Defense Technical Information Center Logo
Position Title
DATA SCIENTIST
Agency
Defense Technical Information Center
Announcement Number
DTIC-11262081-22-WT Opens in new window
Open Period
Thursday, October 21, 2021 to Thursday, November 4, 2021
For preview purposes only. To apply, please return to the USAJOBS announcement and click the Apply button.
Eligibilities
1. Do you claim Veterans' Preference? (limit characters)
The following section is used to determine your eligibility for appointment in the Federal Government or Status for referral consideration.  Please indicate by your responses all categories of eligibilities for which you would like to be considered. You will only be considered under eligibilities that you select.  If you are not able to select at least one of the eligibilities below, you are not eligible to be considered for this position.

NOTE: You must submit the required documentation to verify EACH eligibility you select. Failure to provide the required documents will render you not eligible for consideration.

See instructions under the "How to Apply" tab for submitting documentation.
(limit characters)
2. Are you a veteran who separated from active duty under honorable conditions and you:
  •  Have a rating by the Department of Veterans Affairs showing a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more OR
  •  Retired from active military service with a service-connected disability rating of 30% or more
If eligible, submit a copy of your latest Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (copy indicating character of service) or other proof of your service which includes character of service.

Please also provide the disability letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs or Armed Service and the Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, Standard Form 15.

For more information, review USAJOBS Veterans resources.
(limit characters)
3. Are you the spouse of a current member of the Armed Forces? If yes, confirm that you are married to the military member.

-OR-

Are you the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces who retired with a disability rating at the time of retirement of 100 percent or the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces who retired or separated from the Armed Forces and has a disability rating of 100 percent from the Department of Veterans Affairs?

-OR-

Are you the un-remarried widow or widower of a member of the Armed Forces killed while in active duty status?

For more information, review USAJOBS Veterans resources.
(limit characters)
4. Were you employed overseas as an Appropriated Fund employee AND did you complete 52 weeks of creditable overseas service in an appropriated fund position(s) as a family member during the time you accompanied a sponsor officially assigned to an oversea area receive a fully successful or better (or equivalent) performance rating AND return to the United States to resume residence less than 3 years ago? (limit characters)
5. Are you a current employee who has served continuously for at least one year under an appointment without time limit in a DoD Cyber Workforce excepted service position OR have you been involuntarily separated from a DoD Cyber Workforce position without personal cause within the preceding year?
 
(limit characters)
6. Are you a current or former, permanent Career or Career-Conditional Federal employee in the competitive service AND your highest permanent grade is LOWER than the highest grade of this position? (SF-50 block 24 must be a "1" or "2") (limit characters)
7. Are you a current or former, permanent Career or Career-Conditional Federal employee in the competitive service AND you have held a permanent grade the SAME or HIGHER than the highest grade of the position being filled, OR I have held a permanent developmental position with promotion potential to the same grade of the position being filled? (SF-50 block 24 must be a "1" or "2") (limit characters)
8. Are you a veteran who is currently a Federal employee on a permanent Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA)? (SF-50 block 24 must be a "1" or "2" AND block 34 must be a "2"). (limit characters)
9. Have you completed three years of substantially continuous service immediately before separation from an unlimited, career-type Foreign Service appointment that meets a requirement for career tenure?

-OR-

 Have you had service that began with a non-temporary Foreign Service appointment counting towards the 3-year service requirement for career tenure and have been separated within the past 30 days from the career-type appointment in the Foreign Service?
(limit characters)
10. Are you a current or former federal employee displaced from a position in a federal agency other than the agency hiring for this position?

If yes, confirm:
  • You are located in the same local commuting area of the vacancy
  • Your grade is equivalent to the grade level of the vacancy and
  • Your last performance rating of record is at least fully successful or the equivalent.
You will be required to submit supporting documentation to validate your claim of ICTAP eligibility such as a Reduction in Force (RIF) separation notice or a Proposed Removal/Separation notice and a copy of your latest Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50. For more information, review the USAJOBS Resource Center.
 
