Department of Veterans Affairs

Data Scientist

West Haven, Connecticut Full time

Data Scientist

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): West Haven, Connecticut

Salary Range: $124189 - $161448 Per Year

Job Summary: This position is organizationally located in the Northeast Program Evaluation Center (NEPEC) at the VA Connecticut Health Care System in West Haven, CT. The primary purpose of this position is to evaluate VA specialized mental health systems.

Major Duties:

  • ***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** MAJOR DUTIES: Conceptualize and conduct program evaluation projects involving large healthcare data sets, utilizing knowledge from multiple research fields to bridge diverse disciplines. Identify methods, processes, algorithms, tools, and systems for extracting and interpreting findings from both structured and unstructured data sets throughout the data science lifecycle. Apply professional knowledge of computer science, mathematical, and statistical theories to gather, analyze, design, and construct new processes for modeling, interpreting, and reporting quantitative data. Analyze trends, relationships, and correlations within and between data sets, ensuring accurate and meaningful insights are produced. Utilize versatile skill sets in Data Analytics, Modeling, Optimization, Governance, and Visualization to enhance data analysis. Apply statistical methods and techniques to improve and refine data analysis. Use programming languages and environments (e.g., SQL, Python/R/SAS, PowerShell/CMD/Bash) to process and manipulate data. Conduct advanced analysis using regression, machine learning, and natural language processing to interpret complex data sets. Work with large, complex data sets applying Big Data principles for storage, processing, and analysis. Write and optimize programs that utilize large relational datasets for complex measurements, analysis, and summarization of data. Use multiple software packages and operating system environments suitable for working with, manipulating, and analyzing large datasets. Actively 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. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8am to 4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved

Qualifications: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following basic requirement: Degree: Mathematics, statistics, computer science, data science or a 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. OR Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major field of study (30 semester hours) as shown above, plus additional education or appropriate experience. In addition to meeting the Basic Education Requirement, you must also have the following specialized experience to qualify for this position as described below. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: One year of specialized experience that equipped you with the knowledge, principles, and other guidelines to successfully perform the duties of this position, and that is typically related to the work of the position. This specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower graded level (GS-12) in the Federal service. Qualifying experience includes: writing SQL code; performing Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW) data extraction; using advanced data visualization software particularly Power BI; conducting program evaluation projects involving large healthcare data sets using knowledge of multiple fields of research that bridge diverse disciplines; performing complex analyses of the data using techniques such as regression analysis, statistical analysis, mathematical modeling and programming, machine learning, natural language processing, deep learning, spatial analysis, etc.; and developing ad hoc analyses and business intelligence processes to answer specific questions or using data mining methods to discover previously unidentified relationships between variables. Selective Placement Factor: This position also includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. The Selective Placement Factor for this position is: Comprehensive computer programming knowledge and skills and experience writing SQL code, performing Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW) data extraction, and using advanced data visualization software particularly Power BI. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Analytical Thinking Customer Service Data Management Data Systems Database Administration Database Management Systems Research 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: The work is sedentary. Some work may require periods of walking, standing, bending, or driving a motor vehicle. Employees frequently carry research records and other similar materials. The work does not require any special physical effort. 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: All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 01/07/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12855853. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. 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. Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed. Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. If initial application submission is updated and resubmitted with a new resume, only the most current resume will be reviewed for consideration. Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started. Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume: Prioritize most relevant and recent experience Use concise, results focused language Align language from the job announcement Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies Remove outdated or unrelated experience Use the USAJOBS resume builder Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at: https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/merit-hiring-plan-resources/applicant-guidance-on-the-two-page-resume-limit/ Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities (i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities), and/or disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. For more information on how to apply using this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator within the office, contact the facility Human Resources Department at (203) 932-5711. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Application Deadline: 2026-01-07