Chief Economist, MC-110-2C Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. MC-12589642-005-DPE-DE Department Millennium Challenge Corporation
Salary $166,960.00 to $218,000.00 Grade 00 to 00
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 11/4/2024 Close Date 12/6/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

This position is located in the Department of Police and Evaluation (DPE), Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).
Although the position is advertised equivalent to SES, MCC uses a pay banded system to compensate employees. This position is pay band 2C which is generally equal to SES in pay only.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens.

Duties

The Chief Economist will serve as a member of the MCC senior staff and a senior member of the Department of Policy and Evaluation (DPE) management team, reporting to the DPE Vice President with a dotted line to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The Chief Economist:

  • Communicates the agency's economic identity, goals, approaches and the findings of its analysis to a wide variety of audiences, including highest level government officials, that may have varying degrees of expertise.
  • Serves as a permanent member of the Investment Management Committee (IMC), the senior leadership body within MCC that reviews and advise the CEO on the viability, risks, and likely economic impact of Compact and Threshold programs while remaining the agency's consistent and independent voice on the economic logic underpinning its investments.
  • Serves as an advisor to the DPE Vice President and Office of the CEO, providing executive-level leadership and expert advice to MCC leadership and senior management teams on the agency's investment portfolio, results agenda, and broader strategic agenda and direction.
  • Ensures the economic analytical toolkit, guidance, and processes are both consistent with the agency's evolving needs and reflect ongoing innovation in professional and academic circles.
  • Provides technical advice and guidance to staff economists who encounter emerging technical challenges, or barriers to communicating the implications of their findings.
  • Supervises policy advisors in DPE, who will support the Chief Economist in analyzing economic issues and providing advice to DPE VP as well as in developing and updating current policies, practices, and methods in relation to the analysis of economic development in low- and middle-income countries.
  • Works closely with the Managing Director for Economic Analysis division and with DPE's Deputy Vice President for Evaluation to ensure that the division is able to access, acquire, and maintain adequate collective expertise on pertinent emerging issues.
  • Collaborates with the Vice President of DPE, the Office of the CEO and other Departments to offer independent professional judgement and expert inputs on emerging issues in international development and to develop strategic communications with stakeholders outside the agency.
  • Establishes and promotes cooperation with other donors and stakeholders by sharing economic analyses and supporting joint work. Represents the agency with partner country governments, donors, the private sector, NGOs, academia, and within the US Government interagency.
  • Leads and recruits for the Economic Advisory Council (EAC) and hosts bi-annual meetings in pursuit of strategic agency needs and guides the preparation of background materials for the meetings.
  • Leads the formulation, dissemination, revision and archiving of MCC policies and guidance for the design and implementation of economic analysis in the Agency.
  • Performs administrative and human resource management functions relative to the staff supervised. Ensures continuing affirmative application of MCC policies concerning equal opportunity.
  • Performs other related duties as assigned.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a federal security clearance
  • Relocation expenses will not be paid
  • More than 1 job may be filled if additional vacancies occur within 120 days
  • Some domestic and international travel may be required

Qualifications

This position has a minimum education requirement.

Applicants must have a degree in economics that included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus.

OR
Have combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in economics, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

AND
To qualify for pay band 2C applicants must also meet the following:

Have at least one year of specialized experience relevant to the position duties and comparable to the MCC Pay Band 3A (GS-15) or an equivalent level which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, examples of this experience are: serving as a recognized expert in development economics and international development; experience advising on the viability, risks, and likely economic impact of development finance; experience guiding the development and dissemination of economic analysis (e.g., growth diagnostics, cost-benefit analyses, beneficiary analyses, etc.); mentoring, directing and supervising a staff; experience preparing and approving comprehensive reports that provide recommendations in complex and critical areas of economic analysis; experience presenting to a wide variety of audiences with varying degrees of technical expertise and offering independent professional judgement and expert inputs on emerging issues in international development; and familiarity with a variety of statistical analysis software packages (e.g., Stata, SAS, R). (NOTE: This experience MUST be well documented on your resume or application).


Highly Desirable: PhD or other demonstrated mastery of economic principles, concepts and practices.

Highly Desirable: Demonstrated expertise in one or more of the following areas:
  • infrastructure investments for inclusive economic growth
  • inequality and economic growth
  • climate adaptation
  • blending public and private investment for development finance.
Note: Please include the area of expertise/ experience in your resume or application.

PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit may be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. To receive credit you must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours worked per week.

A new hire's direct and overall experience are critical factors in determining a salary offer. It is important that your resume fully reflects all of your directly-related work experience. Salary offers include three key factors:
  • The selectee's directly related experience at the same level as the position.
  • The selectee's overall experience in a particular area.
  • The salaries of employees in similar positions and with similar levels of experience.
MCC also takes the selectee's skill set into account. Applicants should note that salary offers seldom fall near the upper end of the salary range listed in the vacancy announcement. Salary may be set from the minimum to the midpoint of the salary range of the pay band. In some instances, based on a selectee's extensive experience directly related to the position, salary may be set at or above the mid-point up to the maximum salary for that pay band. See information on MCC base pay ranges and salary structure (https://www.mcc.gov/careers/compensation/).

