Senior Operations Research Analyst (ORA) - Direct Hire Authority

Summary

Help us fight fraud! SSA's Office of Program Integrity is searching for a senior technical advisor with expertise in performing complex data analyses and research using a variety of analytical techniques such as statistical modeling, machine learning, AI, and/or geospatial analysis.

This job is open to

• Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
  
  Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.
• The public
  
  U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens . Duty Location and residency/commuting requirement: Woodlawn, MD; This is not a fully virtual/remote position - selectee will be required to reside within a two hour maximum commuting distance from the SSA Headquarters campus located in Woodlawn, MD and report onsite at least 3 days per week.

Duties

• This announcement serves as public notice. Applications submitted be placed into a pool and will remain on file for selection as positions become available.
• Vacancies may be filled for up to 6 months after the closing date of this announcement. Applicants may not receive notifications of referral status until the full 6-month eligibility period has elapsed.
• Applications may be gathered from additional recruitment sources. These will be added to the pool created by this announcement.
• Serves as principal advisor to the Associate Commissioner and other senior management officials on all matters related to the ongoing operations of research studies of SSA programs and model development to
• [CONT] improve the efficiency of SSA's anti-fraud program.
• Provides long range planning to ensure the integration of the division's objectives with the agency's initiatives.
• Oversees the development and application of statistical profiling techniques for anti-fraud initiatives to improve targeting of resources and/or quality of operations.
• Leads research into the application of research techniques, such as AI modeling and profiling, to improve the anti-fraud program within SSA.
• Designs models and methodologies well suited to the analysis of generally stated problems, ascertaining and defining validity of problems and developing appropriate criteria for evaluation
• [CONT] in order to achieve improved program operations and management systems.
• Develops and presents analyses of controversial matters and performs confidential and sensitive research assignments.
• Assists in the formulation, evaluation, and implementation of plans for achieving immediate and long-range strategic planning goals and objectives related to preventing, detecting, and mitigating fraud.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship required
• Selective Service Registration, if applicable (www.sss.gov)
• Fingerprinting and background and/or security investigation may be required
• Job offers are contingent on fingerprinting and background / security investigation results
• Selectees may be required to serve a 1 year probationary period
• Relocation expenses will not be paid
• All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement

Qualifications

HOW TO QUALIFY: Eligible applicants must meet the following qualification requirements.

This position has a Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR)

Basic Requirements of the IOR:

A: 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.

Qualification standards and additional information for this position can be found here: OPM Statistics Series 1515

In addition to the minimum requirements listed above, applicants must meet the specialized experience statement for this series at the GS-15 grade level:

To Qualify for the GS-15 Grade Level:

Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience at or equivalent to the Federal GS-14 level (or above) that is in or related to the work of the position to be filled and has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Such experience must include providing technical expertise and direction to a team responsible for studies involving large datasets and statistical or machine learning analytical techniques. Experience must also include: using incomplete or complex data for statistical analyses; applying knowledge of R, Python, SAS, or SQL programming; and preparing research reports, technical papers, guidelines, or instructions for technical and non-technical audiences for use in decision making.

Duties of this nature should be typical of your everyday work. If you perform this kind of work, your resume must provide details of the actual duties you perform that demonstrate the requirements above. Reviewers cannot assume you perform duties you don't describe.

Education

Providing Proof of Education

For information on providing proof of education, visit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1500/operations-research-series-1515/

To satisfy the educational requirement, submit a copy of your transcripts that includes your name, the name of the educational institution, course title(s), number of credits, grade, and date of completion. Unofficial transcripts or screenshots of electronic/web transcripts with the required information will be accepted at the time of application. You must submit your transcripts according to the application submission details of this announcement. Documents will not be accepted via email or regular mail. If selected, you may be required to provide your official college transcripts prior to the effective date of the personnel action placing you into the new position.

Foreign Education: If your transcripts show education completed in foreign colleges or universities, you must also provide documentation 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 a conventional/accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Note: One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school you attended has determined to represent one year of study. If this information cannot be obtained from your school, we will consider 18 semester/27 quarter hours to be equal to one year of full-time study.

Additional information

STEM position(s) are being filled through the Office of Personnel Management's delegated Direct Hire Authority, open to all U.S. citizens. Selections made under this bulletin will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Current civil service employees would, therefore, be given new appointments to the civil service. Under the provisions of the Direct Hire Authority, Veterans Preference and the "Rule of Three" do not apply.

Additional selections may be made for this vacancy six months from the closing date of this announcement. This Direct Hire announcement may be used to fill the same or similar position in another office.

This is a non-bargaining unit position.

This position may be eligible for telework in accordance with agency and office policy.

Duty Location and residency/commuting requirement: Woodlawn, MD; This is not a fully virtual/remote position - selectee(s) will be required to reside within a two hour maximum commuting distance from the SSA Headquarters campus located in Woodlawn, MD and report onsite at least 3 days per week.

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.

• Benefits
  
  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.
  
  Review our benefits
  
  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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

SEE THE QUALIFICATIONS SECTION ABOVE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR RESUME MUST DEMONSTRATE.

SEE THE QUALIFICATIONS and EDUCATION SECTIONS ABOVE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR TRANSCRIPT(S) MUST DEMONSTRATE.

The experience you claim is subject to verification by the selecting official.

You may be asked to provide specific examples or documentation of experience to support your answers or may be required to verify a response by a practical demonstration of your claimed ability to perform a task.

Your claimed education must be fully documented with a copy of the transcript(s) that demonstrate the education requirements; applicants combining education and experience must provide all documents to support that claim.

If you claim federal experience you must show your grade at the time the experience was gained, as well as the complete dates (month/day/year) you were at each grade.

