Program Analyst (Positive Train Control) - INTERNAL TO FRA (GS-12/13)

Summary

This position is in the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Office of Railroad Safety, Signal and Train Control Division. As a Program Analyst, the work involves providing expertise in analysis, methods and practices and the performance of critical studies requiring several related tasks.

Duties

As a Program Analyst (Positive Train Control), you will: Perform a variety of analytical and evaluative duties to support compliance audits, perform various data and trend analyses, and write reports of a technical nature relating to railroad operations related to Signal and Train Control. Provide expertise in analysis, methods and practices and the performance of critical studies identifying trends to railroad operations related to Positive Train Control (PTC) performance. Prepare reports and information identifying trends in railroad operations related to Positive Train Control (PTC) systems. Utilize knowledge of data mining and analysis to provide reports to the Supervisory Safety Specialist (Signal and Train Control). Utilize programs to monitor and maintain databases on each applicable host railroad that submits certain metrics about PTC system performance and reliability to FRA on behalf of the host railroad itself and each of its applicable tenant railroads. Provide briefings, reports and responses to congressional inquiries related to PTC rail accidents/incidents The ideal candidate is experienced in analytics and data lifecycle management. A professional who is comfortable working with technical and non-technical staff in a fast-paced work environment & with interactions with all levels of leadership; exhibits attention to detail, sound judgment, creativity, strong logic & reasoning skills, and sensitivity to deadline.

Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the specialized experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration. To qualify for the Grade 12, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-11 it must include: Experience in performing quantitative and qualitative analysis of technical or operational data to evaluate program performance. Experience in utilizing automated data management systems to track and monitor performance metrics. Experience in writing technical reports to present data-driven findings for leadership review. To qualify for the Grade 13, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-12, it must include: Experience in utilizing data mining or data cleansing techniques on databases to identify operational risks, trends, or performance anomalies. Experience in supporting compliance audits to evaluate adherence to federal safety rules, laws, or industry standards. Experience in communicating with stakeholders to mitigate and/or resolve potential issues that could adversely impact programs and program delivery. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas: Data Management - Knowledge of the principles, procedures, and tools of data management, such as modeling techniques, data backup, data recovery, data dictionaries, data warehousing, data mining, data archiving, data disposal, and data standardization processes. Problem Solving - Identifies and analyzes problems; weighs relevance and accuracy of information; generates and evaluates alternative solutions; makes recommendations. Written Communication - Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience. Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately. For all types of consideration, 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. For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4 All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Requirements

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance the organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service. GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel. A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only. BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: A background security investigation is required for all selected individuals. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of the security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to meet these requirements will be grounds for termination. PROBATIONARY PERIOD: You must complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed). TIME-IN-GRADE: Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade in the competitive or excepted service in the executive branch to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions contained in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. See Other information for additional instructions.

Key requirements

Must meet specialized experience stated in Qualifications section. Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date. Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.

How you will be evaluated

DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: Please be clear and specific when describing your experience, as HR evaluates applications strictly on the facts provided and will not make assumptions. To receive full credit, your narrative responses must be written in paragraph format and explicitly match your resume. Begin each response by listing the exact position title, organization, employment dates (MM/YYYY–MM/YYYY), full- or part-time status, average weekly hours, and federal series/grade (if applicable). Within the body of the paragraph, clearly describe your specific duties, actions taken, tools used, and measurable outcomes. HR will cross-check these details against your resume; if your resume does not fully support every claim and timeframe, the experience will not be considered for credit, which may result in an ineligible determination." Eligible Federal employees also seeking consideration for noncompetitive reassignment for this position, must indicate interest in the assessment. Noncompetitive federal candidates must have competitive status on a SF-50, meet minimum qualifications, have served at the same grade or higher, and held or exceeded the promotion potential of this position. All applicants: Your application will be reviewed in two phases determine how you move forward in the hiring process. Phase I: Your resume will be reviewed to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. ONLY two (2) pages of your resume will be reviewed. Additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume) will not be reviewed. Applicants passing “Phase I” will move on to the “Phase II” of the assessment process where your application will be reviewed and rated based on the KSAs/Competencies listed in the vacancy announcement by a Subject Matter Expert (SME). You may preview questions for this vacancy.

How to apply

To be considered, you must submit all required resume details and applicable documents no later than 11:59 (EST) on the closing date of the announcement. Note: Uploading documents to USAJobs does not automatically attach them to this application. You must review and verify that all files are successfully transferred to our system before final submission. Late or incomplete applications will be disqualified. To begin, click the Apply Online button on the job announcement. Follow the directions to register, submit all required documents and complete the assessment questionnaire. You may review your saved application(s) at https://help.usajobs.gov/ If you are having difficulty applying online, please contact the DOT Automated Staffing Office via email at: Transjobs@dot.gov.

Other information

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Transportation by email at, FairChanceAct@dot.gov. To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation RAILROAD STOCK: Pursuant to 5 C.F.R. Parts 2635.403 and 6001.104, all FRA employees (or spouses or minor children of FRA employees) are specifically prohibited from holding railroad stock (including shares of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. which owns 100% of BNSF), whether held outright, in an IRA, or in a 401(k) or other plan. (Employees may hold a mutual fund which invests in railroad stocks, so long as the mutual fund does not invest more than 30% of its assets in such prohibited investments.) Employees having a prohibited financial interest must divest themselves of railroad stock within 90 days after their appointment to their positions. Neither the rule against holding railroad stock, nor the divestiture period, is in any way affected by the existence of re-employment rights which employees might have with railroad companies. Nor is there any monetary threshold for applicability of the rule against ownership of railroad stock; all dollar amounts are prohibited. This announcement may be used to fill additional positions is similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate(s).