Economist

Duties

• Conceives, plans, and carries out both short and long-term research studies to resolve conceptual or statistical problems or to analyze interrelationships among variables.
• Communicates economic and statistical information in writing and in person to high-level stakeholders internal and external to the agency.
• Provides economic advice and counsel based on the application of economic theory to information and data.
• Interprets trends in a wide range of economic indicators.
  
  

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
• U.S. Citizen
• Suitable for Federal employment.
• Registered for Selective Service if applicable. (www.sss.gov)
• A one-year probationary period may be required .
• Relocation expenses may not be paid.
• This is a NON-BARGAINING unit position.
  
  

Qualifications

Minimum Education Requirement:

Degree: economics, that included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus.

OR

Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in economics, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Evaluation Of Experience

Examples of qualifying experience include:

• individual economic research assignments requiring planning, information assembly, analysis and evaluation, conclusions and report preparation;
• supervisory or project coordination assignments involving a staff of professional economists, and requiring the evaluation and interpretation of economic information; or
• teaching assignments in a college or university that included both class instruction in economics subjects and one of the following (1) personal research that produced evidence of results, (2) direction of graduate theses in economics, or (3) service as a consultant or advisor on technical economics problems.
  
  

Specialized Experience:

BAND LEVEL REQUIREMENTS:

Band III (GS-11) In addition to meeting the Basic Entry Requirements above, applicants must have the experience listed below.

EXPERIENCE: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade/band (GS-9) equivalent level or Band II. Examples of specialized experience include compiling and assembling economic material; applying statistical techniques and analysis to time-series and micro data using statistical software (Stata, R, or Python); providing written analysis to communicate economic findings; preparing statistical tables and reports; conducting research and preparing preliminary write-ups of findings.

OR

EDUCATION: Master's or equivalent graduate degree.

Band IV (GS-13)

Specialized Experience:

In addition to meeting the Basic Entry Requirements above, applicants must have the experience listed below.

BAND LEVEL REQUIREMENTS:

Band IV (GS-13 Level) To qualify for the Band IV (GS-13 level), you must meet the basic requirements listed above and have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-12 level) or Band III. Examples of qualifying experience includes compiling and assembling economic material; applying statistical techniques and analysis to time-series and micro data using statistical software (Stata, R, or Python); providing written analysis to communicate economic findings; preparing statistical tables and reports; conducting research and preparing preliminary write-ups of findings; managing multiple projects and tasks; locating and collecting relevant data to analyze a specified problem and communicating economic concepts at various levels; conducting economic research of great importance, significance, and difficulty; advising on important agency policies and programs as well as relevant economic policies; leading interagency projects or collaborating with other statistical agencies on key economic programs.

Education: Education cannot be substituted at this band/grade level.

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.

Additional Information

The Department of Commerce provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the Human Resources Office. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis. TTY users can contact the Human Resources Office via the Federal Relay Service, 1-800-877-8339.