International Economist

About the role

This vacancy is for an International Economist in the International Trade Administration within the Department of Commerce.

What you will do

• Conducts economic research and analysis, develops methodologies and approaches for research.
• Plans and carries out a project for collecting detailed economic data which requires that complete understanding of the broad research plans and goals and the principles and policies governing analysis, tabulation, and reporting.
• Prepares reports and recommendations regarding important program aspects.
• Advises work group members and responding to inquiries from the public and senior agency officials.
• This Job Opportunity Announcement may be used to fill other International Economist GS-0110-11/12/13, FPL GS-13 positions within the Department of Commerce in the same geographical location or local commuting area with the same qualifications and specialized experience.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• This position requires a SECRET CLEARANCE: Any required investigations and clearances must be completed before the selectee can be placed in the position.
• You must successfully pass a background investigation.
• This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.
• A probationary period may be required.
• Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see ***).
• If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application.
• All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• Bargaining Unit Position: No Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE form 450): No Permanent Change of Duty Station (PCS) Expense: will not be paid License required: Incumbent is required to operate a motor vehicle and must possess a current active state issued Driver's license.
• No Drug Test Required: Yes, This position is subject to pre-employment drug testing and random drug testing thereafter.

Education

See Qualifications Above. NOTE: Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities.

Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree.

You MUST provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing along with your application.

Failure to provide such documentation when requested will result in lost consideration.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., two-page resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, the result of the USA Hire assessment and structured resume review required for this position.If you meet the minimum qualifications stated in the vacancy announcement, you will be placed in one of the three pre-defined categories.

The categories are "gold", "silver" and "bronze". Candidates placed in the "gold" category will be identified for referral to the hiring manager.How you will be evaluated for preference eligibility: Within each category, those entitled to veterans' preference will be listed at the top of the pre-defined category for which they are placed.

Preference eligible with a service-connected disability of 10% or more will be listed at the top of the highest quality category (gold) depending on the position and grade level of the job.

For more information on Category Rating, please go to Category Rating.For Certain Military Spouses: All applicants who meet the qualification requirements and military spouse noncompetitive eligibility requirements (see "Additional Information" section above") will be forwarded to the Selecting Official for consideration on a separate referral list.

While veterans' preference is not a consideration when filling positions under the military spouse non-competitive hiring authority, preference eligibles are encouraged to submit their supporting documentation (DD-214, stating disposition of discharge or character of service, VA letter, SF-15, etc.).All:The assessments will evaluate you on the following general/technical competencies required to perform the job; please do not provide a separate written response: Economics Research and Analytical Skills Written Communication Planning and Evaluating Oral Communication Interpersonal Skills Learning Self-Management Teamwork Decision Making Arithmetic/Mathematical Reasoning Reading Comprehension To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process.

In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment.Do NOT include the following types of information in your resume/application. If any are included, you will be deemed INELIGIBLE for consideration.

Classified or government sensitive information Social Security Number (SSN) Photos of yourself Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc. We recommend that you preview the online questions for this announcement before you start the application process.

To preview the questionnaire, click the following link: ***

Documents you must provide

• A complete application consists of the following: Resume.
• Your resume should list your educational and work experience including the dates (mm/dd/yy) of each employment along with the number of hours worked per week, if less than 40.
• Your resume may be used to validate your responses to the qualifications/assessments.
• Your resume should also indicate your citizenship and if you are registered with the Selective Service System if you are a male born after 12/31/59.
• Refer to the "How you will be Evaluated' section for types of information not to include in your resume/application.
• Veterans' Preference documentation.
• Please indicate on your resume the type of veterans' preference you are claiming and provide the appropriate supporting documentation (DD-214 stating disposition of discharge or character of service, VA letter, SF-15, etc.) to validate your claim.
• For more information regarding eligibility requirements, please go to: *** Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) documentation, if applicable. -CTAP or ICTAP applicant(s), MUST submit the following documents: A copy of your specific RIF notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; or a Certificate of Expected Separation (CES); or certification that you are in a surplus organization or occupation (this could be a position abolishment letter, a notice eligibility for discontinued service retirement, or similar notice); or notice of disability annuity termination; or certification from your former agency that it cannot place you after your recovery from a compensable injury; or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement; or a copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" documenting your RIF separation, noting your positions, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through RPL, etc; Any documentation from your agency that shows your latest performance appraisal rating; AND Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.
• If this position requires proof of higher education, or you are substituting education for experience, you must submit an unofficial transcript or a list of courses that includes the following information: name of accredited institution, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned.
• Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements.
• Please refer to *** for more information.
• Certain Military Spouses: 1.) Spouse of a member of the armed forces serving on active duty:A copy of the service member's active duty orders specifying they are currently on active-duty, AND documentation verifying marriage to the member of the armed forces.2.) Spouse of service member who incurred a 100% disability: A copy of the service member's DD-214 showing the service member retired or was released or discharged from active duty, a copy of a VA letter indicating the service member has a disability rating of 100 percent or more due to a service-connected disability, AND documentation verifying marriage to the member of the armed forces.3.) Un-remarried widow or widower of a service member killed while performing active duty:A copy of the service member's DD-214 showing the service member was released or discharged from active-duty due to their death while on active duty; documentation verifying the service member was killed performing active duty (DD 1300); documentation verifying marriage to the service member at the time the service member is killed while on active duty; AND a statement certifying you are the un-married widow or widower of the service member.
• Are you a current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee?
• Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment: Position title; Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee); Agency; and Beginning and ending dates of appointment.
• You are not required to submit official documents at this time; copies are sufficient.Failure to provide such documents when requested may result in lost consideration.Special Instructions for Foreign Education: See Note in Education Section for additional information.

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. 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.

What to expect next

Based on your application and your responses to the application questionnaire, you may be presented with instructions on how to access the USA Hire system to complete the online assessments.You will be notified of your application status through USAJOBS at four points during the hiring process, as applicable.

You can check the status of your application by accessing the USAJOBS website at *** and clicking on "Track Your Online Application." The four points of notification are: Application Received or Application Incomplete Minimum Qualification Requirement Met or Minimum Qualification Not Met; Eligible (Application Referred to the Selecting Official) or Ineligible (Application Not Referred to the Selecting Official); and Selected or Not Selected.

By submitting your application, you are certifying the accuracy of the information contained in your application. If you make a false statement in any part of your application, you may not be hired; you may be terminated after you begin work; or, you may be fined or jailed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.

You will be required to submit official documentation prior to appointment.

The agency will then verify the information provided on your application (i.e., degree, veterans' preference, disability, etc.).

Additional information

The following links provide information on various hiring authorities that do not fall under competitive examining procedures; however, they may enable you to apply through merit assignment procedures, or be eligible for a non-competitive appointment.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) Military Spouse Non-Competitive Hiring Authority ICTAP and CTAP Eligibles: CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be eligible if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a rating of 85 out of 100.

Information about ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Career Transition Resources website at: Employee Guide to Career Transition Military Spouse The spouse of a member of the armed forces seeking eligibility under the non-competitive hiring authority of certain military spouse MUST submit various required documentation by the closing date of the announcement in accordance with one of the three below eligibilities: 1.) Spouse of a member of the armed forces serving on active duty, 2.) Spouse of service member who incurred a 100% disability, or 3.) Un-remarried widow or widower of a service member killed while performing active duty.

Please review the "Required Documents" Section for specific documents pertaining to each of the above eligibilities that MUST be included with your application, if you are applying as a Military Spouse. Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees.

If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Reasonable Accommodations (RA) Requests: 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 RA in your online application.

Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA 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 RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.