Clarification from the agency

Open to U.S. Citizens/Nationals who have completed a degree or certificate from a qualifying education institution within the previous 2 years or are within 9 months of graduating. Veterans unable to apply within 2 years of receiving their degree, due to military service obligation, have a full 2-year eligibility period upon release or discharge from active duty. The eligibility period for veterans must be within 6 years of degree completion.

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IRS Recent Graduates Program affords developmental experiences in the Federal Government intended to promote possible careers in the civil service to individuals who have recently graduated from qualifying educational institutions or programs. Selected applicants are placed in a dynamic, developmental program with the potential to lead to a civil service career in the Federal Government. In addition, the IRS implemented the new IRS Forward Recent Graduate Program that includes an additional year of formal development, training, networking, project teams, and may include rotational assignments.

Following the completion of program requirements, selectees may be considered for non-competitive conversion to a career/career-conditional or term appointment. All conversion requirements will be identified in the Participant Agreement. Program requirements include but are not limited to:

• Successful completion of at least 1 to 2 years of continuous service depending on the position;
• Completion of at least 40 hours of interactive training;
• Mentorship;
• Demonstration of successful job performance; and
• Meet the qualification position standards.

Conversion to the competitive service is not implied or guaranteed.

If selected, you will be placed in a developmental position as a IRS Pathways Recent Graduate Program (Economist), GS-0110- 7 or 9 with promotion potential to GS-12 in one the division(s) listed below:
Research, Applied Analytics and Statistics (RAAS)

A description of the business units can be found at: https://www.jobs.irs.gov/about/who/business-divisions


The following are the duties of this position at the full working level. If this vacancy includes more than one grade and you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform these duties and receive training to help you grow in this position.

• Participates in the initiation, planning, and implementation of SOI projects. Assumes responsibility for some areas of planning, coordinating, and implementing SOI projects.
• Performs extensive systems acceptability testing of SOI information systems used in the data collection process.
• Develops manual instructions for the editing and perfection of tax return data.
• Trains field personnel in the areas of statistical editing and error resolution of tax and information return data.
• Performs error resolution of complex data problems and taxpayer reporting irregularities.

Conditions of employment

• Telework Eligible Positions: Telework eligible positions do not guarantee telework. Employees must meet and sustain IRS telework eligibility requirements (e.g., reporting at least twice a pay period to your assigned Post of Duty (POD)) and supervisor's approval to participate in the IRS Telework Program. Employees must also be within a 200-mile radius of their official assigned post-of-duty (POD) while in a telework status. As a reminder - If you are selected for a position, you are responsible for reporting to your designated POD (location) on the negotiated start date or as directed by management.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National and provide proof of U.S. Citizenship. (Birth certificate showing birth in the U.S; Unexpired U.S. Passport; Certificate of Citizenship or Naturalization; or Report of Birth Abroad of a U.S. Citizen (Form FS-240))
• Undergo a review of prior performance/conduct and an income tax verification. Refer to "Get Your Tax Record" at http://www.irs.gov/(https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript) to check the status of your account, balance owed, payment history, make a payment, or review answers to tax questions. If you are not in compliance, you will be determined unsuitable for employment with IRS.
• Must successfully complete a background investigation, including a FBI criminal history record check (fingerprint check).
• Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
• 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. These documents must be unexpired original or certified copies.
• The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Treasury and its bureaus from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Treasury by email at, FairChanceAct@treasury.gov. To learn more, please visit our page at: Treasury.gov/fairchanceact.

Qualifications

Federal experience is not required. The experience may have been gained in the public sector, private sector or Volunteer Service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-timework 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 resume.

In order to qualify, you must first meet Pathways Recent Graduate Program eligibility:

You must have, within the previous 2 years, completed all educational requirements for a qualifying associate, bachelor, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying institution; or intended graduation is no more than 9 months from date of application.
OR
Veterans (as defined in 5 U.S.C. 2108) who, due to a military service obligation, were precluded from applying to a Recent Graduates Program during any portion of the 2-year eligibility period may have their eligibility period extended so that they receive the full 2 years of eligibility. The remaining 2-year eligibility period will begin upon his or her release or discharge from active duty. The veteran's eligibility period may not extend beyond 6 years from the date of completion of all requirements of an academic course of study.

