Basic Education Requirement: Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree: major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position. This degree must be from an educational program from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (external link) at the time the degree was obtained. A transcript is required at the time of application.

Selective Placement Factor (SPF) are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for the position. Applicants who do not meet the SPF are ineligible for further consideration.

The SPF for this position is: Experience using statistical software and programs such as SAS, R, STATA, or Python to maintain data management systems.

In addition to meeting the Basic Education Requirement and Selective Placement Factor as identified above, you must meet one of the following requirements for this position:

Specialized Experience: To qualify for this position at the GS-12 level, you must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11) in the Federal Service that is directly related to the work of this Health Science Specialist - Data Analyst position and has equipped you with the professional knowledge of a wide range of concepts, principles, and practices in database development and management to support the organization's health services research program. Examples of qualifying specialized experience includes:

• Clinical science and/or public health research experience interpreting the meaning of research data and recognizing errors in datasets.
• Using statistical software to validate and analyze data.
• Performing technical and medical writing such as clinical protocol development and manuscript writing.
• Developing and maintaining intranet and internet websites.
• Experience with and knowledge of computer hardware, database software, programming techniques and graphical data display.

Graduate Education: Applicants may substitute the specialized experience with education if they possess a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Copies of transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

-OR-
Combination of Graduate Education and Specialized Experience: A combination of successfully completed graduate-level education (beyond the second year) and specialized experience, as described above, may meet the total experience requirements for this grade level. The education portion must have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Copies of transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

NOTE: One (1) full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

NOTE: Resume must clearly demonstrate the specialized experience. We will not make assumptions regarding experience.

You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:

• Analytical Thinking
• Database Administration
• Manages and Organizes Information
• Research
• Technical Documentation

IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

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, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Physical Requirements and Work Environment: Typically, the position sits comfortably to do the work, works at a computer screen for long periods of time, and interacts with other sites via phone and email. Position needs to have good manual dexterity and eyesight. Work is performed in an office setting.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.