(limit characters)
11. Are you currently employed on a permanent appointment with a Federal agency that has an interchange agreement with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) such as the DoD Cyber Workforce or a DoD Nonappropriated Fund Instrumentality to include Army and Air Force Exchange Services?  I have been continually employed for 1 year or more and have not had a break in service, or I have been involuntarily separated from such appointment without personal cause within the preceding year and have met the 1 year service requirement. NOTE: If you indicate that you are eligible for any of the eligibilities listed above, you MUST submit documentation along with your application/resume package verifying eligibility. For details about all interchange agreements with OPM please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/competitive-hiring/#url=InterchangeAgreementsWithOtherMeritSystems. (limit characters)
12. Are you a former Peace Corps volunteer or VISTA member who has completed your service within the past twelve months?

-OR-

Are you a former Peace Corps volunteer or VISTA member who has completed your service within the past 36 months and is requesting an extension of your non-competitive eligibility due to your military service, status as a full-time student or other experience related to this position?

-OR-

Are you a current or former Peace Corps employee who has completed at least 36 months of continuous service and has been separated from the Peace Corps for less than three years?

If yes, submit a copy of your description of service or other proof of non-competitive eligibility.

If you are a former Peace Corps volunteer or VISTA member who is requesting an extension of your non-competitive eligibility, please also provide the necessary documentation to support your request.
(limit characters)
13. Do you have a severe physical, psychiatric or mental disability that qualifies you for Schedule A Disability appointments?

 If eligible, provide proof of disability with appropriate medical documentation, i.e., a letter signed by a licensed medical professional or licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist stating your condition and restrictions.

 For more information, review USAJOBS Individuals with Disabilities resources.
(limit characters)
14. I am a military spouse who is currently married to my active duty sponsor. I am exercising my preference eligibility for positions within the local commuting area of my sponsor's current duty station.  I certify that I have not accepted nor declined a permanent, continuing Federal or non-appropriated fund position in the local commuting area of our current duty location. 
NOTE 1:  Military spouses are eligible for one permanent noncompetitive appointment using their preference eligibility for the duration of the active duty sponsor's assignment to a permanent duty station, as long as the military spouse has not declined or accepted a permanent Federal or non-appropriated fund position in the commuting area of the sponsor's current duty location.  If you certify that you have not used your preference at your sponsor's current duty location and it is discovered to be untrue, you may be subject to loss of MSP and possible disciplinary action. 
NOTE 2:  You must include a copy of the Military Spouse PPP Self-Certification Checklist along with the documents identified on the checklist to verify your eligibility for MSP.  
(limit characters)
15. Are you a veteran whose latest discharge was under honorable conditions and you:
  • served three or more years of continuous active duty service in the military (NOTE: if released shortly before completing a 3-year tour, you are considered to meet the eligibility) OR
  • are entitled to veterans' preference.
If eligible, submit a copy of your latest Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (copy indicating character of service) or other proof of your service which includes character of service.

For more information, review USAJOBS Veterans resources.
(limit characters)
16. Are you currently eligible for an appointment using an eligibility not otherwise listed (e.g. Postal Career Service employee, Government Accountability Office employee, Fulbright Scholar, etc.)? NOTE: If you indicate that you are eligible by selecting "yes" for this question, you MUST submit documentation that verifies your eligibility along with your application/resume package.  (limit characters)
Preferences
1. There is a time in grade (TIG) requirement for advancement to this position. Have you completed one year in a position at, above, or equivalent to the GS-13 level? Please indicate the appropriate response below: (limit characters)
2. Are you a current or former (within last five-years) Executive Branch political appointee; Schedule C excepted service appointee (confidential, policy or transitional role), or non-career or limited appointee in the Senior Executive System (SES)?

