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Economist, GS-0110-9/11/12

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Office of Environment
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) manages the exploration and development of the nation's offshore resources. It seeks to appropriately balance economic development, energy independence, and environmental protection through oil and gas leases, renewable energy development and environmental reviews and studies. For information about our bureau go to: http://www.boem.gov/

This vacancy may be used to fill additional positions as vacancies become available.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
08/27/2021 to 09/16/2021
Salary
$53,433 to - $100,739 per year

*First time hires to the federal government typically start at the beginning salary in the range for their respective grade level.

Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 12
Location
Jefferson, LA
Few vacancies
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel between 1 -21 nights a year for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
BOEM-MMLL-21-KS-101(MP)
Control number
612318600

Duties

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This position is located within the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Gulf of Mexico OCS Region (GOMR), Office of Environment, Biological/Social Science Section, Social Science Unit (SSU), in Jefferson, LA.

The Social Science Unit (SSU) is a unit within the Biological and Social Sciences Section (BSSS) which provides the scientific expertise to support the Gulf of Mexico's OCS Region's NEPA requirements for oil and gas lease sales, renewable energy activities, marine mineral resources, Coastal Zone Management Act requirements, environmental consultation requirements, Section 106 requirements of the National Historic Preservation Act, and the Environmental Studies Program. SSU is responsible for contributing to Environmental Impact Statements (EIS'), Environmental Assessments (EAs), Consistency Determinations (CDs), and other appropriate environmental reviews for OCS Program activities. The Unit advises management on Government-to-Government tribal consultation, Environmental Justice, and historic preservation issues and methods of environmental analysis, study, and regulation, especially in the areas of demographics, infrastructure, employment, recreation and tourism, economics, and cultural resources.

At the full performance level (GS-12) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following:

  1. The incumbent serves as a technical economics specialist on matters related to human factors affected directly and indirectly by Bureau Program (outer continental shelf (OCS) oil and gas energy, renewable energy, marine minerals, and alternative use) activities in such areas of concern as employment, income, population, commercial and recreational fishing, recreation and tourism, etc.
  2. Prepares and reviews sections of Environmental Impact Statements (ElS) on proposed Bureau activities. Participates in the EIS scoping and planning process. Prepares detailed written explanations of procedures and findings and makes oral presentations as warranted.
  3. Contributes to and reviews Program activity-related infrastructure scenarios.
  4. Research regional and sub-regional areas of the Gulf of Mexico to identify and assess key socioeconomic issues and effects associated with Bureau activities. These will include, but are not limited to: population, labor and employment; public services and infrastructure; commercial and recreational fishing; and recreational resources.
  5. Identifies specific economic and/or related environmental problems that may be addressed as research or study efforts; analyzes the nature of the problems; develops study protocols to resolve these problems, or to provide an information base for better understanding the problems; and recommends these studies for funding approval. Accepts responsibility of the procurement cycle for assigned studies and contracts. Participates in Bureau information transfer meetings and serves as a session co-chair and/or presenter when appropriate.
  6. Serves as an economic specialist in using economic impact modeling software to help forecast important aspects of economic change, including employment and population impacts, for use in the 5-Year Program documents and EIS analyzing the effects of Program activities.
  7. Keeps abreast of new developments in the field through current literature, attendance at meetings and seminars, and communication with other experts outside the agency. Conducts independent research and the preparation of reports and technical papers for publication and presentation.
  8. Functions as an integral team member of a professional group; works harmoniously and diplomatically with co-workers on efforts which require interdisciplinary perspectives and close coordination.
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

Salary Range Information:
GS-09: $53,433 - $69,462
GS-11: $64,649 - $84,049
GS-12: $77,488 - $100,739
*First time hires to the federal government typically start at the beginning salary in the range for their respective grade level.

This vacancy is also announced as BOEM-MMLL-21-KS-100(DEU) for those applicants who wish to apply and be considered under Competitive Examining procedures.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen
  • You will be subject to a background/ suitability investigation/ determination
  • Your will be required to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit
  • You must submit ALL required documents and a completed questionnaire.
  • Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service system, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See http://www.sss.gov/.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification Requirements:
To qualify for this position, you must meet the (1) Basic Educational Requirements AND (2) Specialized Experience for the grade to which you are applying.

(1) Basic Educational Requirements:

To be eligible for this position, applicants must meet the Basic Education Requirements for this series as described below:

Economist Series, 0110
Individual Occupational Requirements
Basic Requirements:

  1. Degree: economics, that included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus.
-OR-
  1. Combination of education and experience --courses equivalent to a major in economics, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
NOTE: You must submit your transcripts to show that you meet this requirement. Failure to submit your transcripts will result in an "Ineligible" rating.
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(2) Specialized Experience:
In addition to meeting the basic education requirements described above, applicants must have specialized experience and/or directly related education as described below for the grade to which you are applying:

NOTE: Desired experience is preferred in the renewable energy industry but is not required.

