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Personnel Psychologist, GS-0180-13, FPL 13 (DE)

Department of Education
Office of Finance and Operations

Summary

This position is located in the Department of Education, the Data Analytics & Workforce Transformation (DAWT) Division is responsible for aligning strategic human capital planning with agency mission, goals, and objectives; informing strategic HR decision making and supporting effective workforce management; administering and managing integrated HR Line of Business (HRLoB) shared service provider systems and Department HR IT systems.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Posted yesterday · Apply by 06/10/26
Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on June 10, 2026
This job will close when we have received 200 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$121,785 - $158,322 per year

The salary range shown is for the Washington DC locality rate.

Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Promotion potential
13 - This position has full promotion potential to the GS-13.
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Not required - Substantial domestic and international travel.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
Yes
Security clearance
Other
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
OFO-2026-0033
Control number
871194600

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

United States Citizens. If you are a current or former federal employee or are eligible under a special hiring authority (VEOA, Schedule A, etc.), you may be eligible to apply under the concurrently advertised merit promotion vacancy announcement: OFO-2026-0032.

Duties

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APPLICATION LIMIT: This vacancy announcement is limited to the first 200 applications received and will close at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the day that we receive the 200th application, or at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the listed closing date, whichever occurs first.  

We encourage you to read this entire vacancy announcement prior to submitting your application.

As a Personnel Psychologist, GS-0180-13, you will be responsible for:

•    Determines the appropriate professional standards and methods to apply in various selection and assessment scenarios, including problem identification, data collection, statistical analysis, interpretation of results, and documentation of findings.
•    Continuously collects and analyzes data improving assessment methodologies for evaluators and other stakeholders, advising on any technical problems which may exist while recommending and developing new solutions. 
•    Conducts competency modeling and assessments supporting and improving human capital and retention initiatives, and workforce development and engagement efforts.
•    Develops policies and procedures guiding operations and supporting HCSD's specific performance and strategic goals.
•    Evaluates the effectiveness of programs and initiatives through qualitative and quantitative methods and identifies trends and recommendations for improvement to key stakeholders and senior leaders. 

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a US Citizen
  • Relocation will not be paid.
  • Males 18 and over must be registered with the Selective Service.
  • A background investigation and fingerprints will be required.
  • You may be subject to serve a one-year probationary period.

Condition of Employment:

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a probationary period or trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: • your performance and conduct; • the needs and interests of the agency; • whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and • whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period OR trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement.

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. We will consider all qualifying experience, including any volunteer experience.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification Requirements
You may meet the minimum qualifications for the GS-13, if you possess the specialize experience.

Specialized Experience for the GS-13
One year of experience in either federal or non-federal service that is equivalent to at least a GS-12 performing two (2) out of three (3) of the following duties or work assignments:
1. Experience conducting competency modeling and assessments to support human capital initiatives, enhance workforce retention, or improve employee engagement efforts.
2. Experience developing policies and procedures aligned with performance and strategic goals, ensuring operational effectiveness and compliance.
3. Experience evaluating program effectiveness using qualitative and quantitative methods, identified trends, and presented actionable recommendations to senior leadership for continuous improvement.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) 
The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). You do not need to provide separate narrative responses to these KSAs, as they will be measured by your responses to the occupational questionnaire (you may preview the occupational questionnaire by clicking the link at the end of the Evaluations section of this vacancy announcement).

1.    Skill in identifying and articulating the agency's problems and needs relating to the substantive areas of human resources administration and management.
2.    Skill planning and executing behavioral science research including instrument development, field data collection, database management, and data reduction and analysis.
3.    Knowledge of psychological assessment methodology as applied to the civilian population.
4.    Ability to communicate effectively and efficiently verbally and written when developing recommendations, writing, presenting written agreements and policy guidance.

5.    Knowledge of the theories, principles, practices, and techniques of behavioral science research in one or more of aforementioned areas of concentration.

Education

This position has a basic Professional and Scientific Position requirement. 

