Statistician

Job Description

Summary

This position is being offered under OPM Direct Hire Authority. See more about Direct Hire under Conditions below. Serves as a senior analyst and technical advisor to management officials responsible for overseeing SSA's Program Integrity Program. Oversees projects related to detecting and preventing fraud in SSA programs, measuring or enhancing program performance and increasing operational efficiencies. See QUALIFICATIONS and EDUCATION for more information about this position.

Duties

Develops, implements and refines projects and mathematical/statistical studies of SSA programs and develops models to correct deficiencies or improve efficiency of processes, operations and systems related to administering program integrity.

Determines methods and approaches to gather and develop required data to complete studies.

Prepares documentation research reports, technical papers, guidelines and instructions to provide information and direction to all interested parties.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated on the experience you describe in your resume as well as the education supported by the transcripts you submit. Do not simply list projects on which you worked or list experience in terms of accomplishments or achievements. You must describe duties you perform that pertain to the requirements for this position. If your resume doesn't clearly describe the duties you perform that demonstrate the required Specialized Experience, you will lose consideration for this position. Information not specifically stated in your resume cannot be assumed, even if you hold (or held) a position in this series. The experience you claim is subject to verification by the selecting official. SEE QUALIFICATIONS, EDUCATION AND REQUIRED DOCUMENTS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR RESUME AND TRANSCRIPT MUST DEMONSTRATE. Preview questions here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13062422 Information not specifically stated in your resume cannot be assumed. Information copied or restated from the announcement will not be considered. If this occurs, you may be found ineligible. Applicants who demonstrate the IOR and Specialized Experience will be referred to the hiring manager following Priority Selection procedures and applicable documents will be forwarded for further review. Your claimed knowledge, skills and abilities are subject to verification by the selecting official. You may be asked to provide specific examples or documentation or to verify a response by a practical demonstration of your claimed experience. PRIORITY SELECTION: Well-Qualified ICTAP eligibles will receive first consideration IF appropriate supporting documents are provided (see Career Transition Guide AND Required Documents below). Veterans' Preference is not considered under Direct Hire. See Required Documents for information on how to support these claims.

Education

This position has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) that must be met and demonstrated by all applicants (see QUALIFICATIONS), even if you already hold a position in the federal 1530 series. Submit a copy of your full transcript showing your name, the name of the school, the program in which you were enrolled and your degree AND/OR completion of *creditable course). If you attended more than one college or university, submit transcripts for all schools attended. Transcripts that do not show that a Degree was conferred cannot be considered to have resulted in a Degree. Check your transcript to be sure this information is shown. Since course titles do not always indicate that a course pertains to a creditable curriculum you are advised to highlight qualifying courses on your transcript to ensure that consideration is given. APPLICATIONS WITHOUT ALL REQUIRED TRANSCRIPTS WILL CAUSE YOU TO LOSE CONSIDERATION FOR THIS POSITION. DO NOT SUBMIT A DIPLOMA IN LIEU OF A FULL TRANSCRIPT THAT SHOWS THE REQUIRED INFORMATION. TRANSCRIPTS MUST BE LEGIBLE or you may not receive credit for your degree or completed courses. Unofficial transcripts or screenshots of electronic/web transcripts with the required information will be accepted at the time of application. CHECK YOUR UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT TO CONFIRM IT SHOWS THE REQUIRED INFORMATION. You must upload your transcripts as part of your application. Documents will not be accepted via email or regular mail. Foreign Education: If your transcripts show education completed in foreign colleges or universities, you must also provide documentation 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 a conventional/accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. If selected, you may be required to provide your official college transcripts prior to the effective date of your appointment.

Additional Information

STEM position(s) are being filled through the Office of Personnel Management's delegated Direct Hire Authority and are open to all U.S. citizens. Selections made under this Direct Hire Authority will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Current federal employees will be given a new appointment to the civil service, if selected. Under the provisions of the Direct Hire Authority, Veterans Preference and the "Rule of Many" do not apply. Additional selections may be made for this vacancy six months from the closing date of this announcement. If you are a male born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov . If you are a federal contractor, do not identify yourself as a federal employee. See QUALIFICATIONS and EDUCATION for information on qualifying for position. See REQUIRED DOCUMENTS and HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED for information on applying for this position. This is a non-bargaining unit position. This position is not authorized to be filled virtually or through outstationing. One or more vacancies may be filled at any of the listed Official Duty Stations (ODS). This position is on a full-time, flex-time schedule; Alternate Work Schedules (AWS) may be authorized. Telework may be approved after all conditions for telework have been met. To participate in telework, you must reside within a 2-hour commute to the assigned ODS by the time of your appointment. Relocation expenses will not be paid; salary will be set in accordance with locality pay provisions. Successful performance of work in this position and adherence to conditions of this position will be assessed during the 1-year probationary period that may be served by new appointees (e.g., new to SSA and/or new to this series). This is a moderate-risk public trust position. You may be required to complete SF-85P, Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions to have the appropriate investigation conducted. Location of position: Risk and Quality Program Integrity, Risk and Fraud Prevention (PIRFP)

