Researcher - Interdisciplinary Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. 24-DO-963-DH Department Treasury, Departmental Offices
Salary $133,965.00 to $188,593.00 Grade 53 to 53
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 9/17/2024 Close Date 3/31/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

This position is located at Departmental Offices,Domestic Finance - Office of Financial Research. As a/an Researcher - Interdisciplinary, you will be planning and conducting complex financial and economic research projects, including but not limited to short and long-term assignments involving broad systemic risk measurement and monitoring, and the identification and evaluation of innovation and its impact on financial markets, institutions, and the economy.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

U.S. citizens or U.S. Nationals; no prior Federal experience is required. This is an open continuous announcement. The open period is 6 months. Applications will be reviewed on the established cut dates: 9/30/2024, 10/31/2024, 11/30/2024, 12/31/2024, 1/15/2025, 1/31/2025, 2/28/2025, 3/31/2025.

Duties

As a Researcher - Interdisciplinary, you will:

  • Plan and conduct research projects, including short and long-term research assignments, broad systemic risk measurement and monitoring, and identifying and evaluating innovation and its impact on financial markets, institutions, and the economy.
  • Develop, identify, and apply appropriate statistical models and empirical techniques to analyze and assess the potential impact of financial, economic, political, and technological developments, as well as existing or proposed policies on the financial system.
  • Work with other analysts both within and outside the OFR to monitor and assess the significance of current and future financial, economic, political, and technological developments, including producing memos and papers on such developments, occasionally under tight time constraints.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

Key Requirements:

  • Must be U.S. Citizen or U.S. National.
  • A one-year probationary period may be required.
  • Must successfully complete a background investigation.
  • Public Trust - Background Investigation will be required.
  • All new hires will be required to comply with federal ethics laws. A review of financial or other interests may be conducted to determine if they create any real or apparent conflict of interests with official Treasury duties.
  • Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
  • Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
  • If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
  • Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
  • Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
  • Please refer to the "Additional Information" section for additional Conditions of Employment.

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Specialized experience for the Band 53, (GS 13): An applicant must have one year of specialized experience at or, equivalent to at least the Band 52 (GS-12) in the Federal service.

Specialized experience for this position includes:
-Planning, conducting, and completing economic or financial research papers, not required or submitted for course requirements, using economic data or developing economic models on topics related to financial markets, financial institutions, or financial stability.
Examples of such experience might include:
-Serving as a research assistant at a college or university for work led by a faculty member or professor on topics regarding financial markets, financial institutions, or financial stability, or independently planning, conducting, and executing research on such topics; OR
-Serving as a teaching assistant for a college or graduate-level course in economics, finance, or mathematics led by a faculty member or professor, or independently planning and teaching a college or graduate-level course in those fields; OR
-Applying quantitative analytical and research techniques to examine questions concerning financial markets, financial institutions, or financial stability, and writing or co-authoring papers based on that research and intended for publication in a relevant academic, peer-reviewed journal.

Examples that do not meet the specialized experience include:
-Experience related to budgeting, financial analysis, accounting, cost-benefit analysis, cost effectiveness, procurement, data management, data operations, IT management of data, operations research, marketing research, equity or fixed income analysis; AND/OR
-Teaching experience below the college or university level and/or outside the fields of economics, finance, or mathematics.

Research experience on topics related to financial stability is preferred but not required.

The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your resumé.

Education

The education generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.

Basic Requirements for Economist, 0110

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. ( no answer)

OR
Basic Requirements for Mathematician, 1520

A. Degree: mathematics; or the equivalent of a major that included at least 24 semester hours in mathematics.
OR
B. Combination of education and experience -- courses equivalent to a major in mathematics (including at least 24 semester hours in mathematics), as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

The total course work in either A or B above must have included differential and integral calculus and, in addition, four advanced mathematics courses requiring calculus or equivalent mathematics courses as a prerequisite.
OR
Basic Requirements of Statistician, 1530
A. Degree: that included 15 semester hours in statistics (or in mathematics and statistics, provided at least 6 semester hours were in statistics), and 9 additional semester hours in one or more of the following: physical or biological sciences, medicine, education, or engineering; or in the social sciences including demography, history, economics, social welfare, geography, international relations, social or cultural anthropology, health sociology, political science, public administration, psychology, etc. Credit toward meeting statistical course requirements should be given for courses in which 50 percent of the course content appears to be statistical methods, e.g., courses that included studies in research methods in psychology or economics such as tests and measurements or business cycles, or courses in methods of processing mass statistical data such as tabulating methods or electronic data processing.
OR
B. Combination of education and experience -- courses as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. The experience should have included a full range of professional statistical work such as (a) sampling, (b) collecting, computing, and analyzing statistical data, and (c) applying statistical techniques such as measurement of central tendency, dispersion, skewness, sampling error, simple and multiple correlation, analysis of variance, and tests of significance.

Additional information

The Office of Financial Research (OFR) is recruiting to fill a key position. We offer both flexible work schedules and an opportunity for challenging and interesting work. The OFR is located in the heart of Washington, DC with an office on 14th street, near the White House, a few blocks from the McPherson Square and Metro Center metro stations, and close to shops, museums, and restaurants. The Office of Financial Research (OFR or Office) is a newer organization established by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act in the Treasury Department to provide data and analysis to the Financial Stability Oversight Council (the Council) and its member agencies, improve the quality and transparency of financial information, conduct and sponsor research related to financial stability, and promote best practices in risk management.


