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Supervisory Social Scientist

Department of Agriculture
Economic Research Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

You will serve as Branch Chief of the Rural Economy Branch, in the Resource and Rural Economics Division of ERS.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
06/10/2021 to 06/29/2021
Salary
$129,382 to - $168,196 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 15
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Kansas City, MO
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
15
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
ERS-DH21Y-11137513-NW
Control number
604177200

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.

Duties

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  • Manages a unit of professional economists conducting research and analysis on key issues of importance to U.S. rural development.
  • Manages a number of technically complex projects involving selecting or developing the most appropriate and current research methodologies, often of great complexity, and applying them to extremely complicated economic problems.
  • Analyzes the consequences of public policies that relate to the specialized work of the Branch and provide public and private decision-makers with economic analyses on appropriate subjects.
  • Participates in developing ERS' research program by identifying promising areas of research and related activities, products and publications.
  • Develops program and product plans for the Branch. This includes work plans, hiring staff with appropriate expertise, as well as development and justification of a budget.
  • Serves as the focal point for research and analysis of topics appropriate to the Branch, and representing the Branch within the Department.
  • Serves as the agency's reference point to provide economic advice and counsel relating to the Branch area of responsibility.

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.
  • Subject to one-year supervisory/managerial probationary period unless prior service is creditable. New USDA supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required training program before the end of their probationary period.
  • 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.

Basic Requirements:
A. Degree:behavioral or social science; or related disciplines appropriate to the position.
OR
B. 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
C. 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.

AND

In addition to the basic requirement above, all applicants must meet the following minimum qualifications:

Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-15 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-14 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience in primary authorship of a number of important papers, models, theories, or techniques that impact the advancement of or are accepted as authoritative in the field of rural social science, regional social science, or economic development; recognition by the scientific community as an authority in the field of rural social science, regional social science, or economic development; participating in symposia that define the state of the discipline or introduce new areas in the field of rural social science, regional social science, or economic development.

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

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.

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 based on an evaluation of the following competencies: Administration and Management, Communication, and Economics. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job.

Supervisory/Managerial Competencies
1. Ability to lead and accomplish work through others (i.e. team building, conflict management, cultural awareness, strategic thinking, technology management, and political savvy.)
2. Ability to communicate with individuals or groups from diverse backgrounds in a variety of situations

CONFIDENTIAL FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE REPORT: Federal employees are subject to prohibitions against officially dealing with outside organizations in which they have a financial interest. If hired for this position, you may be required to submit a financial disclosure report within 30 days of the effective date of your appointment and annually thereafter.

Recruitment or Relocation Incentive may be authorized. Final determination to pay an incentive will be made by the hiring official at time of job offer.

Selections made under this authority will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Current civil service employees would therefore be given a new appointment to the civil service.

This position may be eligible to telework up to four days per week, based upon the duties of the position. This position may also be eligible for flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements.

**This Position is being filled through OPM's government-wide Direct-Hire Authority for this occupation and is open to all U.S. Citizens. Your application will be evaluated for basic eligibility and to determine if your experience and/or education meet the minimum qualification requirements described in this announcement. All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications and other basic requirements will be referred and are eligible for selection. *

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 is a Direct Hire Authority position. All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications, to include any selective placement factor(s), if applicable, will be referred to the selecting official. Before a certificate is issued to the selecting official, the resume is reviewed to ensure that you meet all the qualification requirements. A rating will not be used; veterans' preference does not apply due to the existence of the Direct Hire authority for this position.

Note: All answers provided in the on-line process must be substantiated by a resume. If, upon review, it is determined that your resume and/or supporting documents do not support your answer choices, your application may be removed from consideration.

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/11137513

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