OPERATIONS RESEARCH ANALYST/DATA SCIENTIST
About This Position
Click on "Learn more about this agency" button below to view Eligibilities being considered and other IMPORTANT information. The primary purpose of this position is to broaden the skills and/or enhance the leadership abilities of the incumbent, while contributing support to the mission and function of the organization which is to provide independent analysis leading to unique analytical research proposals and studies that recommend alternative courses of action to senior DoD officials.
Qualifications
In order to qualify, you must meet the specialized experience requirements described in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions, Specialized Experience: Your resume must reflect the quality level of experience which demonstrates the possession of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies necessary for successful job performance required for this position. Examples of creditable experience include: Comprehensive knowledge and mastery of one or more specialized areas of operations research sufficient to apply new analytical developments, methodologies, and research findings to broad studies of an unprecedented nature. Professional knowledge and mastery of a broad range of data analyses, mathematics, statistical analysis, modeling /simulation, and/or other scientific concepts, principles, standards, methods, techniques, practices, and procedures.
Extensive knowledge and mastery of research techniques and concurrent ability to obtain information concerning subject studies to perform sound analyses. Knowledge of advanced, analytical, mathematical, or statistical theories, principles, concepts, methods, and techniques to provide expert judgments concerning the validity of assumptions made and the criteria to evaluate alternatives. Knowledge of and skill in coordinating extensive projects in assigned areas of responsibility.
Projects are characterized by high visibility, unusual urgency, or program criticality. Knowledge of and ability to use advanced techniques and the modification and extension of theories, precepts, and practices of operations research and related sciences and disciplines. Ability to design, build, and use complex models to simulate real-world environments of many variables.
OR
In addition to meeting the Specialized Experience applicants MUST meet the basic education requirements for the occupational series listed for this position.
Your transcripts will be required as part of your application Your transcripts will be required as part of your application. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.htmlThe links listed below will take you to the Office of Personnel Management page that outlines these requirements. The term "Interdisciplinary" refers to multiple disciplines that may be qualifying for this position, applicants do not need to possess more than one of the acceptable disciplines.
Any of the disciplines listed below are acceptable for this Interdisciplinary position Operations Research Series, GS-1515 Operations Research Series 1515 (opm.gov) Data Science Series, GS-1560 Data Science Series 1560 (opm.gov) FEDERAL TIME-IN-GRADE (TIG) REQUIREMENT FOR GENERAL SCHEDULE (GS) POSITIONS: Applicants must have served at least 52 weeks at the GS-13 or higher grade (or equivalent in an alternate pay system) within the Federal Civil Service to be considered for referral. TIG applies if you are in a current GS position or held a GS position within the previous 52 weeks. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas: 1.
Expert knowledge and mastery of a broad range of methods and techniques used in classical and modern advanced operations research studies and possession of analytical abilities.
- Knowledge of expert quantitative techniques and methods used to develop, adapt, modify, and apply models to resolve problems or define and clarify alternative solutions.
- Ability to participate in study teams; originate new ideas, projects, and methodologies; and execute projects and/or studies within established financial and/or time constraints.
- Ability to recognize and use correct English grammar, punctuation, and spelling; communicate information in writing in a succinct and organized manner; and produce written information, including technical material, which is appropriate for the intended audience.
- Ability to develop and utilize appropriate data collection techniques.
- Ability to design, build, and use models and simulation techniques.
Major Duties
DUTY 1: Performs Career Broadening assignments/duties; employs scientific and analytical techniques to define, quantify, and evaluate the feasibility of assigned projects, studies or problems. Performs independent analysis leading to unique analytical research proposals and studies that recommend alternative courses of action to senior DoD officials. DUTY 2: In a Career Broadening capacity, reviews and evaluates study projects, proposals, and/or reports for adequacy of methodology, including the use or development of computerized models, ensuring the techniques used are valid and appropriate to the problem or issue identified.
DUTY 3: Serves as a consultant and Air Force level technical expert to senior subject matter specialists and/or agency officials responsible for broad program operations. Utilizes technical knowledge to formulate, determine, and/or influence Air Force (AF) policy. Conclusions and recommendations have a direct impact on AF level management plans and decisions regarding policies and procedures.
DUTY 4: Attends meetings, conferences, briefings, and seminars related to program planning, advanced technologies, and support system concepts. Represents the AF with other experts within the Department of Defense (DoD) services and industry to establish guidance.
Education
IF USING EDUCATION TO QUALIFY: If position has a positive degree requirement or education forms the basis for qualifications, you MUST submit transcripts with the application. Official transcripts are not required at the time of application; however, if position has a positive degree requirement, qualifying based on education alone or in combination with experience, transcripts must be verified prior to appointment. An accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education must accredit education.
Click here to check accreditation. FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements.
You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying.
How You Will Be Evaluated
Your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.
Your responses to the questionnaire may be compared to the documents you submit. The documents you submit must support your responses to the online questionnaire. If your application contradicts or does not support your questionnaire responses, you will receive a rating of "not qualified" or "insufficient information" and you will not receive further consideration for this job.
Applicants who disqualify themselves will not be evaluated further. APPRAISALS/AWARDS: Hiring Managers use objective methods and consider previous performance appraisals and awards in the selection process. Current Federal Civilian employees should list any relevant performance related rating and/or awards in your resume.