OTHER INFORMATION:

  • We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
  • This is a non-bargaining unit position.
  • A recruitment incentive may be offered.
  • Relocation expenses will not be paid.
  • Student loan repayment may be offered.
  • We offer opportunities for telework.
  • We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules.
  • This position requires that the successful candidate undergo personnel vetting, which includes a background investigation and enrollment upon onboarding into "Continuous Vetting." Enrollment in Continuous Vetting will result in automated record checks being conducted throughout one's employment with Treasury. The successful candidate will also be enrolled into FBI's Rap Back service, which will allow Treasury to receive notification from the FBI of criminal matters (e.g., arrests, charges, convictions) involving enrolled individuals in near real-time. For more information about individual rights, Noncriminal Justice Applicant's Privacy Rights - FBI, FD-258 Privacy Act Statement - FBI, and SEAD-3-Reporting-U.pdf (dni.gov).

OFR's benefits package includes: - Challenging work, opportunities for advancement, federal and non-federal benefits and competitive salaries- Eleven paid holidays, 13 days of sick leave, and 13 to 26 days of vacation time each year- Health insurance plans, paying a substantial amount (up to 75%) of the health insurance premiums, coverage for pre-existing conditions, and no waiting period.-Retirement program, including employer-matching contributions- Supplemental dental and vision coverage at no cost to the employee, long and short term disability coverage, domestic partner subsidies (where applicable), 24-hour business travel accident insurance, and enhanced life insurance coverage- Performance-based merit pay program designed to reward employees for excellent performance- For more information on OFR's benefits, visit: https://www.financialresearch.gov/compensation-and-benefits/- Learn more about Federal benefits programs at: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Pay_and_Benefi

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.

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 announcement is issued under the "direct-hire" authority. Consistent with 5 U.S.C. 3304(a)(3) and OPM regulations (5 CFR 337 Subpart B) on direct-hire: All candidates who meet all the qualifications and other eligibility requirements may be referred for consideration. Competitive examining rules providing for rating and ranking and veterans' preference do not apply.

Your application includes your resumé, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resumé includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resumé may result in a "not qualified" determination.

Rating: Your application will be evaluated in the following areas: Analytical, Communication, Research and Analysis, and Technical

Referral: All candidates who meet all the qualifications and other eligibility requirements may be referred for consideration. Competitive examining rules providing for rating and ranking and veterans' preference do not apply.

If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)) you must have a score of 85 or better to be rated as "well qualified" to receive special selection priority.

Required Documents

A complete application includes:

1. A resume: All applicants are required to submit a resumé, either by creating one in USAJOBS, or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.)

  • Please limit your resume to 5 pages. If more than 5 pages are submitted, your resume will still be accepted, however only the first 5 pages will be reviewed and considered for qualifications and eligibility determination in whether or not the minimum qualifications for the position have been met.
  • To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resumé.
  • It is suggested that you preview the entire announcement and online assessment questionnaire, to ensure that your resumé thoroughly describes how your skills and experience align to the criteria defined in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement and support your responses to the online assessment questionnaire.
  • For resumé writing guidance, please visit USAJOBS Resources Center.
2. Vacancy assessment question responses: All applicants are required to complete vacancy question responses by clicking the apply online button of this vacancy announcement.

3. Submission of any required documents identified below, if applicable: Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).
  • CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP) OR INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP) DOCUMENTATION: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP/ICTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents you must submit in order to be eligible.
  • EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION:
    • You are not required to submit transcripts for this initial phase of the application process. Candidates will be referred for consideration based on their self-certification. If you are selected for a position which has a positive education requirement (as described in the vacancy announcement) and/or you are qualifying solely on your education, you will be required to submit official transcripts verifying your qualifications prior to a job offer being issued.
    • A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.

How to Apply

DO has partnered with the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service to provide certain personnel services to its organization. Fiscal Service's responsibilities include advertising vacancies, accepting and handling applications, and extending job offers.

The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on the announcement's closing date.

The Bureau provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.

  • To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
  • Follow the prompts to select your resumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
  • After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
  • You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
To verify the status of your application:
-Log into your USAJOBS account (USAJOBS Login). A list of announcements in which you have applied is at the Welcome screen.
-Under "application status," click "Track this application" and you will be taken to the agency website where you can check your application status.

For more information regarding the job and applicant status, please refer to https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/

If you wish to make changes/updates to your application and the vacancy is still open, you can click on the job announcement and "Update Application" to be taken back to your application. No updates can be made once the announcement has closed.

Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.

For additional information on how to apply, please visit the Partnership for Public Service's Go Government website.

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Treasury and its bureaus from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Treasury by email at, FairChanceAct@treasury.gov.

To learn more, please visit our page at: Treasury.gov/fairchanceact.

To preview the assessment questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12549464

Agency contact information

Applicant Call Center
Address
Domestic Finance - Office of Financial Research
Administrative Resource Center
Parkersburg, WV 26101
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Once the online questionnaire is received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. We will review your resumé and transcript(s) (if appropriate) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided and may interview the best-qualified applicants. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct any required suitability and/or security background investigation.


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


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