Secondly, you must meet any basic requirements of the position and the experience requirements described in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions, Professional and Scientific Positions.

BASIC REQUIREMENT OR INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT:

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: You must have a bachelor's or higher degree in economics that included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus.

Combination of education and experience - courses equivalent to a major in economics as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Examples of qualifying experience include (this list is not all inclusive): a. Individual economic research assignments requiring planning, information assembly, analysis and evaluation, conclusion and report preparation; b. Supervisory or project coordination assignments involving a staff of professional economists, and requiring the evaluation and interpretation of economic information; or c. Teaching assignments in a college or university that included both class instruction in economics subjects and include one of the following: (1) personal research that produced evidence of results; (2) direction of graduate theses in economics, or (3) service as a consultant or advisor on technical economics problems. The quality of the combination of education and experience must be sufficient to demonstrate that the applicant possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the occupation, and is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study with a major in economics.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE FOR GS-07:
You must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes: Experience applying the methods and principles of economics and their application to research projects; experience with research and study design and administration processes; experience with research procedures and basic techniques; experience in methods to develop, analyze, and present statistical information; experience using different types of economic and statistical programs for evaluating and/or completing research projects; experience in determining the economic significance of information reported on tax returns and a working experience of both present and prior tax laws; experience in communicating findings and in writing descriptive reports; and experience using User oriented computer programming languages and statistical software packages.
OR
You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: One year of graduate-level education leading to master's or equivalent graduate degree in economics, that included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus.
OR
Superior Academic Achievement may be met by having a Bachelor's degree, that included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus with one of the following: A GPA of 2.95 or higher on a 4.0 scale for all completed undergraduate courses or those completed in the last 2 years of study, or a GPA of 3.45 or higher on a 4.0 scale for all courses in the major field of study or those courses in the major completed in the last 2 years of study, or rank in the upper one third of the class in the college, university, or major subdivision, or membership in a national honor society recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies.
OR
You may have a combination of experience and graduate level education to that described above.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE FOR GS-09:
You must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes: Experience applying methods and principles of economics and their application to research projects; experience with research, study design and administration processes; experience in determining the economic significance of the information reported on the tax returns, and tax laws; experience in oral communications and descriptive report writing; experience developing, analyzing, and presenting statistical information; experience using economic and statistical programs and understanding their usefulness in evaluating or completing research projects; experience using user oriented computer programming languages and statistical software packages; and demonstrated experience in the rules, regulations, procedures, and related systems applicable to the area of responsibility.
OR
You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: A master's or equivalent graduate degree in economics, that included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus.
OR
Two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to master's or equivalent graduate degree in economics, that included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus.
OR
You may have a combination of experience and graduate level education to that described above.

For more information on qualifications please refer to OPM's Qualifications Standards.

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 based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be determined based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents) and the responses you provide on the application questionnaire. Please be sure that your resume 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. In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process and meet all qualifications. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.

Rating: You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Economics and Accounting
• Interpersonal Skills
• Mathematical Reasoning
• Oral Communication
• Problem Solving
• Reasoning
• Writing

Category rating will be used to rank and select eligible candidates. If qualified, you will be assigned to one of two quality level categories, CAT A/B, CAT C depending on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, and training related to this position. Your rating may be lowered if your responses to the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.

Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. Candidates, if required to participate in a selection interview (telephonic and/or in person at the discretion of the Selecting Official in accordance with hiring practices), will be interviewed in quality group order. We will not reimburse costs related to the interview such as travel to and from the interview site.

Veterans' preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Qualified preference eligibiles who have a compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more (CPS, CP) are placed at the top of the highest category on the referral list (except for scientific or professional positions at the GS-9 level or higher). Remaining preference eligibles are placed above non-preference eligibles within their assigned category.