About

Overview

Hiring Path:

• Competitive service
• Open to the public

Who May Apply/Clarification From the Agency:

Open to All Sources

Security Clearance Required:

Other

Appointment Type

Permanent

Appointment Type Details:

Permanent

Marketing:

About the Agency

Summary:

If you are ready to begin your new career or are looking for a place to make an impact, what better place than a top ranked agency in the federal government? We are looking for the best and brightest to join our team of dedicated professionals here at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), where we are ranked in the top 5 in the Best Places to Work in the federal government rankings. 

 

Supervisory Position:

No

Relocation Expenses Reimbursed:

No

Travel Required:

Not Required

Duties

Our employees gain valuable work experience that provides them with the career boost that they are seeking. We need people like you to help us move the industry forward and continue to shape the future of energy policy.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's role is to oversee various aspects of the energy industry, including transmission of electricity, natural gas and oil. We also analyze proposals to build liquefied natural gas terminals and interstate natural gas pipelines and license hydropower projects. To help support the modernization of the electric system here in the U.S., we are focusing on issues associated with a smarter grid. Join us and help make a difference! 

The Major duties of the position are:

• Works with assigned Commission stakeholders to identify opportunities for leveraging confidential and public data to develop dashboards and fraud detection algorithms. Uses obtained data to effectively review market outcomes.


• Assesses the effectiveness and accuracy of assigned data sources and data gathering techniques, and recommends process changes to address them. As assigned, implements data quality checks and metrics to detect potential data issues and ensure the assigned data feeds are complete and audited. As assigned, reviews metrics to ensure relevance. 


• Applies assigned data models and algorithms to data sets according to established principles of statistics, mathematics, economics, and data science. As assigned, devises, constructs, codes, and implements modeling techniques in order to extract information from data sets related to electric and natural gas markets.


• As assigned, explores new tools, technologies, and analytical techniques that may support the mission of the Division of Analytics and Surveillance.


• Adapts existing processes and tools to monitor and analyze fraud detection model performance and ease of maintenance.


• Makes data supported recommendations to Division management based on the output of the fraud detection models and algorithms.


• Participates on teams applying quantitative analytical techniques in analyzing electric power and natural gas trading portfolios.

Qualifications and Evaluations

Requirements:

Your resume must clearly document how you meet the specialized experience in order to meet the minimum qualification requirements for this vacancy.  Transcripts must be submitted at time of application.  All required documents must be received by the closing date of this announcement.  If you do not submit a required document (e.g. transcripts, etc.) your application will be considered incomplete and you will not receive further consideration.

 
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: If selected for this position, you will be required to: - Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment. - Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Fund Transfer. - Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.

Key Requirements:

Must be a U.S. Citizen.

Must meet specialized experience.

One year probationary period may be required.

Generally, male applicants must be registered with the Selective Service.

A background investigation is required.

Transcripts must be submitted at time of application.

Education Requirements:

Candidates must meet the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) educational requirement for Mathematical Statistician.  Link to requirement: 

OPM requirement: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1500/mathematical-statistics-series-1529/

Basic Requirements:

1. 
   

   Degree: that included 24 semester hours of mathematics and statistics, of which at least 12 semester hours were in mathematics and 6 semester hours were in statistics.

   
   

   or

   
   


2. 
   

   Combination of education and experience -- at least 24 semester hours of mathematics and statistics, including at least 12 hours in mathematics and 6 hours in statistics, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

   
   

Evaluation of Education:

Courses acceptable toward meeting the mathematics course requirement of paragraphs A or B above must have included at least four of the following: differential calculus, integral calculus, advanced calculus, theory of equations, vector analysis, advanced algebra, linear algebra, mathematical logic, differential equations, or any other advanced course in mathematics for which one of these was a prerequisite. Courses in mathematical statistics or probability theory with a prerequisite of elementary calculus or more advanced courses will be accepted toward meeting the mathematics requirements, with the provision that the same course cannot be counted toward both the mathematics and the statistics requirement.

Evaluation of Experience:

The experience offered in combination with educational courses to meet the requirements in paragraph B above should include evidence of statistical work such as (a) sampling, (b) collecting, computing, and analyzing statistical data, and (c) applying known statistical techniques to data such as measurement of central tendency, dispersion, skewness, sampling error, simple and multiple correlation, analysis of variance, and tests of significance.

Without other indications of statistical experience, work required in the processing of numerical or quantified information by other than statistical methods is not considered appropriate qualifying experience. Examples of such nonqualifying work include statistical clerical work; statistical drafting; calculation of totals, averages, percentages, or other arithmetic summations; preparation of simple tables or charts; or verification of data by simple comparison or proofreading.

 

Evaluations:

We will review your resume, responses to the questionnaire and required documents to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. Your resume must address the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed in the Qualifications Section. If you meet basic qualification requirements, your application will be further evaluated. We will compare your resume and supporting documentation to your responses on the assessment questionnaire.  We will evaluate your qualifications and eligibility and notify you if you meet minimum qualification requirements. NOTE: We do not require a separate statement responding to the competencies, also referred to as Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). However, your resume should clearly show possession of these competencies:

1.  Professional knowledge of, and skill in applying, complex analytical, mathematical, and statistical principles, theories, concepts, and methodology of mathematical statistics in order to plan, coordinate, and execute studies of marked difficulty and responsibility as a Division and OE analyst performing assignments involving data science and data mining.

2.  Skill in querying very large relational databases and using statistical computer languages such as Python, R, SQL, or SAS.

3.  Demonstrated ability to use statistical programming languages to manipulate data and draw insights from large data sets such as Python, R, or SAS.

