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Economist- DIRECT HIRE

Department of Transportation
Federal Transit Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The employee will serve as an Economist in the Office of Policy Review and Development within the Office of Budget and Policy in the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The Economist will provide technical expertise and guidance and will work with other offices in the FTA and the Office of the Secretary as part of an economic team providing interpretive information to officials charged with the responsibility for making decisions on economic and policy issues involving public transportation.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
08/22/2024 to 09/04/2024
Salary
$117,962 to - $153,354 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Locations
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Washington, DC
Cambridge, MA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time - Full Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Bargaining unit status
Yes
Announcement number
FTA.TBP-2024-0014
Control number
806045200

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. The 'Rule of Three', Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy. This is a Bargaining unit position represented by AFGE LOCAL 3313.

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Duties

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As an Economist, you will:

  • Lead internal or contracted teams to research, develop, and draft reports to Congress, including the biennial Conditions and Performance Report. Manage the design, development, and maintenance of economic models, including the Transit Economic Requirements Model (TERM), to support report conclusions.
  • Conduct and lead regulatory impact analyses for FTA regulation and guidance, including benefit-cost analyses and impact assessment analyses.
  • Conduct economic evaluations of significant issues affecting transportation and provide policy recommendations, as required, based upon economic analysis. 

The ideal candidate enjoys and excels at applied, data-driven research on issues affecting public transportation. Flexibility, creativity, curiosity, and a willingness to take initiative will you help you find -- or create -- opportunities to apply economic analysis and identify the implications of the analysis for policy. Strong written and oral communication skills, along with the ability to collaborate with colleagues across a variety of disciplines, will ensure that your research is effective in shaping policy choices. Good time-management skills will allow you to juggle competing and changing demands and priorities in a dynamic economic policy environment.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen & meet specialized experience to qualify
  • Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date
  • Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
  • Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

  • SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
  • GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel.  A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
  • PCS/RELOCATION/RECRUITMENT:  Permanent Change of Station (PCS), Relocation, and Recruitment Incentive authorization varies by position/selection and a service agreement may be required.
  • PROBATIONARY PERIOD: Applicants may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).
  • TELEWORK ELIGIBILITY: This position may be eligible for occasional and/or regularly scheduled telework.  The number of telework days approved will be determined by your immediate supervisor or manager following the agency’s telework policy and guidance. If participating in the telework program, you will be required to sign a telework agreement detailing agency telework policy requirements, working conditions, and expectations for the position.

Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must (1) meet the Individual Occupational Requirement for the series, (2) provide a copy of transcripts for verification, AND (3) meet the additional grade level requirements.

(1) All applicants must meet the basic requirements under A or B to qualify for applying to a position under series 0110:

A. Successful completion of a degree in 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 which includes courses equivalent to a major in economics, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

For additional reference, please refer to the OPM qualifications standard for GS-0110: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0100/economist-series-0110/

(2) Upload the appropriate document(s) to your application for verification purposes.

(3) Specialized Experience: To further determine eligibility, review the following grade specific details. You will be asked a few questions as part of your application but make sure to verify how you meet these grade levels in your resume. 

For the GS-13:You qualify for this grade level if you have at least one year of specialized experience, equal or equivalent to the GS-12 grade levelwhich included: 

  • Experience in analyzing data using economic methods, such as benefit-cost analysis or econometric analysis, and identifying implications of the findings as they relate to a transportation- or policy-related issue; AND/OR
  • Experience presenting research summaries and other technical reports to a variety of groups and individuals, such as making project presentations to clients/sponsors or to audiences at conferences or workshops.

Although you must meet the mandatory education requirement for the series, you cannot qualify for GS-12 and above grades based solely on education, you must meet the specialized experience for this grade, which is cited above.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

  1. Knowledge of U.S. laws and regulations that impact transportation economics and markets sufficient to provide expert economic analysis of pertinent issues.
  2. Ability to develop written reports that clearly and succinctly describe detailed research projects, the analytical assumptions and methods employed, including consideration of complex relationships that can impact transportation policy and Agency programs, and the conclusions, findings, and recommendations developed during the course of the analysis.
  3. Thorough knowledge of project planning and project management principles and practices, to coordinate the development of project plans and proposes. Thorough knowledge of economic practices and requirements to assess the feasibility of plans and proposals in meeting the needs of project planning.

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, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.  You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

See the Qualifications section for Mandatory Individual Occupational Requirements. 

Additional information

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations 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 Transportation by email at, FairChanceAct@dot.gov. To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation 

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Qualified CTAP/ICTAP candidates receive priority and will be referred to the hiring manager.

How you will be evaluated

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

For this announcement, all applicants will be reviewed to determine if they meet the basic qualifications for this position, specifically the educational requirements.  Applications that are verified to meet the basic qualifications will be referred to the selecting official.

Applicants will not be rated or ranked.  Veteran’s Preference does NOT apply.

DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC.  WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.  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.

Please ensure that your work history provides enough details to support your answers. 


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