Duties

Summary

The position is located in the Department of Labor (DOL), Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA).

- This position is inside the bargaining unit.

- Telework eligible.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The Department of Labor seeks to fill several economist positions located in the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA). EBSA is committed to protecting retirement, health, and other employee benefits, thereby advancing the retirement security and health of our nation's workers and retirees. EBSA, through its enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and other related health benefits laws, protects the security of retirement and health plan benefits and assets for all workers who are covered by employer-sponsored pension and welfare benefit plans.

Major duties for this position include but are not limited to, the following:

- Independently plans, leads, and executes complex research and evaluation projects of major significance and related to the labor market aspects of employee benefit plans. Studies may assess trends in employee benefit plans and the impact of ERISA and proposed legislation on analyses conducted in other Federal executive and Congressional offices, assesses their impact on the research program, and, when finalized, provides technical guidance to the Director/Deputy Director and Agency executive staff on incorporating policy and programmatic changes.

- Recommends new labor market and benefit areas for study and investigation; defines problem areas; identifies areas where new policy and guidelines should be developed; and recommends initiation of labor-market research projects and areas of staff and Agency concentration.

- Conducts analyses of economic effects of EBSA proposed and final regulations and ERISA class exemptions, in satisfaction of the requirements of Executive Order 12866, the Regulatory Flexible Act, and similar mandates.

- Initiates and maintains professional contacts for a mutual exchange of information and to assure productive cooperation within the Government and between government and the private sector. Provides advice, recommendations, and information on issues or developments having an impact or bearing on the research, evaluation, and long-term planning work of the Office.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
14 - This position is at the full performance level.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be at least 16 years old and an U.S. Citizenship.
• Appointment to this position may require a background investigation.
• Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Candidate required to obtain/maintain-Non-Sensitive Low Risk invesitgation.

Applicants must meet time-in-grade, time-after-competitive-appointment and qualifications requirements within 30 calendar days after the closing date of the vacancy to be eligible for consideration for selection.

Federal Employees Please Note: Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met and reflects your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure and the type of appointment (i.e. competitive/excepted). In some cases you may need to submit more than one SF-50.

Reference the "Required Documents" section for additional requirements.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: (You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to verify that the Basic Requirements listed above are met). Reference the "Required Document" Section.

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

OR

B. Combination of Education and Experience:courses equivalent to a major in economics, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must also meet the Specialized Experience outlined below.

Specialized Experience: Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-13, in the Federal Service. Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.

Specialized experience is defined as using advanced economic theory, statistical or econometric methods to analyze policy, legislative, regulatory issues relating to various aspects important to private employee benefits (e.g., economic research studies or use of current statistical software packages like SAS, Stata, or R to conduct analysis) or experience using primary and secondary databases relevant to private employment-based health and retirement benefits (e.g., Form 5500, Form M-1, CPS, SIPP, MEPS, SCF, HRS, PSID, Morningstar, or various industry databases relevant to private employee benefits) to provide technical guidance or briefings to senior level managers.

Education

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum course work requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

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.

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION , ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION

- Additional vacancies may be filled from this announcement.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Click here for Evaluation details. For Displaced Employees ONLY: if you meet the eligibility requirements for special priority selection under ICTAP / CTAP , you must be well-qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. ICTAP/CTAP eligibles will be considered "well-qualified" if they attain at least a rating score of 85 in a numerical rating scheme. Be sure to review DOL Account Eligibility Questions #24 and 27 to reflect that you are applying as an ICTAP/CTAP eligible and submit supporting documentation.

Evaluation Factors (Competencies) - All qualified applicants will be evaluated on the following key competencies:

Oral/Written Communications - 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. Uses correct English grammar, punctuation, and spelling to communicate information (for example, facts, ideas, or messages) in a clear, succinct, and organized manner.

Critical Thinking/Problem Solving - Identifies and analyzes problems; determines accuracy and relevancy of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives and make recommendations. Identifies rules, principles, or relationships that explain facts, data, or other information; analyzes information and makes correct inferences or draws accurate conclusions.

Self-Management & Interpersonal Skills - Organizes work and sets realistic goals; displays a high level of initiative, effort and commitment towards completing assignments in a timely manner; is motivated to achieve; demonstrates responsible behavior. Demonstrates interpersonal skills that support an environment in which constructive communications take place.

Economics Technical - Knowledge of labor, health and financial markets especially as it applies to employee benefits; Knowledge of current economic theories, methods, evidence, and economic studies.

The information you provide may be verified by a review of your work experience and/or education, by checking references and through other means (ex. interview). Your evaluation may also include a review by an HR Specialist or panel and may include other assessment tools (ex. interview, structured interview, written test, work sample, etc). The examining Human Resources Office (HRO) makes the final determination concerning applicant ratings. Your resume MUST provide sufficient information to substantiate your vacancy question responses. If not, the HRO may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the level of competency indicated by the content of your resume.

To preview questions please click here .

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 must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date. Warning: If you submit a document using the same document title, the 2nd submission will OVERWRITE the 1st submission. Also, do not upload password-protected documents.

- The following documents are required from all applicants (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY):

ARE YOU A CURRENT OR FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEE? If applying as a status candidate with current or former Federal Service, please provide a copy of your last or most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" which shows your appointment eligibility for the position for which you are applying. Your SF-50 must identify the highest grade you held on a permanent basis, Pay Plan/Pay Schedule, Series, and Grade/Pay Band, and career status. Multiple SF-50 may be submitted to demonstrate your highest previous rate and eligibility.

*WARNING: An award SF-50 (ex. cash or time off award) may not indicate grade, step, and competitive status. For current DOL employees, an award SF-50 DOES NOT indicate grade and step.

- Resumes are required- provide a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one from your profile. To receive full consideration for relevant and specialized experience, please list month, year, and the number of work hours worked for experience listed on your resume. We also suggest that you preview the vacancy questions, and confirm that your resume supports your question responses.

- Most recent performance appraisal/evaluation signed and dated within 18 months is requested by the agency, but will not disqualify candidates if not submitted. If not submitted during the application process, one may/will be requested at the time of the interview if the opportunity is extended. Applies to current and former Federal employees.

The following documents are required if applicable:

- Displaced Employee Placement Documents - Only required if requesting priority consideration under CTAP .

- Cover Letters are not mandatory and will not be used to verify experience, but may be submitted.

Applicants selected for employment who are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship , and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires.

Unofficial Transcript(s) (in English) - If you are using education as a basis for qualifying for this position, you must submit all applicable academic transcripts demonstrating that you meet the qualifying educational requirements (ex. BA/BS, MA, JD, Ph.D., etc.). If specific coursework is required to qualify, you must supply an unofficial transcript from each academic institution in which the required courses were taken in order to receive credit.

You may upload your unofficial transcript(s) as one document (3 MB size limit). If over 3 MB, please submit via fax feature.

NOTE: The OFFICIAL Transcript(s) MUST BE RECEIVED, if you are selected, and prior to receiving the firm offer with a start date.

Reference the "Education Section" for College Transcript and Evaluation of Foreign Education.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.