Operations Research Analyst

Summary

View Common Definitions of terms found in this announcement.

Organizational Location: This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Chief Financial Officer, Office of Budget & Program Performance in Washington, District of Columbia.

This is a non-bargaining unit position.

Duties

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As an Operations Research Analyst, at the full performance you will perform the following duties:

• Identified, formulated, and defined trends; designs research and study methods; developed, applied and interpreted appropriate models and methods in conducting operations research analysis; recommended new or amended legislation, policies and or procedures as they related to the effective and efficient management of the organizations resources.
• Provide analytic concepts to provide validity of assumptions made and the criteria by which alternatives will be assessed.
• Facilitates discussions with program-level operations research analyst(s) across the Agency including managers, subject matter experts, and law enforcement personnel to clarify issues and objectives to improve data quality and reporting.
• Performs risk-related cost-benefit analyses; develops mitigation strategies to address those gaps/risks; offering recommendations to mitigate risks associated with not obtaining appropriated resources for staffing and budget.
• Develops or recommends new policies and or procedures as they relate to the effective and efficient management of the organizations resources.
• Facilitates meetings with program stakeholders thorough all levels of directorates.
• Collaborates with Subject Matter Experts and Leadership to understand their program requirements. Clarifies issues into operational plans to understand their business process.
• Provide support to Management and Programs for strategic planning and assistance related to data research, analysis, modeling design and development, reporting and communicating results.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• You must successfully pass a background investigation.
• You must successfully pass a drug screen.
• Males born after 12/31/59 must certify registration with Selective Service.
• Requirements by Closing Date: Unless otherwise noted, you must meet all requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
• Probationary Period: This is a full-time permanent position (Career/Career-Conditional appointment). Upon appointment to this position, you may be required to serve a one-year probationary period.

Qualifications

Please limit your resume to 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

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

Basic Education Requirement

• Degree: in operations research; or at least 24 semester hours in a combination of operations research, mathematics, probability, statistics, mathematical logic, science, or subject-matter courses requiring substantial competence in college-level mathematics or statistics. At least 3 of the 24 semester hours must have been in calculus.

In addition to the basic requirements listed above:

You qualify for the GS-12 grade level if you possess one (1) year of specialized experience at the GS-11 grade level or equivalent performing duties such as:

• Assisted in designing research and study methodologies; developing, applying, and interpreting appropriate models to conduct quantitative analyses that support effective planning, coordination, and acquisition life cycle program management
• Supported the development of recommendations for implementing operational requirements identification, documentation, and delivery
• Performed analysis through various approaches, regression (all types), and forecasted techniques
• Supported project management activities such as the translation of research to project phases, planning methods of approach, subdividing project components, etc.

You qualify for the GS-13 grade level if you possess one (1) year of specialized experience at the GS-12 grade level or equivalent performing duties such as:

• Applying quantitative and qualitative analysis to a variety of complex problems (to include, but not limited to: operations processes, business and management processes, mission support to programs, allocating resources, measuring performance, designing systems, managing logistics, budget analysis, work distribution, or analyzing large databases) to assist senior leaders in decision-making and problem solving of complex operational issues;
• Experience utilizing mathematical models (to include but not limited to: Monte Carlo simulation, linear and nonlinear programming, dynamic programming, queuing and other stochastic-process models, Markov decision processes, econometric methods, data envelopment analysis, neural networks, expert systems, decision analysis, and the analytic hierarchy process) to describe system or process being studied.

Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Qualification claims will be subject to verification.

National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Education

*For GS-12 Education: There is no education substitution for this grade level.

*For GS-13 Education: There is no education substitution for this grade level.

Additional information

Promotion Potential: When promotion potential is shown, the agency is not making a commitment and is not obligated to provide future promotions to you if you are selected. Future promotions will be dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the continuing need for an employee assigned to the higher level, and administrative approval.

Suitability: If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment.

Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet these standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully obtain and maintain a background investigation for as a condition of placement into this position. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.

A student loan repayment incentive may be available, in which case a service agreement will be required.

Note: One or more positions may be filled using this vacancy announcement. Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.

Salary: The salary range indicated in this announcement reflects the lowest and highest potential salaries for this position. The actual salary range will be based on the applicable locality pay for the selected duty location. General Schedule locality pay tables may be found under Salaries & Wages.

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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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DHS offers competitive salaries and an attractive benefits package, including: health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance; retirement plan; Thrift Savings Plan [similar to a 401(k)]; Flexible Spending Account; Employee Assistance Program; personal leave days; and paid federal holidays. Other benefits may include: flexible work schedules; tuition reimbursement; transportation subsidies; uniform allowance; health and wellness programs; and fitness centers. DHS is committed to employee development and offers a variety of employee training and developmental opportunities. For more information, go to the DHS Careers website and select "Benefits." Disabled veteran leave will be available to any Federal employee hired on or after November 5, 2016, who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or more.

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