Data Steward (Mid-Level)

Company: National Geospatial Intelligence Agency
Location: Sterling
Posted on: August 29, 2020

Job Description:

Job Summary

ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION: Data Stewards manage data within databases to satisfy customer requirements. They generate, approve, and populate data for databases, evaluate data quality, and determine availability of data. They apply knowledge of products, data, and systems to support the extraction, analysis, and finishing of data. They prepare and validate data for web publishing.

Additional Job Information

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) serves as the world leader in providing timely, relevant, accurate and actionable geospatial intelligence (GEOINT). NGA's civilian, military and contract personnel evaluate imagery, maps, charts, multiple layers of foundation data - such as terrain, elevation and gravity - and the full spectrum of visible and invisible light in order to help users visualize what is happening at a particular place and time. Our intelligence officers go beyond describing what, where, and when to revealing how and why. Our work enables decision advantage for our policymakers, warfighters, intelligence professionals and first responders.

Data Stewards organize data properties and relationships according to a system of categories. They create models or simulations of the intersection of data categories to enable data decisions and determine potential risk and risk mitigation. They make decisions about the quality and availability of moderately complex data. As a Data Steward it is desirable to have awareness of data governance and how its policies and practices direct a data stewards data-related activities and responsibilities. Other duties may include:

* Develop an understanding of customer requirements; recommend specific data sources and types to satisfy mission needs.
* Manage data projects to address challenges and priorities.
* Perform data conditioning techniques and processes for data management purposes.
* Synchronize data from numerous sources; develop data taxonomy to support integration into intelligence products.
* Nominate and implement data standards and ontology; and actively participates in the development of standards through working groups.
* Create and maintain metadata to quality specifications, and ensure data documentation is developed and maintained.
* Provide oversight during development of data for visualization/analytic projects and develop schemas to ensure the data needs and requirements are documented.
* Ensure service interoperability and works to develop taxonomies where there are deficiencies in data standards.
* Determine requirements to collect data and identify existing data stores, disparate data, or data collection parameters, and ensures the data collected are consistent with data models to dissolve any data silos.
* Research data issues and inquiries and implements process for data transformations, to resolve data issues, collaboration on system changes, and the integrity and quality of data personally created/updated.
* Conduct data validation and reconciliation processes following completion of data movement, and enforces processes for data quality issue resolution.
* Ensure versions of data are maintained along with the history of changes, so that data content and changes can be audited.
* Conduct QA/QC checks on structured observation data to reduce inconsistencies
* Apply data science principles to query and associate GIS features; points, lines & polygons and related non-spatial data to improve upon spatial/GIS features, attribution and dataset nteroperability.
* Employ parallel processing and GPUs and/or cloud computing to increase operational efficiencies of GIS data query and use.
* Understand data standards & extraction specifications along with comprehension of how analysts currently utilize data and how they might expect to use content in the future.
* Interrogate, prepare data to deliver results and/or deploy automated processes using: o Python, o R o JavaScript
* Employ GIS software for data analysis and data management using: o ArcPro o QGIS
* Communicate technically both orally and in writing and to constructively resolve data-related issues by leading and/or working as a member of a team.
* Evaluate and utilize data services and applications to institute improvements to data content and structure, metadata, data models, data quality, accessibility and dissemination.
* Ensure established metadata policies and processes are adhered to for increased integration, access, efficiency, and discoverability.
* Build data schemas and/or data profiles to enable multiple mission use of data.
* Apply knowledge of databases, GIS data file formats, commercial imagery data, digital image processing techniques, and GIS software.

This position may be eligible for an INCENTIVE: The selected candidates may be offered an incentive as part of the offer of employment, based on budget availability. To receive the incentive, the selected candidate must sign a service agreement depending on the approved amount or duration of the incentive. If the employee leaves before the end of the service agreement, the employee may be required to repay a pro rata share amount of the incentive to the government.

Additional Application Requirement: You may be asked to complete one or more assessments in addition to the application you submit on this website as part of your application to NGA. These assessments may include but are not limited to:

* Online questionnaires or assessments that require you to describe your job-related knowledge, skills, abilities, or other characteristics that are aligned with the mandatory and desirable qualifications of this job posting. The information you provide in the application you submit must support the response you provide to this questionnaire.

You will receive an email to describe any additional assessments required. Please monitor your emails and complete any required assessments as soon as possible.

Mandatory Qualifications

MANDATORY QUALIFICATION CRITERIA: For this particular job, applicants must meet all competencies reflected under the Mandatory Qualification Criteria to include education (if required). Online applications must demonstrate qualification by providing specific examples and associated results, in response to the announcement's mandatory criteria specified in this vacancy announcement:

* Demonstrated experience in designing, implementing, monitoring, and/or maintaining databases.
* Ability to develop data set processes for data discovery, modeling, mining, and/or production.
* Demonstrated experience in acquiring, validating, integrating, and/or maintaining data within databases.
* Demonstrated experience in analyzing data, and/or reconciling differences and redundancies to ensure consistency.

EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: A. Education: Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Data Management, Data Engineering, Data Science, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Statistics, Mathematics, Physics, Cartography, Geospatial Sciences, Physical Sciences, 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. -OR- B. Combination of Education and Experience: A minimum of 30 semester (45 quarter) hours of coursework in any area listed in option A. At least 15 of the 30 semester hours must have included any combination of statistics and mathematics, plus experience that involves management of data within databases, or in a related area that demonstrates the ability to successfully perform the duties associated with this work. As a rule, every 30 semester (45 quarter) hours of coursework is equivalent to one year of experience. Candidates should show that their combination of education and experience totals 4 years. -OR- C. Experience: A minimum of 4 years of experience that involves management of databases or in a related field that demonstrates the ability to successfully perform the duties associated with this work.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENT: Near visual acuity of 20/40 or better with or without corrective lenses; Far visual acuity of 20/60 or better binocular with or without corrective lenses.

