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Supervisory Research Scientist (Interdisciplinary)

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Office of Research. The incumbent supervises and conducts independent, self-directed social/behavioral analysis on a variety of complex topics that support the following CFPB functions: research of consumer decision making in financial markets, monitoring of behavior of consumers in financial markets and research on role and efficacy of financial education interventions.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
11/03/2023 to 11/24/2023
Salary
$169,238 to - $255,000 per year
Pay scale & grade
CN 72
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington, DC
Remote job
No
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
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
72
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Announcement number
24-CFPB-14-P
Control number
758516300

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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As a Supervisory Research Scientist (Interdisciplinary), you will:

  • Supervise or conduct sophisticated consumer decision making analyses, with the highest degree of independence to address questions of importance to the mission of the CFPB.
  • Oversee the establishment of methods and systems for quantitative and qualitative collection of data designed to support the analysis of consumer financial decision making relevant to formulation of policy.
  • Oversee the establishment of data collections related to consumer decision making of consumer financial products and services.
  • Oversee the analysis and interpretation of social and consumer decision making data and information to inform the policy process.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

This opportunity is also open to Status Candidates under Announcement 24-CFPB-13-MP. Please refer to that announcement for details on open period, eligibility, and how to apply.

NOTE: This job is interdisciplinary and will be filled by one of the three series: Economist CN-0110, Social Science CN-0101, or Psychology CN-0180 upon selection of the candidate. These occupational series have a basic qualification requirement. Applicants must meet the basic qualification requirement for at least one of the three occupational series, in addition to the specialized experience for the CN-71. Please refer to the qualification and education section of this announcement.

Key Requirements:
  • Must be U.S. Citizen or U.S. National
  • A one year probationary period may be required.
  • A one year supervisory or managerial probationary period may be required.
  • Public Trust - Background Investigation will be required.
  • Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
  • Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
  • 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.
  • File a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of appointment and annually from then on.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

You must meet the Basic Education requirements for at least one of the occupational series listed in the Education Section in addition to the Specialized Experience for the CN-72 listed below.

Specialized Experience: For the CN-72, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the CN-60 grade level in the Federal service. (For qualification purposes, the CN-60 is broadly equivalent to the GS-14). Specialized Experience for this position includes:

  • Using psychology, economics, decision science, statistics, or marketing relevant to formulate, plan, and guide complex social/behavioral studies relating to the basic science of individual decision-making and choice in real-world settings; AND
  • Supervising employees or managing projects and coordinating staff assignments.
Examples of experience include: 1) conducting research on problems in a continuing area of social/behavioral study using quantitative statistical and/or theoretical modeling techniques including quantitative primary data collection methods such as randomized controlled trials, surveys, or laboratory experiments, 2) conducting studies of subjects using methods relevant to this position, and 3) publishing in professional journals.

CFPB uses an experience-based process to set pay for employees. Experience is evaluated and credited using the employee's résumé. To ensure that all of your prior work experience (e.g., internships, volunteer work, details, part-time, self-employment, secondary jobs, etc.) is considered and accounted for, please ensure that your résumé covers the following:

  • your entire work history with specific start and end dates (MM-DD-YYYY) provided for each listed position
  • hours worked per week for each position
  • degrees and the dates conferred (MM-YYYY)

Part-time experience will be credited pro-rata based on a 40-hour work week, while work of 32 hours or more will be rounded up to full-time experience. If you have multiple positions that have overlapping start and/or end dates, only 40 hours of experience will be credited for a given work week. Refer to Resume Tips for more information on how to submit a comprehensive résumé. See information on our base pay ranges and salary structure.

*In order to be considered minimally qualified, applicants must also complete a simulation exercise and receive a passing score from the SME.

The experience may have been gained in either the public, 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/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your résumé.

Education

You MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent.

Individual Occupation Requirements:

Social Science Series (0101):
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.

Economist Series (0110):
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.

Psychology Series (0180):A. 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.
The education generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.

Additional information

OTHER INFORMATION:

  • We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
  • This announcement may be used to fill like positions in other organizations within the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
  • This is a non-bargaining unit position.
  • We offer opportunities for telework.
  • We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules.
  • 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.
Our comprehensive benefits are among the most generous in the federal government. They include:- Challenging and rewarding work benefiting American consumers - Opportunities for development and advancement- Comprehensive Federal health, vision, dental, life, and long-term care insurance programs- Learn more about Federal benefits programs at: http://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/201706_cfpb_benefits.pdf

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 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 résumé may result in a "not qualified" determination.

Qualifications and Rating: If you meet the eligibility, individual occupation requirements, and specialized experience, you will be required to participate in an assessment exercise to determine qualifications and category rating for this position. 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 (highest quality category), B (middle quality category), or C (minimally qualified category). An Assessment Specialist from the Bureau's Office of Human Capital will email you at the email address associated with your USAJobs account and you will have at least 48 hours to submit your assessment response back to the CFPB_Assessments@cfpb.gov inbox. It is advised to routinely check your "junk mail"/SPAM folders within your email to ensure you do not miss an email from the Assessment Specialist. You may request reasonable accommodation to complete the exercise through your Assessment Specialist. Your submitted assessment response will be reviewed and assessed by a panel of trained Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to determine your level of proficiency in the following competencies:

  • Decision Making and Problem Solving
  • Demonstrating and Sharing Expertise
  • Managing Quality Results
Veterans' preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Preference-eligibles will be listed at the top of their assigned category and considered before non-preference-eligibles in that category.

Referral: If you are scored by the SMEs at or above the passing grade score and among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in one or more selection interviews.

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 receive a score in the middle category or better to be rated as "well qualified" to receive special selection priority.

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