Industry Economist (Data Scientist)

About the role

The position is located in Policy and Pricing (PTMP) organization within the Market Analysis, Pricing and Policy (PTM) organization of Bulk Marketing (PT), Power Services (PS), Bonneville Power Administration (BPA).

The purpose of this position is to perform duties in support of the short-term, mid-term, and long term modeling of the Western Interconnection and associated price forecasts.

What you will do

• About the Position - Portland This position is located in Portland, OR which boasts huge spans of amazing trees, foliage, landscape, and everywhere you look you can appreciate beautiful greenery!
• It is known as the most bike-friendly city in America, has a train system that greets you at the airport spanning across the city, and is home to the Portland International Rose Garden, the oldest in the country!
• Portland is the one place where you will find lively festivals, energetic music, mouthwatering food, and for you basketball fans, the Portland Trail Blazers are a 7 minute walk from the HQs building!
• There is always something new to experience in this eco-friendly town!
• As a Industry Economist (Data Scientist), you will: Work closely with the lead Aurora modeler and is responsible for joint operation and maintenance of Aurora (a third-party production cost model used by Bonneville), and independent development, operation, and maintenance of associated fundamental risk models, and generating projections of resource builds across the entire Western Interconnection in order to produce official price forecasts under a wide range of potential future technological, economic, policy, and environmental conditions.
• Use existing models to perform analysis of the Western Interconnection and produce distributions of prices and other key outputs to facilitate interpretation of new and existing policies.
• Perform both complex and routine simulations of the Western Interconnection under a wide variety of potential conditions and policy formulations.
• Extends existing models to encompass new features and logic (such as employing risk-informed, mixed integer programming-based commitments in the simulation to improve fidelity with current and expected market practices, or improving modeled behavior of energy storage systems) and integrates new models as necessary.
• Manage relationship with software providers for commercial software applications and ensures integration with BPA systems.
• Clearly and concisely summarize and present results to senior executives (i.e. Power Management Committee, Risk Committee), customers and stakeholder organizations, internal technical experts, and other state and regional power planners (i.e. Northwest Power and Conservation Council staff, and state utility commission staff).
• Solicit and incorporate feedback from consumers of the studies to refine results, analysis, approach and overall conclusions.

Requirements

• In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire.
• Answer to these questions is not scored or rated.
• Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration.
• When you apply you will be asked a series of questions to determine your eligibility for employment and your qualification for this position specifically.
• You must answer all of these questions completely and truthfully.
• Key Requirements: You must be a United States Citizen.
• This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
• Males must abide by Selective Service registration requirements.
• You will be required to report in person to the official duty location.
• Conditions of Employment: Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by a background investigation.
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary period.

Education

This vacancy has a positive education requirement. In order to be rated as qualified, you must provide copies of your college transcripts. Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

See Department of Education Accreditation Search to verify school accreditation. Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website.

DO NOT email or mail in any of your application documents.

Documents will not be accepted outside of the online application system. If substituting education for specialized experience you must submit proof of your qualifying education. Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

See Department of Education Accreditation Search to verify school accreditation.

Failure to provide college transcripts may result in a rating of 'Ineligible'.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. This position is announced under a government-wide Direct-Hire Authority (DHA) for Industry Economist (Data Scientist) positions in the 0110 series.

Under the DHA, all applicants who meet the Education and Qualification requirements listed in this announcement, at the grade level they are applying, will be forwarded to the Selecting Official for consideration. Veteran's Preference, category rating, and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply under the DHA process.

Minimum Qualifications: Once the application process is complete, the Human Resources Offices or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will review your two-page resume and supporting documentation to determine whether you meet the minimum job qualifications.

If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses you provided in your online questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible' or 'not qualified'.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics): Arithmetic/Mathematical Reasoning Attention to Detail Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Self-Management Teamwork If you are eligible for career transition assistance plans such as ICTAP or CTAP, you must meet the Education and Qualification requirements listed in this announcement to be referred for consideration.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date (11/20/2026) of this announcement.

To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click ***

Documents you must provide

• duties performed; full name and address of each employer; start and end dates (month/day/year); work schedule (part-time, full-time, number of hours if intermittent); salary; and any completed education and training (program title, subject area, number of hours completed, and completion date).
• Information on how to create a federal resume *** Cover Letter, optional, expressing additional information not covered in your resume.
• Transcripts, if specific educational requirements are indicated in this job announcement.
• Unofficial transcripts or any report listing institution, course title, credits earned (semester or quarter hour) and final grade is acceptable.
• It is your responsibility to provide adequate proof that you meet the educational requirements.
• Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program documentation, if applicable (e.g., Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.) For more information see the OPM Guide to Career Transition.
• Failure to submit any of the above mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package.
• It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

What to expect next

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. The status of your application will be updated in USAJOBS as it is evaluated. You can check the status by logging into USAJOBS.

You may also sign up to receive automatic emails anytime the status of your application changes by logging into your USAJobs Account and editing the Notification Settings. You will be contacted directly if an interview is required.

Please check that your USAJOBS profile contact information is current and correct each time you apply to a job--this will ensure we are able to contact you as quickly as possible.

In addition to changing your status online, we will send you e-mail notifications at each major step in the process, to include: application received, eligible or not eligible, referred or not referred, selected or not selected.

Additional information

EEO Policy: USAJOBS Help Center | Equal employment opportunity policy Reasonable Accommodation Policy: Employees or applicants may request Reasonable Accommodation (RA) for assistance, when applying or competing for a job or performing a job due to their medical condition or to exercise their religious beliefs.

If you need reasonable accommodation in the application or selection process, please contact the Staffing Specialist listed on this vacancy announcement.

USAJOBS Help Center | Reasonable accommodation policy Reasonable Accommodation for USAHire: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application.

Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis.

If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments.

You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement.

To determine if you need a Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here. Veterans Information: USAJOBS Help Center - Veterans Veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Telework: *** Selective Service Registration: *** - Who must register: *** Hiring incentives may be authorized for a highly qualified candidate based on budget availability and in accordance with federal regulations. BPA strives to ensure a safe and positive work environment.

We also understand the importance of work/life balance and offer a variety of programs and policies designed to create more flexible, responsive work environments supportive of commitments to community, home and family members.

BPA also supports employees' overall wellness through its Be Well program, which helps employees adopt healthier lifestyles and feel better about their work/life balance. The program supports five key areas of life: career, community, financial, physical and social.?