Additional Information
PCS restrictions: An employee selected to make a PCS to a Career Broadening assignment is restricted from making a second PCS for 12 months Defense National Relocation Program is Authorized Direct Deposit: All federal employees are required to have direct deposit. This is a formal career broadening position, assignment duration is limited to 36 months. Mobility is a condition of employment, employee must sign an Air Force-wide mobility agreement.
Position is designated Special Sensitive and requires eligibility for access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI), other intelligence-related Special Sensitive information, or involvement in Top Secret Special Access Programs (SAP) to fully perform the duties and responsibilities of the position. A nondisclosure agreement must be signed. A favorable suitability determination is required before appointment.
If you are unable to apply online, view the following link for information regarding Alternate Application. The Vacancy ID is 12990082 To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a Federal job announcement includes the requirement that applicants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to Executive Order 14043, that requirement does not currently apply.
Federal agencies may request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and restriction from the workplace. If you have questions regarding this announcement and have hearing or speech difficulties click here. Tax Law Impact for PCS: On 22-Dec-2017, Public Law 115-97 - the "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017" suspended qualified moving expense deductions along with the exclusion for employer reimbursements and payments of moving expenses effective 01-Jan-2018 for tax years 2018 through 2025.
The law made taxable certain reimbursements and other payments, including driving mileage, airfare and lodging expenses, en-route travel to the new duty station, and temporary storage of those items. The Federal Travel Regulation Bulletin (FTR) 18-05 issued by General Services Administration (GSA) has authorized agencies to use the Withholding Tax Allowance (WTA) and Relocation Income Tax Allowance (RITA) to pay for "substantially all" of the increased tax liability resulting from the "2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" for certain eligible individuals. For additional information on WTA/RITA allowances and eligibilities please click here.
Subsequently, FTR Bulletin 20-04 issued by GSA, provides further information regarding NDAA FY2020, Public Law 116-92, and the expansion of eligibility beyond "transferred" for WTA/RITA allowances. For additional information, please click here.
How to Apply
The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 07/16/2026. To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12990082 To begin the process, click the Apply Online button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account.
Follow the prompts to complete the application questionnaire. Please ensure you click the Submit My Application button at the end of the process. To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes: 1.
Your Resume. If you submit more than one resume, only the most recent will be reviewed. The "most recent" is considered the resume with the latest timestamp. Resumes may not exceed two pages. The two-page resume ensures the most relevant experience is reviewed and considered, which is a common practice in both the public and private sectors.
Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. Additional information on how to complete or update your resume may be located here. For qualification determination your resume must contain hours worked per week and dates of employment (i.e., month/year to month/year or month/year to present).
If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as insufficient, and you will not receive consideration for this position. If you are a current Federal employee or previous Federal employee, provide your pay plan, series and grade, i.e. GS-0301-09.
Current Federal Civilian Employees may list any relevant performance related rating (given within the last three years) and/or incentive awards in your resume. Do NOT include photographs, inappropriate material, inappropriate content, nor personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number, etc., on your resume. If the resume you submit contains such information you will not be considered for this vacancy.
Your name, first and last, MUST be included on your resume.
- A complete Application Questionnaire
- Additional Required Documents (see Required Documents section). Ensure all submitted documents contain your full name.
- Help recruiters find you. Make your resume and profile searchable, which means recruiters may contact you about possible jobs. Additional information may be located here. PLEASE
NOTE: It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered and/or uploaded, (i.e., resume) is received, accurate, and submitted by the closing date.
You may verify your documents have been processed with your application package successfully. You can access your USAJOBS account to do so by clicking here. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan. Human Resources WILL NOT modify or change any answers submitted by an applicant.
Required Documents
The following documents are required and must be provided with your application. Applicants who do not submit required documentation to determine eligibility and qualifications will be eliminated from consideration. Other documents may be required based on the eligibility/eligibilities you are claiming.
Click here to view the AF Civilian Employment Eligibility Guide and the required documents you must submit to substantiate the eligibilities you are claiming. Online Application: Questionnaire Resume: Your resume may NOT exceed two pages, and the font size should not be smaller than 10 pts.
You will not be considered for this vacancy if your resume is illegible/unreadable. Additional information on resume requirements can be located under "How To Apply". Transcripts/Registration/License: If qualifying on education/position requires education, you must submit copies of your transcripts and if required for the position, submit an active, current registration/license.
Current Air Force employees: You must submit a legible copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, AND a SF-50 reflecting the highest grade held if different from your recent SF-50. The SF-50, block 24 must contain "1" or "2" AND block 34 must be a "1". Employees eligible under an OPM approved interchange agreement, block 34 may contain a "1" or "2".
Promotion Consideration: If you wish to be considered as a promotion candidate and your SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you meet the one-year time-in-grade requirements.
You will need to provide additional SF-50s which clearly demonstrates you meet the time-in-grade requirements (examples of appropriate SF-50s include Promotions, Within-Grade, Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s with an effective date more than one year old). OPTIONAL DOCUMENTS: Performance Appraisals for Current Federal Civilian Employees - Most recent performance appraisals (dated within last 3 years) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable. Awards for Current Federal Civilian employees - List any awards received within the last 3 years on the resume.
Note: Applicant must not submit award Notification of Personnel Actions (SF50s).