In order to be qualified for this grade level, you must meet either A, B, or C described below:

A. GS-9 Specialized Experience:

To qualify for the GS-9, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:
  1. assisting with research methods and helping conduct economic studies.
  2. compiling and analyzing relevant economic data.
  3. providing support in various economic, technical, or analytical reports.
  4. presenting clear technical findings from economic analyses.
-OR-

B. Education: 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree.

-OR-

C. A Combination of Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience totaling a 100% of the experience requirements. Only graduate level education in excess of the first year may be combined with appropriate experience.
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In order to qualify for this grade level, you must meet either A, B, or C described below:

A. GS-11 Specialized Experience:

To qualify for the GS-11, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:
  1. conducting quantitative research or analytical studies on the economic effects of government policies and programs.
  2. identifying relevant information to evaluate the economic impact of a project, program, or policy on a area's economy.
  3. assisting in the preparation of environmental impact analyses under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) or similar requirements.
  4. assisting in the application of techniques of regional economic impact analysis (e.g., data collection, field observation, modeling, and coding techniques to help predict important aspects of economic change.
-OR-

B. Education: 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.

-OR-

C. A Combination of Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and appropriate specialized experience that together, meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position. Only graduate level education in excess of the first two years or 36 semester hours may be combined with appropriate experience.
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Note: At the GS-12 grade level, Education may NOT be substituted for specialized experience.

GS-12 Specialized Experience:

To qualify for the GS-12, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:
  1. conducting and interpreting quantitative research or analytical studies on the economic effects of government policies and programs.
  2. identifying and analyzing relevant information to evaluate the economic impact of a project, program, or policy on an area's economy.
  3. preparing environmental impact analyses under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) or similar requirements.
  4. applying techniques of regional economic impact analysis (e.g., data collection, field observation, modeling, and coding, and sampling and research design) to help predict important aspects of economic change.
Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualification Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions and is available at OPM's website: https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/num-ndx.asp

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Merit Promotion candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

Education

Education: If this position requires specific educational course work to qualify, or you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide transcripts as proof of meeting the requirements.

Foreign Education: Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the specific educational requirements as stated above. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4

Additional information

Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.

Identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for and performance of higher-level duties.

The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.

Important Note: All Department of the Interior (DOI) employees are subject to the conflict of interest restrictions imposed upon all employees of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government and may be required to file a Financial Disclosure Report. In addition, DOI employees, GS-15 and above, who work in the Office of the Secretary; along with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) employees (at ALL grade levels), are further restricted concerning their interests in Federal lands and resources administered or controlled by the Department of the Interior. This includes holding stock in energy corporations which lease Federal lands (e.g.: oil, gas, coal, alternative energy resources, etc.). If you have any such investments you should contact the DOI, BOEM or BSEE Ethics Office before accepting employment. DOI employees are held to the highest level of integrity. Employees must be objective and impartial in the performance of their work. All potential issues (e.g.: work-related interactions with friends, family members, or previous employers) must be disclosed at the time of application or during the interview process.

NOTICE: This employer participates in E-Verify and will utilize your Form I-9 information to confirm you are authorized to work in the U.S.
A preliminary background check must be completed before a new employee can begin work with the U.S. Department of the Interior. The preliminary background check consists of a search of Office of Personnel Management and Department of Defense background investigation files and an FBI National Criminal History Fingerprint Check; it may take up to 3 weeks to complete. If selected for this position, you will be extended a tentative offer of employment pending a satisfactory background check. Current Federal employees or individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check; these will be handled on a case-by-case basis in coordination with the Bureau security office.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the application process is complete, we will review your application to ensure you meet the job requirements. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your resume, supporting documentation and responses to the online questionnaire will be made. Your responses to the online assessment will be used to measure the degree to which your background matches the requirements for this position. However, your resume must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. The best qualified candidates will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview.

Your answers to the on-line assessment will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas:

  1. Economics: Knowledge of economic policy, principles, and practices, market and non-market values, and the analysis and reporting of economic data.
  2. Research: Knowledge of the scientific principles, methods, and processes used to conduct a systematic and objective inquiry; including study design, collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; and the reporting of results.
  3. Interpersonal Communication: Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, cooperation, concern, and politeness to others; relates well to different people from varied backgrounds and different situations.
  4. Technical Competence: Understands and appropriately applies procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies related to specialized expertise (for example, engineering, physical science, law, or accounting); maintains credibility with others on technical matters.
DUE WEIGHT
Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process.

If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.

To preview the assessment questionnaire click: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11214666

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