Highly Desired Qualifications

QUALIFICATION CRITERIA: In addition to the mandatory qualifications, experience in the following is desired:

* Customer focused with tactful communication skills; written and verbal, and an ability to handle confidential/sensitive.
* Ability to multi-task, collaborate with peers, customers, and management to accomplish a variety of different tasks in a constantly changing environment.
* Experience with GIS tools in the extraction and attribution, preparation, management and/or analysis of spatial data.
* Demonstrated understanding of GIS, cartographic principles and the geo-referencing of information.
* Knowledge of extraction, final product and metadata specifications.
* Experience with a variety of computing languages and tools e.g., scripting languages.

Additional Job Requirements

You must be able to obtain and retain a Top Secret security clearance with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information. In addition, you are subject to a Counterintelligence Polygraph examination in order to maintain access to Top Secret information. All employees are subject to a periodic examination on a random basis in order to determine continued eligibility. Refusal to take the examination may result in denial of access to Top Secret information, SAP, and/or unescorted access to SCIFs.

Employees with SCI access and who are under NGA cognizance are required to submit a Security Financial Disclosure Report, SF-714, on an annual basis in order to determine continued eligibility. Failure to comply may negatively impact continued access to Top Secret information, Information Systems, SAP, and/or unescorted access to SCIFs.

Pay, Benefits, & Work Schedule

PROMOTION OPPORTUNITY: Promotion opportunities allow applicants at all band levels to be considered. Qualifications for NGA positions do not include specific time-in-band requirements. NGA will emphasize quality of experience, rather than duration, and assess how the quality of the experience demonstrates possession of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies necessary for successful job performance in the NGA occupational structure.

Band 03 $64,948 - $133,465

PERMANENT CHANGE IN STATION: PCS expenses are not authorized.

Pay is only part of the compensation you will earn working for the Federal Government. We offer a broad array of benefits programs and family friendly flexibilities to meet the needs of you and your family.

For more information on the array of benefits programs, please visit https://www.intelligencecareers.gov/nga/ngabenefits.html

Cover Letter

Applicants are not required to submit a cover letter. The entire cover letter cannot exceed the specified limits provided in the Cover Letter field (3,000 characters). Pages exceeding this limit will not be considered. The cover letter is recommended but is not required for employment consideration with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Applicants should place their narrative information in the Cover Letter / Other Professional Details field.

Who may apply

External Applicants Only

How to apply

Application submission involves applying using the Intelligence Community's Applicant Gateway on-line application process. ONLY ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

How will I be evaluated?

APPLICANT EVALUATION PROCESS: Applicants will be evaluated for this job opportunity in three stages:

* All applicants will be evaluated using the Mandatory Qualification Criteria,
* Qualified applicants will then be evaluated by an expert or panel of experts using a combination of qualification criteria to determine the best-qualified candidates,
* Best-qualified applicants may then be further evaluated through an interview process.

Military retiree applicants, if selected, may be impacted by the 180-day appointment restrictions of DODI 1402.01. HD personnel will provide additional information if applicable.

Applicants are encouraged to carefully review the Assignment Description, Additional Information Provided By the Selecting Official, and the Qualification Requirements; and then construct their resumes to highlight their most relevant and significant experience and education for this job opportunity. This description should include examples that detail the level and complexity of the performed work. Applicants are encouraged to provide any education information referenced in the announcement. If education is listed as a mandatory requirement, only degrees obtained from an institution accredited by an accrediting organization recognized by the Secretary, US Department of Education will be accepted.

In accordance with section 9902(h) of title 5, United States Code, annuitants reemployed in the Department of Defense shall receive full annuity and salary upon appointment. They shall not be eligible for retirement contributions, participation in the Thrift Savings Plan, or a supplemental or redetermined annuity for the reemployment period. Discontinued service retirement annuitants (i.e., retired under section 8336(d)(1) or 8414(b)(1)(A) of title 5, United States Code) appointed to the Department of Defense may elect to be subject to retirement provisions of the new appointment as appropriate. (See DoD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 300, at http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives.)

All candidates will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, disability, or sexual orientation.

NGA provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. Applications will only be accepted online. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify us at recruitment@nga.mil. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis.

Conditions of Employment

As a condition of employment at NGA, persons being considered for employment must meet NGA fitness for employment standards.

* U.S. Citizenship Required
* Security Clearance (Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information)
* Polygraph Test Required
* Position Subject to Drug Testing
* Two Year Probationary Period
* Direct Deposit Required

DCIPS Disclaimer

NGA utilizes all processes and procedures of the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS). Non-executive NGA employees are assigned to five distinct pay bands based on the type and scope of work performed. The employee's base salary is established within their assigned pay band based on their unique qualifications. A performance pay process is conducted each year to determine a potential base pay salary increase and/or bonus. An employee's annual performance evaluation is a key factor in the performance pay process. Employees on term or temporary appointments are not eligible to apply for internal assignment opportunity notices.

This position is a DCIPS position in the Excepted Service under 10 U.S.C. 1601. DoD Components with DCIPS positions apply Veterans' Preference to preference 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 an external applicant claiming veterans' preference, as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 U.S.C., you must self-identify your eligibility in your application.

Keywords: National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, Sterling , Data Steward (Mid-Level), Other , Sterling, Virginia