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Statistician (Supervisory Program Director)

National Science Foundation
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The National Science Foundation is seeking qualified candidates for an Interdisciplinary (Supervisory Program Director) position for the Statistics and Methods program (SMP) within the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE), National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) in Alexandria, VA.

For more information on SBE please click here.
For more information on NCSES please click here.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
10/30/2024 to 11/29/2024
Salary
$169,430 to - $204,000 per year
Pay scale & grade
AD 4
Location
Alexandria, VA
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—Relocation MAY be paid contingent upon the availability of funds.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
NCSES-25-12581542
Control number
816848400

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from all US citizens who meet citizenship and eligibility requirements. Please see the "Other Information" section for further information.

Duties

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Major Duties and Responsibilities

The Program Director plans, administers, and evaluates the overall program through their own work, staff assignments, and contractual arrangements with the primary objective of providing policy makers with high quality, timely, accurate and relevant data to fulfill the mission of NCSES related to the S&E enterprise. This position provides key leadership in the collection, analysis, and dissemination of data and analysis on the U.S. science and engineering ecosystem, often in a global context. This high-profile leadership position also represents NCSES and NSF widely in the federal government and research community. The position advises on statistical and survey methodological topics and oversees the statistical review and approval of all NCSES products including nationally-representative surveys, administrative data, and congressionally mandated reports. The Program Director will work across NCSES to produce policy-relevant, policy-neutral products that uphold the standards of NCSES's role as a principal statistical agency including accuracy, timeliness, and objectivity. This is a key position in the collection of data and production of products that informs policy formulation and drives societal progress toward strengthening science, technology, and innovation for the nation.

Statistics and Methods Program (also called the Statistics, Methods, and Innovation Program)

The Program Director is responsible for statistical and methodological consultation for NCSES on a wide variety of projects and surveys. The Program Director carries out the specific tasks and responsibilities of the program both through their own work and through delegation to subordinates. The Program Director is responsible for providing guidance on data and product quality including consultation on all statistical and methodological aspects of surveys, analytical and research projects, database systems, reports, and presentations designed and conducted by NCSES staff.

The duties of this position are as follows:

  • Directs and mentors staff's work on statistical, methodological, and research activities in support of the sample design, data collection, processing, and analysis of NCSES surveys and related activities.
  • Ensures all NCSES statistical activities and products adhere to the NCSES Statistical Standards (https://ncses.nsf.gov/126/assets/91/files/statistical-standards-information-products.pdf).
  • Ensures that data concepts, definitions, taxonomies, etc., are consistent across NCSES surveys, analyses, and related activities.
  • Develops and maintains time schedules and project management systems and information for statistical and methodological aspects of surveys and analytical and research projects.
  • Assures that staff develop and maintain appropriate statistical and methodological skills to provide expert consultation to NCSES, NSF, and the broader community.
  • Responsible for monitoring contracts and grants as assigned by the Chief Statistician, Deputy Division Director, and Division Director.
  • Serves as a member of the NCSES leadership team and participates in Division-wide decision formation related to budget, publications systems, special studies, and team activities.
Coordination and Representation
  • Coordinates projects with representatives of other agencies and organizations related to statistical and methodological activities.
  • Represents the NCSES Chief Statistician, Deputy Division Director, and Division Director and the Foundation at meetings and conferences.
General Administrative, Supervision, and Evaluation
  • Plans, assigns, supervises, and reviews the work of six to ten subordinate professional and technical positions in grades GS-13 to 15/AD 3-4.
  • As supervisor, the incumbent must understand and be sensitive to and support the objectives of the Equal Employment Opportunity Program and the needs and aspirations of each individual employee.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

This position is outside the competitive civil service.

You must meet eligibility and qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

All online applicants must provide a valid email address. If your email address is inaccurate or your mailbox is full/blocked, you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.

This is a non-bargaining unit position.

The Selected Candidate(s) may be subject to a background investigation.

Qualifications

Candidates must have a Ph.D. in survey research, statistics, mathematics, social sciences or a related field, plus after award of the Ph.D., six or more years of successful research, research administration, and/or managerial experience pertinent to the position; OR a Master's degree in survey research, statistics, mathematics, social sciences or a related field plus after award of the degree, eight or more years of successful research, research administration, and/or managerial experience pertinent to the position.

Education

Please refer to the Qualifications section.

If your degree was obtained from a foreign institution, please also submit the certification from the Association for International Credential Evaluation Professionals, or certification equivalency.

Additional information

Relocation expenses MAY be paid contingent upon the availability of funds.

It is NSF policy that NSF personnel employed at or IPAs detailed to NSF are not permitted to participate in foreign government talent recruitment programs. Failure to comply with this NSF policy could result in disciplinary action up to & including removal from Federal Service or termination of an IPA assignment & referral to the Office of Inspector General. Foreign Talent Definitions

This announcement is open to All US Citizens who meet citizenship and eligibility requirements.

Federal Appropriations Law requires that Non-Citizens meet certain eligibility criteria to be considered. Therefore, Non-Citizens must certify eligibility by signing and attaching this Citizenship Affidavit to their application. Non-citizens who do not provide the affidavit at the time of application will not be considered.

This announcement may be used to fill like positions in other organizations within the National Science Foundation.

NSF has determined that all of its positions are eligible for telework. Work suitable for telework depends on job duties; therefore, employees must receive approval from their supervisor for telework and have a telework agreement in place. Entering into a telework agreement is voluntary.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated on the extent and quality of your experience, expertise, education, and research activities relevant to the duties of the position. In some cases, additional assessment processes may also be used. We strongly encourage you to specifically address the Quality Ranking Factors below. This will ensure that you receive full consideration in the evaluation process.

Quality Ranking Factors

  1. Expert knowledge of advanced survey, statistical, mathematical, and social science methods and demonstrated experience in their application to the conduct of large scale demographic and economic censuses and surveys, use of blended and non-survey data, and other mission-critical activities conducted by federal statistical agencies.
  2. Familiarity with the standards, policies, and procedures of the federal statistical system.
  3. Demonstrated experience in managing a diverse staff of survey methodologists and mathematical statisticians engaged in both a research and production environment and providing leadership to staff working on one or more statistical projects. Evidence of successfully managing several contractors may partially substitute for direct supervisory experience.
  4. Demonstrated experience in evaluating the statistical quality of reports and publications created from a variety of external sources such as surveys, censuses, and administrative databases. Demonstrated experience in assessing the quality of data from a variety of sources including surveys, censuses, and other relevant scientific and/or administrative data to prepare reports and guides for technical and non-technical audiences.
  5. Demonstrated experience as a leader in developing statistical business processes that incorporate best practices required to produce official statistics. This work includes evaluating existing products and practices for statistical and methodological quality, developing statistical guidelines and quality standards, developing a research agenda, providing expertise on decisions and priorities regarding the statistical and survey methods used in censuses and surveys, and working collaboratively and effectively with other staff in formulating and implementing the overall policies and programs of the organization.

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