About This Position
This position is located in Federal Student Aid (FSA), Office of the Ombudsman in Washington, DC. The incumbent is responsible for serving as a Data Analyst (Customer Insights) for the Complaint Research and Resolution Analytics division. The Customer Insights Analyst manages FSA's Voice of the Customer (VoC) Platform, a Software as a Service (SaaS) product.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualification Requirements You may meet the minimum qualifications for the GS-13, if you possess the specialize experience. Specialized Experience for the GS-13 One year of experience in either federal or non-federal service that is equivalent to at least a GS-12 performing two (2) out of three (3) of the following duties or work assignments: 1. Experience using statistical or analytical methodologies and tools to analyze customer feedback or operational data and develop actionable insights through written analyses, reports, or presentations.
- Experience designing, implementing, or managing customer experience measurement, Voice of the Customer (VoC), or customer insights programs to identify opportunities for improving products, services, policies, or operations in the Title IV/Higher Education space.
- Experience working with or supporting a digital product, analytics platform, or Software as a Service (SaaS) environment to collect, analyze, or visualize data and inform organizational decision-making. 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).
- Knowledge of customer feedback methodologies, survey design, and Voice of the Customer programs used to collect and analyze customer insights across multiple channels.
- Skill in applying qualitative and quantitative analytical methods to identify trends, patterns, and emerging risks within customer feedback and operational data.
- Ability to synthesize complex data and feedback into actionable insights and recommendations that improve programs, policies, and customer experience outcomes.
- Ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams and influence stakeholders through data-driven insights to support informed decision-making.
- Skill in developing reports, dashboards, and briefings that communicate analytical findings clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
Major Duties
The Office of Federal Student Aid's Office of the Ombudsman is seeking a Customer Insights Analyst (Data Analyst, GS-13) responsible for supporting the Voice of the Customer (VoC) program for Federal Student Aid.
This position analyzes customer feedback from multiple sources—including complaints, surveys, digital feedback, call transcripts, and operational data—to identify trends, emerging risks, and systemic issues affecting borrowers, institutions, and program partners. The incumbent synthesizes customer insights into actionable findings and recommendations that improve service delivery, policy implementation, program operations, and partner performance across federal student aid programs. This role collaborates with product teams, business units, and leadership to ensure customer insights inform decision-making and drive measurable improvements to the borrower and partner experience.
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 Data Analyst, GS-0301-13, you will be responsible for: • Analyzes customer feedback across multiple channels (complaints, surveys, call transcripts, digital feedback, and other sources) to identify trends, emerging risks, and systemic issues affecting borrowers and partners. • Conducts qualitative and quantitative analysis to distinguish isolated issues from patterns, trends, and leading indicators of operational, policy, or servicing problems. • Synthesizes customer insights into findings and recommendations to improve operations, service delivery, policy implementation, and partner performance. • Collaborates with product teams, business units, and leadership to validate insights, contextualize findings, and support data-driven decision-making. • Develops and delivers reports, dashboards, and executive briefings that communicate customer experience insights and support improvements to programs, products, and services.
Conditions of Employment
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.
You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement. If you are a current federal employee, you must meet all time-in-grade and time-after competitive appointment qualifications within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement. To verify that you meet these requirements, we will review your responses to the core eligibility questions on the occupational questionnaire, as well as your submitted resume and required documents.
To make an accurate determination, you will need to include on your resume your federal position title, pay plan, occupational series, grade level, agency, dates for which you held the grade level (stated as MM/YYYY to MM/YYYY, OR MM/YYYY to PRESENT), and total hours worked per week. 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).
Education
Education cannot be substituted for experience for this position and grade level.
How You Will Be Evaluated
We use a multi-step process to review and evaluate applicants: 1. Eligibility and Minimum Qualifications Once the vacancy announcement closes, we will review your submitted resume and documents to determine if you meet the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, including any required education, experience, and/or selective placement factors.
You will be rated as ineligible if you are outside of the area of consideration (i.e., who may apply) or your application is missing any required documents.
You will be rated as not qualified if you do not possess the minimum qualification requirements.
- Rating and Ranking If you are found to meet both the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, we will assess the quality of your experience and the extent to which you possess the required KSAs by comparing your submitted resume and documents against your responses to the occupational questionnaire. (The occupational questionnaire is the list of questions in the automated system that you will have an opportunity to answer once you apply for the position). Based on the outcome of this evaluation, you will be assigned a numerical score (out of 100 possible).
If your responses to the occupational questionnaire are not substantiated by your submitted resume, you may be eliminated from receiving further consideration.
