Applied Social Science Jobs (NOW HIRING)

NSA has numerous excellent opportunities for Applied Social Scientists. NSA's Applied Social Scientists oversee and develop initiatives focusing on talent acquisition, development and retention. They also use social science research methods to explore and address issues around organizational and program effectiveness, develop solutions, and provide data informed recommendations to enhance the way NSA does business. As an Applied Social Scientist, you will work with other industrial/organizational (I/O) psychologists, strategic consultants, data scientists, and human capital professionals to oversee and develop initiatives focusing on talent acquisition, development, and retention. Applied Social Scientists use social science research methods to explore and address issues around organizational and program effectiveness. They develop solutions and provide data-informed recommendations to enhance the way NSA does business. Applied Social Scientists work across the NSA performing one or more of the following functions: pre-employment assessment and selection, development assessment, statistical and qualitative analysis of work, program evaluation, surveys and organizational effectiveness consultation. The agency is currently hiring Applied Social Scientists to specialize in: o Occupational Analysis
o Personnel Assessment and Selection
o Program Design and Evaluation Applicants selected for interviews will be requested to provide a 30-minute Job Talk, presented by the candidate, followed by panel questions from agency I/O Psychologists related to the work presented. Job Talks should highlight technical expertise and include a research or applied project (or a dissertation) relevant to Human Capital, Talent Learning or Development area. **NOTE** The following two narrative questions provide an opportunity for you to highlight your qualifications and commitment as an applied social scientist. The hiring manager will review your responses to determine if you are a viable candidate. Please attach in a word document or PDF a response of 200 words or less to each question prior to applying for this position. You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot. (Please attach it in application). 1. Explain statistical methods you have applied previously to IO Psychology projects, preferably in the Human Capital data environment. 2. Describe your experience presenting technical information to non-technical organizational leadership. In positions across the Agency, Applied Social Scientists: o Collaborate with team members across the organization and develop strategic partnerships throughout the Agency to help achieve organizational goals
o Contribute to the conceptualization, design, analysis, and presentation of applied research (applying appropriate quantitative and qualitative research techniques, data collection strategies, data analysis methods) to inform technical and leadership decisions
o Keep abreast of industry and academic best practices, as well as new research in I/O, talent management, learning, and development and related fields;
o Provide organizational leadership with research-based recommendations, and input on organizational strategy;
o Synthesize complex findings and detailed research into executive summaries and presentations intended for managerial decisions and/or publication
o Create dynamic, user-friendly visualizations of data;
o Provide high quality customer service to clients through superior technical work, consultative skills, and communication
o Lead Human Capital projects through effective project management, external contract support or oversight, milestone tracking and deliverable validation;
o Leverage relevant tools such as MS Excel, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, statistical software (e.g., R), and data visualization software (e.g., Tableau)
o Present findings to technical and non-technical audiences
o Perform workforce analyses that describe current states, predict future trends, and/or inform business decisions The qualifications listed are the minimum acceptable to be considered for the position. Degree must be in Organizational Development, I-O Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Social Psychology, Educational Psychology, Applied Psychology, Sociology, Economics, or a related degree. Preferred majors:
o Industrial and Organizational Psychology
o Applied Psychology
o Cognitive Psychology
o Social Psychology
o Educational Measurement
o Educational Psychology Relevant experience must include one year of performing social science research and analysis in an experimental or applied setting. Relevant experience may also include application of social science research for example, development and validation of assessment or selection tools; development and administration of surveys; providing consultation on organizational effectiveness; conducting occupational analysis; designing or evaluating programs; reporting and interpreting data; coaching, consulting, training, or managing in organizational and workforce development; organizational behavior; human resources; designing workforce development solutions; or human factors engineering. FULL PERFORMANCE
Entry is with a Master's degree plus 1 year of experience, or a Doctoral degree and no experience. SENIOR
Entry is with a Master's degree plus 4 years of relevant experience, or a Doctoral degree plus 2 years of relevant experience. These positions require a balance of research, consulting, and thought leadership in supporting NSA's talent management strategy. The ideal candidate will possess experience in personnel selection and assessment, job analysis, organizational effectiveness, or training/program evaluation. In addition, the ideal candidate will demonstrate exceptional skills in the areas of consulting, problem solving, data analysis, report writing, and client/project management skills. Attention to detail, self-motivation, flexibility, and resilience are critical and data visualization skills are a plus. CURRENTLY HIRING FOR THE FOLLOWING SPECIALIZED CATEGORIES FOR APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENTISTS: PERSONNEL ASSESSMENT AND SELECTION
Applied Social Scientists focusing on pre-employment assessment and selection use their skills in psychometrics, assessments, and employee selection to develop assessment solutions supporting hiring at NSA. Specific activities may include: o Lead and conduct projects developing, validating, revising, and implementing pre-employment assessments (e.g., CAT assessments, structured interviews, cognitive and non-cognitive assessments, and knowledge tests, work samples, and simulations);
o Contribute to the design and execution of job analysis studies;
o Conduct EEO analyses for selection decisions involving the use of assessments in accordance with legal guidelines and professional standards;
o Manage data sets and perform statistical analyses (e.g., descriptive statistics, correlation, regression, IRT, Classical Test Theory, latent variable modeling, scaling, equating)
o Write detailed technical reports supporting the use and interpretation of pre-employment test scores
o Develop innovative assessment implementation strategies to meet the needs of hiring partners OCCUPATIONAL ANAYSIS
Applied Social Scientists focusing on the analysis of work use their skills to gather data and develop solutions supporting the Agency's occupational structure and thus providing the foundation for many talent management efforts. Specific activities may include: o Lead the design and execution of large- and small-scale job analysis studies
o Develop and maintain libraries of task, knowledge, and skill statements,
o Develop and maintain libraries of competencies and associated behavioral indicators
o Lead the design and execution of competency modeling, assessment, and gap analysis efforts that inform employee development efforts and strategic workforce planning
o Manage data sets and perform statistical analyses (e.g., descriptive statistics, correlation, interrater reliability, latent variable modeling, cluster analysis)
o Write detailed technical reports describing the methods and results from the job analysis or competency modeling process
o Develop innovative solutions to disseminate job analysis and competency results to stakeholders PROGRAM DESIGN AND EVALUATION
Applied Social Scientists focusing on program evaluation/training courses use their skills to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of human capital programs that support recruitment, retention, and development of the Agency's workforce, such as the National Cryptologic University's (NCU's) training courses, the Agency's 40+ Corporate Development Programs (DPs) or the Agency's performance management, awards, promotion, and workplace flexibility programs. Specific activities include: o Create processes for evaluating effectiveness of existing programs/training courses and standards for development of new programs or identify evidence-based opportunities for improvement
o Research and identify best practices to inform program/training course improvements
o Conduct workshops with stakeholders to design and develop specific measures of success aligned with program/training course purpose and goals
o Collect program/training course-related data from surveys, interviews, and focus groups and analyze multi-source and longitudinal program-related data
o Identify key themes/trends, deliver reports/briefs, consult with stakeholders, and support action planning to drive strategic, data-informed decisions about the Agency's recruitment, retention, and development programs/training courses Pay, Benefits, & Work Schedule
Pay: Salary offers are based on candidates' education level and years of experience relevant to the position and also take into account information provided by the hiring manager/organization regarding the work level for the position.