STATISTICIAN (HEALTH) RECENT GRADUATE

Join the team! This position is located in the Directorate for Epidemiology, Division of Hazard & Injury Data Systems, Statistical Support Branch. The Statistical Support Branch is responsible for designing, implementing and operating the various data systems used by the Commission, such as the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), to capture quantitative and qualitative information about deaths and injuries associated with consumer products.

Duties

The CPSC is seeking recent graduates under the Pathways Program.  This position is provided for recent graduates with a desire to work in the consumer product safety field and/or public sector and assignments are designed to complement the graduates educational field while meeting the expressed needs of the agency and CPSC organizations. 

As a Statistician (Health) Recent Graduate, you will:

• Learn and apply subject matter knowledge about how the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) data are reported and collected, along with automatic data processing skills, to develop and maintain quality control systems for the NEISS and any related follow-back or special surveillance studies. Collaborate with non-statistical staff to gather quality control requirements when appropriate and provide training for end users.
• Maintain the sample design of the NEISS to provide a basis for interpretation and estimation of the frequency and severity of injuries as reported by the NEISS. The NEISS is a statistically stratified sample of hospital emergency departments (EDs) drawn from across the continental U.S. and Puerto Rico. Each ED in the NEISS sample reports all consumer product-related injuries and illnesses seen in the ED to our agency. The probability-based design of the NEISS allows the Commission, other public health and safety agencies and public data users to compute national injury estimates specific to product groups, age and other characteristics.
• Periodically compute and implement weights based on the NEISS sample design and sample non-response. Develop and maintain generalized mathematical formulas and indices to provide a basis for interpretation and estimation of the frequency and severity of product related injuries as reported by the NEISS.
• Learn and apply knowledge of automatic data processing, demographic data, and of Commission databases to provide annual computer-generated tables of summary data for internal and external dissemination, such as product summary reports and Annual Report tables, which may include coefficients of variation and population rates.
• Combine knowledge of automatic data processing with knowledge of statistical theory to develop computer programs for use by Commission staff in the evaluation of data trends for individual products as well as for product groups. Develop presentations explaining the use of the computer programs as well as the interpretation of the results of the computer programs.
• For special projects, learn and use survey questionnaire software to develop survey instruments. Serve as a technical consultant to other Directorate analysts on the use of such questionnaires and create automated programs to perform cursory checks on completed interview data and output analysis data sets.
• Occasionally prepare correspondence, documents and oral presentations to acquaint data users with the limitations and potential uses of Commission data.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S Citizen.
• Must meet Pathways Recent Graduate program requirements.
• Background Investigation Required.

This is an appointment under the CPSC Recent Graduate program. You must have graduated within the past two years, from a qualifying educational institution or certificate program. The program duration is two years. Upon successful completion of the program and at the agency's discretion, the appointee may be converted to a permanent position in the competitive service. Appointee must sign a Participant Agreement. Recent Graduates will enter a formal training program with a mentor and execute an Individual Development Plan outlining training requirements and program expectations. The entire duration of the Recent Graduate Appointment constitutes a trial period.

This is a Public Trust Position. Employment in this position requires a background investigation.  If you are selected and cannot obtain a favorable security determination within a reasonable period of time due to disclosed or undisclosed background issues, the tentative employment offer may be withdrawn.

Selectees will be required to complete a "Declaration of Federal Employment", (OF-306), prior to being appointed to determine their suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation.  False statements or responses on your resume or questionnaire can jeopardize your employment opportunity and subject you to disciplinary action, including removal from Federal service.

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 from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Please see http://www.sss.gov for more information.

The selectee will be required to complete a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the I-9 Form. We will compare information provided on the I-9 Form to records available from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The system confirms employee’s identity and eligibility to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements to participate in this program:

• You must have a final cumulative Grade Point Average of at least a 3.0.
• Current Students may apply up to 90 days prior to their graduation date.
• Recent graduates who have completed, within the previous two years, a qualifying technical education program including: associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution or a qualifying career program which may include Registered Apprenticeship Programs, Job Corps, Climate Corps, AmeriCorps, and Peace Corps.
• Veterans unable to apply within two years of receiving their degree, due to military service obligation, have as much as six years after degree completion to apply.
• May submit unofficial transcript(s). Official transcript(s) will be required, if applicant is selected for a position.

