RESPONSIBILITIES
DESCRIPTION OF POSITIONS As an Applied Social Scientist, you will work with other industrial/organizational (I/O) psychologists, strategic consultants, data scientists, and human capital professionals to oversee and develop initiatives focusing on talent acquisition, development and retention. Applied Social Scientists use social science research methods to explore and address issues around organizational and program effectiveness. They develop solutions and provide data informed recommendations to enhance the way NSA does business. Applied Social Scientists work across the NSA performing one or more of the functions below. PRE-EMPLOYMENT ASSESSMENT AND SELECTION Applied Social Scientists focusing on pre-employment assessment and selection use their skills in psychometrics, assessments, and employee selection to develop assessment solutions supporting hiring at NSA. Specific activities may include: - Lead and conduct projects developing, validating, revising, and implementing pre-employment assessments (e.g., CAT assessments, structured interviews, cognitive and non-cognitive measures, and knowledge tests, work samples, and simulations); - Contribute to the design and execution of job analysis studies; - Conduct EEO analyses for selection decisions involving the use of assessments in accordance with legal guidelines and professional standards; - Manage data sets and perform statistical analyses (e.g., descriptive statistics, correlation, regression, IRT, Classical Test Theory, latent variable modeling, scaling, equating) - Write detailed technical reports supporting the use and interpretation of pre-employment test scores SURVEYS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS CONSULTATION Applied Social Scientists focusing on surveys and organizational effectiveness consultation use a range of data collection methods and HR analytics to gauge and inform leaders on the pulse of the workforce and consult with customers across the Agency to undercover and address specific organizational challenges to support retention of critical talent. Specific activities may include: - Conduct data-informed organizational consultations such as root cause analysis and action planning, leveraging a range of data collection methods (e.g., targeted surveys, focus groups, interviews) -Design, develop, and deploy Agency-wide employee surveys (e.g., climate, new hire, re-assignment, and exit/ resignation) -Provide ad-hoc consultation on survey design, deployment, analysis, and interpretation -Develop resources and working aids on a range of survey and consultation-related topics. -Produce survey reports and visualizations using software such as MS Excel, R, and Tableau -Offer report interpretation workshops and personalized briefings for Agency leaders who want to better understand how to interpret their organization's survey results OCCUPATIONAL ANALYSIS Applied Social Scientists focusing on occupational analysis use their skills to gather data and develop solutions supporting the Agency's occupational structure and thus providing the foundation for many talent management efforts. Specific activities may include: - Lead the design and execution of large and small scale job analysis studies - Develop and maintain libraries of knowledge and skill statements, tasks, and competencies - Contribute to competency assessment efforts supporting employee development efforts and strategic workforce planning - Write detailed technical reports describing the methods and results from the job analysis process - Develop innovative solutions to disseminate job analysis results to stakeholders PROGRAM EVALUATION: LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT (L&D) Applied Social Scientists focusing on L&D program evaluation use their skills to provide guidance and support to the Agency's 40+ Career Development Programs (DPs) contributing to the development of NSA's expert workforce. Specific activities include: - Create processes for evaluating effectiveness of existing programs and standards for development of new programs - Research and identify best practices in rotational DPs and L&D evaluation - Conduct workshops with stakeholders to design and develop specific measures of success aligned with DP purpose and goals - Collect program-related data from surveys, interviews, and focus groups and analyze multi-source and longitudinal program-related data - Identify key themes/trends, deliver reports/briefs, consult with stakeholders, and support action planning to drive strategic, data-informed decisions about the Agency's DPs In positions across the Agency, Applied Social Scientists: - Collaborate with team members across the organization and develop strategic partnerships throughout the Agency to help achieve organizational goals - Contribute to the conceptualization, design, analysis, and presentation of applied research (applying appropriate quantitative and qualitative research techniques, data collection strategies, data analysis methods) to inform technical and leadership decisions - Keep abreast of best practices and new research in I/O, talent management, learning, and development and related fields - Synthesize complex findings and detailed research into executive summaries and presentations intended for managerial decisions and/or publication - Create dynamic, user-friendly visualizations of data; - Provide high quality customer service to clients through superior technical work and consultative skills, as well as effective project management and communication - Leverage relevant tools such as MS Excel, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, statistical software (e.g., R), and data visualization software (e.g., Tableau) - Present findings to technical and non-technical audiences - Perform workforce analyses that describe current states, predict future trends, and/or inform business decisions
SKILLS
These positions require a balance of research, consulting, and thought leadership in supporting NSA's talent management strategy. The ideal candidate will possess experience in personnel selection and assessment, job analysis, organizational effectiveness, or training/program evaluation. In addition, the ideal candidate will demonstrate exceptional skills in the areas of consulting, problem solving, data analysis, report writing, and client/project management skills. Attention to detail, self-motivation, flexibility, and resilience are critical and data visualization skills are a plus.
PAY BENEFITS & WORK SCHEDULE
Salary Range: $74,950 - $176,300 (Full Performance, Senior, Expert) Monday - Friday, with basic 8hr/day work requirements between 0600 and 1800 (flexible).
POSITION SUMMARY
NSA has numerous excellent opportunities in many different HR disciplines. Opportunities exist in HR Research, HR Program Management, HR Policy, Recruiting and many more.
HOW TO APPLY
To apply for this position, please click the 'Apply' button located at the top right of this posting. After completing the application for the first time, or reviewing previously entered information, and clicking the 'Submit' button, you will receive a confirmation email. Please ensure your spam filters are configured to accept emails from noreply@intelligencecareers.gov. ***PLEASE NOTE: U.S. Citizenship is required for all applicants. Reasonable accommodations provided to applicants with disabilities during the application and hiring process where appropriate. NSA is an equal opportunity employer and abides by applicable employment laws and regulations. All applicants and employees are subject to random drug testing in accordance with Executive Order 12564. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a security background investigation and polygraph. This position is a Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) position in the Excepted Service under 10 U.S.C. 1601. DoD Components with DCIPS positions apply Veterans' Preference to eligible candidates as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 USC, in accordance with the procedures provided in DoD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 2005, DCIPS Employment and Placement. If you are a veteran claiming veterans' preference, as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 U.S.C., you may be asked to submit documents verifying your eligibility. Please note that you may be asked a series of questions depending on the position you apply for. Your responses will be used as part of the screening process of your application and will assist in determining your eligibility for the position. Be sure to elaborate on experiences in your resume. Failure to provide the required information or providing inaccurate information will result in your application not being considered for this position. Only those applicants who meet the qualifications for the position will be contacted to begin employment processing. Please Note: Job Posting could close earlier than the closing date due to sufficient number of applicants or position no longer available. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
DCIPS Disclaimer
The National Security Agency (NSA) is part of the DoD Intelligence Community Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS). All positions in the NSA are in the Excepted Services under 10 United States Codes (USC) 1601 appointment authority.