How to Apply

(1) Click APPLY to create a USAJobs Account or log into your existing account (2) Confirm that your USAJobs Biographic Information is correct (3) Follow prompts to complete the questionnaire and upload required documents (4) Click Submit My Answers at the end of the process (5) "View/Print My Answers" to confirm you have answered every question as intended AND (6) Print a copy of the announcement for your reference if you are called for an interview (optional). READ "NEXT STEPS" FOR IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Applications must be received by 11:59 pm (EST) September 25, 2026 and must include: (1) responses to online questionnaire (2) uploaded resume (3) uploaded transcript (4) uploaded SF-50 and/or ICTAP documents, if applicable To meet Minimum Qualifications, your resume must explicitly demonstrate the required Specialized Experience. SEE QUALIFICATIONS and EDUCATION sections. The questionnaire takes about 5 minutes. Answer all questions and follow instructions. Errors or omissions may affect your overall evaluation. We cannot accept documents submitted via email, fax or standard mail, but you may email inquiries about the position or How to Apply PRIOR TO the closing of the announcement. Individuals with hearing or speech disabilities may use the listed email or 7-1-1 for TTY-based Telecommunications Relay Services to call the listed phone number. Additional Telecommunications Relay Services options are available in each state: https://www.fcc.gov/general/trs-state-and-territories Notice Concerning Materially False, Fictitious or Fraudulent Statements -- Anything you claim in the occupational questionnaire, or your resume is subject to verification. By submitting your application, you are certifying that any statements you make are true, complete, and correct to the best of your knowledge and belief and are made in good faith. Materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or representations are subject to disciplinary action. If you experience difficulties while applying, use the links on the USAJobs website to seek help. If you're still unable to complete your application, submit a USAJobs Help Desk ticket to resolve the issue. You must also email Careers@ssa.gov with the SUBJECT LINE: "T-7 APPLICATION ISSUE 1306 2422" and provide details of the difficulties you're experiencing (with screenshots if applicable). This email must be received before the announcement closes. Technical difficulties reported after the announcement closes cannot be addressed.

Required Documents

Resume - all applicants Transcript -- all applicants (may need to submit more than one) SF-50 -- rcommended for all current and former federal employees ICTAP documents -- if claimed (read the information below) DOCUMENTS PREVIOUSLY UPLOADED TO YOUR USAJOBS ACCOUNT MAY BE OUTDATED AND CAN CAUSE YOU TO LOSE CONSIDERATION. RESUME: you must submit a resume (2 page maximum) that shows -- your name and contact information -- relevant education -- employer name and position held -- full start and stop dates (month/day/year) for each position -- full-time or part-time hours worked per week -- your grade and pay scale (for federal positions) and -- a clear description of the duties you perform that relate to the experience required for this position. If you no longer hold a position, it must show an ending date. Since Specialized Experience has a time component, it must be evident that the duties you describe are at the required level for at least 52 weeks. Do not simply list projects on which you worked or list experience in terms of accomplishments or achievements. You must describe, in your own words, the duties you perform that pertain to the requirements for this position. Information not specifically stated in your resume cannot be assumed. Information copied or restated from the announcement or rating criteria will not be considered. If this occurs, you may be found ineligible. If your qualifying experience is part of a federal career-ladder, separate your grade-relevant experience from duties performed at lower grades. Career-ladders described as a single position may not satisfy the requirement to demonstrate 52 weeks performing specific work at the required level. TRANSCRIPT: see QUALIFICATIONS and EDUCATION sections for information on what you must demonstrate. Since course titles do not always indicate that a course pertains to a creditable curriculum you are advised to highlight qualifying courses on your transcript to ensure that consideration is given. SF-50: recommended for all current or former federal employees ICTAP (Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan): only applies to competitive service employees who have been displaced (RIF'd) from another federal agency. The duty station from which you were RIF'd must be in the local commuting area (i.e., 30-mile radius) of the duty station to which you are applying. To demonstrate eligibility, ICTAP-applicants must provide: -- a copy of the separation SF-50 (Notice of Personnel Action) AND -- a copy of the RIF Notice (If the RIF Notice doesn't provide verification of your most recent Performance Appraisal, you must also provide a copy of that document to demonstrate that your final rating was at least 'fully successful.') For more information see Career Transition (opm.gov) Preference will be granted based on the documents received.

