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Regional Economist

Department of the Army
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Regional Planning & Environmental Division South, Economics Branch

Summary

About the Position: Incumbent serves as a Regional Economist in the Economic Branch with the responsibility for the full scope of assigned studies and reports, including the initiation of investigations, planning of methods, analyses, interpretation of findings, and preparation of final reports. These studies include water supply, navigation, flood control, emergency activities, assessments, and other water and related land resource development studies.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Location
3 vacancies in the following locations:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—Eligible for situational telework only, including emergency and OPM prescribed "unscheduled telework".
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$74,678 - $116,362 per year

Salary listed is for Rest of US Locality, salary will be based on duty location.

Pay scale & grade
GS 11 - 12
Promotion potential
12
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Not required
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
CEDC-26-13022536 - MP
Control number
878715600

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Duties

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  • Incumbent is responsible for planning, coordinating, and simultaneously conducting several economic studies and evaluations of existing and proposed Civil Works projects.
  • Plans and conducts research and economic studies pertaining to the overall economic effects and detailed benefits attributable to several alternatives for each project under study.
  • Determines and evaluates the economic benefits of a combination of several project purposes, including flood control, water supply, navigation, recreation, and other related environmental resources.
  • Estimates the present and future values of flood control benefits for flood damage reduction and increased land use.
  • Responsible for coordination, evaluation, and documentation of process which integrates the likelihood and consequences of risk bearing, resulting in alternative means of dealing with the risk.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
  • One-year probationary period may be required.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities.

  • Current Department of Army Civilian Employees
  • Domestic Defense Industrial Base/Major Range and Test Facilities Base Civilian Personnel Workforce
  • Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan
  • Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act
  • Military Spouses, under Executive Order (E.O.) 13473
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD Retained Grade Preference Eligible
  • Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) of 1998


In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Basic Requirement for Regional Economist:
A. Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in economics that includes 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.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the specialized experience listed below:

Specialized Experience for the GS-11 Position: One year of specialized experience which includes: 1) Assisting with studies on water supply, navigation, flood control, emergency activities, assessments, or other water and related land resources; OR 2) Analyzing, reviewing, or composing budgets related to Civil Works projects. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09).
OR
Education: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: Economics.
OR
Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages.

Specialized Experience for the GS-12 Position: One year of specialized experience which includes: 1) Conducting studies water supply, navigation, flood control, emergency activities, assessments, and other water and related land resources; OR 2) Assessing Civil Works projects for compliance with various industry standards; OR 3) Analyzing budget information to determine value of projects. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-11).

Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent. For the GS-11 you must have 52 weeks at the GS-09 level. For the GS-12 you must have 52 weeks at the GS-11 level.

With regards to time-in-grade validation, if you held a position other than a GS pay plan, be sure your resume includes the pay plan and the salary you earned during the assignment. Without this information, your time-in-grade validation may not be able to be verified and will result in your not meeting the time-grade requirement for this vacancy. A further explanation of the required time in grade documentation can be found under the Required Documents section of this announcement.

Qualification requirement: Qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show 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 an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

  • Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
  • You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
  • This position requires a 1 year probationary period during which the agency evaluates your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In making this determination, the agency may consider your performance and conduct; agency needs and interests; whether your continued employment supports organizational or Government goals; and whether it promotes the efficiency of the Federal service. Continued employment requires written certification that it advances the public interest.
  • Direct deposit of pay is required.
  • Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
  • If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
  • This is a(n) Comptroller Career Field position.
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
  • Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
  • Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.
  • Management may select at any of the grade levels announced. This position has promotion potential to the GS-12.
  • Promotion is never automatic. Promotion is based on the recommendation by the supervisor that employee meets all necessary qualification requirements for promotion, is performing the full scope of the major duties, and is functioning under the supervisory controls as stated in the target job description.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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 evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the online assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Arithmetic/Mathematical Reasoning
  • Attention to Detail
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Self-Management
  • Teamwork


Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

You may claim Military Spouse preference.

Military Spouse Preference (MSP) applicants will receive preference consideration and will be placed (if selected) at the highest grade for which they have applied and are determined best qualified, up to and including the full performance level.

You may claim Priority Placement Program (PPP) preference.

DoD Priority Placement Program (PPP) Applicants will receive preference consideration at the full-performance grade level only.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority for this position. To receive selection priority, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria (2) be rated well-qualified for the position and; (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. To be considered well-qualified and receive selection priority applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a score of 90 or above. Additional information about the program is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

At the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), we do not just construct infrastructure; we engineer the future of our Nation. From securing vital water resource infrastructure and restoring fragile ecosystems to designing world-class facilities for our armed forces and responding to natural disasters, our work touches lives every day.

By joining USACE, you will have the opportunity to contribute to high-impact, meaningful projects, collaborate with a diverse network of dedicated professionals, and advance your career. Here, your skills do not just build structures; they build national resilience, protect local communities, and support a safer, stronger tomorrow.

Build Strong With Us - explore our opportunities and engineer your legacy today.

Agency contact information

Army Applicant Help Desk
Website
https://portal.chra.army.mil/hr_public?id=app_inq
Address
RG-W2R902 US ARMY ENGINEER DISTRICT-NEW ORLEANS
DO NOT MAIL
New Orleans, LA 70118
US

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