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Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Serves as a Data Analyst with the responsibility for the storage, retrieval and execution of data acquisition requirements and assisting other Agency professionals and contractors in solving complex and far-reaching problems for a wide range of systems, applications, and customers.
• Generates and manages datasets from the VA's Corporate Data Warehouse (a national data repository for VA) using SQL, R, SAS, SPSS, STATA and VINCI
• Issues include data interface and storage, and require application of data management principles, procedures, and tools such as modeling techniques, data backup, data recovery, data dictionaries, data warehousing, data mining, data disposal, and data standardization processes.
• Constructs data pipelines using tools and techniques to handle data at scale.
• Supports projects developed by investigators focusing on enterprise analytics.
• Demonstrates the ability to utilize diverse data science techniques including data pooling and visualizations and can demonstrate how ensembles of these techniques can be harmonized into user-centric solutions.
• Researches and designs presentations and interpretations of analytical outputs tailored to specific audiences including the use of interactivity and narrative storytelling where appropriate.
• Collaborates with teammates, customers, and stakeholders in a reproducible and organized manner.
• Conducts observational analysis using software and/or programming languages such as R, Python, Stata, SAS, or SQL to explore/group data, test hypotheses, predict outcomes, and inform decisions.
• Uses appropriate analytic and statistical software to programmatically prepare data for analysis and clean imperfect data such as probabilistic matching and imputation of missing values.
• Collates the results of analysis that equip teammates to make informed, data-driven decisions.
• Articulates findings through data visualization, reports, and operationalized constructs.
• Presents the results of quantitative analysis to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Participates on teams in the development, implementation, and oversight of new technologies and statistical methods related to data science.
• Follows recommendations in support of IT security plans to ensure compliance with Agency security requirements specific to data.
• Works with senior member of team in the collecting, optimizing, analyzing, interpreting, and communicating insights from data.
• Follows internal and external process or system reviews, studies, projects, and data validation efforts, which provide a mean for evaluating system performance and vulnerabilities.
• Accesses, merges, cleans, standardizes, and develops derived metrics on multiple structured datasets; has familiarity with appropriate software and automation tools.
• Regularly provides analytical support to Data Scientists and/or supervisor in support of conference needs.
• Attends meetings, conferences, briefings, and seminars related to data science, and statistical and analysis support system concepts.
• Assists in consolidating research finding and conclusions into completed products for review by the investigative teams, and subsequent publication and or oral presentations to interagency and both internal and external stakeholders.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

NOTE: Applicants must meet both the Individual Occupation Requirements (IOR) and the Specialized Experience as stated for the grade levels as listed below.

Basic Requirements (IOR):

A. Degree: Mathematics, statistics, computer science, data science or field directly related to the position. The degree must be in a major field of study (at least at the baccalaureate level) that is appropriate for the position.

OR

B. Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major field of study (30 semester hours) as shown in paragraph A above, plus additional education or appropriate experience.

AND

Specialized Experience:

To qualify for the grade level GS-09: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-07) or a comparable pay band in federal or other service that demonstrates the particular competencies necessary to perform the work of this position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: Providing technical expertise aggregating, collating, and analyzing data from databases including, but not limited to, the development, implementation and updating of data extraction queries, data mining and, developing strategies, action plans, data queries modification and maintenance, quality control and validation of collected data. Generating and managing datasets, using SQL, R, SAS, SPSS, STATA and VINCI.

OR

Education Substitution for grade level GS-09:Applicants may substitute education for experience with an awarded master's or equivalent graduate degree (such as an LL. B or J.D.) from an accredited college or university, or two full years (36 semester hours or 54 quarter hours) of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. This graduate degree must meet the IOR with a degree Mathematics, statistics, computer science, data science or field of study directly related to the position.

OR

Applicants may combine education and experience to qualify for grade GS-09. If you have some, but not all, of the graduate education described above AND less than one full year of the specialized experience described above, you may qualify by combining the amount of creditable education and experience that you do have. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions, and per the IOR this education must contain courses equivalent to a major field of study as appropriate for the position, at grade GS-09. If you are claiming to qualify based on your education, your application must include an official or unofficial copy of graduate level transcripts that demonstrate this information.

To qualify for the grade level GS-11: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-09) or a comparable pay band in federal or other service that demonstrates the particular competencies necessary to perform the work of this position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: Providing technical expertise aggregating, collating, and analyzing data from databases including, but not limited to, the development, implementation and updating of data extraction queries, data mining and, developing strategies, action plans, data queries modification and maintenance, quality control and validation of collected data. Generating and managing datasets, using SQL, R, SAS, SPSS, STATA and VINCI.

OR

Education Substitution for grade level GS-11: Applicants may substitute education for experience with an awarded master's or equivalent graduate degree (such as an LL. B or J.D.) from an accredited college or university. This graduate degree must meet the IOR with a degree Mathematics, statistics, computer science, data science or field of study directly related to the position.

OR

Applicants may substitute a combination of graduate education and specialized experience to qualify for grade GS-11. If you have some, but not all, of the graduate education described above AND less than one full year of the specialized experience described above, you may qualify by combining the amount of creditable education and experience that you do have. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions, and per the IOR this education must contain courses equivalent to a major field of study as appropriate for the position, at grade GS-11.

An unofficial or official copy of your transcripts must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.


Preferred Experience: Conducts observational analysis using software and/or programming languages such as R, Python, Stata, SAS, or SQL to explore/group data, test hypotheses, predict outcomes, and inform decisions. Works with large datasets. Serves as a Data Analyst with the responsibility for the storage, retrieval and execution of data acquisition requirements and assisting other Agency professionals and contractors in solving complex and far-reaching problems for a wide range of systems, applications, and customers. Issues include data interface and storage, and require application of data management principles, procedures, and tools such as modeling techniques, data backup, data recovery, data dictionaries, data warehousing, data mining, data disposal, and data standardization processes. The position requires knowledge of principle and concepts of managing data through its life cycle. Use of data science tools to execute duties is gained from education and experience; these duties including programming, statistics, and data visualization. Constructs data pipelines using tools and techniques to handle data at scale. Support projects developed by investigators focusing on enterprise analytics. Examples of data accessed include health data, demographic data, administrative data, claims data, programmatic data, and patient behavior, provider activities, economic indicators, and expenditure data.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-09 to GS-11.

Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary and does not require any special physical effort.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

How you will be evaluated

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

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

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; religions; 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.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.