What to Expect Next

Incorrect information in your USAJobs Account means you may not receive important emails pertaining to this announcement. SSA/HR is not responsible if outdated information in your USAJobs Account causes you to miss emailed notifications or job offers. No matter what information is provided on your resume, HR and USAStaffing can only contact you using the information in your USAJobs Account. Your Biographic Information for this vacancy cannot be changed once your application has been submitted. If you applied correctly and provided a valid email address in your Biographic Information, you will receive an Acknowledgement of Occupational Questionnaire. This is not an indication that your application is complete. Follow the instructions in the "How to Apply" and "Required Documents" sections to ensure that you submit a complete application. HR cannot provide copies of announcements or application documents to you. You are responsible for verifying that your application is complete and your documents have been properly submitted. After applications are screened by HR, eligible applicants will be referred to the hiring office for consideration. INTERVIEWS may or may not be conducted, but if an interview is desired, it will be scheduled by the hiring office and a representative from that office will contact you directly. HR will not have information pertaining to the scheduling of interviews and cannot provide feedback pertaining to completed interviews. For a status of your application, go to your USAJobs account. Select Application Status then More Information to see if updates are available. Updates will not be available during the interview/selection process, which may take up to 90 days. After selections have been completed, final notices will be sent to applicants who were referred to the selecting official. Applicants who are not referred will not receive a final notice.

About the Agency

Do you have a desire to: help SSA manage its Social Security programs? analyze and solve problems? help and advise millions of retired and disabled individuals? work on a team to make a difference in people's lives and your own? Join SSA, one of the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government!

Requirements

To meet Minimum Qualifications for this Statistician position you must demonstrate: (1) the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) for the federal 1530 series AND (2) at least 52 weeks of Specialized Experience (1) INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT (IOR) (All Applicants) A. Successful completion of a course of study in an accredited college or university resulting in a bachelor's or higher degree that includes at least 15 semester hours in statistics (or 15 semester hours in mathematics and statistics, with at least 6 semester hours in statistics) and 9 additional semester hours in one or more of the following: -- physical or biological sciences -- medicine -- education or -- engineering OR in social sciences, including -- demography -- history, -- economics -- social welfare -- geography -- international relations -- social or cultural anthropology -- health sociology -- political science -- public administration and -- psychology B. In lieu of a degree, successful completion of courses as shown in A above plus appropriate experience or additional education. Experience must include a full range of professional statistical work, such as (1) sampling, (2) collecting, computing and analyzing statistical data and (3) applying statistical techniques such as -- measurement of central tendency -- dispersion -- skewness -- sampling error -- simple and multiple correction -- analysis of variance and -- tests of significance SEE EDUCATION BELOW -- Applicants who don't demonstrate these requirements will not be considered. (2) SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE must have been gained in a federal position at or above GS-12 OR (if your position is on another federal pay scale OR outside of federal service) by performing duties at a level of responsibility and difficulty equivalent to GS-12 or above. Specialized Experience is work that primarily consists of collecting and analyzing complex data and using mathematical and statistical methods to identify patterns and draw conclusions that affect agency or organizational decision-making. Your experience should include: (1) Transforming large, messy datasets into a form suitable for analysis using R, Python, SAS, or SQL (2) Overseeing complex studies using statistical methods and R, Python, SAS, or SQL. (3) Preparing written reports summarizing statistical results for technical and non-technical audiences. If you have this experience, your resume must describe, in your own words, the specific duties you perform that demonstrate it. Reviewers cannot assume you perform duties you don't describe. Since Specialized Experience also has a time component, it must be evident that the duties you describe are at the required level for at least 52 weeks. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS (IOR and Specialized Experience) must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Information on this job series can be found at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1500/statistics-series-1530/ .