Survey Statistician *EXAMPLE*

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE

Overview

 Open & closing dates

XXX to XXX

This job will close when we have received 100 applications, which may be 

sooner than the closing date.

 Service

Competitive

 Pay scale & grade

GS 5 - 9

 Salary

$34,916 to $68,777 per year*

*Salary may be higher or lower, depending on location

 Appointment type

Permanent

 Work schedule

Full-Time

Locations

Vacancy in the following location(s):

XXX
Relocation expenses reimbursed

Yes You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency 

policy.

Telework eligible

Yes, as determined by agency policy

This job is open to:

 Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.

 The public

U.S. citizens, nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens and Nationals; no prior Federal experience is required.

Announcement number

XXX

Control number

XXX

Duties

Summary

This position is located with the Field Operations for the National Agricultural 

Statistics Service (NASS) in [location].

In this position, you will plan and conduct agricultural surveys and in preparing 
estimates and forecasts concerning crops or commodities of major importance 

within the overall economy of the State.

Responsibilities

 Develops both broad and detailed plans and procedures for the conduct of 

surveys and for the analysis and preparation of estimates, forecasts, and 

reports.

 Examines listings and tabulations, recognizing deviations and trends and 

verifying the accuracy of data.

 Determines validity and representative quality of reports; assures 

comparability of indications; eliminates erroneous or unrepresentative 

reports and ensures proper sampling at the county, district, and State 

level.

 Assesses variability and bias in sample data.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Supervisory status

No

Promotion Potential

12

 Job family (Series)

1530 Statistics
Requirements

Conditions Of Employment

 You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National

 Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or 

exempt

 Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or 

fingerprint check

 Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously 

served.

 Direct Deposit - Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are 

required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial 

institution

 Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn 

more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit EVerify at https://www.e-verify.gov/

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing 

date of the announcement, including specialized experience and/or education, as 

defined below.

Basic Requirements:

1. Degree: that included 15 semester hours in statistics (or in mathematics and 

statistics, provided at least 6 semester hours were in statistics), and 9 additional 

semester hours in one or more of the following: physical or biological sciences, 

medicine, education, or engineering; or in the social sciences including 

demography, history, economics, social welfare, geography, international 

relations, social or cultural anthropology, health sociology, political science, 

public administration, psychology, etc. Credit toward meeting statistical course 

requirements should be given for courses in which 50 percent of the course 

content appears to be statistical methods, e.g., courses that included studies in 

research methods in psychology or economics such as tests and measurements 

or business cycles, or courses in methods of processing mass statistical data 

such as tabulating methods or electronic data processing.
OR

2. Combination of education and experience: courses as shown above, plus 

appropriate experience or additional education. The experience should have 

included a full range of professional statistical work such as (a) sampling, (b) 

collecting, computing, and analyzing statistical data, and (c) applying statistical 

techniques such as measurement of central tendency, dispersion, skewness, 

sampling error, simple and multiple correlation, analysis of variance, and tests of 

significance.

AND

At The GS-05: Applicants who meet the basic requirements described above 

requirements are fully qualified for the GS-05 level.

At The GS-07 Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience 

directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be 

described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience 

requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-07 includes one 

year of specialized experience comparable to GS-05 which is directly related to 

the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the 

knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. 

For this position, specialized experience is experience analyzing statistical data 

and assisting with preparing statistical estimates.

OR

Education: Completion of 1 full academic year of graduate level education, if 

related. Related degrees may include degrees in the field of agriculture, 

agricultural business, mathematics, or statistics.

OR

Superior academic achievement (SAA): Superior Academic Achievement must 

have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled. 

S.A.A. is based on (1) A grade point average of B (a GPA of 3.0 or higher) for all 

completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last 2 full years of 

undergraduate study; OR (2) A grade point average of B (a GPA of 3.5 or higher) 

for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major 

completed in the last two years of undergraduate study; OR (3) Rank in the 

upper one-third of your class in the college, university, or major subdivision; OR 

(4) Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) 
recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies.

OR

Combination of specialized experience and graduate level education.

At the GS-09: Qualifying experience for GS-09 includes one year of specialized 

experience comparable to GS-07 which is directly related to the work of this 

position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and 

abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, 

specialized experience is experience analyzing statistical data; preparing 

statistical estimates; and recognizing deviations or trends in collected data.

OR

Education: 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a 

master's degree or equivalent graduate degree, if related. Related degrees may 

include degrees in the field of agriculture, agricultural business, mathematics, or 

statistics.

OR

Combination of specialized experience and graduate level education.

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 and can provide 

valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You 

will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or 

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website 

for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise 
selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the

basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates 

must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an 

evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. 

When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP 

applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.

Recruitment or Relocation Incentive may be authorized. Final determination to 

pay an incentive will be made by the hiring official at time of job offer.