Degree: major or equivalent in psychology for all specializations except clinical psychology and counseling psychology. These two specializations have additional educational requirements, as stated below:

For positions at grades GS-9 and above, satisfactory completion of 2 full academic years of graduate study directly related to professional work in counseling psychology, or satisfactory completion in an accredited educational institution of all the requirements for a master's degree directly related to counseling psychology is required.

Foreign Education:

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must submit a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education.  For further information, please click Foreign Education.

Additional information

Veterans’ Career Counseling: If you are a veteran interested in receiving tips on preparing a Federal resume and/or how to prepare for an interview, you may email careers@ed.gov to schedule a session with a career counselor (“Veterans Counseling Session” should be placed in the subject line of the email).

Student Loan Default: If selected for this position, we will verify that you have not defaulted on any loan funded or guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are found to be in default, we will contact you to make arrangements for repayment prior to making an official offer of employment.

Suitability and Investigation: If selected for this position, you will be required to complete the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine your suitability for federal employment and successfully complete a pre-appointment investigation/background check.

Non-Essential: This position is considered non-essential for purposes of reporting to work during federal government closures.

Financial Disclosure: This position does not require financial disclosure.

Bargaining Unit: This position is not included in the bargaining unit. 

Selections: Agencies have broad authority under law to hire from any appropriate source of eligibles and may fill a vacancy in the competitive service by any method authorized. We may make additional selections from this vacancy announcement within 90 days from the date the selection certificates are issued, should vacancies occur. We may also share selection certificates amongst program offices across the agency.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

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

We use a multi-step process to review and evaluate applicants:

          1. Eligibility and Minimum Qualifications

Once the vacancy announcement closes, we will review your resume and documents to determine if you meet the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, including any required education, experience, and/or selective placement factors. You will be rated as ineligible if your application is missing any required documents. You will be rated as not qualified if you do not possess the minimum qualification requirements. 

          2. Rating and Ranking

If you are found to meet both the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, we will assess the quality of your experience and the extent to which you possess the required KSAs by comparing your submitted resume and documents. You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications and competencies listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials, and the result of the Monster Competency Based Assessment(s) required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies. 

Non-Supervisory: Oral Communications, Writing, Interpersonal Skills, Problem Solving, Teamwork, Technology Orientation, Customer Service, Attention to Detail and Self-Management 

Based on the outcome of this evaluation candidates will be placed into one of three categories.

Under category rating procedures you are placed into one of three categories based on the evaluation results:

Best Qualified -Candidates who possess the type and quality of experience that substantially exceeds the position’s minimum qualifications, including appropriate quality ranking factors.

Highly Qualified- Candidates who possess the type and quality of experience that exceeds the position’s minimum qualifications.

Qualified-Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications and are proficient in some but not all of the position’s requirements.

Based on the outcome of this evaluation, your application data may be further assessed by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) panel.  If your qualifications are not substantiated by your submitted resume, you may be eliminated from receiving further consideration.

Veterans’ Preference: Veterans’ preference eligibles will be ranked ahead of qualified non-preference eligibles within each category for which they are qualified. Qualified veterans’ preference eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more (CPS and CP) will be placed at the top of the Best Qualified category, except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-9 grade level or higher. 

     3. Referral and Selection

If you are found to be amongst the best qualified applicants, you will be referred to the selecting official. As part of the assessment and selection process, the selecting official may invite you to participate in a structured interview, check your references, and/or request a writing sample or complete a written assessment or exercise to further evaluate your qualifications for this position.


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Office of Finance and Operations

ED Marketing Statement:

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) is looking for the best and brightest to ensure equal access and to promote educational excellence throughout the nation. If you are a highly motivated individual who would like to work for an agency that establishes policies on federal financial aid for education, distributes as well as monitors those funds; collects data on America's schools and disseminates research and focuses national attention on key educational issues, ED is the place for you!

o    Provides national leadership on key educational issues.
o    Awards more than $47 billion annually in grants, mainly to state education agencies, local educational agencies, and institutions of higher education.

Agency contact information

Taliah Walker
Phone
202-984-1111
Email
taliah.walker@ed.gov
Address
EDUCATION-OFFICE OF FINANCE AND OPERATIONS
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, District of Columbia 20202
United States

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