NIST is seeking a Program Analyst to join the Manufacturing Extension Partnership's Performance Evaluation and Economic Impacts Division. In this role, you will analyze program performance and U.S. manufacturing trends, conduct statistical and economic research, evaluate program impacts, and transform complex data into actionable insights that inform strategic decisions and strengthen U.S. manufacturing.
Learn more about this agency
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
Current federal employees whose agencies follow the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's hiring rules and pay scales.
Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.
Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces or a spouse, widow, widower or parent of a veteran, who may be eligible for derived preference
Military spouses of active duty service members or whose spouse is 100 percent disabled or died on active duty.
Individuals who are eligible under Schedule A.
Individuals who have served at least 2 years with the Peace Corps or 1 year with AmeriCorps VISTA.
Individuals eligible under a special authority not listed in another hiring path.
U.S. Citizens and Status Candidates (this includes Merit Promotion, Status Candidates, Former Overseas Employees, CTAP, ICTAP, VRA, VEOA, 30% or More Disabled, EVHO, Schedule A, Military Spouses, Americorps, Peace Corps, Vista, Interchange Agreement Eligibles, and National Guard).
As part of NIST, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) enhances the productivity and technological performance of U.S. manufacturing. Through a robust public-private network, MEP Centers collaborate at federal, state, and local levels to help manufacturers develop new products, adopt cutting-edge technology, and strengthen domestic supply chains. We serve as the primary link between the manufacturing community and the federal research ecosystem. The Performance Evaluation and Economic Impacts Division supports the MEP Program's administration and strategy by capturing, managing, and analyzing data to evaluate Center and Program performance and support data-driven decision making.
If hired as a Program Analyst, your duties will include:
- Analyzing and evaluating program activities, outcomes, and performance data across multiple MEP mission areas.
- Applying statistical, economic, and data-mining techniques to identify key program and U.S. manufacturing trends.
- Conducting economic impact analyses, research, and program evaluation studies to assess effectiveness and identify opportunities for improvement.
- Ensuring the quality, accuracy, and reliability of program data through rigorous validation and analytical practices.
- Developing reports, studies, and executive-level briefings that translate complex findings into actionable insights to inform strategic decision-making.
- U.S. citizenship
- Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
- Suitable for Federal employment
- Merit applicants must meet time-in-grade/band requirements, as applicable
- Completion of Confidential Financial Disclosure, Form OGE-450
- Bargaining Unit Position: No
Specialized Experience Requirement
To qualify for this position, you must have at least 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level (ZA-II at NIST) or higher. Specialized experience is defined as:
- Experience analyzing data from public or private organizations to support program evaluation and data-driven decision making within an organization. AND
- Experience utilizing data analysis tools or techniques to distill insights from varying data sets.
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.
The qualification requirements in this vacancy announcement are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook.
If requesting reconsideration of your qualification determination, please refer to the following site: Applicant Reconsideration
Qualifications are based upon meeting specialized experience only. Education cannot be used to qualify for this position.
This position is covered under NIST's Alternative Personnel Management System (APMS), a pay-for-performance system with excellent HR flexibilities to help NIST recruit and retain top talent Learn more about the APMS here!
- We may share your application package with other selecting officials. Additional selections may be made through this vacancy.
- Click all links in this vacancy announcement to view additional information or instructions.
- You MUST select at least ONE ELIGIBILITY to be considered for this position.
- All documents submitted for this announcement must be legible to make qualification or eligibility determinations.
- This position is covered under NIST's Alternative Personnel Management System (APMS), a pay-for-performance system with excellent HR flexibilities to help NIST recruit and retain top talent Learn more about the APMS here!
- A probationary period may be required.
- This position requires filing of an OGE-450 Confidential Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of onboarding and annually thereafter
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: Reasonable Accommodation Overview - Agency Resource Center
NIST strives to build a flexible and encouraging work environment to bring out the best in our employees. To help our employees balance responsibilities at home and at work, NIST offers a variety of work-life flexibilities. For more information, please visit our Careers website.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
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. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
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.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Please prepare a resume that is no longer than two pages; only the first two pages will be considered during the review process. Ensure your font is 11 points or larger and upload your resume as a .pdf document. This helps ensure your formatting looks exactly the way you intended.
