International Economist

Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

As a International Economist, GS-0110-14/15, your typical work assignments may include but are not limited to the following:

• Develop methodologies and approach for research, builds relevant empirical models, and renders expert advice to senior United States Trade Representative (USTR) officials based on subsequent analysis.
• Assist USTR attorneys in representing the United States in dispute settlement proceedings under international trade agreements to which the United States is a party.
• Prepare economic assessments of foreign and United States (U.S.) policies, measures and practices related to trade to determine their impact on U.S. interests.
• Work with USTR monitoring and enforcement staff to prepare economic analyses and data necessary to support U.S. challenges.

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. citizen or national
• Selective Service registration is required if you are a male born after December 31, 1959.
• Subject to pre-employment and random drug tests.
• Must participate in the direct deposit pay program.
• New employees to the Executive Office of the President will be required to 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/.
• Required to successfully complete a one year probationary period.
• You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
• Must be determined suitable for federal employment.
• RELOCATION EXPENSES WILL NOT BE PAID
• This is a Drug Testing Designated Position (DTDP) and is covered by the Executive Office of the President Drug-Free Workplace Program.
• More than one selection may be made from this announcement.
• Cannot be competitively appointed to another position in the federal government within 90 days of start date.

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: All applicants must meet the qualification requirements outlined below to be considered minimally qualified for this position. The qualification requirements are in accordance with the OPM Qualification Standards.

ALL QUALIFICATIONS MUST BE MET BY THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: Applicants must meet one of the following criteria in order to meet the basic requirement for International Economist, GS-0110-14/15:

A. Degree: 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 in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Evaluation of Experience

Examples of qualifying experience include:

• individual 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 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.

Experience in related fields that did not involve the use and understanding of economic principles and theories may not be used as qualifying experience for these positions. Special attention on this point should be given to certain types of work that may or may not have provided professional economic experience. The following examples of work require special care in such determinations:

• economic statistics;
• industrial surveys;
• management of individual business enterprises, including farms;
• industrial planning;
• writing or editorial work in economic subjects; and
• financial market analysis.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to the above Basic Requirements, applicants must have a minimum of one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility comparable to the next lower grade or comparable pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector.

You may qualify at the GS-14 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement: One full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector, that demonstrates the following:
1. Providing economic analytical support including related data analysis and statistical work; AND
2. Assisting with preparing economic assessments of foreign and U.S. policies; AND
3. Developing methodologies and approach for research; AND
4. Assisting with applied economic analytical projects and independent research projects or research projects in conjunction with intra-and interagency work groups.

You may qualify at the GS-15 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement: One full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector, that demonstrates the following:
1. Leading economic analytical projects including related data analysis and statistical work; AND
2. Leading economic analytical modeling projects and conducting independent research; AND
3. Conducting and managing the formulation and implementation of a program of quantitative economic research; AND
4. Managing quantitative and qualitative economic analysis, research, and policy studies dealing with economic, trade investment, and commercial issues affecting assigned countries; AND
5. Establishing policy guidelines and technical evaluation procedures for economic factors in the assigned resources activities.

A well-qualified applicant is one whose knowledge, skills, and abilities clearly exceed the minimum qualification requirements of the position.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service program (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.

Once the vacancy has closed, your resume and accompanying documents will be assessed to verify your qualifications as outlined in the job announcement. If you meet the minimum qualifications, your application will be evaluated against your responses on the assessment questionnaire to gauge your experience level. Should your self-assessment exceed what is substantiated by your resume, you may be disqualified from consideration. Candidates who rank among the most qualified will be forwarded to the selecting official for potential employment.

It is essential that your resume contains comprehensive details relevant to the responsibilities and specialized experience required for the position. Directly copying from the vacancy announcement without providing additional context to illustrate your experience may lead to an ineligible rating, hindering your chances for further consideration. Your resume should clearly demonstrate your experience, education, knowledge, skills, and abilities pertinent to the role. As the primary tool for evaluating your qualifications, we urge you to be precise and thorough in detailing your experience.

Structured Resume Review. Subject matter experts (SMEs) will evaluate your resume to assess your technical qualifications for the position, focusing specifically on the required specialized experience. They will only consider the first two pages of your resume, beginning with your work experience, and will not review any additional materials such as cover letters or links included in your resume. Candidates who successfully pass this structured resume review will advance to the next stage of the assessment process.

To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12989495

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:
1. Resume: For qualification determinations, your resume must contain hours worked per week and dates of employment (i.e., month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as insufficient and you will not receive consideration for this position. If you are a current Federal employee or previous Federal employee, provide your pay plan, series and grade, i.e. GS-0301-09. Your resume must include detailed information as it relates to the responsibilities and specialized experience for this position. Evidence of copying and pasting directly from the vacancy announcement without clearly documenting supplemental information to describe your experience will result in an ineligible rating. This will prevent you from receiving further consideration. Note: If you upload more than one resume, the last resume received will be the one utilized for consideration. Please limit your resume to 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.

If you choose to use your own resume, curriculum vitae, or any other written form you choose, then you must ensure it contains all of the required information and you organize it so we can associate the following information for each experience/position:

• Job title
• Name of employer
• Beginning and ending dates of employment (month/day/year format)
• Detailed description of job duties for each job held, accomplishments, related skills, and responsibilities to include any supervisory/managerial responsibilities and number of staff supervised (if applicable)
• Your resume must show the series and grade or equivalent for all federal positions you have held (if a federal position).

2. A complete Questionnaire

3. Other supporting documents to be submitted with application:

• College transcripts (if the position has a positive education requirement, or you are qualifying on the basis of education). If your education was completed outside of the U.S., you must submit a transcript or an official evaluation of your education (e.g., from a NACES accredited organization) that is in English.
• DD214: Veterans' Preference Documentation, if applicable, a DD-214 Member 4 copy, which shows type of discharge. If still active, provide an official Statement of Service. Any other documentation such as VA letter documenting disability, SF-15, and any other required supporting documentation based your veterans' preference claim.
• SF-50: Federal applicants must submit an SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) that shows your most recent Promotion, Within Rate Increase (WRI/WGI), or Appointment/Conversion (if applying as a current or former Federal Employee) showing you are/were in the competitive service and the highest grade or promotion potential held. Do not use Award actions. If you are an EOP employee you may obtain a copy of your SF-50 from OPF or eOPF. If you have separated from Federal Government employment, you may obtain a copy of your SF-50 via: National Personnel Records Center, Annex, 1411 Boulder Boulevard, Valmeyer, IL, 62295; FAX (618) 935-3014; Email rm.communications@nara.gov; or visit the https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/new-nprc.
• Peace Corps volunteers must submit a copy of your "Description of Service (DOS)" in lieu of the SF-50. If you do not have one you should email the Peace Corps Office of Volunteer and PSC Financial Services at certify@peacecorps.gov.
• If you are currently serving in a pay banded position, please include a copy of your pay band chart with your application.

Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents contain personal information such as SSN and DOB and some documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove said personal information before you submit your application.

Next steps