Economist – Direct Hire Authority

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. 

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.

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.