Data Scientist

Data Scientist

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): West Haven, Connecticut

Salary Range: $124189 - $161448 Per Year

Job Summary: The Data Scientist, Northeast Program Evaluation Center (NEPEC) is organizationally part of the VA Central Office (VACO) Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention (OMHSP). This position is in direct communication with OMHSP, as well as the Director and Associate Directors of NEPEC. The primary purpose of the Data Scientist is to evaluate VA specialized mental health systems.

Major Duties:

• Duties include but are not limited to: Conceptualize and conduct program evaluation projects involving large healthcare data sets using knowledge about multiple fields of research that bridge diverse disciplines. Conducting projects that require a versatile skill set within the realm of Data Analytics, Modeling, Optimization, Governance and Visualization while having the ability to utilize and apply statistical methods and techniques to enhance data analysis. Developing and maintaining electronic program monitoring tools for wide dissemination of data inside and outside VA, including to VA Central Office, Office of Informatics and Analytics, professional organizations, and the public. Use multiple software packages and operating system environments suitable for working with, manipulating, and analyzing large datasets. Create and maintain systems and databases designed to ensure that projects comply with administrative policies, procedures, and the data security guidelines and policies of the VA Office of Information Technology (OIT) Oversight and Compliance. Use of Structured Querying Language (SQL) Server Management Studio, SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS), and SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) to create and maintain reports that support NEPEC program evaluation projects. Provides NEPEC staff with technical training as deemed necessary by the Director, both orally and in writing. Participates in national initiatives involving data syndication and data interoperability and collaborates with internal and external subject matter and data experts in data innovation and migration projects. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8am-430pm Compressed/Flexible: Authorized Telework: Ad-Hoc is Authorized Remote: Not Authorized Virtual: Not Authorized. Position Description/PD#: Data Scientist/PD03739-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Notifications: This position is not a Bargaining Unit position. Selectee may be required to work at any VACT Healthcare System campus, as needed. May be required to attend conference at other facilities or other VA sites on occasion. The incumbent may be required to travel to other VA campuses and CBOC's. This position is in the Competitive Service.

Qualifications: To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/02/2026. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. Individual Occupational Requirements: 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. (Transcript must be submitted). OR Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major field of study (30 semester hours) as shown in paragraph above, plus additional education or appropriate experience. AND Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Grade Requirements Specialized Experience GS-13: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Conduct program evaluation projects involving large and complex healthcare data sets, Develop and maintain electronic program monitoring tools for wide dissemination of data, Expertise with natural language processing to analyze data and interpret results. Experience in writing SQL code to accurately identify a patient cohort of interest in a corporate data warehouse (CDW) and populate a table for this cohort with diverse data such as demographics, diagnoses, appointments, and organizational encounters. Selective Placement Factor: In addition to the qualifications listed above, applicants must have the selective placement factor listed below. Applicants must have comprehensive computer programming knowledge and skills requiring independently writing SQL code, Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW) data extraction, and advanced data visualization software particularly Power BI. (Note: This experience must be reflective on your resume to receive credit). You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analytical Thinking Customer Service Data Management Database Administration Database Management Systems Research 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; religions; 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. Note: A 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. Physical Requirements: Sedentary, some walking, sitting, standing and carrying of light items. 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/.

How to Apply: To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 01/02/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12853263. 1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. 2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

Application Deadline: 2026-01-02