Duties

The Chief Economist and Director advises EBSA leadership and is responsible for directing and overseeing: (1) economic analysis in support of regulatory policy development; (2) economic research into employee benefits policy issues; (3) statistical and analytical support to EBSA's enforcement and other programs; and (4) actuarial support to EBSA's offices and programs. The office also supports the Secretary in their duties as Chair of the Board of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and Trustee for the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds and provides economic support for EBSA's participation in relevant international forums.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Subject to financial disclosure requirements.
• Appointment to this position may require a background investigation.
• Must meet Mandatory Technical and Executive Core Qualifications.
• Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• You must be a U.S. Citizen.

You must have one year of specialized experience at a level close to the work of this job (typically equivalent to the GS-15 level) that has given you the particular subject-matter knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform. Typically, we would find this experience in work within the field or a field that is closely related. You must demonstrate possession of specialized experience in the described duties.

Notification Concerning COVID-19 Vaccinations. As required by Executive Order 14043 , Federal executive branch employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 regardless of the employee's duty location or work arrangement (e.g., telework, remote work, etc.), subject to such exceptions as required by law. If selected, you will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and to submit documentation of proof of vaccination or to be in the process of requesting an exception to the vaccination requirement before appointment or onboarding with the agency. The agency will provide additional information regarding which forms of documentation can be accepted and how you can request to be considered for a legally required exception from this requirement.

Currently, implementation and enforcement of Executive Order 14043 has been suspended pursuant to an injunction pending further litigation.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, all applicants must write a narrative in the spaces provided detailing accomplishments that would satisfy each of the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) and Mandatory Technical Qualification (MTQ). You must address each ECQ and MTQ separately. If you fail to do so, your application will be rated ineligible.

EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS: In writing your responses to the ECQs, your narrative must address each ECQ separately in the spaces provided. Each ECQ should contain at least two examples describing your experiences and accomplishments/results. Responses to ECQ's must not exceed 10 pages. It is recommended that applicants draft their ECQs in a Word document first, then cut and paste into the spaces provided following each ECQ to ensure length requirements. For additional guidance, applicants may visit the Office of Personnel Management's Guide to Senior Executive Qualifications. Applicants are encouraged to follow the Challenge, Context, Action, and Result model outlined in the guide.

1. Leading Change: This core qualification involves the ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment.

2. Leading People: This core qualification involves the ability to lead people toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts.

3. Results Driven: This core qualification involves the ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks.

4. Business Acumen: This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically.

5. Building Coalitions: This core qualification involves the ability to build coalitions internally and with other Federal agencies, State and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals.

MANDATORY TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS: In addition to the ECQs above, qualified applicants must possess the following three (3) technical qualifications which represent the experience required to perform the duties of this position. Proficiency in these technical qualifications MUST be clearly evident in your application. MTQs include:

1. Demonstrated technical knowledge and experience to conduct at the highest professional level:

economic analysis in support of regulatory policy development.

economic research into employee benefits policy issues; and

statistical and analytical support to enforcement, compliance, and/or participant assistance programs.

2. Demonstrated experience successfully managing and overseeing the operations of a large complex organization, including performance planning and evaluation, human resource policy, budget formulation, contracting and procurement.

3. Broad knowledge of the policies and legislation implemented by EBSA and other Federal agencies (e.g., ERISA, IRC, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, Social Security, Medicare) sufficient to function as a technical authority and advisor in formulating public policy and legislation relevant to the employee benefits area.

Education

Basic Requirements

Degree: economics, that included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus.

or

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.

Additional information

DOL seeks to attract and retain a high performing and diverse workforce in which employees' differences are respected and valued to better meet the varying needs of the diverse customers we serve. DOL fosters a diverse and inclusive work environment that promotes collaboration, flexibility and fairness so that all individuals are able to participate and contribute to their full potential.