Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens

As an Economist at the Federal Trade Commission you will be performing the following duties:

1. Apply statistical, mathematical, and econometric techniques to the analysis of data to give empirical content to economic theories and test hypotheses in support of policy recommendations.
2. Provide analysis and interpretation of economic and related information collected from companies to support policy and program decision-making.
3. Identify and collect the appropriate data needed to analyze the validity of competing economic theories.
4. Conduct investigations, reviews, and studies that apply a thorough knowledge of microeconomic theory to study the behavior of individual consumers, firms, and industries in order to analyze how markets establish relative prices among goods and services and thereby allocate limited resources among alternative uses.
5. Analyze the likely effects on consumers and competition of mergers, agreements between firms, and individual firm business practices.
6. Prepare economic impact assessments under the laws that govern federal rulemaking to ensure adequate considerations of the costs and benefits of proposed rules.
7. Develop oral and written products, tailored to the needs of the audience, in support of recommendations involving such far-reaching issues as the economic aspects of new or proposed investigations, policies, or rules affecting FTC programs.
8. Undertake research aimed at addressing unresolved theoretical or empirical questions in topics related to competition, consumer protection, and general understanding of consumer and firm behavior.
9. Draft, present, and defend positions for policy, enforcement decisions, and education of other competition agencies.
10. Lead teams of economists and statisticians conducting complex economic analysis; provide technical guidance and oversight; and ensure the quality and relevance of analytical work in support of enforcement, policy, or regulatory initiatives.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. citizenship requirement must be met by the closing date of this vacancy.
• This position is subject to a background investigation.
• Males born after December 31, 1959 must register with Selective Service.
• You may serve a one-year probationary period under this appointment. Probationary periods are an extension of the hiring process.
• This position is in the bargaining unit. This position is represented by the National Treasury Employees Union, Local 344
• If selected for this position, the agency will evaluate your fitness and whether continuation of employment advances the public interest before extending your appointment beyond the one-year probationary period.

Qualifications

To qualify for an Economist position, you must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Basic Requirements:
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 1 above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. In addition to the above, you must meet the requirements described below:

In addition to the above, you must meet the additional specialized experience qualifications listed below.

To qualify for an Economist at the GS-15 level, you must meet the following Additional Requirements:
You must demonstrate in your resume at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-14 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks:

1. Independently or as a lead producing formal written materials (e.g., memoranda, reports, briefing materials, manuscripts, white papers, or research papers) based on economic analysis that is of publication-level quality in a leading field journal analyzing antitrust issues, mergers, competition policy, competitive effects of firm conduct, consumer protection enforcement, regulatory impacts, and/or deceptive or unfair business practices.
2. Leading a collaborative team with other researchers, students, or colleagues in a university, research institute, business, non-profit, or government setting on a research project, demonstrating an ability to identify and collect appropriate information and/or data to analyze economic theories, issues, or hypotheses.
3. Applying at least graduate-level knowledge of microeconomics, statistics, and econometrics to lead novel economic research and/or analysis of antitrust issues, mergers, competition policy, competitive effects of firm conduct, consumer protection enforcement, regulatory impacts, and/or deceptive or unfair business practices in formal written material of publication-level quality.

*FOOTNOTE: Publication-level quality in a leading field journal means peer-reviewed published work in a leading field journal for a public audience or formal written materials (such as memoranda, briefing materials, or white papers) of a similar quality for a non-public audience (i.e., in a confidential or classified setting).*

Application Package Checklist- Please include the following with your application:

• Resume- (maximum length: 2 pages) Submit a resume (not an academic CV) that clearly describes your paid and non-paid work experience. (An example of non-paid work experience is conducting research.) Include:
  • Job title and employer (include Series/Grade, if Federal employment)
  • Dates of employment (month/year)
  • Hours worked per week
  • Duties and accomplishments
• Transcript- A legible copy of all your college transcript(s).
• Writing Sample- (Optional) A writing sample (preferably sole-authored).
• Special Hiring Authority Documentation (if applicable)- For applicants claiming eligibility under special hiring authorities.

Three Letters of Recommendation should be provided via email to econrecruit@ftc.gov.

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

How you will be evaluated

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

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

If your resume or application does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Your resume or application must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination. Please ensure that your resume or application contains specific information such as position titles, beginning and ending dates of employment for each position, average number of hours worked per week, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level.

If you meet the minimum qualification requirements, you will be referred to the selecting official. If your resume does not support the specialized experience, your final rating may be modified and you may be removed from consideration.

The Human Resources Office is ultimately responsible for determining your final rating. Your application will be rated on the extent and quality of your experience, education and training relevant to the position.

The following information must be received by 11:59pm ET on the closing date of the announcement. Resume via USA Jobs, 2. Responses to online questionnaire, 3. If applicable, the following supporting documentation listed below:

1. Resume- Please ensure that your resume contains your full name, phone number, employment information such as: Employer name and location; From and to dates (or from date to present for current position), which include the month and year for each description of experience, with grade level held, if applicable, education, training etc. Your description of experience and education must be able to support any claim for qualifying for this position.
2. Transcript- Please ensure your transcripts include your name, completed number of credits, and degree conferral date.
3. Schedule A- In order to receive consideration under the Schedule A authority, you must provide a certification of job readiness printed on a medical professional's letterhead and signed. For more information, please visit USAJOBS Individuals with Disabilities (https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/individuals-with-disabilities/).
4. Current or former Federal employees- If you are a current or former Federal employee, you must submit a copy of your SF-50 that shows competitive service appointment, tenure group, grade, and salary. Employees applying with an interchange agreement must provide proof of their permanent appointment. If you are applying for a higher grade, please provide the SF-50 that shows the length of time you have been in the next lower grade level. (Examples of appropriate SF-50s include promotions, within grade/range increases, and SF-50s one or more years old).

Next steps