Economist (STEM - Direct Hire) @ Food Safety and Inspection Service

Job Summary

This position is in the Office of Policy and Program Development (OPPD), Policy Analysis Staff (PAS). The PAS is responsible for a wide variety of economic analyses concerning FSIS polices and regulatory activities. The incumbent will conduct policy analyses and regulatory (cost-benefit) analyses. Incumbent will also review food safety policy and identify areas requiring development and/or improvement of FSIS policies. Projects are complex, FSIS-wide, and may involve multiple agencies.

Qualifications

• Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and education, as defined below.
• Qualifications BASIC QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT FOR THE SERIES 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: courses equivalent to a major in Economics, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
• Please refer to the Individual Occupation

Requirements: Here SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE

• GS-11: Applicants must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience at the next lower grade GS-09, or equivalent in other pay systems.
• Specialized experience must include at least 3 of the 6 below in your resume: Drafting an analysis plan in an economic study when provided with guidance including research questions, methods, context and data; Implementing analysis and evaluation techniques in economic studies when provided with a research plan and examples of similar studies, utilizing existing methods and as a member of a team; Aggregating, managing and utilizing exiting data with guidance; Making discrete contributions as a member of a team conducting economic analyses; Documenting an economic study or research in a report to a general technical audience which may include formal research reports, conference proceedings, white papers, thesis or dissertations.
• Co-developing or developing a presentation of an economic study or research to team members or conference.
• GS-12: Applicants must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience at the next lower grade GS-11, or equivalent in other pay systems.
• Specialized experience must include at least 3 of the 6 below in your resume: Drafting a research and analysis plan for an economic assignment when given examples of similar research questions, methods, context and data; Implementing economic research assignments when given examples of similar research, utilizing existing methods and acting as the sole economist; Contributing to the development and implementation of data collection, e.g. writing a questionnaire, conducting a survey, or compiling data sets.
• Serving as the sole or lead economist on an interdisciplinary team, responsible for applying quantitative and qualitative methods and models; Developing documentation and reports supporting the economic analysis of policy or regulation to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Presenting an economic study or research to interdisciplinary team.
• GS-13: Applicants must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience at the next lower grade GS-12, or equivalent in other pay systems.
• Specialized experience must include at least 3 of the 6 below in your resume: Evaluating and planning assignments requiring the application of economics, preferably cost-benefit or regulatory analysis, when provided with a general framework, but when a novel approach may be required; Implementing economic research assignments by finding relevant examples of similar studies, utilizing existing methods and acting as the sole economist; Co-Developing research questions and recognizing additional or novel information may need to be collected or generated to complete an analysis, e.g. developing a questionnaire, conducting a survey, amending or expanding data sets; Leading or co-leading a team conducting research and analysis of regulation, policy, or other complex topics.
• Developing documentation and reports supporting the economic analysis of policy or regulation to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Presenting an economic study or research to first-level supervisors and internal leadership.
• 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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.
• You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Major Duties

• Duties and responsibilities vary and may increase according to grade level
• Lead assigned economic analyses of FSIS policies and regulatory activities, defining problems and selecting fruitful lines of investigation with limited supervisory oversight.
• Plan and manage the economic components of multiple projects; coordinate across disciplines to develop needed economic data and models.
• Assess impacts of significant rulemaking and document results clearly; defend analyses under scrutiny and negotiate solutions with diverse stakeholders.
• Serve as a technical advisor to FSIS officials at multiple levels; collaborate to provide informed interpretation of economic phenomena.