Summary

Employee will serve as a Social Science Analyst within Employee and Leadership Development (ELD), Institute for Learning, Education and Development (ILEAD), Human Capital Management located at a Veterans Healthcare System. The salary shown is the U.S. General Schedule and the salary will be adjusted based on location of selection. Locations are: Washington, DC; Cleveland, OH; St. Louis, MO; Oklahoma City, OK; Birmingham, AL; or Little Rock, AZ.

Duties

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***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL/REMOTE POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION***

The primary purpose of this position is to identify, develop, and strategically manage leadership talent across the VA by providing and supporting a range of programs and resources to prepare employees to become better leaders. Duties will include, but may not be limited to the following:

• Apply research principles and methods in a scientific or interdisciplinary area related to sociology, psychology, leadership development, organizational studies, or public health.

• Develop and implement data-informed survey tools and metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of VA/VHA leadership development programs, and measure leadership career aspirations of the workforce.

• Collect and analyze data using established qualitative and quantitative methods; as supported by knowledge and skill in using online data collection software systems (Verint, Qualtrics, or C-Sharp) and statistical computation systems (SPSS, SAS or R).

• Translate analytic results into policy and program recommendations to advise decision-makers on indicators related to effective leadership development, and for use in the recruitment and selection of employees using leadership programs/resources.

• Build and test multivariate human behavior statistical models to project succession planning pathways, forecast pipeline development needs, and assess the impact of leadership programs.

• Inform, design, and conduct comprehensive human behavior studies, special projects, and analytic forecasts related to leadership development practices and needs.

• Translate results to advise senior management of systemic barriers affecting high-potential talent, and propose solutions, including, but not limited to: program innovations (processes, technologies), policy directives or legislation, proposals to expand agency resources, or changes to established talent management procedures.

• Perform other duties as necessary.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm

Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: The work is sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required.
• 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) - See "Required Documents" below for details.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary 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, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Applicant(s) must meet at least one of the following Individual Occupational Basic Requirements. To receive credit, transcript(s) and/or clear details of related experience are required. Education cannot be credited without transcripts, and we may not make assumptions regarding experience.

• Bachelor's Degree (or higher) with a major study in behavioral or social science; or related disciplines appropriate to the position, such as sociology, psychology, leadership development, organizational studies, or public health. OR
• Combination of education and experience that provided the applicant with knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field. OR
• Four years of appropriate experience that demonstrated that the applicant has acquired knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.

In addition to the Basic Requirements described above, applicants must meet the specialized experience qualifications.

Specialized Experience: Requires one full year 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 at least the next lower grade level (GS-12) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes:

• Applying research principles and methods in a scientific or interdisciplinary area related to sociology, psychology, leadership development, organizational studies, or public health.

• Collecting and analyzing data using qualitative and quantitative methods including skill using online data collection software systems (Verint, Qualtrics, or C-Sharp) and statistical computation systems (SPSS, SAS, or R).
• Translating analytic results into policy and program recommendations to advise decision makers on indicators related to effective leadership development.
• Developing and implementing data-informed survey tools and metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of leadership development programs, and measure leadership career aspirations of the workforce.
• Building and testing multivariate statistical models to project succession planning pathways, forecast pipeline development needs, and assessing the impact of leadership programs.

NOTE: Resume(s) must clearly demonstrate the related specialized experience to qualify for this GS-13 position.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

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

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing the Basic Requirements on education.

There is no educational substitution for the specialized experience at this grade level.

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

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.

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.

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.