Financial Economist - Crypto Assets and Novel Products

Clarification from the agency

Well-qualified surplus/displaced SEC employees ((i.e. CTAP) in the local area and current SEC employees in permanent competitive service positions (i.e. status candidates)

In this role as a Financial Economist - Crypto Assets and Novel Products, you will be responsible for:

• Advising OAR, Division, and Commission leadership on developments in securities market structure, drawing on research and/or experience working in markets.
• Serving as a principal investigator or subject matter expert on data-intensive research efforts on matters related to the operations and structure of financial markets using large, complex data sets.
• Developing, or leading the development of, tools and applications, including visualizations and dashboards, that provide SEC staff and leadership with insights into the state and functioning of markets.
• Developing and presenting analytical products that are clear and easily understood by staff who may not have extensive technical or quantitative backgrounds, to inform SEC policy choices or identify emerging issues, trends, and risks that may merit SEC action.
• Advising others on best practices for effective communication of complex, quantitative analysis to policy-makers.
• Advising OAR leadership on matters related to data, technology, and quantitative methods, including potential new data sets to acquire, selection and development of technology for querying and analyzing data, and best practices for the conduct of quantitative analysis.
• Engaging with staff throughout the Commission, market participants, and other regulators to maintain up-to-date knowledge of market practices and dynamics, and advise staff in other TM offices with respect to market practices, developments in market structure, and market data bearing on policy initiatives.
• OAR staff research contributes to the clarification of issues and contributes an analytical and transparent basis for policy choices. OAR staff may collaborate on examinations and in enforcement matters as subject-matter experts. Staff in OAR also conduct research and analysis to identify emerging issues, trends, and risks that may affect the fair, orderly, and efficient operation of markets. Work in support of this area of focus ranges from the development of market monitoring tools to the conduct of original market structure research. OAR staff typically has frequent discussions with a wide variety of market participants and external experts as part of gathering details on given topics and initiatives

Conditions of employment

• CITZENSHIP: You must be a US Citizen.
• SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/).
• DRUG TESTING: This position may be subjected to drug testing requirements.
• PERMANENT CHANGE OF STATION (PCS): Moving/Relocation expenses are not authorized.
• DIRECT DEPOSIT: All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• The selectee is required to report to the duty station(s) listed.

Qualifications

Time-in-grade for this announcement is one year at the GS/SK-14 level.

Applicants are responsible for confirming all required materials are submitted by the closing date of the announcement. Please check the How You Will Be Evaluated and Required Documents sections carefully, as missing documents will render the application incomplete and ineligible for review.

Qualifying experience may be obtained in the private or public sector. 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. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

BASIC REQUIREMENT:
A. Applicants must show successful completion of a full four-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in economics that included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus.
--OR--
B. An appropriate combination of education and experience----courses equivalent to a major in economics, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Examples of qualifying experience include economic research assignments requiring planning, information assembly, analysis and evaluation, conclusions and report preparation; supervisory or project coordination assignments involving a staff of professional economists, and requiring the evaluation and interpretation of economic information; or teaching assignments in a college or university in economic subjects in combination with one of the following: personal research that produced evidence of results, direction of graduate theses in economics, or service as a consultant or advisor on technical economics problems.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: In addition to meeting the basic requirement, applicants must also meet the minimum qualification requirement
SK-16: Applicant must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS/SK-14 level:

1. Contributing to rulemaking, policy, and/or oversight of the secondary markets for digital assets and/or related markets (such as prediction markets or perpetual contracts) or related infrastructure; AND
2. Analyzing or interpreting market data and economic information about digital assets and/or related markets (such as perpetual contracts or prediction markets) to communicate with stakeholders; AND
3. Planning, directing, or conducting research projects, with an emphasis on the market structure for and economic information about digital assets and related emerging asset classes, to develop recommendations to senior management.

ACCOMPLISHMENT RECORD COMPETENCIES: Your Accomplishment Record narratives should address the following competencies. See the How You Will Be Evaluated section below for more information:

Competency 1: Economic Modeling - Applies economic theory to make predictions and develop hypotheses.
Competency 2: Economic Research Expertise - Interprets and advises on economic policy to inform SEC positions and the public.
Competency 3: Statistical Expertise - Performs and interprets data analysis.
Competency 4: Teamwork and Collaboration - Interacts with internal and external stakeholders in a manner that advances SEC goals and objectives.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your resume and application package will first be reviewed to determine whether you meet the minimum qualification requirements outlined in the announcement. Please do not submit an Accomplishment Record at this time.

If you are found minimally qualified, the Office of Human Resources will contact you to request an Accomplishment Record. You will have 3 business days from the date of the request to submit it. Failure to submit the Accomplishment Record on time will remove you from further consideration. A response is required even if an Accomplishment Record was submitted at time of application. Because of the short turnaround time, you are strongly encouraged to begin preparing your Accomplishment Record in advance.

Once your Accomplishment Record is received, a rating panel will review both your resume and your narrative responses. Your Accomplishment Record must clearly demonstrate your proficiency in the competencies listed in the Qualifications section. Click here for guidance on writing your Accomplishment Record.

Your resume must provide evidence that supports the claims in your Accomplishment Record. Each narrative must describe one specific, relevant example from your experience or training. Responses are limited to 300 words per competency; any text beyond this limit will not be reviewed.

Accomplishment Record Format:

Competency Title

• Position title and dates from your resume that this experience was obtained
• Describe the situation (i.e., the challenged faced, the problem solved)
• Describe the specific actions you took
• State the outcome, results, or long-term impact of your accomplishment
• Name and email address of someone who can verify this information

Reference checks may be conducted as part of the final selection process, and you will be notified before any contacts are made.

Basis for Rating: The rating panel will evaluate applicants' accomplishment records and resume, then place them into one of the following categories:

• Highly Qualified - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and has extensive skills and experience in most of the job related competencies.
• Well Qualified - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and has a moderate amount of skills and experience in most of the job related competencies.
• Qualified - Meets the minimum qualification requirements, but may have a limited amount of experience in several of the job related competencies.

Top ranked applicants will be referred to the hiring office for further review and consideration. The hiring office may directly contact recommended candidates for interview(s).

To preview the Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13103411

You must provide a complete Application Package, which includes:

• Required: Your responses to the Questionnaire.
• Required: Resume - Resumes should include relevant work experience, with specific employment dates, that demonstrates qualifications for the specialized experience and competencies as outlined above. If your resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of these qualifications, you may not receive consideration for the position. Resumes that exceed two pages will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration. For resume writing tips, visit USAJOBS and the SEC careers page.
• Required, if applicable: CTAP documentation (a copy of a separation notice or other proof of eligibility for priority selection; a copy of an SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, showing current position, grade, promotion potential, and duty location; AND a copy of your most recent performance appraisal.)

SEC EMPLOYEES: OHR will verify your competitive service eligibility via the SEC's personnel database.

Next steps