[Jobs] Statistician (Quantitative Researcher) (Education), GS-1530-12 (DEU) - US Dept of Education

Tue Oct 2 22:00:11 PDT 2012

Job Title:Statistician (Education), GS-1530-12 (DEU)

Department:Department Of Education

Agency:Institute of Education Sciences

Job Announcement Number:IES-2012-0049

SALARY RANGE: $74,872.00 to $97,333.00 / Per Year
OPEN PERIOD: Wednesday, September 19, 2012 to Tuesday, October 02, 2012
SERIES & GRADE: GS-1530-12
POSITION INFORMATION: Full time - Permanent
PROMOTION POTENTIAL:
12
DUTY LOCATIONS:  Few vacancies in the following location:
Washington, DC, US

WHO MAY BE CONSIDERED: One or more vacancies may be filled through this
announcement. This announcement is open to all US citizens. The area of
consideration for this position is "All Recruiting Sources" for Non-status
candidates. Announcement IES-2012-0050 is open concurrently with an area of
consideration of "Federal Agencies" for status candidates. Applicants eligible for
appointment under special appointing authorities (i.e., VEOA, Sch. A,) should also
apply under announcement IES-2012-0050.

JOB SUMMARY:
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) is looking for the best and brightest to
ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence throughout
the nation. If you are a highly motivated, creative individual who would like to be
involved in establishing policies on federal financial aid for education, and
distributing as well as monitoring those funds; collecting data on America's schools
and disseminating research; focusing national attention on key educational issues;
and prohibiting discrimination and ensuring equal access to education, ED is the
place for you!

This position is located in the U.S. Department of Education (ED), Institute of
Education Sciences (IES), National Center for Education Statistics (NCES),
Postsecondary Studies Division (PSD). The PSD oversees planning, design, operations,
statistical analysis, reporting and dissemination for postsecondary surveys; ensures
that statistical quality and confidentiality are maintained; and maintains liaison
with Department officials, federal agencies, higher education associations, trade
groups, state higher education executive officers, state and local education
agencies, postsecondary institutions, and groups concerned with national
postsecondary education statistics.

The position is located in the Postsecondary Longitudinal and Sample Survey Studies
(PLSSS) unit, which is responsible for the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study
(NPSAS), the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS), the
Baccalaureate and Beyond Study (B&B) and the Postsecondary Education Transcript
Study (PETS). The incumbent will serve as the associate project officer and contract
officer's representative for the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, and serve
on the sample surveys team by participating in the formation and development of the
division's longitudinal surveys.

KEY REQUIREMENTS

You must be a U.S. Citizen.
Relocation Expenses will not be paid.
Must complete a Background Investigation and fingerprint check.
Must complete a One-year Probationary Period.

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DUTIES:
The incumbent plans, researches, and monitors work in investigative projects
requiring the application of statistical theory in their design and operation. Work
includes the evaluation of statistical and analytical designs in education research
and the assessment of models for data collection, reporting, and use. The incumbent
analyzes findings, evaluates the reliability and validity of data, and presents
findings to senior Department officials. The incumbent initiates, plans, executes,
reports, and controls all work related to the award and oversight of assigned
contracts. He or she assumes responsibility for monitoring all aspects of the NPSAS
contract and other postsecondary study contracts as assigned. This work includes
acting as the Contracting Officer's Representative throughout the competition,
award, and administration of a contract. The incumbent represents the division on
the Disclosure Review Board (DRB) which reviews all IES data products prior to
release. The DRB is responsible for ensuring that sensitive personally identifiable
information (PII) is removed from all data products. The incumbent provides expert
training, advice, and analysis for NCES data products (including postsecondary
surveys and data tools) to individuals within the Department and outside
stakeholders (e.g., the Disclosure Review Board, the news media, associations,
states, and institutions). The incumbent maintains expertise on the academic
literature on postsecondary education and postsecondary education policy
specifically with regard to student financial aid and postsecondary education
finance.

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QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:
Basic Requirements: A. Degree that included 15 semester hours in statistics (or in
mathematics and statistics, provided at least 6 semester hours were in statistics),
and 9 additional semester hours in one or more of the following: physical or
biological sciences, medicine, education, or engineering; or in the social sciences
including demography, history, economics, social welfare, geography, international
relations, social or cultural anthropology, health, sociology, political science,
public administration, psychology, etc.  Credit toward meeting statistical course
requirements should be given for courses in which 50 percent of the course content
appears to be statistical methods, e.g., courses that included studies in research
methods in psychology or economics such as tests and measurements or business
cycles, or courses in methods of processing mass statistical data such as tabulating
methods or electronic data processing. OR B. Combination of education and experience
- courses as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
The experience should have included a full range of professional statistical work
such as (a) sampling, (b) collecting, computing, and analyzing statistical data, and
(c) applying statistical techniques such as measurement of central tendency,
dispersion, skewness, sampling error, simple and multiple correlation, analysis of
variance, and tests of significance. GS-12 requires a minimum of 52 weeks of
specialized experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge,
skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that
is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be
creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to the GS-11 level in
the Federal government. Examples of such experience include: experience with
postsecondary transcript data collection and analysis.

