible position, you may be directed to temporarily telework on a full-time basis due to COVID 19. Employees must be within a 150-mile radius of their official assigned post-of-duty (POD) while in a telework status. Once normal operations resume, employees may be directed back to the office to perform the duties of their position. Telework eligibility does not guarantee telework; employees must meet and sustain IRS telework eligibility requirements and supervisor's approval to participate in the IRS Telework Program. As a reminder - If you are selected for a position, you are responsible for reporting to your designated POD (location) on the negotiated start date or as directed by management.
- File a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of appointment and annually from then on.

Qualifications

Federal experience is not required. The experience may have been gained in the public sector, private sector or Volunteer Service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-timework is considered on a prorated basis.
To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume.

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement:

BASIC REQUIREMENT : You must have four (4) years course of study leading to a Bachelor's Degree at an accredited college or university in behavioral or social science; or related disciplines appropriate to the position. OR
Four (4) years of appropriate experience that demonstrated knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field. OR
Combination of education and experience that provided the applicant with knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: GS-14 LEVEL: You must have 1 year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes: Experience utilizing methods and principles to identify behavioral segments and profiles of taxpayer behavior, to determine conclusions, solve complex problems within the assigned area, draw rational statistical conclusions and prepare comprehensive reports. Experience conducting quantitative and qualitative social science research and analyzing results to provide operational recommendations for stakeholders. Experience should include developing, analyzing, and presenting key findings to stakeholders. Experience completing research assignments independently, using social science and statistical methods to define populations, profile and model market segment behaviors to better understand and predict taxpayer behavior. Experience in initiation, formulation, planning, execution, and control of social science studies, statistical projects and/or modeling projects to better understand current taxpayer behavior and determine impact of IRS processes on future behavior. Experience writing and presenting technical materials, which clearly communicates data results and outlines impact of possible process changes or actions, for senior executive leadership decision making. Experience facilitating workgroup interactions which resulted in team synergy that increased quality and range of work performed.

AND

MEET TIME IN GRADE (TIG) REQUIREMENT: Under merit promotion procedures, Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions contained in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. Time is credited based on calendar time served in a grade, regardless of the number of days or hours worked. If you currently hold or have previously held a position at the same (or equivalent) or higher grade/level in the Federal government as of this announcement, you will meet the TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENTS.

For more information on qualifications please refer to OPM's Qualifications Standards.

Education

For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. If the position has specific education requirements and you are currently (or have previously been) in the Federal job series to be filled, there is no need to submit a transcript or equivalent at this time, but you must provide an SF-50 documenting you held this job series. An official transcript will be required if you are selected.

  • Note: If substituting Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) for experience at the GS-7 level, please note that grade-point averages are rounded to one decimal place. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9. The Qualifications requirements above will reflect if SAA is accepted for this position and the online questionnaire will offer the option to select SAA as a qualifying response.

A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. Click here for Foreign Education Credentialing instructions.

Additional information

Remain in POD: The vacancy will be filled at the selectee's official permanent position of record, post of duty (POD) and is located in SBSE, Operations Support, Business Development, Research.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your application includes your resume, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a "not qualified" determination.

Rating: Your application will be evaluated in accordance with the Service's Merit Promotion Plan. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Leadership
  • Oral Communication
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Problem Solving
  • Project/Program Management


Your application will also be rated and ranked among others, based on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, training, performance appraisals and awards relevant to the duties of this position. IRS employees may obtain their most recent awards listing at https://persinfo.web.irs.gov/. Your rating may be lowered, if your responses to the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.

Referral: A category-like rating (Quality Group) will be used to rate, rank and select eligible candidates. If qualified, you will be assigned to one of three quality level categories, Superior/Best Qualified, Highly Qualified and Qualified.

If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. Candidates, if required to participate in a selection interview (telephonic and/or in person at the discretion of the Selecting Official in accordance with hiring practices), will be interviewed in quality group order. We will not reimburse costs related to the interview such as travel to and from the interview site.

If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee eligible for Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), you must receive a score of Highly Qualified or better to be rated as well qualified to receive special selection priority.

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