How you will be evaluated:
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):
- Attention to Detail, Customer Service, Decision Making, Flexibility, Integrity/Honesty, Interpersonal Skills, Learning, Partnering, Planning and Evaluating, Project Management, Reading Comprehension, Reasoning, Self-Management, Stress Tolerance, and Teamwork
To preview the questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13034026
Once the announcement has closed, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed in this announcement. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.
Referral: If you are among the top-qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview. You will be referred based on your eligibility (e.g., Merit candidate, veterans' preference, etc.). Please review the Evaluation Process on how applicants are review and referred based upon how they wish to be considered for the position.
Rule of Many Rating Procedures:
Applicants are ranked in score order based on their assessment rating plus Veterans preference points, as applicable. All applicants with a score of 85 or higher, including Veterans preference points, will be referred to the hiring official.
CTAP or ICTAP eligibility: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP), you must submit proof of eligibility (See REQUIRED DOCUMENTS SECTION) and be determined eligible and rated as well-qualified to receive special selection priority. "Well Qualified" means that in addition to meeting the minimum qualification requirements and selective placement factor(s), if applicable, you must receive a score of 85 or higher. Please review the following site regarding required documents to support CTAP or ICTAP eligibility and additional information regarding this authority - CTAP/ICTAP Eligibility
The documents required vary based on how you're applying (i.e., as a veteran or disabled veteran, current or former Federal employee, etc.). Please review the Required Documents for this position to find out if there are any documents required with your application. Failure to submit required documents, based upon how you apply, may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package.
A complete application includes: 1) A resume, 2) vacancy question responses, and 3) submission of any required documents. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, or if the documents submitted are illegible you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).
Resume: All applicants must submit a resume by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their choosing. Please prepare a resume no longer than 2 pages; only the first 2 pages will be considered during the review process. Ensure your font is 11 points or larger and upload your resume as a .pdf document. This helps ensure your formatting looks exactly the way you intended. Cover letters are optional. To receive any credit for relevant experience, please list the month/year and the number of hours worked for the experience listed on your resume. We suggest you review the qualification requirements for this position as you may need to customize your resume to ensure that it supports the position qualifications. Please refer to the Resume Guidance on how to build an effective resume.
Reinstatement: If you are a former federal employee (separated from Federal service for at least 1 year) and wish to be non-competitively reinstated for a higher grade or full performance level than which you left federal employment, you MUST provide a copy of your separation SF-50 (the "position occupied" block on the SF-50 should show a "1" and your "tenure" block should show a "1" or "2") AND the last performance appraisal you received from your federal employment which shows at least a fully successful rating.
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments, and required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:
- Click the Apply Online button.
- Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
- Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
- If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice.
- Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.
- Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
- Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link.
- Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused.
To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.
To view the announcement status or your application status: Click on this: USAJOBS Help Center - How to see your application and job status. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.
Erin O'Neill
Address
Performance Evaluation and Economic Impacts Division
100 Bureau Drive
Gaithersburg, MD 20899
US
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account. All of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: USAJOBS Help Center - How to see your application and job status. We will update applicant statuses when:
- A qualification determination is made. If found not qualified/eligible, no additional updates will be provided.
- Applications are referred to the selecting official.
- A selection decision has been made.
Please notify us if your contact information changes after announcement's closing date. Also, note that if you provide an inaccurate email address or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication, which could affect your consideration for this position.
Accepting applications
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
No matching locations found.
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$102,415 - $158,322 per year
Pay scale & grade
ZA 3
Learn more about pay scale and grade
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - for MEP National Network Meetings and conference presentations
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
- 1150 Industrial Specialist
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Financial disclosure required
Yes
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
MEPP-482-26-13034026-DE
