Operations Research Analyst at Alexandria

JOB SUMMARY:

Civilian employees serve a vital role in supporting the Army mission. They provide the skills that are not readily available in the military, but crucial to support military operations. The Army integrates the talents and skills of its military and civilian members to form a Total Army.

About the Position:

The incumbent independently plans, develops methodologies, makes decisions and recommendations, and executes assignments while keeping the supervisor informed of progress, issues, controversies, etc. The results of work are considered technically authoritative and reviewed only for general content and conformance to policy and general objectives.

CAREER PROGRAM: 36

This position will be filled on a permanent basis.

Who May Apply:

•Current Civilian Department of Army Employees within the local commuting area.

As a result of sequestration and budget shortfalls, Army is furloughing most of its employees for some amount of time during fiscal year 2013.  An employee in this position MAY be subject to furlough.  If applicable, specific information regarding the administrative furlough will be provided to the individual selected for this position.

KEY REQUIREMENTS

• You must be able to obtain and maintain Secret security clearance.
• A recruiting or relocation incentive is not authorized.
• Business travel may be required up to 20% of official duty time.
• Moving expenses will not be paid.

DUTIES:Back to top

• Develop and apply operations research/statistical/mathematical methodologies to analyze the problem of cost estimating/cost analysis for programs associated with the research.
• Develop innovative approaches to identifying cost factors.
• Devise complex mathematical models to estimate costs where precedent data are incomplete or do not exist.
• Evaluate all data and integrates results into a comprehensive evaluation and report through cost model software.
• Analyze operational documents, specifications, logistics support requirements, and other such project data supplied by functional specialists.
• Provide professional advice and technical assistance regarding parametric and analytical cost analysis to other personnel located in the ITA organization.
  

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:Back to top

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below.  Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application.
Experience required: To qualify based on your work experience, your resume must describe at least one year of experience which prepared you to do the work in this job.  Specialized experience is defined as: Experience developing mathematical models to estimate the cost of resource requirements for assigned jobs and experience handling complex mathematical and statistical information in order to adapt or develop methods to analyze resource requirements, to compare the merits of a variety of program solutions
This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-13).

 

You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency (knowledge, skills, abilities) in the following areas:

• KNOWLEDGE OF OPERATION RESEARCH
• KNOWLEDGE OF PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
• ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE 

Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade (GS-13).

Basic Requirements:
Degree: in operations research; or at least 24 semester hours in a combination of operations research, mathematics, probability, statistics, mathematical logic, science, or subject-matter courses requiring substantial competence in college-level mathematics or statistics. At least 3 of the 24 semester hours must have been in calculus.

Please Note:

•Foreign education must be evaluated for U.S. equivalency in order to be considered for this position. You must include this information with your application package.
•Only degrees from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education are acceptable to meet positive education requirements or to substitute for experience. For additional information, please go to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and U.S. Department of Education websites at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications and http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html

Evaluation of Education:
The primary requirement of operations research work is competence in the rigorous methods of scientific inquiry and analysis rather than in the subject matter of the problem. Therefore, applicants should have sufficient knowledge of applied mathematics to understand and use the fundamental concepts and techniques of operations research methods of analysis. Courses acceptable for qualifying for operations research positions may have been taken in departments other than Operations Research, e.g., Engineering (usually Industrial Engineering), Science, Economics, Mathematics, Statistics, or Management Science.
The following are illustrative of acceptable courses: optimization; mathematical modeling; queueing theory; engineering; physics (except descriptive or survey courses); econometrics; psychometrics; biometrics; experimental psychology; physical chemistry; industrial process analysis; managerial economics; computer science; measurement for management; mathematical models in social phenomena; and courses that involved application of operations research techniques and methodologies to problems of management, marketing, systems design, and other specialized fields; or other comparable quantitative analysis courses for which college-level mathematics or statistics is a prerequisite. Courses in theory of probability and statistics are highly desirable, but are not specified as minimum educational requirements because to do so would possibly exclude some applicants who would otherwise be well qualified.

Other Requirements: Click here for expanded definitions.

• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
• You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
• One year trial/probationary period may be required.
• Direct Deposit of Pay is Required.

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

Your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

 

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies.  If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if:  1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. Well-qualified is defined as meeting all of the minimum qualification standards and eligibility requirements as well as possessing skills that clearly exceed the minimum qualification requirements for the position. Under competitive delegated examining, an ICTAP eligible will be considered well-qualified if they attain an eligibility rating of 90 or higher, not including points for veterans preference. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority.  Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form.  Information about ICTAP eligibility is on OPMs Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Country: USA, State: Virginia, City: Alexandria, Company: Joint Services and Activities Supported by the Office, Secretary of the Army.