Data Scientist

Summary The APHIS/Wildlife Services (WS)/National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) is the research unit of the WS program. The Data Scientist will be responsible for data management and analysis pipelines including but not limited to data storage, cleaning/curation of data, creation of data pipelines among databases, automation of data flows, maintenance of appropriate computational infrastructure, conducting statistical analysis, development of software, and communicating results to stakeholders. Responsibilities The duties may include, but are not limited to: Provides data-driven solutions to complex challenges by developing processes to transform raw structured or unstructured data into useful, actionable information for critical mission systems. Designs data storage solutions, manage data pipelines, and ensure efficient data organization and retrieval. Designs, builds, and maintains scalable data pipelines using commercial cloud, open source, and/or custom software solutions to process large datasets. Develops automation for movements of data between different systems and create automated validation methods to load data into systems accurately and consistently. Establishes data quality checks and procedures to ensure accuracy and consistency of data. Derives meaning from big data (i.e., datasets that may be large, disparate, unstructured, and/or complex), including structured, loosely structured, and unstructured data. Analyzes a variety of data sources to provide data-driven insights to streamline program evaluation and oversight and provide inferences for research and operational program data. Collaborates with Agency and Program teams to develop research or surveillance designs and management plans, procedures, and methodology for Agency and Program evaluation and integrity. Develops interactive data visualizations and software that is accessible to a variety of stakeholders. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement, including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. BASIC REQUIREMENT: 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 Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major field of study (30 semester hours) as shown in the paragraph above, plus additional education or appropriate experience. In addition to the basic requirement applicants must also possess: FOR THE GS-13 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-12 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates: Developed automated pipelines for data extraction from databases or publicly available data sources to combine data for statistical analysis, construction of new databases, and construction of data products that create spatial layers for additional analyses. Developed software packages and interactive data visualizations including interactive dashboards and analytic tools that help users visualize their data in different subsets. Regular use of programming languages in multiple data science areas: statistical data analysis (e.g., C++, python, or R), software or web application development (e.g., JavaScript or HTML), database management (e.g., SQL), and/or of cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, or GCP). Developed statistical models of ecological systems, especially of disease surveillance data, as evidenced through authorship on research articles or software. Led research or software development projects, including communicating technical information, both orally and in writing to non-technical end-users and building effective developer/end-user relationships for collaborative development. Note: There is no education substitution for this grade level. TRANSCRIPTS are required if: This position requires specific coursework or a degree in a specific field to be basically qualified. You are qualifying for this position based on a combination of experience and education. This education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university 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 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 Please see above for education qualification requirement information. Additional Information Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/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. First time hires to the federal government normally start at the lowest rate of the salary range for the grade selected. Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expense associated with reporting for duty will be the responsibility of the selected employee. This is a term appointment not to exceed 13 months. (Appointment may be extended up to 10 years without reannouncing). For more details click: Term Appointments Worksite Information: This position may be eligible to telework up to four days per week, based upon the duties of the position. This position may also be eligible for flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements. Additional information regarding ad hoc, occasional, or reoccurring telework may be obtained at a later time from the hiring manager or program during the hiring process.