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Economist

Department of Agriculture
Agriculture, Rural Development
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Rural Development(RD), Innovation Center (IC), Data and Analytics Division, Economic Impact Branch. The incumbent works in collaboration with program staff to understand, measure, and communicatethe impact of RD's investments on rural communities.

Direct Hire Authority: These positions are being filled through the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Direct-Hire Authority for this occupation.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open date: 06/29/2020
Closed date: 07/10/2020
Location
3 vacancies in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$86,335 - $133,465 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12 - 13
Promotion potential
13
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-Time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional Travel- You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Announcement number
DHA-WDC-10849164-2020-SG
Control number
572193100

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. citizen. Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position. Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy. This vacancy is to fill 3 positions.

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Duties

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  • Plans, executes and initiates evaluations and analyses of major economic studies impacting the quality, performance, and implementation of RD program polices, regulations and investments.
  • Plans subsequent research, evaluation, and statistical techniques to assess effectiveness and identify ways to associated organizational programs.
  • Formulates aspects of design, categorizes researchable question development, data collection and analysis, message development, and detailed report writing.
  • Identifies issues related to specific topical areas of assignment and keeps abreast of national trends, legislative developments, relevant research and evaluation projects and findings, and other relevant developments.
  • Partners with internal staff as well as governmental and non-governmental partners on some or all steps of planning and conducting program monitoring and evaluation.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a US Citizen or US National
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check
  • Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.
  • Direct Deposit - Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov/

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

In addition to the Basic Requirement listed, you must meet the required specialized experience below:

For the GS-12 Level: Applicants must possess one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level; or its non-Federal equivalent that demonstrates experience formulating and planning research or analyses addressing complex economic or other social science problems; researching a range of issues arising in agriculture, food, nutrition, natural resources or rural development; presenting major findings and their significance in the form of published reports, staff reports, or briefings; and helping program evaluations of impacts of government programs, polices, regulations and investments .OR Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.

Related degrees may include agricultural economics, applied economics, or equivalent doctoral degree in related disciplines. OR A combination of experience and education as described above.

For the GS-13 Level: Applicants must possess one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level; or its non-Federal equivalent that demonstrates experience formulating and planning research or analyses addressing complex economic or other social science problems; researching a range of issues arising in agriculture, food, nutrition, natural resources or rural development; presenting major findings and their significance in the form of published reports, staff reports, or briefings; and leading program evaluations of impacts of government programs, polices, regulations and investments.

NOTE: To be considered for this position, you must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the GS-0110 series set forth in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards by the closing date of the announcement. A copy is available at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards

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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

Basic Requirements

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

OR

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

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.

To be eligible for appointment to this position, the new hire must be cleared to come on board once the results of the fingerprint check, review of the OF-306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and the candidate's Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (eQIP) entries have been reviewed and determined to be satisfactory. This position requires a favorable credit check as part of the background investigation.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc) should contact: USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).

This position is eligible for telework and other flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy.

If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.

How you will be evaluated

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

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

This vacancy will be filled through the Office of Personnel Management's Direct Hire Authority (DHA). Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applications do not apply. For more information on OPM's authorization on DHA, please visit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/direct-hire-authority/.

Applicants who "self-certify" that they meet qualifications, selective placement factors (if applicable) and other requirements by the closing date of the announcement will be referred to the Selecting Official for further consideration.




Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

Clicking the link below will present a preview of the application form; i.e. the online questionnaire. The application form link below will only provide a preview and does not initiate the application process. To initiate the online application process, click the "Apply" button to the right.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10849164

Agriculture, Rural Development

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Agency serves rural communities throughout the country by investing in their communities through housing and utility infrastructure, by increasing economic opportunity, and by improving the quality of life for all rural Americans. Rural Development provides over 40 loan and grant programs in the Rural Housing and Community Facilities Services, Rural Business and Cooperative Services, and Rural Utilities Service. Rural Development supports a positive work environment and promotes diversity and inclusion for nearly 5,000 employees.

Rural Development is a dynamic organization recruiting for employees who possess the energy, compassion, and commitment to serve those in rural communities and will enjoy working in a fast paced and results driven organization. Our commitment is to expand economic opportunity and quality of life in all of rural America by providing financial programs to support essential public facilities and services such as water and sewer systems, housing, health clinics, emergency service facilities and electric and telephone service. Rural Development offers a friendly and professional working environment and such excellent benefits as: a generous salary, alternative work schedules, paid vacation and sick leave, paid holidays, retirement and supplemental savings plan, a wide array of health, dental, vision, and life insurance plans, flexible spending accounts, and long-term care insurance.

Agency contact information

Sarah Guild
Phone
720-544-2908
Email
sarah.guild@usda.gov
Address
Rural Development
1400 Independence Ave SW
Washington, DC 20250
US

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