Computer Scientist

Summary This Computer Scientist position is located in the William J. Hughes Technical Center, Enterprise Test and Evaluation Services Division, Aeronautical and Weather Services Verification Branch which provides test and evaluation services to aeronautical information, weather and flight service systems. Responsibilities This position will serve the Section¿s test and evaluation work centered on programs including the Aeronautical Information Management Modernization and NOTAMS programs, weather programs, automation systems and test laboratories. Specific test programs within this Section include NOTAM Management Service (NMS), National Weather Program (NWP), Terminal Precipitation on the Glass (TPoG), Flow Management Data Service (FMDS) and Alaska Automation Capability (AAC). Performs multiple, varied, and complex assignments under the limited direction of a manager, project/ program manager, team leader, or more experienced technical specialist. May act as a contributing specialist on large work activities or as a team leader for single or small work activities. Applies experience and advanced technical knowledge applicable to his/her discipline to accomplish assignments and develop plans and techniques to improve programs and policies. Understands how his/her technical area interacts with or is affected by other disciplines and considers the objectives of the major subdivision and LOB/SO when developing, integrating, and implementing solutions to diverse, complex problems. Serves as a Computer Scientist within a multidisciplinary team that provides centralized verification and validation (V&V) and Test & Evaluation (T&E) support. Responsible for delivering consistent quality services and computer science expertise that facilitates V&V and T&E practices and ensures the application and improvement of quality V&V standards in the FAA. Provides V&V and T&E conduct support on critical National Airspace System (NAS) and FAA acquisition work products to ensure efficient and effective implementation of capabilities and services. This position involves working with complex system integration issues, software intensive system engineering challenges, and FAA system-of-systems. Serves as a V&V T&E Computer Scientist focused on life-cycle V&V and T&E support for NAS capabilities, services, and systems. Incumbent will be expected to adapt to vendor¿s agile test approaches while utilizing rapidly evolving tools and technologies to meet accelerated timelines. Established policies/procedures provide guidance for most assignments but allow considerable discretion to select the most appropriate approach or to recommend new approaches. Provides recommendations to improve work processes. Provide guidance to lower-level staff to solve difficult technical issues. Resolve all but unique technical problems without the intervention of management or a more experienced engineer. Identify and inform management of problems that require their attention. Develop and recommend techniques to address problem situations. Work is reviewed periodically, typically at major milestones and at completion, for technical compliance and alignment with the requirements of the project or other work activity. Defines, plans, and organizes assigned resources to accomplish organizational objectives. Allocates resources to accomplish small work activities within established schedules. Contacts are internal and external. May act as a key technical point of contact for assigned activities. Contributes to the preparation of management/technical reports or contractual documents and may communicate the overall results of a project or work activity to FAA management, the aviation and aerospace industries, and other external parties. Requirements Conditions of Employment We are not accepting applications from noncitizens. Qualifications To view the complete OPM qualification standard for the Group Coverage Qualification Standard for Computer Scientist Series 1550, please refer to: Computer Science Series 1550 Basic Requirements: 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 degrees and course work must be from accredited or pre-accredited institutions. In addition to meeting the education requirement, To qualify for this position you must demonstrate in your application that you possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to FV-H, FG 10-12. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. Specialized Experience is: Experience supporting test and evaluation activities of a NAS system. Qualifications must be met by the closing date of this vacancy announcement. Education This position has a positive education requirement: Applicants must submit a copy of their college or university transcripts(s) and certificates by the closing date of announcement to verify qualifications. If selected, an official transcript will be required prior to appointment. You may upload these documents with your application in USAJOBS or fax it to fax number provided in the announcement (please include announcement number on each page). Failure to do so will result in loss of consideration. Schools must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation may be verified at the following website: www.ed.gov/accreditation. Foreign education must be evaluated by a private professional organization specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials or an accredited U.S. educational institution in terms of equivalence to a degree acquired at an American college or university. A copy of the evaluation results must be included, otherwise your foreign education will not be considered. Additional Information We may use this vacancy to fill other similar vacant positions. Position may be subject to a background investigation. A one-year probationary period may be required. The person selected for this position may be required to file a financial disclosure statement within 30 days of entry on duty. FAA policy limits certain outside employment and financial investments in aviation-related companies. www.faa.gov/jobs/workinghere/financial-disclosure-requirements As a part of the Federal-Wide Hiring Reform Initiative (streamlining the hiring process), the FAA is committed to eliminating the use of the Knowledge, Skills and Ability (KSA) narratives from the initial application in the hiring process for all announcements. Therefore, as an applicant for this announcement, you are NOT required to provide a narrative response in the text box listed below each KSA. In lieu of providing a KSA narrative response in the text box listed below each KSA, in your work history, please include information that provides specific examples of how you meet the response level or answer you chose for each KSA. Your work history examples should be specific and clearly reflect the highest level of ability. Your KSA answers will be evaluated further to validate whether the level that you selected is appropriate based on the work history and experience you provided. Your answers may be adjusted by a Human Resource Specialist as appropriate. Eligible applicants meeting the minimum qualification requirements and selective factor(s), if applicable, may be further evaluated on the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) listed in the announcement. Based on this evaluation, applicants will be placed in one of the following categories: score order, category grouping, or alphabetical and referred to the selecting official for consideration. Links to Important Information: Locality Pay, COLA