DATA SCIENTIST

Summary

You will serve as a DATA SCIENTIST in the Technical Service Center.

Location: Lakewood, CO

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Duties

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Provides data-driven solutions to mission challenges by developing workflows that transform raw structured and unstructured data into useful, actionable information, applying statistical modeling, AI/ML applications, optimization, and exploratory data analysis to identify trends, patterns, and relationships.

Designs, builds, and maintains data pipelines to collect, clean, validate, and organize data from multiple enterprise systems, ensuring data is accurate, consistent, and usable for downstream analysis and reporting.

Develops analytical tools, queries, dashboards, and visualizations using programming and scripting languages such as Python, R, and SQL and business intelligence tools such as Tableau and the Microsoft Power Platform.

Develops data quality checks and procedures, and supports data governance best practices for data access, usage, metadata documentation, and security, ensuring analytical work aligns with Bureau policies, Departmental guidance, and Federal regulations.

Assists in developing, testing, and refining predictive and statistical models to support forecasting, workload estimation, and resource planning, validating results using standard statistical and computational methods.

Collaborates with multidisciplinary teams to understand data needs, translate technical concepts, and ensure analytical projects meet program and business goals.

Translates the results of analysis into clear, actionable communications that equip Reclamation decision makers to make informed, data-driven decisions about programmatic and administrative functions.

Communicates technical work effectively with oral presentations to internal team members and Reclamation clients and collaborators. Drafts written technical documentation such as briefing papers, standard operating procedures, technical tool documentation, and technical memorandums.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Direct Deposit participation required.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.

This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will 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.

Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated.

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

QUALIFICATIONS:

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-11/12/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.

Minimum Qualification Requirements : To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications:

To qualify for this position, you must meet the (1) Basic Education Requirements AND (2) Specialized Experience for the series to which you are applying.

(1) Basic Education Requirements 1560 series: In addition to the specialized experience requirements for this position, applicants must meet the Education Requirements described below:

A. Degree: Mathematics, statistics, computer science, data science or field directly related to the position. The degree must be in a major field of study (at least at the baccalaureate level) that is appropriate for the position.

OR

B. Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major field of study (30 semester hours) as shown in paragraph A above, plus additional education or appropriate experience.

AND

(2) Minimum Qualification Requirements GS-1560-11:

A. Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-11 , you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience in at least 2 of the following: 1. Writing code in Python, R, or SQL to query, clean, and validate data drawn from multiple systems and databases. 2. Building dashboards and visualizations in Tableau or the Microsoft Power Platform to communicate results to technical and non-technical audiences. 3. Applying statistical modeling, machine learning, or optimization techniques to identify trends and support forecasting or resource planning. 4. Testing AI/ML models and analytical tools for accuracy and reliability, and documenting data quality issues. Experience working with Cloud hosting solutions, including Azure or AWS. 5. Preparing technical documentation and delivering oral presentations that translate analytical findings for decision makers.

OR

B. Education: Successful completion of at least 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education (54 semester hours or equivalent) leading to a Ph.D. in a directly related field of study; or a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in a directly related field of study which provide the knowledge, skills, and abilities to do the work of this position. You must include transcripts.

OR

C. Combination: Successful completion of a combination of graduate level education as described in above, beyond the first two years of progressive graduate study, and appropriate professional experience that together meet the qualification requirements for this position.

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.

Education

This position has a mandatory education requirement.

You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | U.S. Department of Education.

Additional information

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

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.

If otherwise eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information visit: Recruitment Incentive or Relocation Incentive. A continued service agreement may be required if it is determined you are eligible for a permanent change in duty station (PCS), recruitment, or relocation incentive.

All Department of Interior (DOI) employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here,

The duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

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.

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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.