Education

Mandatory Education Requirement. All applicants must meet one of the following requirements to qualify:

1. Degree: that included 15 semester hours in statistics (or in mathematics and statistics, provided at least 6 semester hours were in statistics), and 9 additional semester hours in one or more of the following: physical or biological sciences, medicine, education, or engineering; or in the social sciences including demography, history, economics, social welfare, geography, international relations, social or cultural anthropology, health sociology, political science, public administration, psychology, etc. Credit toward meeting statistical course requirements should be given for courses in which 50 percent of the course content appears to be statistical methods, e.g., courses that included studies in research methods in psychology or economics such as tests and measurements or business cycles, or courses in methods of processing mass statistical data such as tabulating methods or electronic data processing.

OR

1. Combination of education and experience -- courses as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. The experience should have included a full range of professional statistical work such as (a) sampling, (b) collecting, computing, and analyzing statistical data, and (c) applying statistical techniques such as measurement of central tendency, dispersion, skewness, sampling error, simple and multiple correlation, analysis of variance, and tests of significance.

In addition to meeting the basic education requirements indicated above, applicants must meet the education shown below:

GS-07: 1 full year of graduate level education OR undergraduate superior academic achievement.

In order to be creditable under the provision, superior academic achievement (SAA) must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled.

SAA is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership.  Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses. Applicants must have a grade-point average of:

• 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; OR
• 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.

These honor societies are listed by the Association of College Honor Societies.

GS-09: 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree OR master’s or equivalent graduate degree.

GS-11: 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a PhD OR Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.

All applicants MUST submit a copy of their college transcripts with the degree conferred date. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable during the application process. Official transcripts will be required upon appointment.   

All materials must be submitted by the closing date of this announcement.

All education claimed by applicants will be verified.

Additional information

CPSC provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please contact the Human Resources Specialist listed in this vacancy announcement.  

All the information you provide will be verified by a review of the work experience and/or education as shown on your application, by checking reference and through other means, such as the interview process.  Any exaggeration of your experience, false statements, or attempts to conceal information may be grounds for not hiring you or for firing you after you begin work.

Additional selections may be made through this vacancy announcement.

A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected. The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay.

This vacancy announcement will close after the receipt of the first 100 applications.

As a condition of employment, the selectee must reside in the local commuting area of the duty station listed in this announcement.  Telework schedules (within the local commuting area) are approved on a case-by-case basis.  Employees will have an onsite requirement each week.  Proof of residence may be required. 

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your application includes: (1) Your resume, (2) Responses to the online questions, and (3) Required supporting documents.  

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be rated on the extent and quality of experience and education relevant to the duties of the position.  The CPSC determines the best qualified candidates based on the major job-related competencies and evaluation of your knowledge, skills, and abilities reflected in your application, response to job specific questions for the position, and supporting documents using the category rating process. Your resume must support your answers to the questionnaire, or your category may be changed. All eligible applicants will be placed in one of the following three categories: Best, Better, or Good.

Application of Veterans Preference:  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 category. Within the 3 categories, veterans will receive selection priority over non-veterans.

The candidates in the highest category will be certified for referral to the selecting official and may be invited to an interview.

How to Apply

A complete application package includes the following: your resume; your answers to the vacancy specific questions; AND the supporting documentation required (click on Required Documents).

You MUST apply on-line through USAJOBS. Your application must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date of this announcement. Uploaded resumes must include the following: applicant contact information and educational and professional background information including dates of employment and education, salary (and Federal grade level, if appropriate), and work schedule (i.e., FT/PT). Incomplete applications will not be considered and you will not be contacted to provide any missing information.

To begin the application process, select the "Apply On-line" button to the right on this screen.  Then follow the prompts to login/register, submit all required supplemental documents, and complete the application process.

If you are having trouble with USAJOBS (searching for jobs, account password/profile issues, or Resume Builder): please visit the USAJOBS Resource Center.

If experiencing any difficulties with the online application process (anything after you have clicked the 'Continue to Agency Site' button): please email recruitapps@cpsc.gov between normal business hours (8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET; except federal holidays). If receiving any kind of error message, please provide a screenshot or at a minimum, the error message text number.