As an Agricultural Economist, you will:

• Conduct research and prepare various complex economic analyses on emerging risks to FCS institutions, which includes tracking conditions and changes in the agricultural economy, agricultural finance, and agricultural policy and developing and/or analyzing alternative economic scenarios for the U.S. agricultural finance sector and the FCS.
• Monitor developments in the economic, commodity, policy, financial and operating environment affecting the FCA and the FCS, and prepare reports and presentations for decision-makers and senior management on economic and policy developments.
• Develop, maintain, and validate analytical tools, complex models, and datasets used for monitoring risk in the Farm Credit System. This includes data/models internal and external including but not limited to those used for assessing risk, evaluating agricultural policy, the agricultural sector, and commodity market conditions.
• Develop and validate databases containing economic and financial information on agriculture and the FCS. Such data supports the Agency's risk evaluation activities and FCA management's decision-making processes regarding policy evaluation and development.
• Serve as project manager or team leader for projects and task groups for special studies and analyses of importance to agency management.

Conditions of employment

• One-year probationary period may be required.
• Submission of a financial disclosure report required.
• Must be a U.S. citizen.
• Males born after 12/31/59 must register with the Selective Service.

You must meet all qualification requirements and submit all required supporting documentation by the closing date of this announcement. If you are found to be among the most highly qualified candidates you will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview.

 

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, by the closing date of this announcement, you must meet both the Basic Requirements and the Specialized Experience Requirements for the grade levels to which you are applying. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position successfully. To be creditable, specialized experience must be equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal service.

All applicants must meet the basic requirements: A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university with a major in economics that included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus; or a combination of education and experience including courses equivalent to a major in economics plus appropriate experience or additional education.

AND

Specialized Experience Requirements:

To qualify at the VH-38 (GS-12) grade level you must have one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the VH-37 (GS-11) grade level in Federal service that has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

• Experience using and maintaining economic or financial databases to identify and compile data and information used in models for analyses and reports; and
• Experience evaluating risk to agricultural commodity markets, credit markets, farm policy, or rural economic issues.

There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the VH-38 (GS-12) grade level.

To qualify at the VH-39 (GS-13) grade level you must have one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the VH-38 (GS-12) grade level in Federal service that has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

• Experience developing databases and models for performing economic or financial analyses to evaluate emerging risks in the agricultural financial sector;
• Experience tracking agricultural commodity markets, credit markets, farm policy, or rural economic issues to evaluate risk exposure of agri-business or agricultural lenders; and
• Experience researching and producing studies on economic and financial topics that require use of economic or financial databases and models.

There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the VH-39 (GS-13) grade level.

To qualify at the VH-40 (GS-14) grade level you must have one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the VH-39 (GS-13) grade level in Federal service that has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

• Experience leading projects for developing databases and complex models for economic or financial analyses to evaluate emerging risks in the U.S. agricultural financial sector;
• Experience tracking agricultural commodity markets, credit markets, farm policy, or rural economic issues to evaluate risk exposure of agri-businesses or agricultural lenders; and
• Experience serving as a project manager or leading groups that may be multidisciplinary in nature and/or involve multiple agencies or organizations.

There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the VH-40 (GS-14) 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 work performed during graduate assistantships and volunteer experience.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs) and other characteristics relevant to the duties of this position:

• Economic Policy, Principles and Practices
• Financial Analysis
• Research
• Quantitative Analysis / Database Management
• Oral Communication
• Written Communication

Your resume serves as the basis for the determination of your qualifications and should highlight relevant work experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to this position. Your resume must include the following information:

• Paid and non-paid work experience including your position title, start and end dates (month/year) of employment, average number of hours worked per week and salary;
• Position series and grade for Federal positions;
• Indication of the knowledge, skills and education you have that are pertinent to this position;
• Specific duties you have performed as a regular part of your job with indications of the level of responsibility and complexity of work;
• Names and contact information for your current and/or previous supervisor(s).

You must provide the information specified above in your resume to be considered for this position. Your resume must include enough detail to permit a valid determination that you meet eligibility and specialized experience requirements for each grade for which you are applying. Take a look at this online video for ideas on how to communicate your qualifications.

If review of your resume and your responses to the self-assessment questions demonstrate that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, a score will be manually determined that reflects your documented experience. This may result in a lower score which may eliminate you from consideration for this position.

Your application will be evaluated and rated under Category Rating and Selection procedures. Eligible candidates will be placed in one of three pre-defined quality categories as described below:

Highly-Qualified Category: In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must fully demonstrate proficiency in all major aspects of the position.
Well-Qualified Category: In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate proficiency in some but not all of the major aspects of the position.
Qualified Category: In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate a basic level of knowledge, skill and ability of the position.

Under category rating procedures, veterans preference points and the "rule of three" are not applied. Eligible veterans are placed ahead of non-preference eligibles within each pre-defined quality category. Preference eligibles who meet minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent (i.e., CPS and CP) are listed in the Highly-Qualified category except when the position is being filled is scientific or professional at the VH-35 (GS-09) grade level or higher.

Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) candidates must be rated "Well Qualified" for the position to receive priority consideration.