Duties

Summary

The position is located in the Office of Nutrition Guidance and Analysis in the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. The applicant is responsible for supporting the development of the USDA Food Plans, including the Thrifty Food Plan, and other Center activities, including food pattern modeling and, various types of data analyses in coordination with Center staff.
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Responsibilities

• Professional knowledge of economic theory and a thorough knowledge of statistical and econometric methods and analysis with applications in the field of nutrition.
• Practical knowledge of nutrition and food terminology and basic concepts of nutrition and the importance of nutrition to health.
• Familiarity with the recent literature on Government food assistance programs, and the associated research and policy issues.
• Familiarity with the latest pertinent statistical and econometric literature in order to adapt and apply new methods of analysis to problems involving the analysis of dietary consumption survey data and to evaluate related research proposals.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel occasionally for this position.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
13

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a US Citizen or US National
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check
• Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.
• Direct Deposit ? Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov/

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

To meet the GS-13, you must at least demonstrate one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-12 or pay band in the federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector that demonstrates knowledge in economic theory, statistics, and econometric methods. Specific work experience must demonstrate some or all of the following duties:

1) Professional knowledge of economic theory and a thorough knowledge of statistical and econometric methods and analysis, evidenced by a Ph.D. degree in economics, agricultural economics, or a related field, or equivalent experience, with application to the field of nutrition;
2) Practical knowledge of nutrition and food terminology and basic concepts of nutrition and the importance of nutrition to health;
3) Familiarity with the recent literature on Government food assistance programs, and the associated research and policy issues; and
4) Familiarity with the latest pertinent statistical and econometric literature in order to adapt and apply new methods of analysis to problems involving the analysis of dietary consumption survey data and to evaluate related research proposals.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

Applicants must meet the following Basic Education Requirements for the Economist series, 0110, GS-13 position.

At least a bachelor's degree in economics, that included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus.

OR

I have a combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in economics, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.

Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Applications will be evaluated in accordance with Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Delegated Examining Procedures and USDA policy using category rating. Applicants who meet basic minimum qualifications will be placed in one of two or three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Category placement will be determined based on applicants' quality of experience and the extent they possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) or competencies:

• Economics - Knowledge of economic policy, principles, and practices, market and non-market values, and the analysis and reporting of economic data.
• Computer Skills - Uses computers, software applications, databases, and automated systems to accomplish work.
• Self-Management - Sets well-defined and realistic personal goals; displays a high level of initiative, effort, and commitment towards completing assignments in a timely manner; works with minimal supervision; is motivated to achieve; demonstrates responsible behavior.
• Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
• Planning and Evaluating - Organizes work, sets priorities, and determines resource requirements; determines short- or long-term goals and strategies to achieve them; coordinates with other organizations or parts of the organization to accomplish goals; monitors progress and evaluates outcomes.
• Written Communication - Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.

Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Those determined to be in the best qualified category will be referred to the selecting official for consideration.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

Clicking the link below will present a preview of the application form; i.e. the online questionnaire. The application form link below will only provide a preview and does not initiate the application process. To initiate the online application process, click the "Apply" button to the right.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11038103

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, your system failure, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.

• Resume that includes:1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) other qualifications.
• You must submit a copy of your college transcripts . An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application if it includes your name and the necessary course information; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit the NACES website. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
• Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.