See the REQUIRED DOCUMENTS section below for information on the additional documents needed to support your application.

• Benefits
  
  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.
  
  Review our benefits
  
  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.
• Required Documents
  
  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
  
  You must also submit ALL supporting documentation by the closing date of the vacancy announcement to claim certain types of preference.
  
  INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP): ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority for competitive service vacancies. To receive selection priority, candidates must meet the requirements for the Well Qualified. Well-qualified is defined as having knowledge, skills, and abilities that clearly exceed the minimum qualification requirements for the position. Candidates must also provide:
  
  • proof of eligibility with your application. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation Notice of Personnel Action, (SF-50); and
  • proof of your most recent performance rating of at least "fully successful" (Level III) or equivalent.
  
  For more information visit http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp.
  
  Veteran's preference does not apply under this Direct Hire Authority for STEM positions.
  
  
  If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
  
  Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
  schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
  
  Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
• How to Apply
  
  Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. 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. To begin the application process, 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 11:59PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
  
  
  You may update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period by returning to your USAJOBS account. There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Update Application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.
  
  To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account. All of your applications will appear on the Welcome page. The application record in your USAJOBS account provides an Additional Application Information page that provides information regarding the documentation you submitted and any correspondence we have sent related to this application. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
  
  If you use assistive software or an adaptive device, or you are experiencing some other type of technical difficulty and/or otherwise require assistance with the application process, please contact The DCARO Staffing Team at OPE.Staffing.DCARO@ssa.gov
  
  Individuals with hearing or speech disabilities may use the listed email or 7-1-1 for TTY-based Telecommunications Relay Services to call the listed phone number. Additional Telecommunications Relay Services options are available in each state: https://www.fcc.gov/general/trs-state-and-territories
  
  Due to our security procedures, our office will not accept any applications submitted via email or standard mail. The email address is listed only for inquiries about the position or the How to Apply process.
  
  Agency contact information
  
  OPE Staffing DCARO
  
  Email
  
  OPE.Staffing.DCARO@ssa.gov
  
  Address
  
  DCARO - OPI
  
  6401 Security Boulevard
  
  Baltimore, MD 21235
  
  US
  
  Next steps
  
  Once you have successfully submitted all of the required application materials and assessments, you can expect to receive at least two or more of the following email notifications concerning your application status: (1) Receipt of application; (2) Qualifications status and whether your application has been Referred/Not Referred to the selecting official; and (3) Selection status for the position.
  
  Selection interviews may be conducted with one or more of the referred candidates, but there is no requirement that interviews be conducted. The hiring office will contact candidates directly for interviews; the announcement contact person is not involved in the interview process at all and will have no information to provide about interviews. Interviews may be conducted via video conferencing software, if technically feasible. Applicants referred for consideration will receive a final disposition notice after selections have been made.
• Fair and Transparent
  
  The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
  
  
  • Criminal history inquiries
  • Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
  • Financial suitability
  • New employee probationary period
  • Privacy Act
  • Reasonable accommodation policy
  • Selective Service
  • Signature and false statements
  • Social security number request

Required Documents

You must also submit ALL supporting documentation by the closing date of the vacancy announcement to claim certain types of preference.

INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP): ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority for competitive service vacancies. To receive selection priority, candidates must meet the requirements for the Well Qualified. Well-qualified is defined as having knowledge, skills, and abilities that clearly exceed the minimum qualification requirements for the position. Candidates must also provide:

• proof of eligibility with your application. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation Notice of Personnel Action, (SF-50); and
• proof of your most recent performance rating of at least "fully successful" (Level III) or equivalent.

For more information visit http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp.

Veteran's preference does not apply under this Direct Hire Authority for STEM positions.


If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. 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. To begin the application process, 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 11:59PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.

You may update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period by returning to your USAJOBS account. There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Update Application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account. All of your applications will appear on the Welcome page. The application record in your USAJOBS account provides an Additional Application Information page that provides information regarding the documentation you submitted and any correspondence we have sent related to this application. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

If you use assistive software or an adaptive device, or you are experiencing some other type of technical difficulty and/or otherwise require assistance with the application process, please contact The DCARO Staffing Team at OPE.Staffing.DCARO@ssa.gov

Individuals with hearing or speech disabilities may use the listed email or 7-1-1 for TTY-based Telecommunications Relay Services to call the listed phone number. Additional Telecommunications Relay Services options are available in each state: https://www.fcc.gov/general/trs-state-and-territories

Due to our security procedures, our office will not accept any applications submitted via email or standard mail. The email address is listed only for inquiries about the position or the How to Apply process.

Agency contact information

OPE Staffing DCARO

Email

OPE.Staffing.DCARO@ssa.gov

Address

DCARO - OPI

6401 Security Boulevard

Baltimore, MD 21235

US

Next steps

Once you have successfully submitted all of the required application materials and assessments, you can expect to receive at least two or more of the following email notifications concerning your application status: (1) Receipt of application; (2) Qualifications status and whether your application has been Referred/Not Referred to the selecting official; and (3) Selection status for the position.

Selection interviews may be conducted with one or more of the referred candidates, but there is no requirement that interviews be conducted. The hiring office will contact candidates directly for interviews; the announcement contact person is not involved in the interview process at all and will have no information to provide about interviews. Interviews may be conducted via video conferencing software, if technically feasible. Applicants referred for consideration will receive a final disposition notice after selections have been made.

Fair & Transparent

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

• Criminal history inquiries
• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
• Financial suitability
• New employee probationary period
• Privacy Act
• Reasonable accommodation policy
• Selective Service
• Signature and false statements
• Social security number request