Social Scientist

Summary

The U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES), National Center for Education Research (NCER), has four Senior Scientific Program Officer positions in Washington, DC. Program Officers will lead research and research training programs, plan initiatives, analyze national research gaps, advise IES leadership, manage grants, and provide scientific and technical guidance to grantees and Department staff.

Duties

• APPLICATION LIMIT: This vacancy announcement is limited to the first 200 applications received and will close at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the day that we receive the 200th application, or at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the listed closing date, whichever occurs first. We encourage you to read this entire vacancy announcement prior to submitting your application. As a Social Scientist, GS-0101-14, you will be responsible for: Appling social scientific expertise to plan, coordinate, and implement assigned research and research training programs. Evaluating gaps in the national education research portfolio, and advise senior IES leadership on the scientific merit, feasibility, and strategic value of proposed initiatives. Serving as a scientific program officer on multiple research and research training grants and cooperative agreements. Providing scientific and technical advice to awardees on the design, analysis, and interpretation of results; and scientific and technical guidance to other Center and Department staff.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification Requirements You may meet the minimum qualifications for the GS-14, if you possess the specialized experience below. Specialized Experience for the GS-14 One year of experience in either federal or non-federal service that is equivalent to at least a GS-13 performing two (2) out of three (3) of the following duties or work assignments: 1. Experience leading the design and execution of rigorous research-suitable for publication in an academic journal or by a social science research firm (or equivalent)-that uses advanced quantitative statistical methods to examine questions relevant to education and the education sciences or a related field (e.g., learning and instruction, education policy, education outcomes). 2. Experience translating findings from rigorous quantitative research in social scientific fields related to education outcomes in ways that effectively communicate the resulting knowledge to a wide array of audiences, including but not limited to publication in scientific peer-reviewed journals or presentations at appropriate conferences. 3. Experience with federal research grant processes, from project and program development, through application procedures and processes, and management of projects and programs of research that lead to the accumulation of knowledge and understanding of education that can be used to improve learner outcomes. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). You do not need to provide separate narrative responses to these KSAs, as they will be measured by your responses to the occupational questionnaire (you may preview the occupational questionnaire by clicking the link at the end of the Evaluations section of this vacancy announcement). 1. Knowledge of how to plan, coordinate, and implement scientific research programs that lead to the accumulation of knowledge and understanding of education and/or research training programs that support the development of scholars with expertise in scientifically rigorous research methodologies. 2. Ability to decipher available research information, synthesize across multiple areas of research, and effectively present meaningful and pertinent facts and results for nontechnical audiences. 3. Knowledge of federal research grant processes, including application procedures and scientific peer review, sufficient to develop long-range plans to support the Institute's programs. 4. Ability to communicate the theory, concepts, principles, and practices of rigorous scientific methods, including key evaluation types (implementation and impact evaluations) and key non-experimental, quasi-experimental, and experimental methods (including, but not limited to mixed methods, statistical analysis of scientific data, and randomized control trials) to others with a range of technical expertise.

Requirements

Condition of Employment: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a probationary period or 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. Key Requirements: Must be a US Citizen. Males 18 and over must be registered with the Selective Service. Must complete a Background Investigation and Fingerprint check. Must be determined suitable for federal employment. Relocation expenses will not be paid. You may be subject to serve a one-year probationary period. You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement. 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. We will consider all qualifying experience, including any volunteer experience.

Education

This position has a positive education requirement. Applicants must meet both the specialized experience and basic education requirements. Degree: behavioral or social science; or related disciplines appropriate to the position. 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. Foreign Education: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must submit a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, please click Foreign Education.

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: 1. Click the Apply Online button. 2. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. 3. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. 4. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. 5. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. 6. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. 7. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. 8. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. For more general information, system requirements, reasonable accommodation information, and to request assistance regarding the USA Hire Assessments, review the following resources: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=USA_Hire_Assessments To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Click on this: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.