Additional information

  • RECRUITMENT/RELOCATION BONUS may be authorized for this position. If you are not a current federal employee this position may authorize a one time Recruitment bonus to be paid over a specified period. Selected individual will be required to a sign service agreement prior to receiving any bonus payments.
  • If you are a current federal employee this position may authorize a one time Relocation bonus to be paid over a specified period. Selected individual will be required to a sign service agreement prior to receiving any bonus payments.
  • SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
  • Selectee may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience.
  • The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower level, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.
  • You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement. Please note that qualification claims will be subject to verification.
  • Your pay will be set within the range specified in this vacancy announcement and will be based on your qualifications, education, experience, training, and availability of funds.
  • If the position is advertised with promotion potential, the selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition. Selection at a lower pay band level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level, nor is the promise of promotion implied.
  • DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume/ application does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination.
  • Applicants must include their own documented examples of the required experience in their resume. Applicants who copy the duties section of this announcement into their resume as their current experience will be disqualified.
  • Selectee may be required to complete a Public Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 278) or a Confidential Financial Disclosure Form (OGE 450).
  • You must be able to obtain and maintain a Government contractor issued travel card to be used for official business.
  • Selectee may be required to complete a probationary/trial period.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

A review of your application and supporting documents will be made and compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for the position and to ensure that you have been placed in the appropriate quality category. The HR Office and/or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities related to the position such as:

  • Oral Communication
  • Technical Competence
  • Writing


You will be evaluated based on Category Rating procedures. Based on the information you provided in your application package, you will be placed in one of three quality categories - Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Those applicants who are determined to be best qualified will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and may be called for an interview.

If, after reviewing your resume and or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience your category can and will be adjusted to more reflect your abilities, and you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Applicants must include their own documented examples of the required experience in their resume. Applicants who copy the duties section of this announcement into their resume as their current experience will be disqualified.

Application of veteran's Preference: Category rating and selection procedures place those with veteran's preference above non-preference eligible within each category. Veterans who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements and who have compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#GS-PROF-OCCUPATIONS

Required Documents

The following documents must be received by the closing date of this announcement:

  • Applicants are encouraged to include information included in the USAJOBS-formatted Resume Builder (http://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/account/documents/resume/build/
  • Unofficial college transcripts - if the position has an education requirement or if you are using education to qualify "Unofficial" transcripts are acceptable. If selected for the position, prior to your appointment, an official transcript will be required.
  • If you are displaced Federal employee, you may be entitled to receive special priority consideration under the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) or Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP). View information about ICTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. See http://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/#transitionTo be considered eligible under ICTAP or CTAP, you must be placed in the "well-qualified" category for this position, as described above.
  • Veterans Preference documentation (DD-214 - member 4 copy or other copies that indicate character of discharge or equivalent, SF-15 and VA Letter as appropriate) to validate your claim. For more information regarding eligibility requirements, see: https://www.fedshirevets.gov
  • If you are eligible for Special Appointment eligibility (e.g., 30% compensable veteran, individuals with disabilities, former Peace Corps or other noncompetitive eligibility candidates.) requires submission of supporting documentation. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/employ/students/fedhire.asp#authorities, http://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/
  • If you are a current or former political appointee (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or presidential appointee employee), you must submit a copy of a your SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent appointment (position title, type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee, agency, beginning and ending dates of appointment, etc.).

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

  • Candidates are encouraged to use information included in the USAJOBS-formatted Resume Builder to ensure that you have submitted a complete application. For tips on preparing your resume see: For tips on preparing your resume see: (https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include).
  • To begin the process, click the Apply Online button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account. Once your application is ready, you'll be sent from USAJOBS to the application system. Follow the prompts to complete your application and the occupational questionnaire. Please ensure that you click the Submit My Answers button at the end of the process.
  • Note: To check the status of your application or return to a previous or incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account at www.usajobs, select Application Status, and click on the more information link under the application status for this position. To verify uploaded documents have been processed, please wait to ensure they have cleared the virus scan.
  • The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 12/06/2024.

Agency contact information

MCC HR-Applications
Address
Department of Policy Evaluation - DPE
1099 - 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Upon receipt of the online questionnaire, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. We will assess your experience and transcript(s) (if appropriate), identify the best-qualified applicants, and refer those applications to the hiring manager for further consideration and interview. We will notify you by email after each of these steps has been completed. We expect to make a final job offer within 40 days after the deadline for applications.

By submitting your application, you are certifying the accuracy of the information contained in your application. If you make a false statement in any part of your application, you may not be hired; you may be terminated after you begin work.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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