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Interdisciplinary Economist

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Office of Research. You will conduct social/behavioral analysis on a variety of topics that support CFPB functions: research of consumer decision making in financial markets, monitoring of behavior of consumers in financial markets and research on the role and efficacy of financial education interventions.

See our tips on the application process and printable checklist to ensure each step of the application is completed.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
09/09/2020 to 09/23/2020
Salary
$106,262 to - $203,633 per year
Pay scale & grade
CN 53 - 60
Location
Washington, DC
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional Travel
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—Relocation may be authorized, contingent on availability of funds.
Appointment type
Permanent - Full-time
Work schedule
Full-time - Career/Career Conditional
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
60
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Announcement number
20-CFPB-387-P
Control number
578360400

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

U.S. citizens or U.S. Nationals; no prior Federal experience is required.

Duties

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If selected you may be appointed as a Psychologist, Social Scientist, or Economist depending on your qualifications.

The following are the duties at the CN-60 level. (Equivalent to the GS-14). If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties, and will receive training to help you grow in this position.

The major duties of this position include:

  • Gathering, synthesizing, analyzing and interpreting social and decision-making data and information to inform and participate in the policy process. Locating and addressing new and unique issues in consumer financial services markets, provide studies of decision-making in various markets and industries, assist with implementation of policies, and evaluate existing policies. Developing and maintaining theoretical and quantitative models of consumer economic decision-making for use in policy analysis.
  • Designing and initiating original research or projects designed to fulfill the policy analysis responsibilities of the division. Initiating, developing, and carrying out research of consumer financial product markets designed to deepen understanding of how they function and how households and firms behave. Issues researched may include determinants of payment, saving, investment, borrowing and credit behavior; consumer understanding of risk and its influence on financial decisions, or the impact of advisors and advisory services on consumer choice.
  • Conducting studies regarding consumer economic decision-making, particularly with regard to aspects of these practices relevant to consumer protection and government policy. Preparing in-depth, complete issue and position papers, as well as in-depth reports and presentation materials on areas of study, including making recommendations for action or policy based on the social/decision-making research. Preparing research papers and presentations that may be delivered to CFPB staff, to external seminars and conferences, and for publication in professional journals. Reviewing and commenting on research papers drafted by other CFPB staff, or by other persons writing on matters relevant to CFPB’s mission
  • Conducting independent research on current and emerging issues relating to consumer financial household finance issues. Identifying and implementing innovative approaches for application in studying consumer decision-making, financial products, and markets for financial products. Developing research methods and analytical tools for application to analysis and study of these areas.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Please refer to "Conditions of Employment."
  • Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying.
  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S National
  • Public Trust background investigation will be required

The experience may have been gained in either the public or private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your résumé.

If you are a federal or status employee you may also apply at #20-CFPB-286-MP.

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

You must meet the basic education requirements for each position plus the specialized experience required for each position.

In addition to completion of all requirements for a bachelor's degree in one of the fields described above (Economist, Psychologist, Social Scientist), applicants must also meet the following specialized experience  requirements:

To qualify at CN-60, you must have one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the next lower band/grade (CN-53, GS-13 or equivalent) in the Federal service. For this position specialized experience is defined as experience using psychology, economics, decision science, statistics, or marketing relevant to formulating, planning, and guiding social/decision-making studies relating to the basic science of individual decision-making and choice in real-world settings. Experience must include conducting field research, demonstrated by experience conducting randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or field experiments, or quasi-experimental field trials or field studies, as well as experience using methods relevant to this position and publishing in professional journals.

To qualify at CN-53, you must have one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the next lower band/grade (CN-52, GS-12 or equivalent) in the Federal service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as experience using psychology, economics, decision science, statistics, or marketing relevant to formulating, planning, and guiding social/decision-making studies relating to the basic science of individual decision-making and choice in real-world settings. Experience must include conducting field research, demonstrated by experience conducting randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or field experiments, or quasi-experimental field trials or field studies, as well as experience using methods relevant to this position and publishing in professional journals.

A PhD for any grade level is preferred.

Education

Social Science Series (0101)

Basic Requirements

  1. Degree: behavioral or social science; or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

OR

  1. Combination of education and experience that provided the applicant with knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.

OR

  1. Four years of appropriate experience that demonstrated that the applicant has acquired knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.

Economist Series (0110):

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.

Psychology Series (0180)

Basic Requirements

  1. Degree: major or equivalent in psychology for all specializations except clinical psychology and counseling psychology. These two specializations have additional educational requirements, as stated below:

-- Clinical psychology: For positions at grades GS-11 and above, satisfactory completion of all the requirements for the doctoral degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) directly related to full professional work in clinical psychology is required.

-- Counseling psychology: For positions at grades GS-9 and above, satisfactory completion of 2 full academic years of graduate study directly related to professional work in counseling psychology, or satisfactory completion in an accredited educational institution of all the requirements for a master's degree directly related to counseling psychology is required.

Additional information

- We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies. 
- This is a bargaining  unit position.
- We offer opportunities for telework.
- We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules.
-Ethics:  Bureau employees are subject to government-wide ethical standards of conduct, financial disclosure requirements, and post-employment prohibitions, which applicants may review at www.oge.gov.  In addition, employees must comply with the Supplemental Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (5 CFR 9401), which, among other things, prohibit an employee or the employee’s spouse or minor child from owning or controlling a debt or equity interest in an entity supervised by the Bureau. Regulations also impose restrictions on the outside activities of certain Bureau employees, including examiners and attorneys.  Applicants may review the Bureau ethics regulations and a summary of the regulations at www.consumerfinance.gov.   Questions regarding these requirements and prohibitions should be directed to the Bureau Ethics Office at EthicsHelp@cfpb.gov.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
- A one year probationary period may be required.  
- Must successfully complete a background investigation.
- Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency
- If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
- Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9.  Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
- Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your application includes your résumé, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your résumé includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a “not qualified” determination.

Rating: Your application will be reviewed for minimum qualifications. Category rating will be used to rank and select eligible candidates. If qualified, you will be assigned to one of three quality level categories, A, B or C depending on your response to the assessment.

Assessment: If you meet the minimum qualification requirements, you will then be required to participate in a written exercise. Upon receiving an email notification from a CFPB representative (via email) to participate in this exercise, applicants must acknowledge with a response within three business days or he/she will be removed from consideration for this position. It is advised to occasionally check your “junk mail”/SPAM folders within your email to ensure you do not miss a message. The CFPB representative will then schedule a time for the applicant to receive instructions and complete and/or submit the exercise. The entire process must be completed by the applicant within two weeks from the initial contact from a CFPB representative or he/she will be removed from consideration. You will be evaluated in the following areas: Subject Matter Expertise, Analytical Thinking, Written Communication.

Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview. 

If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)) you must be assigned the middle category or better to be rated as “well qualified" to receive special selection priority.


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