How You Will Be Evaluated

Applications will be evaluated in accordance with Office of Personnel 

Management's (OPM) Delegated Examining Procedures and USDA policy using 

category rating. Applicants who meet basic minimum qualifications will be placed 

in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Within 

these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection 

priority over non-veterans. Category placement will be determined based on 

applicants' quality of experience and the extent they possess the following 

knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) or competencies:

 Internal Controls

 Statistics

 Survey Methodology

Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be 

reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) 

the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your 

resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing 

experience and education relevant to this position. Those determined to be in the 

best qualified category will be referred to the selecting official for consideration.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a 

determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or 

experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, 

or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or 

omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal 

documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to 

including removal from the Federal service.

Clicking the link below will present a preview of the application form; i.e. the 

online questionnaire. The application form link below will only provide a preview 
and does not initiate the application process. To initiate the online application 

process, click the "Apply" button to the right.

To view the application form, visit: XXX

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance

Not Required

Drug test required

No

Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process

Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. 

Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, your system failure, 

etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible 

documents may result in loss of consideration.

 Resume that includes:1) personal information such as name, address, 

contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to 

this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, 

hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if 

applicable); 4) other qualifications.

 If education is required or you are using education to qualify, you must 

submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient 
with the application if it includes your name and the necessary course 

information; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit 

official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been 

successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If 

any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with 

your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by 

an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as 

equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations 

that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this 

service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit 

the NACES website. All transcripts must be in English or include an 

English translation.

 If claiming veteran's preference, you must submit a DD214, Certificate of 

Release from Active Duty, which shows dates of service and discharge 

under honorable conditions. If currently on active duty you must submit a 

certification of expected discharge or release from active duty service 

under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the 

certification is submitted. Veteran's preference must be verified prior to 

appointment. Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran's 

preference and your application will be evaluated based on the material(s) 

submitted.

 If claiming 10-point veteran's preference you must provide the DD214 or 

certification requirements (see above bullet), plus the proof of entitlement 

of this preference as listed on the SF-15 Application for 10-point Veterans' 

Preference. The SF-15 should be included but is not required. Failure to 

submit these documents could result in the determination that there is 

insufficient documentation to support your claim for 10-point preference. 

For more information on veterans' preference, visit FEDSHIREVETS.

 Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority 

must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed 

removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to 

another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 

documenting separation (as applicable), and your most recent SF-50 

noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 

CFR 330.

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.

 Benefits for federal employees
 Healthcare insurance

 Pay and leave

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 to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You 

must complete this application process and submit all required documents 

electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this

announcement.

Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during 

business hours (normally 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying 

online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the 

closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be 

complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the 

announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing.

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities 

on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this.

To begin, click "Apply" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment 

Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents.

NOTE: If a document is resubmitted, it replaces the previous submission, which 

means the previous document is no longer available to the Human Resources 

Office. If you are adding to, rather than replacing a previous submission, you 

must upload both the old document and the new document. You must verify that 

uploaded documents from USAJOBS transfer into the Agency's staffing system 

as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. 

However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to 

upload additional documents. Applicants may combine all like required 

documents (e.g. SF-50s or veteran docs) into one or more files and scan for 

uploading into the application. Each file must not exceed 3MB. Grouping like 

documents into files will simplify the application process. Documents must be in 

one of the following formats: GIF, JPEG, JPG, PDF, PNG, RTF, or Word (DOC 

or DOCX). Uploaded documents may not require a password, digital signature, 

or other encryption to open.

Agency contact information

XXX
National Agricultural Statistics Service

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20250

US

The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is the data collection and 

dissemination arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. NASS gathers and 

publishes a vast array of information on every facet of U.S. agriculture, including 

production, economics, demographics, and the environment.

Next steps

Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and 

qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the 

selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be 

contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS to check your application status. We expect 

to make a final job offer approximately 40 days after the deadline for applications.

Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.

Fair & Transparent

The Federal hiring process is setup to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy

The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, 

religion, sex (including pregnancy And gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, 

sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an 

employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.

 Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) for federal employees & job applicants

Reasonable Accommodation Policy

Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where 

appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application 

process should follow the instructions in the job opportunity announcement. For any part of the 
remaining hiring process, applicants should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on 

requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

A reasonable accommodation is any change to a job, the work environment, or the way things 

are usually done that enables an individual with a disability to apply for a job, perform job duties 

or receive equal access to job benefits.

Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodations 

when:

 An applicant with a disability needs an accommodation to have an equal opportunity to 

apply for a job.

 An employee with a disability needs an accommodation to perform the essential job 

duties or to gain access to the workplace.

 An employee with a disability needs an accommodation to receive equal access to 

benefits, such as details, training, and office-sponsored events.

You can request a reasonable accommodation at any time during the application or hiring 

process or while on the job. Requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Learn more about disability employment and reasonable accommodations or how to contact an 

agency.

Legal and regulatory guidance

 Financial suitability

 Social security number request

 Privacy Act

 Signature & False statements

 Selective Service

 New employee probationary period