Data Scientist (Direct Hire)

Serves as the AI Adoption and Innovation technical leader for the Chief AI Officer/Chief Data Officer team, driving NASA AI adoption and innovation to maximize AI value while managing firs in a diverse, distributed organization. You will team with data and AI partners, assess current state, research emerging potential capabilities, establish future vision, and make & implement plans to scale AI use at NASA.

This job is open to

• The public
  U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

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Duties

• Elicit areas for potential shared investment from Mission and Mission Support artificial intelligence (AI) adopters and recommend actions to establish common AI tools, platforms and workflows for NASA.
• Advocate for and guide widespread NASA workforce development in AI topics, from beginner to expert, and from early-career to senior executive, teaming with NASA Human Resources representatives.
• Connect and encourage AI adopters by building on existing community of practice momentum, to include contributing to NASA digital transformation, rallying the AI community, advocating for AI innovation and supporting leaders to drive AI.
• Conduct and promulgate AI horizon scans to help the wide NASA community understand the powerful potential of emerging AI capabilities, synthesize recommendations from horizon scans, and communicate the results.
• Develop external partnerships for AI-related areas; organize and sponsor AI speaking engagements with industry, academia, and other government organizations; and sponsor AI Communications campaigns.
• As part of the combined Chief AI Officer and Chief Data Officer team, contribute to team plans, strategies, roadmaps, budget requests, integration plans, architectures, policies, and similar to help drive AI and Data approaches ahead.
• Foster teamwork with other transformational areas, supporting customers across NASA, including Mission organizations, NASA Centers, and Mission Support. Also, grow AI teamwork with other government organizations adopting AI.
• Contribute to Chief AI Officer communications, reports and responses to higher NASA leadership and Federal oversight organizations, such as the Office of Management and Budget, the Government Accountability Office, Congress and the White House.
• Foster a culture of engagement, diversity, inclusiveness, excellence and innovation. Champion NASA’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility to create an environment that promotes a commitment to safety, integrity, and teamwork.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• This position is open to U.S. citizens, nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
• This position may require a one-year probationary period.
• You must meet qualifications requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
• Financial Disclosure, Drug Testing, Bargaining Unit and/or the Travel Requirements for this position may differ and be required based on the duty location/NASA Center requirements.
• Position subject to pre-employment background investigation or higher-level clearance. Investigation/Clearance may differ and be required based on the duties/location-NASA Center requirements.
• Selected applicant(s) must be assigned to a duty location listed on the announcement.

Qualifications

Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular ability, skill, and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of this position and is typically in or related to this line of work.

To qualify for GS-14, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level:

• Leading elements of AI strategy, policy and governance for a diverse, dynamic organization, integrating federal directives, customer demand, industry supply, and creative partnerships;
• Communicating and collaborating on transformation plans and strategies for AI with diverse stakeholders, integrating multiple perspectives, and finding mutually agreeable solutions to critical problem sets;
• Developing multi-faceted, interdependent, entrepreneurial program plans that lead to unified outcomes, show concrete value, and scale.

Your resume must include a clear and detailed narrative description, in your own words, of how you meet the required specialized experience. Experience statements copied from a position description, vacancy announcement or other reference material constitutes plagiarism and may result in disqualification and losing consideration for the job. NASA prohibits the use of artificial intelligence (AI) or AI-assisted tool in drafting application and assessment responses. Please visit https://www.nasa.gov/careers/how-to-apply/#Artificial-Intelligence to review NASA’s guidance on the use of AI tools during the application process.

Education

Basic Requirement:

You must have successfully completed a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor’s or higher degree with a major in mathematics, statistics, computer science, data science or field directly related to the position.

OR

Have a combination of education and experience equivalent to a major field of study (30 semester hours) equivalent to one of the majors shown above, plus additional education or appropriate experience.

U.S. degrees must have been awarded from colleges or universities that are accredited by recognized accrediting organizations. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, go to http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs. These education credentials must be deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

All degrees must have been received in the year of, or any year subsequent to the original date of accreditation.

Additional information

Additional selections may be made for similar positions across NASA within the local commuting area(s) of the location(s) identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) within NASA. CTAP/ICTAP will be cleared for any additional selection from this announcement.

If you have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), you must:

– Indicate your eligibility when applying for a position. The questionnaire asks you to identify your ICTAP/CTAP eligibility.

– Meet the minimum qualifications requirements for the position

-Submit proof that you meet the requirements for CTAP/ICTAP as indicated in ‘Required Documents.’

For additional information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, click here – https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/#ictap.

Depending on position assignment, position may or may not be in a bargaining unit. To learn more about bargaining units at NASA please click here NASA Unions (Bargaining Units) | NASA.

• 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. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  Review our benefits
  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Direct Hire Authority: These positions will be filled through the Office of Personnel Management’s Direct Hire Authority. Category rating and veterans’ preference will not be considered in evaluating applicants. For more information on Direct Hire Authority, please see: OPM Direct Hire Fact Sheet.

Veterans: Under the provisions of Direct Hire Authority, veterans’ preference does not apply. However, applicants who are eligible for veterans’ preference are encouraged to include that information in their application and submit supporting documentation (i.e. DD-214, or other substantiating documents). For more information please see: Veterans’ Preference information on the FedsHireVets website.

You will be evaluated for this position based on how well you meet the qualifications and eligibility requirements listed in this vacancy announcement. To determine your qualifications and referral status, we may review your resume and supporting documentation and compare it against your responses to the vacancy questionnaire. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.

You will be assessed on the following competencies:

• Customer Service
• Oral Communication
• Planning and Evaluating
• Problem Solving
• Teamwork
• Artificial Intelligence
• Data Management
• Computer Systems and Engineering
• Intelligent/Adaptive Systems

NASA considers 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.

• 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. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  Review our benefits
  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
• Required Documents
  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have – whether you’re a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you’re eligible under their policies.
  A complete application package includes a resume, required documents and completion of the vacancy announcement questionnaire. Please see this guidance: What to include in your resume. Your resume should describe your specialized experience and support your answers to the vacancy announcement questionnaire. If you are using a Curriculum Vitae (CV) as a resume, it must meet all requirements listed above for a complete resume package. Please note: if any of the following types of information are included on your resume, your application package will be disqualified:
  • Classified or government sensitive information.
  • Social Security Number (SSN)
  • Photos of yourself
  • Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc.
  • Encrypted and digitally signed documents.

  If your resume contains any of the above information, you must redact that information prior to the submission of your application.
  The following documents are required:

  • Resume
  • Transcript

  As listed above in the Education section above, this position has a basic education requirement.
  To be found qualified, you must provide a copy of your college transcript that fully demonstrates you meet the requirements listed in the Education section. You may provide either an unofficial transcript or a copy of an official transcript. Failure to provide a complete copy of your college transcript that shows you have completed a required degree program or coursework will result in you being found not qualified.
  .You may need to submit other supporting documents (licenses, certification, veterans’ preference information, etc.), based on your answers to the application questionnaire. When you apply, please verify you submit the appropriate documents. Do not submit an OF-306 with your application.
  If you are a surplus or displaced employee (CTAP and ICTAP), submit proof that you meet the requirements for CTAP/ICTAP. This includes copies of your agency notice, most recent Performance Rating and most recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) noting current position, grade level, and duty location.
  Official documents are required at the time of appointment for verification of eligibility and qualifications.
  If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
  Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
  schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
  Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

• How to Apply
  Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application and have all required information available. We encourage you to provide a complete description of your educational achievements and include both paid and non-paid work in the experience portion of your resume. If you submit a resume that does not contain the required information, you may lose c