Applied Social Scientist (Job# 1261076)

About the Role

As an Applied Social Scientist, you will collaborate with industrial/organizational (I/O) psychologists, strategic consultants, data scientists, and human capital professionals to develop and oversee initiatives focusing on talent acquisition, development, and retention. Using social science research methods, you will explore and address issues around organizational and program effectiveness, providing data-informed recommendations to enhance NSA operations.

The agency is currently hiring Applied Social Scientists to specialize in:

• Occupational Analysis
• Personnel Assessment and Selection
• Program Design and Evaluation

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with team members across the organization and develop strategic partnerships to achieve organizational goals.
• Contribute to the conceptualization, design, analysis, and presentation of applied research using quantitative and qualitative techniques to inform technical and leadership decisions.
• Stay current with industry and academic best practices in I/O psychology, talent management, learning, and development.
• Provide research-based recommendations and input on organizational strategy to leadership.
• Synthesize complex findings into executive summaries and presentations for managerial decisions or publication.
• Create dynamic, user-friendly data visualizations.
• Deliver high-quality customer service through superior technical work, consultative skills, and communication.
• Lead Human Capital projects via effective project management, external contract oversight, milestone tracking, and deliverable validation.
• Utilize tools such as MS Excel, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, statistical software (e.g., R), and data visualization software (e.g., Tableau).
• Present findings to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Perform workforce analyses to describe current states, predict future trends, or inform business decisions.

Qualifications

The qualifications listed are the minimum acceptable to be considered for the position.

• Degree: Organizational Development, I-O Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Social Psychology, Educational Psychology, Applied Psychology, Sociology, Economics, or a related field.
• Preferred majors: Industrial and Organizational Psychology; Applied Psychology; Cognitive Psychology; Social Psychology; Educational Measurement; Educational Psychology.
• Relevant experience: One year of social science research and analysis in an experimental or applied setting. May include:
  • Development and validation of assessment or selection tools.
  • Survey development and administration.
  • Consultation on organizational effectiveness.
  • Occupational analysis.
  • Program design or evaluation.
  • Data reporting and interpretation.
  • Coaching, consulting, training, or managing in organizational and workforce development.
  • Organizational behavior or human resources.
  • Designing workforce development solutions.
  • Human factors engineering.

FULL PERFORMANCE: Master’s degree plus 1 year of experience, or a Doctoral degree with no experience.

SENIOR: Master’s degree plus 4 years of relevant experience, or a Doctoral degree plus 2 years of relevant experience.

Pay

Salary offers are based on education level, years of relevant experience, and work level for the position.

Salary Range: $85,447 - $187,093 (Full Performance, Senior).

Schedule

This is a full-time, in-person position located in Ft. Meade, MD.

Additional Information

If selected, you will serve a two-year DCIPS trial period (one year for veterans' preference-eligible employees). Continued employment beyond the trial period is contingent on performance, conduct, and whether your employment advances the Agency’s goals and efficiency. Written notice will be provided if employment is terminated at the end of the trial period.