Summary

This position is located in the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Readiness and Response, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

This announcement will close at 11:59 PM, on the day that 50 applications have been received or on the closing date, whichever is first.

Duties

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WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING DAY TO DAY

As a Health Scientist (Informatics), you will use your knowledge and experience to optimize business results and customer experience by:

• Provides scientific advice in coordinating and maintaining public health informatics project goals, objectives and priorities within a CIO and/or CDC/ATSDR and in the general public health community.
• Performing scientific work responsible for evaluating and developing approaches for strengthening the standardization and utility of national health information systems, their products, policies, and processes, with specific emphasis on electronic data interchange and
  electronic media; Promoting the development, use, and dissemination of information and information technology (IT) in regard to health data systems.
• Providing advice on the application of IT to the development and promotion of uniform data elements in national health information systems; Collaborating with CDC staff, other Federal agencies, and outside organizations to develop national comprehensive vocabulary and content standards used in the exchange of health data.
• Working closely with IT specialists and other health informatics scientists and specialists in the development of quality control software and software programs to audit data integrity and evaluate data entry software reliability; Collaborating with users within and outside the agency to refine and enhance the database.
• Utilizing database software, communications software, operating systems, statistical analysis systems, and mainframe software to ensure database and software are compatible with other applicable environmental, epidemiologic, and surveillance systems both within
  and outside the agency.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship required
• Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service - http://www.sss.gov
• Suitable for federal employment
• Meet time in grade restrictions by the closing date of the announcement
• Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. All information concerning qualifications is subject to investigation.
• All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date.
• A financial disclosure statement may be required.

Qualifications

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Basic Qualifications:

Degree: Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree: major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position. This degree must be from an educational program from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (external link) at the time the degree was obtained.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

Minimum Qualifications: You must have one year of specialized experience to perform successfully the duties of the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service performing at least ALL of the following:

• Applying public health informatics principles, health information systems knowledge, and information technology methodologies to support public health data collection, management, analysis, exchange, and interoperability activities;
• Providing scientific advice and consultation on informatics practices, coordinating and maintaining public health informatics project goals and priorities, and implementing scientific policies and procedures related to health information systems and electronic data exchange;
• Analyzing standardized datasets; and making recommendations related to terminology standards, data dictionaries, codes, identifiers, documentation requirements, and electronic messaging standards;
• Collaborating with health scientists, epidemiologists, IT specialists, and external organizations to improve data sharing and health information exchange processes; and
• Developing or evaluating quality control software and database systems; assessing data integrity and software reliability.

Documenting experience: IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Qualifications are based on breadth/level of experience. In addition to describing duties performed, applicants must provide the exact dates of each period of employment (from MM/YY to MM/YY) and the number of hours worked per week if part time. As qualification determinations cannot be made when resumes do not include the required information, failure to provide this information may result in disqualification. Applicants are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to develop their federal resume.

Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational application questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

In accordance with Office of Personnel Management policy, federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description. Experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable, however, when documented by satisfactory evidence, such as a signed memorandum from the employee's supervisor or an SF-50 or SF-52 documenting an official detail or other official assignment. The documentation must indicate whether the duties were performed full time or, if part time, the "percentage of times" the other duties were performed. It is expected that this documentation is included in the employee's official personnel record. In order to receive credit for experience in your resume that is not within the official series and grade level of your official position, you must provide a copy of the appropriate documentation of such experience as indicated above.

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; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to gain employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. If such experience is on a part-time basis, you must provide the average number of hours worked per week as well as the beginning and ending dates of the experience so it can be fully credited.

OPM Qualification General Policies Website

Education

Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov.

Note: Applications can be accepted from students who expect to complete qualifying education within 9 months from the date of application. Education must be completed successfully before the applicant can be appointed.

Additional information

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Incentives may be authorized; however, this is contingent upon multiple factors, including funds availability. If authorized, certain incentives may require you to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a period of up to 3 years. Note: This statement does not imply nor guarantee an incentive will be offered and paid. Incentives may include the following: moving expenses, recruitment or relocation incentive; student loan repayment, superior qualifications appointment, creditable service for annual leave for prior non-federal work experience or prior uniformed military service, etc.

Bargaining Unit Position: no

Research position: no

Drug Screening Required: no

Applicants selected for this position will be subject to reasonable suspicion and post-accident drug testing upon hiring.

Special Hiring Authorities for Veterans - https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/veterans/

Special Hiring Authorities for Military Spouses - https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/military-spouses/

People With Disabilities (Schedule A) - https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Individuals_with_Disabilities

Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP/ICTAP): For information on how to apply as an CTAP/ICTAP eligible see http://opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp#ictap. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 85.0 or above on the rating criteria for this position.

Beginning January 1, 2010, agencies must seek prior approval from OPM before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level under the provisions of title 5, United States Code. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Human Resources Office.

USA Hire Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire

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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.