Pathways Recent Graduate Economist/Statistician/Data Scientist

Summary

This position is located in the Bureau of the Actuary & Research, Railroad Retirement Board. The incumbent is professionally responsible for planning and conducting various economic, statistical and financial studies, projects, and cost calculations for programs administered by the agency under the provisions of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA), Railroad Unemployment and Insurance Act (RUIA), and/or other pertinent laws. This job announcement may be used to fill one or more vacancies.

Duties

This is a bargaining unit position. This position is represented by the Council of AFGE Locals in the Board. WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE PATHWAYS PROGRAM? For additional information regarding the Pathways Program, please refer to the following website: Students & Recent Graduates The RRB Recent Graduates Program affords developmental experiences in the Federal Government intended to promote possible careers in the civil service to individuals who have recently graduated from qualifying educational institutions or programs. Successful applicants are placed in a dynamic, developmental program with the potential to lead to a civil service career in the Federal Government. Following the completion of program requirements, selectees may be considered for non-competitive conversion to a career-conditional or term appointment. All conversion requirements will be identified in the Participant Agreement. Program requirements include but are not limited to: Successful completion of at least 1-year of continuous service Completion of at least 40 hours of interactive training Demonstration of successful job performance Meet the qualification standards for the position to which the Recent Graduate may be converted Conversion to the competitive service is not implied nor guaranteed. As a Pathways Recent Graduate Economist/Statistician/Data Scientist, you will: Collect, tabulate, analyze, interpret, and present economic and statistical data used in programs administered by the agency under the provisions of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA), Railroad Unemployment and Insurance Act (RUIA), Railroad Retirement Tax Act (RRTA), Social Security Act (SSA), and/or other pertinent laws. Conduct studies and analyses on proposals to modify the Acts. Prepare materials for a variety of agency publications. Identify and oversee the collection and development of relevant data. Develop and identify data required for use in the management and direction of the programs. Prepare ad hoc reports and conduct studies as directed. Be responsible for contributing to the analysis and review of large amounts of relevant data. Make recommendations resulting from analysis and reviews of data. Analysis and recommendations developed can influence the management and oversight of the benefit programs and be used to formulate policy, address program vulnerabilities and ensure the integrity of the programs. Address irregularities, anomalies, or suspicious patterns or trends in the programs.

Qualifications and evaluation

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and a crediting plan assessment. In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. Your will be evaluated on the following knowledge, skills, and abilities: Ability to analyze and interpret data to reach sound conclusions. Knowledge of statistical and related analytical tools to produce high quality analyses. Knowledge of various computer applications and software such as SAS, R, SQL, Excel, and other PC-based tools in order to manipulate data and provide management with information. Skill in oral communication in order to effectively express concepts, recommendations, data analysis results, regulations, and policies in common sense terms. Skill in written communication in order to effectively express concepts, recommendations, data analysis results, regulations, and policies in common sense terms. Category rating procedures will be used to rank eligible candidates. Qualified candidates will be assigned to the following categories: Best Qualified, Qualified, and Minimally Qualified. Within each quality category, veterans' preference eligibles will receive selection priority over non-veterans. The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three" but protects the rights of Veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each quality category. Veterans' preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent will be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-09 level or higher).

Education

You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement. Official transcripts will be required if selected. PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) was taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society. GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours that your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study. FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, click here.

How to apply

In accordance with the Merit Hiring Plan, only resumes up to a total of two pages will be accepted. Applicants with resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open Sans, Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. For additional guidance on what to include in your resume, please see USAJOBS Help. Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: To begin the application process, click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account (https://usajobs.gov). There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account at https://www.usajobs.gov. On the Home page, scroll down and locate your job application. Once the job has been located, click the "Track this application" link on the right under the application date. The page will refresh to display the Agency's Application Information page where you can scroll down and review any notifications the agency has sent you. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

Required documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes: Resume showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment, and duties performed. Resume must not exceed 2 pages. Applicants will be removed from consideration if their resume is longer than 2 pages. Please see "How to Apply" for additional information regarding the limit. Transcripts: Copies of all college courses must be submitted. Original transcripts will be required if selected. Veterans' Documentation: If you are a veteran, you must provide a copy of your Record of Military Service (DD-214), and proof of your veterans' preference, if applicable. Veterans with a service connected disability must also submit a completed claim form SF-15 (click here for form) along with the required proofs. Go to FedsHireVets-Veterans Preference for more information.

Additional information

If you are a male applicant who was born after 12/31/59 you are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act; the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency. Applying online is highly encouraged. If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement to be entered into the system prior to its closing.