4.  Skill in working with various data architectures and experience with related applications.

5. Skill in using best-practices to organize and manage programming code and experience with code-sharing and distributed version control tools such as GitHub.

6.  Skill in using advanced statistical, mathematical, data science, or economic techniques (regression, properties of distributions, statistical tests and proper usage, etc.).

7.  Skill in visualizing and presenting data for stakeholders using software packages such as R Shiny, SAS Visual Analytics, Tableau, Periscope, Business Objects, D3, ggplot, or other JavaScript charting libraries.

8.  Knowledge of various Python and R libraries for statistical/mathematical analysis and machine learning algorithms such as: regression, simulation, scenario analysis, modeling, clustering, decision trees, neural networks, etc.

9.  Knowledge of distributed data and computing tools such as Map/Reduce, Hadoop, Hive, Spark, Gurobi, MySQL, etc.

10.  Knowledge of the fundamental principles of statistics, mathematics, economics, and finance.

11.  Skill in making effective oral and written presentations to individuals and groups.

Qualifications:

Candidates must have one full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-09 level. Specialized Experience is defined as: Experience using statistical software, such as SAS, Python, R, STATA, or MATLAB, and extensive experience working with large data.  Candidates could also qualify with a PhD or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a PhD or equivalent doctoral degree (all educational requirements must be met by closing date of announcement).

This position is included in the bargaining unit.
More than one selection may be made from this announcement, and the office for that selection may vary.
Please note - only your resume and cover letter will be forwarded to the selecting official.

*This announcement will be used to fill vacancies through OPM-Authorized Government-Wide Direct Hire Authority. Category rating, veteran's preference, and traditional rating and ranking of applicants DO NOT APPLY for this vacancy. For more information on OPM's Authorization of Direct Hire Authority, please visit the link below*:

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/direct-hire-authority/#url=Governmentwide-Authority

Benefits and Other Info

Benefits:

Agency Benefits:

A career with the U.S. Government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Learn more about federal benefits.

Other Information:

 
FERC is ranked in the top 5 among mid-size agencies in the Partnership for Public Service’s Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings.  FERC has consistently ranked number 1 in Work/Life Balance, as well. As a leader in Work/Life Balance FERC is proud to offer telework flexibilities in accordance with agency policy. Telework is not guaranteed and is offered on a case-by-case basis. FERC does not currently have any 100 percent telework positions.

You must submit all required information by the closing date. If materials are not received, your resume will be evaluated solely on the information available and you may not receive full consideration or may not be considered eligible. The materials you send with your resume will not be returned. If you are selected at a grade lower than the highest shown in this listing, you will be placed under a career development plan and can be non-competitively promoted when you successfully complete the requirements for the higher grade. Relocation expenses will not be paid.

When promotion potential is shown, the agency is not making a commitment and is not obligated to provide future promotions to you if you are selected. Future promotions will be dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the continuing need for an employee assigned to the higher level, and administrative approval. You must submit all required information by the closing date. The materials you send with your resume will not be returned. If you are selected at a grade lower than the highest shown in this listing, you will be placed under a career development plan and can be non-competitively promoted when you successfully complete the requirements for the higher grade. Before entering on duty, you may be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450. You will need to provide the information annually. Relocation expenses will not be paid.

It is the policy of the Government not to deny employment simply because an individual has been unemployed or has had financial difficulties that have arisen through no fault of the individual. Information about an individual’s employment experience will be used only to determine the person’s qualifications and to assess his or her relative level of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Although an individual’s personal conduct may be relevant in any employment decision, including conduct during periods of unemployment or evidence of dishonesty in handling financial matters, financial difficulty that has arisen through no fault of the individual will generally not itself be the basis of an unfavorable suitability or fitness determination. Please use the following link for additional information: Mythbusters of Federal Hiring Policies.

How to Apply

How to Apply:

Once you have applied to the vacancy, your application will be reviewed. Upon meeting the specialized experience, your application will be forwarded to the selecting official for further review.

**You are strongly encouraged to read the entire announcement before you submit your application for this position.**

Please click on the following link for detailed instructions on how to apply: How To Apply 

 

Tips for Applying For example, if the specialized experience requires presenting information to a large audience, your resume might include speeches or presentations you've given. 
-Verify your resume clearly indicates possession of the competencies and required specialized experience listed under the Qualifications and Evaluations section of this announcement. 
-Submit all requested documentation; e.g., SF-50, performance appraisal, transcripts

Required Documents:

Please note that if you do not provide all required information by the closing of the announcement, as specified in this announcement, you will not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration, for which you may be eligible).

ICTAP PRIORITY PROVISIONS: Current or former Federal employees who are or were on career or career conditional appointments may have special priority selection rights under the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). To receive this consideration, applicants must be well qualified for the position to which applying. You will need to provide the Federal Agency Name and date of your Reduction in Force notice, what your most recent performance rating was and your position, grade level and duty location of your last SF-50. At time of appointment, you will be required to provide a copy of agency Reduction in Force notice, a copy of most recent performance rating and a copy of most recent SF-50. You must provide a statement of eligibility at the point of application.

VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION If you are Selected for the position and claiming veterans' preference, upon appointment you must submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, DD-214 (Member 4 copy), or other official documentation from a branch of the Armed Forces or the Department of Veterans Affairs showing dates of service and type of discharge. For more information on veterans' preference, go to the Vet Guide at: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/veterans-services/vet-guide/.

 

Next Steps:

Once your complete application is received we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and determine your ranking. The best qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. You will be notified of the status of your application up to four times throughout the application process. You may check the status of your application for this position at any time by logging onto the USAJOBS "My Account" tab and clicking on "Application Status." We also recommend you opt to receive status change emails through USAJOBS by logging into "Notification Settings." Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate, or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.