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Mathematical Statistician

Department of Agriculture
National Agricultural Statistics Service
OFFICE OF THE ADMINISTRATOR

Summary

In this position, you will serve as a senior leader responsible for directing statistical governance, compliance, and innovation initiatives. This includes oversight of advanced methodologies, risk assessment, and representation of NASS in international statistical forums.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Posted today · Apply by 06/09/26
Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on June 9, 2026
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You MAY qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Salary
$169,279 - $197,200 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 15
Promotion potential
15
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
Yes
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
Yes
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
NASS-M26Y-12966989-TW
Control number
871855300

Duties

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  • This incumbent performs a full range of supervisory duties on a regular basis but for less than 25% of their total time.
  • Serves as a senior leader responsible for directing statistical governance, compliance, and innovation initiatives.
  • Assign work, evaluate performance, and manage workforce planning.
  • Ensure compliance with Equal Employment Opportunity policies.
  • Oversee adherence to CIPSEA, OMB, and USDA statistical policies.
  • Develop governance frameworks and quality standards for NASS programs.
  • Lead research and development of advanced statistical methods, AI/ML applications, and integrated data systems.
  • Design and implement modernization strategies for survey and census programs.
  • Conduct risk assessments related to statistical processes and ensure compliance oversight.
  • Develop mitigation strategies for confidentiality and data integrity.
  • Represent NASS in international statistical organizations and partnerships.
  • Promote best practices and knowledge exchange globally.
  • Prepare technical reports and publish findings in peer-reviewed journals.
  • Provide management with expert technical guidance and recommendations for achieving program objectives.
  • Provide administrative and technical direction to a team of statisticians and IT specialists.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a US Citizen or US National.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
  • Financial Disclosure Required.
  • Subject to one year supervisory/managerial probationary period unless prior service is creditable. New USDA supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required training program before the end of their probationary period.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

Time in grade: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience at the next lower grade to be considered for the next higher grade (One year at the GS-14 grade level for consideration for the GS-15 grade level).

Basic Requirements:

A. Degree: that included 24 semester hours of mathematics and statistics, of which at least 12 semester hours were in mathematics and 6 semester hours were in statistics.
OR
B. Combination of education and experience -- at least 24 semester hours of mathematics and statistics, including at least 12 hours in mathematics and 6 hours in statistics, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.


Evaluation of Education:
Courses acceptable toward meeting the mathematics course requirement of paragraphs A or B above must have included at least four of the following: differential calculus, integral calculus, advanced calculus, theory of equations, vector analysis, advanced algebra, linear algebra, mathematical logic, differential equations, or any other advanced course in mathematics for which one of these was a prerequisite. Courses in mathematical statistics or probability theory with a prerequisite of elementary calculus or more advanced courses will be accepted toward meeting the mathematics requirements, with the provision that the same course cannot be counted toward both the mathematics and the statistics requirement.

Evaluation of Experience:

The experience offered in combination with educational courses to meet the requirements in paragraph B above should include evidence of statistical work such as (a) sampling, (b) collecting, computing, and analyzing statistical data, and (c) applying known statistical techniques to data such as measurement of central tendency, dispersion, skewness, sampling error, simple and multiple correlation, analysis of variance, and tests of significance.

Without other indications of statistical experience, work required in the processing of numerical or quantified information by other than statistical methods is not considered appropriate qualifying experience. Examples of such nonqualifying work include statistical clerical work; statistical drafting; calculation of totals, averages, percentages, or other arithmetic summations; preparation of simple tables or charts; or verification of data by simple comparison or proofreading.

In addition to meeting the basic requirements described above, applicants must also meet additional qualification requirements as stated below.

Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-15 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to the GS-14 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform, successfully, the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is the experience of providing expert technical guidance and leading advanced statistical research and modernization efforts; directing, assigning, and evaluating the workforce while ensuring compliance with EEO policies; and representing the organization in international partnerships to promote best practices and knowledge exchange. Also the ability to lead and accomplish work through others (i.e. team building, conflict management, cultural awareness, strategic thinking, technology management, and political savvy.) and the ability to communicate with individuals or groups from diverse backgrounds in a variety of situations.

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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.

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.

You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience, education, and training you described in your application package, and the degree in which you posses the competencies listed below.

Managing Human Resources
Technical Credibility
Research


Supervisory/Managerial Competencies
1. Ability to lead and accomplish work through others (i.e. team building, conflict management, cultural awareness, strategic thinking, technology management, and political savvy.)
2. Ability to communicate with individuals or groups from diverse backgrounds in a variety of situations.

Your application will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Noncompetitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities need only meet minimum qualifications to be referred.

Note: If after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

Clicking the link below will present a preview of the application form; i.e. the online questionnaire. The application form link below will only provide a preview and does not initiate the application process. To initiate the online application process, click the "Apply" button to the right.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12966989

National Agricultural Statistics Service

The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is the data collection and dissemination arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. NASS gathers and publishes a vast array of information on every facet of U.S. agriculture, including production, economics, demographics, and the environment.

Agency contact information

Teresa Williams
Phone
3015042381
Email
teresa.williams2@usda.gov
Address
National Agricultural Statistics Service
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20250
US

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