Agencies must request OPM approval to appoint the following current or former (within five-years) Executive Branch political appointees to permanent competitive service, non-political excepted service, or career SES positions:
https://www.opm.gov/FAQs/QA.aspx?fid=023f2059-dff7-4307-89b4-c553c218af1d&pid=08248d29-d26e-44b6-9988-57655358d509
(limit characters)
3. To be eligible for Military Spouse Preference (MSP) under this vacancy announcement, you must have appointment eligibility under one of the following authorities and submit the appropriate, required documentation to verify your eligibility. Please select one or more eligibilities that apply to you. (limit characters)
Assessment 1
Please accurately identify your level of training or experience when completing this questionnaire. Your responses will be evaluated and verified based on your submitted resume. Ensure that your resume accurately describes the level of education and/or experience claimed in the assessment questionnaire. Later steps in the selection process are specifically designed to verify your stated level of experience and demonstrated capability. By continuing in the application process, I acknowledge that my self-assessment questionnaire score may be reduced, and I may lose consideration for this position if the work experience described in my resume does not support my responses to the assessment questionnaire. (limit characters)
1. To qualify for this position you must meet one of the basic requirements described below. (You MUST submit copies of your proof of education; failure to submit required documents by the close of the announcement may result in an Ineligible rating.) (limit characters)
2. From the descriptions below, select the letter that corresponds to the highest level of education and/or experience that you fully possess and demonstrates your ability to perform the work of Data Scientist at the GS-1501-14 grade level. Select only one letter for each item. (limit characters)
For each item, select the one response that most accurately describes your current level of experience and capability using the scale below. (limit characters)
3. Apply text mining, text analytics and natural language processing concepts such as semantics, Named Entity Recognition (NER), sentiment analysis, and word embeddings. (limit characters)
4. Analyze and evaluate (on a qualitative and quantitative basis) the architectures and computational requirements for analytical tasks against modern, massive datasets. (limit characters)
5. Conduct data analytics on operational and strategic-level assessments to identify shortfalls and gaps, troubleshoot data issues, and develop ways to mitigate risk. (limit characters)
6. Utilize programming languages and tools to identify ways to improve data reliability, efficiency and quality for missions, goals, and future planning. (limit characters)
7. Apply advanced technology development and data science principles, concepts, methods, standards, and practices for data management and development of future algorithms. (limit characters)
8. Lead successful organizational transformations using modern data management and data analytics concepts and tools. (limit characters)
9. Construct data pipelines using complex tools and techniques to handle data at scale. (limit characters)
10. Assess data sources to determine the type of data available and how data imports can be made into other systems to reduce or eliminate manual reporting requirements. (limit characters)
11. Gather various algorithms, frameworks and models for accomplishing natural language processing and text analytics tasks such as tf-idf, locality sensitive hashing and deep learning for application at scale against large datasets. (limit characters)
12. Design frameworks to facilitate the data development; data lifecycle design, implementation, integration, and maintenance of the pipeline, warehousing, and transitions of data to cloud-based solutions. (limit characters)
13. Inform research and development programs employing statistical methodologies to fuse data sources derived from requirements and systems. (limit characters)
14. Analyze complex data elements and systems in order to contribute to conceptual physical and logical data models. (limit characters)
15.
Analyze and evaluate (on a qualitative and quantitative basis) how various algorithms, frameworks, and models for accomplishing natural language processing and text analytics tasks.
(limit characters)
16. Develop requirements for analytic tools that leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies to analyze scientific and technical data for DoD and public users. (limit characters)
17. Develop a variety of reports/analysis such as: problem definition; identification and investigation of key variables or parameters; development and validation of assumptions; formulation of alternatives; development of performance measures; establishment of data collection requirements; selection, adaptation, or development of appropriate analytical methodology; systems analysis or evaluation of alternatives; development of recommendations. (limit characters)
18. Consolidate research finding and conclusions into completed cohesive final products in multiple formats and forums for presentation to audiences of varying degree of technical knowledge and seniority. (limit characters)
Select “Yes” or “No” to the following question(s). (limit characters)
19. Do you certify, to the best of your knowledge and belief, all of the information submitted by you with your application for employment is true, complete, and made in good faith, and that you have truthfully and accurately represented your work experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, and education (degrees, accomplishments, etc.)? Do you understand that the information provided may be investigated? Do you understand that misrepresenting your experience or education, or providing false or fraudulent information in or with your application may be grounds for not hiring you or for firing you after you begin work? Do you also understand that false or fraudulent statements may be punishable by fine or imprisonment (18 U.S.C. 1001)? (limit characters)