APPLICANTS MUST MEET QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENTS BY THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS VACANCY
ANNOUNCEMENT. Applicants are expected to possess the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
(KSAs) listed below to qualify for this position. These KSAs are addressed in the
self-assessment questionnaire that you will complete for this announcement. You do
not need to respond separately to the KSAs listed below. Your answers to the on-line
experience questions will serve as responses to the KSAs. Your application will also
be evaluated based on your ability to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills,
and abilities/competencies (KSAs): 1. Knowledge of applied statistical/survey
theories and methodologies in order to monitor projects and apply statistical
knowledge as needed. 2. Knowledge and understanding of large scale data collection
operations, including issues associated with questionnaire and sample design,
interviewer training, data collection monitoring, administrative data collections,
transcript collection and coding, and data reporting. 3. Knowledge of postsecondary
education, especially with regard to student financial aid, postsecondary education
finance, college costs, persistence/attainment, and postsecondary outcomes. 4.
Ability to analyze factual information, evaluate findings, and solve complex
problems based on knowledge of statistical methods. 5. Ability to prepare
comprehensive reports that will meet NCES statistical and publication standards.

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BENEFITS:
The Department of Education offers a comprehensive benefits package including paid
vacation and sick leave, federal holidays, health and life insurance, and
participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), including the
Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). Click on Benefits to find out more about federal
benefits. Why Work at ED? The U.S. Department of Education (ED) is a great place to
work. For more detailed information regarding our various work sites, please click
on the link below: Work Site Locations As an ED employee, you will benefit from our
family-friendly work environment. As part of our commitment to maintain a productive
balance between work and home, we offer excused leave for Parent/Teacher Conferences
(4 hours); excused leave for annual health screenings (4 hours); and matching leave
for community volunteer service. Other incentives such as Telecommuting and
Alternative Work Schedules also may be available to you. ED offers positions that
are fair and competitive in compensation; developmental opportunities to exhibit
teamwork and goal-oriented projects to enrich your federal career. Student Loan
Repayment may be paid if negotiated and approved prior to appointment.

OTHER INFORMATION:
The Federal Government is committed to expanding access to employment by hiring
people with disabilities; providing technical assistance and information on
reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities; and identifying and removing
barriers to work. Persons with disabilities may apply for jobs filled either
competitively (where qualified individuals compete with one another through a
structured process), noncompetitively (where a qualified individual may be selected
based on a special appointing authority), or through an excepted appointing
authority for people with disabilities (i.e. Schedule A). People who are selected
for a Federal job must meet the qualification requirements for the position and be
able to perform the essential duties of the job with or without reasonable
accommodation. For information on "People with Disabilities" please visit <a
href=”http://opm.gov/disability/PeopleWithDisabilities.asp”>Interagency Career
Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)-
Eligible federal employees who were in positions and who were displaced from their
positions may be eligible for selective priority over other candidates, under the
ICTAP or the CTAP. Information about these programs may be found at the following
links. In order to qualify, your application must receive a score of 85 in
comparison with the knowledge, skills and abilities criteria. If you believe you are
eligible for this special consideration, it is critical that you read the
information provided in the links below
<ahref="http://www.ed.gov/about/jobs/open/edhires/ctap.html"> CTAP </a>

<ahref="http://www.ed.gov/about/jobs/open/edhires/ictap.html">ICTAP</a>

Student Loan Default Applicants selected for positions are subject to a background
check to verify that he or she has not defaulted on any loan funded or guaranteed by
the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants found to be in default will be
contacted to make arrangements for repayment prior to being made an official offer
of employment. Veterans interested in receiving tips on preparing a Federal resume
and/or how to prepare for an interview, may send an email to Iwork at ed.gov to
schedule an appointment for a session. Veterans Counseling Session must be placed in
the subject line of the email. ADDITIONAL SELECTIONS MAY BE MADE WITHIN 90 DAYS OF
THE OPENING DATE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, SHOULD VACANCIES OCCUR.

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HOW TO APPLY:
Please carefully read the information provided under the link listed below. The
section entitled "How to Apply" provides detailed instructions on faxing your
supporting documentation. All required supporting documentation MUST be received by
midnight Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement. You are encouraged to
thoroughly review the list of supplement documents required. It is critical to note
that many documents may not pertain to you. You are only required to submit those
that apply to you. Required Documents

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:
Please click on the link "Required Documents" to review the list of supporting
documentation needed for this announcement.

AGENCY CONTACT INFO:
Atina Hall
Phone: 202-205-5222
Fax: 202-401-0520
Email: atina.hall at ed.gov

Agency Information:
EDUCATION-INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES
400 Maryland Ave. S.W.
Attn: Human Resources Services
Washington, DC
20202
US
Fax: 202-401-0520

WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT:
We will inform you of the status of your application at four stages: (1) Upon
receipt of your application; (2) Upon minimum qualification determinations; (3) Upon
issuing the highly qualified candidates to the hiring official; and finally (4) once
a selection is made. It is essential that you have a current e-mail address on file
with USAJOBS.

Control Number: 326701800
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-- 
Dr. Leora Lawton
Executive Director, Berkeley Population Center
 & Lecturer, Sociology Dept.
112A Survey Research Center
Corner Channing & Bowditch
(510) 643-1270 (office)
(510) 928-7572 (cell)