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Economist

Social Security Administration
Office of the Chief Actuary (OCACT) / Office of Long Range Actuarial Estimates
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the Office of the Chief Actuary, Office of Long-Range Actuarial Estimates, Headquarters Main Complex, Woodlawn, MD.

This is a career ladder position description leading to the full performance position description, Economist, GS-110-12.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
06/17/2024 to 07/05/2024
Salary
$68,405 to - $107,590 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 11
Location
2 vacancies in the following location:
Baltimore, MD
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time - Flex time; Alternative Work Schedule may be available.
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
SH12442632
Control number
795870800

Duties

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  • Plans and conducts studies and projects applying economic theory and econometric techniques to the analysis, interpretation, and presentation of program planning, evaluation, and general management data.
  • Produces statistical trust fund information to be used by SSA, Congress, other Federal Agencies and the general public.
  • Designs and conducts economic studies to produce projections in the areas of labor force, productivity, and...
  • [cont'd] National Income and Product Accounts measures of economic output to be used in projecting trust fund revenues and expenditures.
  • Develops and designs computer programs necessary to produce statistical data and research reports.
  • Analyzes and responds to outside studies and inquiries relating to projections of SSA revenues and expenditures, where expertise in economic theory and econometric methods are applicable.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required
  • Selective Service Registration, if applicable (www.sss.gov)
  • Fingerprinting and background and/or security investigation may be required
  • Job offers are contingent on fingerprinting and background / security investigation results
  • Selectees may be required to serve a 1 year probationary period
  • Relocation expenses will not be paid
  • All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement

Qualifications

To qualify for this GS-9 level position, you must have one of the following:

  • At least Fifty-two (52) weeks of specialized experience that equips the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been performed at a level equivalent to the GS-07 in the Federal service. Such experience should include using econometric, statistical or mathematical methods to assist with collecting and analyzing data for econometric analysis. OR
  • 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree. NOTE: Transcripts are required to substantiate claimed education. OR
  • A combination of graduate level coursework and specialized experience (as described above) which equals 100 percent of total requirements of this grade level. NOTE: Transcripts are required to substantiate education.
To qualify for this GS-11 level position, you must have one of the following:
  • At least Fifty-two (52) weeks of specialized experience that equips the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been performed at a level equivalent to the GS-9 in the Federal service. Such experience should include conducting econometric studies or analysis using econometric, statistical or mathematical methods to create projections or predictions. OR
  • A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR have completed 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. in a field that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities to do the work of the position. NOTE: Transcripts are required to substantiate education. OR
  • A combination of graduate level coursework and specialized experience (as described above) which equals 100 percent of total requirements of this grade level. NOTE: Transcripts are required to substantiate education
APPLICANTS MUST ALSO MEET ONE OF THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS:
  • A bachelor's degree or higher degree in economics which included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting or calculus. NOTE: Submission of a transcript with application documents is required to qualify; OR
  • A combination of education and experience which includes coursework equivalent to a major in economics (at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus) plus appropriate experience. NOTE: Submission of a transcript with application documents is required to qualify.
**Both the specialized experience AND coursework are REQUIRED and must be explicitly documented/described in your resume and transcripts, or you will be disqualified from further consideration.**

Qualification standards and additional information for this position can be found here: Economist Series 0110 (opm.gov)

Education

ALL APPLICANTS MUST HAVE AT LEAST 21 SEMESTER HOURS IN ECONOMICS AND 3 SEMESTER HOURS IN STATISTICS, ACCOUNTING, OR CALCULUS to meet the basic educational requirements. Submission of a transcript is required to qualify.

Applicants can meet the education qualification requirement by one of the following:

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

    or

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

Examples of qualifying experience that could be combined with education to meet this requirement include:

  1. individual economic research assignments requiring planning, information assembly, analysis and evaluation, conclusions and report preparation;
  2. supervisory or project coordination assignments involving a staff of professional economists, and requiring the evaluation and interpretation of economic information; or
  3. teaching assignments in a college or university that included both class instruction in economics subjects and 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.

Experience in related fields that did not involve the use and understanding of economic principles and theories may not be used as qualifying experience to be combined with education to qualify for this position.

Providing Proof of Education or Substituting Education

If you are qualifying on the basis of education or satisfying an educational requirement, submit a copy of your transcripts that includes your name, the name of the educational institution, course title(s), number of credits, grade, and date of completion. Unofficial transcripts or screenshots of electronic/web transcripts with the required information will be accepted at the time of application. You must submit your transcripts according to the application submission details of this announcement. Documents will not be accepted via email or regular mail. If selected, you may be required to provide your official college transcripts prior to the effective date of the personnel action placing you into the new position.

Foreign Education: If your transcripts show education completed in foreign colleges or universities, you must also provide documentation that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in a conventional/accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Additional information

Additional selections may be made for this vacancy six months from the closing date of this announcement.

This is a bargaining unit position represented by AFGE.

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.

You may attend the Social Security Administration's Open House via MS Teams on July 2, 2024 at 12:00PM CST/1:00PM EST until 1:00PM CST/2:00PM EST at the following link:https://msteams.link/DGOP

MS Teams may be downloaded at: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/download-app

How you will be evaluated

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

The evaluation you receive is based on your responses to the questionnaire. Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire, which is designed to capture the desired competencies for this position. These competencies include:

  • Knowledge of economic theories, concepts, techniques, and econometric software packages.
  • Knowledge of mathematical and statistical methods.
  • Ability to communicate technical information orally and in writing.
Please make sure you answer all questions and follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your evaluation. The questionnaire takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. To preview the questions, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12442632

Your application will be evaluated under the Category Rating method, based on your responses to the Assessment Questions. If you meet the basic requirements for the position, your application will be evaluated and placed into one of three categories:

1 - Qualified Category - Candidates who meet the Minimum Qualification Requirements.
2 - Well Qualified Category - Candidates who meet the Minimum Qualification Requirements and demonstrate a satisfactory level of the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.
3 - Best Qualified Category - Candidates who meet the Minimum Qualification Requirements and demonstrate a high level of the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.

Candidates eligible for veterans' preference will be placed ahead of other candidates in the appropriate category for which they have been rated. Additionally, preference eligibles who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent and who meet the Minimum Qualification Requirements will NOT automatically be placed in the Best Qualified Category for the Economist position announced. All preference eligibles have absolute preference within each quality category

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