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Social Scientist

Environmental Protection Agency
This job announcement has closed

Summary

We are an independent office within the EPA that helps the agency protect the environment in a more efficient & cost effective manner. We perform audits, evaluations, & investigations of the EPA to promote economy, efficiency, and to prevent and detect fraud, waste and abuse. We strive to provide solutions to problems that ultimately result in making America a cleaner and healthier place.

This position offers the opportunity to work in a maximum telework capacity as authorized by the agency.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
08/15/2022 to 08/24/2022
This job will close when we have received 200 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$68,299 to - $105,579 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12 - 13
Location
Many vacancies in the following location:
Location Negotiable After Selection, United States
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
NCS/High Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
EPA-OIG-IN-2022-0056
Control number
671328000

Duties

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This position is located in the Office of Special Review and Evaluation, within the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General. The Office of Special Review and Evaluation focuses on oversight of programs, offices, and centers; evaluates the efficiency and effectiveness in meeting legal, regulatory, congressional, and public requirements and expectations, as well as how the EPA implements, executes, and enforces new and existing requirements and the extent to which stakeholders can rely on those requirements; and focuses on oversight of environmental infrastructure investments and activities. This position will perform the planning and execution of evaluations looking at state, regional, or nation-wide EPA programs.

Many vacancies in EPA regional office locations along with Research Triangle Park, NC. Other locations negotiable upon selection.  

Responsibilities

Assignments are designed to perform various evaluation assignments independently. Typical duties include:

  • Evaluating various programs to identify areas where significant improvement in economy, efficiency, and effectiveness can be made in agency statutes, regulations, guidance, policies, procedures, or practices.
  • Gather and analyze data in support of assignments, prepare written products, make oral presentations, and apply conventional evaluation techniques to complete relatively uncomplicated portions of evaluations.
  • Research and gather reference materials to gain an understanding of the areas under review, as well as applicable laws, regulations, and industry best practices.
  • Provide technical assistance to others.
  • Participate in meetings with program personnel and OIG managers. Assist with or participate in meetings with management officials to present findings, explain the significance of conclusions, justify recommendations, and answer questions on the evaluation planning and methodology. Work to establish customer/client agreement on evaluation design.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Conditions of Employment

  • U.S. Citizenship Required. 
  • Background Investigation Required.
  • Must meet education requirements.
  • Position has portable work and selectee may be eligible to telework.

Must be a U.S. Citizen.

This is a Public Trust Position. Employment in this position requires a background investigation. If you are selected and cannot obtain a favorable security determination within a reasonable period of time due to disclosed or undisclosed background issues, the tentative employment offer may be withdrawn.

If you are a male born after December 31, 1959 you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law.

Selectees will be required to complete a "Declaration of Federal Employment" (OF-306), prior to appointment and the appropriate background investigation forms to determine suitability for Federal employment. False statements or responses on these forms can jeopardize your employment opportunity and subject you to disciplinary action, including removal from Federal service.

The selectee will be required to complete a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the I-9 Form. We will compare information provided on the I-9 Form to records available from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The system confirms employee’s identity and eligibility to work in the United States. Learn more about e-verify, including your rights and responsibilities.

Upon appointment, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450. You will need to provide the information annually.  

Depending on your status, this position may require serving a 1-year probationary period.

Qualifications

In addition to the mandatory education requirement, all applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal Service.

Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the candidate with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following: 

GS-12:

1) Assisting project mangers in the design and appropriateness of audits and evaluations of environmental programs;

2) Making observations, gathering data, and accomplishing work activities with a integrated team;

3) Interviewing, gathering facts, obtaining information, conducting analysis, and communicating results in preparation of written reports and oral presentations; AND

4) Presenting findings to management through written final reports and other documents.

GS-13:

1) Assisting Directors, Project Managers, Team Leaders, and individual auditors and program evaluators in the design, sufficiency and appropriateness of data gathering instruments, research tools, and methodologies and the extrapolations and conclusions reached by audit and evaluation teams;

2) Making observations, gathering data, and accomplishing work activities with an integrated team;

3) Coordinating all aspects of the evaluation, including planning, interviewing, gathering facts, obtaining information, conducting analysis, and communicating results in written reports and oral presentations.  Ensuring reports comply with evaluation standards. AND;

4) Representing the OIG during meetings and conferences with EPA regional offices, other Federal Agencies, state and local governments, Congress, the regulated community, and outside interest groups.

Evidence of the above specialized experience must be supported by detailed documentation of duties performed in positions held. Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific when describing your experience. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience or based on job titles alone. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

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. 

Applicants must meet the qualifications for this position within thirty (30) days of the closing date of this announcement. 

Education

All applicants must meet one of the following requirements to be determined eligible to work in this series:

Social Science Series, 0101

Basic Requirements

Degree: behavioral or social science; or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

-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.

-or-

Four years of appropriate experience that demonstrated that the applicant has acquired knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.

You MUST provide transcripts to support your educational claims. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable during the application process. Official transcripts will be required upon appointment. 

All materials must be submitted by the closing date of this announcement. 

All education claimed by applicants will be verified.

Additional information

EPA OIG provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please contact the Human Resources Specialist listed in this vacancy announcement.

Payment of relocation expenses is NOT authorized.

All the information you provide will be verified by a review of the work experience and/or education as shown on your application, by checking reference and through other means, such as the interview process. Any exaggeration of your experience, false statements, or attempts to conceal information may be grounds for not hiring you or for firing you after you begin work.  

“To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a Federal job announcement includes the requirement that applicants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to E.O. 14043, that requirement does not currently apply. Federal agencies may request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.”

Additional selections may be made through this vacancy announcement.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your answers to the on-line assessment will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas:

  1. Knowledge of analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to assess program development or execution for improving organizational effectiveness and efficiency.
  2. Knowledge of a variety of data collection techniques to obtain information from a variety of sources and draw conclusions.
  3. Ability to develop a variety of written reports and guidance in a variety of formats (e.g., narrative, graphs, charts, etc.) using a variety of software packages (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SPSS, SAS equivalent statistical package, etc.).
  4. Ability to gather, compile, and analyze information and data from various sources and present findings and recommendations.
  5. Ability to verbally communicate various types of information to a variety of audiences to convey factual information, provide guidance, obtain consensus, and/or persuade others to adopt recommendations.

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. After the vacancy closes, we will review your application package to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for the position. If you meet the minimum qualifications, your responses to the questionnaire, resume and supporting documentation will then be reviewed. Your resume must support your responses to the self-assessment questions or your score may be lowered. The best-qualified candidates will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited to an interview. 

ICTAP candidates will be eligible if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a rating of 90.

Please ensure that your resume contains specific information such as position titles, beginning and ending dates of employment for each position, average number of hours worked per week, salary, duties performed for each position, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level/pay band.


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