- Referral and Selection If you are found to be amongst the most highly qualified applicants, you will be referred to the selecting official. As part of the assessment and selection process, the selecting official may invite you to participate in a structured interview, check your references, and/or request that you submit a writing sample or complete a written assessment or exercise to further evaluate your qualifications for this position.
You may preview questions for this vacancy.
Additional Information
Veterans' Career Counseling: If you are a veteran interested in receiving tips on preparing a Federal resume and/or how to prepare for an interview, you may email [email protected] to schedule a session with a career counselor (“Veterans Counseling Session” should be placed in the subject line of the email). Student Loan Default: If selected for this position, we will verify that you have not defaulted on any loan funded or guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Education.
If you are found to be in default, we will contact you to make arrangements for repayment prior to making an official offer of employment. Suitability and Investigation: If selected for this position, you will be required to complete the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine your suitability for federal employment and successfully complete a pre-appointment investigation/background check. Essential/Non-Essential: This position is considered essential for purposes of reporting to work during federal government closures.
Financial Disclosure: This position does not require financial disclosure. Bargaining Unit: This position is included in the bargaining unit (American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 252). Selections: Agencies have broad authority under law to hire from any appropriate source of eligibles and may fill a vacancy in the competitive service by any method authorized.
We may make additional selections from this vacancy announcement within 90 days from the date the selection certificates are issued, should vacancies occur. We may also share selection certificates amongst program offices across the agency.
How to Apply
Step 1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not already have one) at www.usajobs.gov. Step 2: Create a resume using the USAJOBS resume builder. Ensure that your resume demonstrates your education, experience, training, and accomplishments as it relates to the qualifications for this position and substantiates your responses to the occupational questionnaire.
Step 3: Upload any required documents into your USAJOBS account (must be less than 3MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, or Word (DOC or DOCX)). Step 4: Click "Apply Online" and follow the prompts to complete the occupational questionnaire and attach any required documents. Verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBS transfer into the agency's hiring system.
You will have the opportunity to upload any additional required documents in the agency's hiring system.
Click “Finish” to submit your application.
NOTE: You may update your application or required documents at any time while the announcement is open by logging into your USAJOBS account, clicking on "Application Status," clicking on the position title, clicking "Update Application,” and following the prompts. In order to receive consideration for this position, you must submit your complete application, including all required documents, by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the closing date of the vacancy announcement. If the vacancy announcement has an application limit, we recommend that you submit your complete application at the time of initial application.
We will not accept any required documentation after the closing date of the vacancy announcement. If you have any questions regarding submitting your application, please contact the HR Specialist listed under the Agency Contact Information.
Required Documents
You must submit (REQUIRED FOR ALL APPLICANTS): • A resume demonstrating your education, experience, training, and accomplishments as it relates to the qualifications for this position and substantiating your responses to the occupational questionnaire. Please limit your resume to 2 pages with the font size no smaller than 10 points. If your resume is more than 2 pages, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed and considered for the qualifications determination.
If you are a current or former federal employee (including current U.S. Department of Education employees), you must also submit: • A Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50), which demonstrates your competitive status eligibility. To verify your eligibility, we will review your SF-50 to determine your tenure (block 24) and position occupied (block 34).
Examples of sufficient SF-50s include appointments, promotions, within-grade increases, and pay adjustments. If you currently hold or previously held a federal position at or above the highest grade of this position or you have/had promotion potential at or above the highest grade of this position, you must also submit an SF-50 documenting your highest grade level held or promotion potential. Examples of sufficient SF-50s include appointments and promotions. • A Copy of your most recent Performance Appraisal and Awards, as applicable.
Your performance appraisal and awards are requested to further assess the quality of your experience should your application be referred to the selecting official. If you are claiming eligibility under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA), you must submit: • A copy of your DD-214 that shows active service and character of discharge, member copy 4 (Separated Members only); OR • A certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions within 120 days from the date of application (Current Active Duty Members only); AND/OR • The Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (SF-15) AND all documents indicated on the form as proof of type of preference. If you are claiming eligibility under any Special Hiring Authority, you must submit: • Adequate proof of your eligibility (e.g., Documentation of noncompetitive eligibility as a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, Documentation of noncompetitive eligibility for employment under Schedule A as a person with severe physical disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, and intellectual disabilities.) Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the https://www2.ed.gov/about/jobs/open/edhires/ictap.html or https://www2.ed.gov/about/jobs/open/edhires/ctap.html for information on how to apply as a CTAP, or ICTAP eligible.
To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/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.