Mathematical Statistician

Summary This position is located within the Office of the Administrator, National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), and supports national agricultural statistical programs through survey design, statistical analysis, estimation methodology, and preparation of official agricultural statistics and reports. . Responsibilities Recommend new or improved mathematical methods and techniques for statistical sampling, assembly, and computation, and for the summarization of data and preparation of reports. Apply general mathematics and mathematical statistics, including probability and sampling theory, to perform limited studies that have defined program objectives, analyze information, and identify trends. Evaluate critical factors related to the assignment area and draw rational inferences to assist in preparing technical reports of methods and findings. Assists in developing plans and procedures for the conduct of surveys and for the analysis and preparation of estimates, forecasts, and reports. Ability to use automated data processing techniques to process statistical data, execute jobs, review output, construct tables and graphs, and conduct research. Ability to evaluate critical factors related to the assignment area and draw rational inferences to assist in preparing technical reports of methods and findings. Analyzes summarized survey indications and prepares estimates, forecasts, and supporting analytical and interpretative comments for reports. Assists in preparing final recommendations for estimates and forecasts and in writing analytical and interpretive comments to substantiate conclusions. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a US Citizen or US National. Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt. Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check. Direct Deposit - Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period (unless previous federal service is creditable) 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 your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Time in Grade: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet the time in grade requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. Basic Requirements: Degree: that included 24 semester hours of mathematics and statistics, of which at least 12 semester hours were in mathematics and 6 semester hours were in statistics. or Combination of education and experience -- at least 24 semester hours of mathematics and statistics, including at least 12 hours in mathematics and 6 hours in statistics, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Evaluation of Education: Courses acceptable toward meeting the mathematics course requirement of paragraphs A or B above must have included at least four of the following: differential calculus, integral calculus, advanced calculus, theory of equations, vector analysis, advanced algebra, linear algebra, mathematical logic, differential equations, or any other advanced course in mathematics for which one of these was a prerequisite. Courses in mathematical statistics or probability theory with a prerequisite of elementary calculus or more advanced courses will be accepted toward meeting the mathematics requirements, with the provision that the same course cannot be counted toward both the mathematics and the statistics requirement. Evaluation of Experience: The experience offered in combination with educational courses to meet the requirements in paragraph B above should include evidence of statistical work such as (a) sampling, (b) collecting, computing, and analyzing statistical data, and (c) applying known statistical techniques to data such as measurement of central tendency, dispersion, skewness, sampling error, simple and multiple correlation, analysis of variance, and tests of significance. Without other indications of statistical experience, work required in the processing of numerical or quantified information by other than statistical methods is not considered appropriate qualifying experience. Examples of such nonqualifying work include statistical clerical work; statistical drafting; calculation of totals, averages, percentages, or other arithmetic summations; preparation of simple tables or charts; or verification of data by simple comparison or proofreading. In addition to meeting the basic requirements described above, applicants must also meet additional qualification requirements as stated below. Specialized ExperienceGS-07 - Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Qualifying experience for GS-07 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to the GS-05 which is directly related to the work of this position. One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level that includes: Independently analyzing datasets using statistical techniques and tools Applying mathematical and statistical methods to support research studies or program evaluation Preparing technical reports, briefings, or visual presentations of findings Evaluating data quality and contributing to study design or methodology selection GS-09 - Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Qualifying experience for GS-09 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to the GS-07 which is directly related to the work of this position. One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level that includes: Independently analyzing datasets using statistical techniques and tools Applying mathematical and statistical methods to support research studies or program evaluation Preparing technical reports, briefings, or visual presentations of findings Evaluating data quality and contributing to study design or methodology selection GS-11 - Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Qualifying experience for GS-11 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to the GS-09 which is directly related to the work of this position. One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level that includes: Designing and conducting statistical research studies or analytical projects Applying advanced statistical models and quantitative techniques to complex datasets Interpreting findings into comprehensive reports with actionable insights Evaluating methodologies, ensuring data integrity, and recommending improvements 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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Education Please see above for education qualification requirement information. Additional Information Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100. Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA). For more information on applying under special hiring authorities such as the Veteran's Recruitment Act (VRA), 30 percent disabled veterans, certain military spouses, Schedule A Disabled, etc., explore the different Hiring Paths on the USAJOBS website. Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Refer to PUBLIC LAW 114-47-AUG. 7, 2015 for more information. If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed 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. This position is being concurrently announced under Delegated Examining Announcement Number NASS-S26TAB-13045180-AR. This announcement is open to all qualified candidates. Applying to both announcements may expand the possibilities of consideration since different referral criteria apply to each type of announcement. See the above announcement for more information.