Computer Scientist

Summary

This vacancy is for a Computer Scientist in the National Telecommunications and Information Administration within the Department of Commerce.

Duties

As a Computer Scientist, you will perform the following duties: Implements complex mathematical telecom and propagation modeling algorithms; and develop, validate, verify, test, and document software solutions. Leads team-based projects that include software development, algorithm implementations, numerical analysis and research, and computer science methods and techniques. Researches problems arising from the use of digital computers. Perform research and analysis to verify, validate, debug, troubleshoot, and test software implementations. Gives oral presentations to explain project development efforts. Reports project results to both technical and non-technical audiences using tact and persuasion, responding appropriately to questions. Generates written reports to explain research developments of digital computer systems. Evaluate results and prepare report findings of new methods and techniques to store, manipulate, transform or present information by means of digital computer systems. This Job Opportunity Announcement may be used to fill other Computer Scientist ZP-1550-4, FPL 4 positions within the Department of Commerce in the same geographical location or local commuting area with the same qualifications and specialized experience. This position is also advertised under NTIA-ITS-ST-26-13077104, which is open to Merit Promotion eligible applicants. You must apply to both announcements if you want to be considered for both.

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=Occupational-Series Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government. 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. This position is being filled under the Department of Commerce Alternative Personnel System (CAPS). Under CAPS, positions are classified by career path and pay band. The ZP-4 is equivalent to the GS-13/14 grade levels. To qualify at the ZP-4, applicants must meet A and B below: A. BASIC REQUIREMENT: A bachelor's degree in computer science or bachelor's degree with 30 semester hours in a combination of mathematics, statistics, and computer science. At least 15 of the 30 semester hours must have included any combination of statistics and mathematics that included differential and integral calculus. All academic and course work must be from accredited or pre-accredited institutions. AND B. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 or ZP-3 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as: 1. Software development experience to create and improve software solutions; 2. Creating scientific software programs (for example, metrics, data intensive workloads, algorithms, modeling, data mining, forecasting, optimization, simulations, statistical analysis, numerical analysis, numerical methods, machine learning (ML), artificial Intelligence (AI), signal processing, image/audio/video processing) AND 3. Leading teams or projects.

Education

There is a positive education requirement for this position. There is no substitution of education at this level. This position requires proof of higher education. See Qualifications Above. Additionally, if you are substituting education for experience, you must submit an unofficial transcript or a list of courses that includes the following information: name of accredited institution, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. Please refer to http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/policy/ApplicationOfStds-04.asp for more information. NOTE: Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. You MUST provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation when requested will result in lost consideration.