Economist - Direct Hire Authority Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. S/ES-2024-0162 Department Department of State - Agency Wide
Salary $117,962.00 to $153,354.00 Grade 13 to 13
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 9/9/2024 Close Date 9/20/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Job Description (Please follow all instructions carefully)

Summary

This serves as public notice for the use of Direct Hire Authority. Applicants will be forwarded to the selecting official for consideration. We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.

The position is located in the Office of the Chief Economist (OCE), Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of State, located in Washington D.C. 

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

This public notice is to gather applications that may or may not result in a referral or selection.

Duties

  • Monitors, reviews and prioritizes information and economic developments and trends to gauge the effectiveness of and facilitate, efforts to achieve U.S, foreign policy objectives as assigned.
  • Prepares publications, presentations, proposals, and reports and proofreads briefs and other documents and, when requested, develops recommendations. Responsible for preparing briefs, talking points and providing oral briefings on economic topics.
  • Analyzes economic, strategic, and security concerns that attach to geo-economic issues, such as global capital flows; international markets; economic sanctions; energy and natural resources; trade and investment policies; and economic development.
  • Determines and performs many or all, of the steps necessary to collect relevant economic data from primary sources, conduct statistical data analyses and modeling, and review analytical results for accuracy and completeness.
  • Provides informational consultations and orientations to colleagues and economic officials in the Department and the U.S. interagency. Advises on issues and problems; develops and proposes resolutions of policy and procedural issues.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
  • Obtain/maintain eligibility to access Sensitive Compartmented Information
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the required qualification requirements described below by the closing date of this announcement. If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript with your application. 

Applicants must meet ONE of the required basic entry qualification requirements described below:

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

Have an undergraduate or graduate degree from an accredited college or university in economics, that INCLUDED at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus;

OR

Have a combination of education and experience where my coursework was equivalent to a major in economics, as shown in Choice 1 Above, PLUS appropriate relevant experience or additional education;

OR

Have a combination of education and experience where my coursework was equivalent to a major in economics, (as shown in above), PLUS appropriate relevant experience OR additional education.

Examples of qualifying experience include: (a) individual economic research assignments requiring planning, information assembly, analysis and evaluation, conclusions and report preparation; (b) supervisory or project coordination assignments involving a staff of professional economists, and requiring the evaluation and interpretation of economic information; or (c) teaching assignments in a college or university that included both class instruction in economics subjects and one of the following (1) personal research that produced evidence of results, (2) direction of graduate theses in economics, or (3) service as a consultant or advisor on technical economics problems.

IN ADDITION to meeting one of the basic entry qualifications requirements listed above, the applicant MUST have at least one year of specialized experience that has equipped them with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience is related to the work of the position and equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal service.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

  • Experience applying knowledge of the concepts and principles of economics, including the fields of macroeconomics, trade, finance, development, innovation, the environment and/or labor to draft analysis reports. 
  • Experience independently collecting relevant economic data, conducting economic and statistical data analyses and modeling, and reviewing analytical results for accuracy and completeness.
  • Experience performing mathematical and statistical analysis in programs such as Excel, Python, STATA, and/or R software.  
  • Experience utilizing data visualization software such as Tableau to prepare graphical/visual data presentations for high-level officials. 
  • Experience in developing economic policies, papers and briefs.  

Note: All applicants MUST submit transcripts as verification of educational requirement by the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to provide requested information, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you WILL lose consideration for this position.

Education

See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements.

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials, visit: www.naces.org/members.php.

Additional information

  • For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at (202) 663-3474 or OAA@state.gov.
  • If eligible, telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval. 
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.  If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to similar positions in any Bureau/Office listed on this announcement for approximately 240 days.  Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.

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.

This position is being filled through Direct Hire Authority. Under the provisions of the Direct-Hire Authority, veterans’ preference and traditional rating and ranking of applications does not apply. For this announcement, all applicants will be forwarded to the selecting official for further consideration, and you may be subject to assessments during the selection process (e.g., technical writing sample or other work sample, structured interview, etc.). If you are selected, we will review your resume and required documents to determine if you meet the qualifications for this position, specifically the education, specialized experience, and knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) necessary to perform the work of the position.

Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following KSAs and other characteristics that are relevant to the duties of this position and must be fully supported by information in your resume:

  • Ability to evaluate and analyze information and situations to develop data and information. 
  • Ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce analysis. 
  • Ability to use a wide range of qualitative and/or quantitative methods to analyze, assess and improve program effectiveness. 
  • Ability to develop briefings for senior management. 

Agency and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP and ICTAP) candidates must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for selection priority. Candidates are considered well qualified if their knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) exceed the minimum qualifications described in the announcement.


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to our automated system by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

1.  Resume showing relevant work/volunteer experience, education and training. Include the start and end dates (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours per week worked/volunteered. Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must support your answers to the completed online assessment questions. 

2. Transcripts, if applicable and you are qualifying based on educationSee the Qualification and Education sections of this announcement for more information. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment. 

3.  Veterans' Preference Documentation, if applicable. Veterans’ preference does not apply to this vacancy. Any supporting documentation received from veterans will be retained to document veteran’s status for appointment purposes, if selected.

  • To claim 5-point preference, submit a copy of your DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty.
  • To claim 10-point preference, submit all required documentation outlined on the SF-15 (Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference) to support your claim (e.g., DD-214, official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs, etc.).  If we cannot verify your 10-point preference claim, your application will be reviewed for 5-point preference.
  • To claim 10-point derived preference (i.e., spouses, widows, widowers or mothers of veterans), submit a completed SF-15 and all required documentation listed on the SF-15 to support your claim.
  • To claim 0-point Sole Survivorship preference, submit a copy of your DD-214 or another form of official documentation showing that your discharge or release from active duty occurred on or after August 29, 2008 and was based on a sole survivorship discharge.
  • For all preference claims:
    • DD-214 Member 4 copies are preferred and must show the dates of service, type of discharge, and any qualifying service campaign medals.
  • For more veterans’ preference information, visit the USAJOBS Help Center.

4.  ICTAP/CTAP documentation, if applicable. Visit our agency’s ICTAP and CTAP sites for required documentation.

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

Prepare your application in USAJOBS

To start your application, click Apply and we’ll walk you through the process to attach a resume and any required documents.

During the application process you can review, edit, delete, and update your information. We’ll automatically save your progress as you go, so you won’t lose any changes.  You have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement to complete the application process.

STEP 1: Select the "Apply" button and follow the instructions to register or sign into USAJOBS.

STEP 2: Submit your resume.  Please see the Required Documents section for specific information that should be outlined in your resume.

STEP 3: Complete the online assessment questions.

STEP 4: Submit all required documentation applicable to you, as listed in the Required Documents section.

To learn how to view the status of your submitted supporting documentation and application, visit the Application Instructions section of our agency’s Civil Service selection process site.

Technical assistance with your on-line application is available through the Help Desk at mgshelp@monster.com or by calling (866) 656-6830 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. ET

Alternate Application Procedures

If applying online poses an extreme hardship, you may request alternate application procedures to submit your application package. Contact the Human Resources office listed on the announcement between the business hours of 8:15 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET at least 2 working days prior to the closing date of this announcement. The application package for alternate application procedures must be submitted and received in the Human Resources office no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on the closing date of this announcement. Paper applications and information sent by mail will not be accepted.

Agency contact information

Noora Amin
Phone
202-647-5705
Fax
000-000-0000
Email
Aminna@state.gov
Address
U.S. Department of State
US Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Attn: S/ES-HR, Suite 7507
Washington, District of Columbia 20520
United States
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Once the online application package is received, you will be notified through USAJOBS of receipt of your application and referral or non-referral to the hiring official for further consideration. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. If a tentative job offer is made, the Department of State will conduct a suitability and/or security background investigation.

You will be notified up to three times during the hiring process:

  1. Upon receipt of your application.
  2. After the List of Applicants is issued.
  3. After final selection is made.


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