Data Scientist

Summary

This position is located at the VHA National Center for Organization Development: VHA NCOD; Organizational Code: 106C. This position is assigned to the Research Business Line within VHA NCOD.

Duties

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Major Duties:

• Leads and conducts complex organizational, health-science, and data-science research using advanced statistical, psychometric, predictive, machine-learning, and artificial-intelligence methods to evaluate workplace dynamics, customer feedback, program performance, and organizational outcomes.
• Designs, develops, and implements data acquisition, management, standardization, quality-control, benchmarking, and reporting processes for large and complex datasets, including procedures for data storage, retrieval, classification, coding, security, privacy, and dissemination.
• Uses the statistical program R and R markdown to create automated analytical workflows, dashboards, interactive reports, visualizations, and user-focused applications that transform organizational and survey data into actionable information for VA leaders, program offices, and other stakeholders.
• Provides expert scientific, methodological, and technical consultation on research design, survey development, program evaluation, organizational assessment, strategic communication, statistical modeling, and the interpretation of quantitative and qualitative findings.
• Applies advanced programming, data mining, predictive analytics, machine learning, natural language processing, and emerging technologies to identify trends, generate projections, evaluate program effectiveness, and develop data-driven organizational solutions and recommendations.
• Advises senior leadership, mentors or guides junior staff, coordinates with multidisciplinary stakeholders, and communicates research findings through briefings, reports, publications, presentations, and professional meetings at the local, national, and international levels.

Work Schedule: 8:00am-4:30pm Mon-Fri.

Compressed/Flexible: Yes

Telework: Available

Remote: This is NOT a remote position. You must live within or be willing to relocate within a commutable distance of the duty location.

Position Description/PD#: Data Scientist/PD52028A and PD52027A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

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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
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year 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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/15/2026.

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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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.

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT- You must first meet Basic Education Requirements for this position as described below. Transcripts are REQUIRED.

Basic Education Requirement

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

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

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS- In addition to meeting the basic education requirement, you must have specialized experience or directly related education as described below.

Specialized Experience: 1 year of Specialized Experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

NOTE: To be minimally qualified for this position, you must meet specialized experience listed below. Specialized experience is:

• Leads and conducts complex organizational, health-science, and data-science research using advanced statistical, psychometric, predictive, machine-learning, and artificial-intelligence methods to evaluate workplace dynamics, customer feedback, program performance, and organizational outcomes.
• Designs, develops, and implements data acquisition, management, standardization, quality-control, benchmarking, and reporting processes for large and complex datasets, including procedures for data storage, retrieval, classification, coding, security, privacy, and dissemination.
• Uses the statistical program R and R markdown to create automated analytical workflows, dashboards, interactive reports, visualizations, and user-focused applications that transform organizational and survey data into actionable information for VA leaders, program offices, and other stakeholders.
• Provides expert scientific, methodological, and technical consultation on research design, survey development, program evaluation, organizational assessment, strategic communication, statistical modeling, and the interpretation of quantitative and qualitative findings.
• Applies advanced programming, data mining, predictive analytics, machine learning, natural language processing, and emerging technologies to identify trends, generate projections, evaluate program effectiveness, and develop data-driven organizational solutions and recommendations.
• Advises senior leadership, mentors or guides junior staff, coordinates with multidisciplinary stakeholders, and communicates research findings through briefings, reports, publications, presentations, and professional meetings at the local, national, and international levels.

1. Experience designing and serving as a lead researcher on scientific studies of organizational issues (i.e. studies using scientific models, organizational data, and statistical methods).
2. Experience applying scientific methods of health science and organization development (i.e. knows how to evaluate properties of organizational data, do statistical data analyses using specialized software, and interpret the results using scientific models).

These will be assessed through a work sample.

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.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Physical Requirements: Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work; however, there may be some walking, standing, bending, carrying of light items, such as, papers and books.

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/.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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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.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.