Industry Economist

Summary

This position is in the Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA), Federal Communications Commission (FCC) located in Washington, DC. RELOCATION EXPENSES WILL NOT BE PAID. THIS VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT MAY BE USED TO FILL ADDITIONAL POSITIONS WITHIN 90 DAYS.

Duties

• In collaboration with internal and external stakeholders, the incumbent specifies and implements strategies and processes for the collection, validation, compilation, and analysis of economic and industry data to enhance understanding of competition and pricing in telecommunications markets, broadband deployment, spectrum allocation, and the technological development of communications services. The incumbent also interacts directly with entities submitting information to the agency to understand data generating processes and validate submitted information. With limited guidance from senior economists, the incumbent conducts economic research and quantitative analyses related to telecommunications markets, broadband deployment, spectrum policy, and communications competition for presentation to audiences with varying levels of expertise. The incumbent drafts and presents clear, objective literature reviews, summaries of economic research, and other analytical memoranda that support economic studies. The incumbent collaborates with a multidisciplinary team to assist in the creation of unified and comprehensive economic and statistical deliverables by contributing tabulations, visualizations, and drafting written analyses. With limited guidance from senior economists, the incumbent supports the evaluation of the economic impacts and implications of proposed Commission rules and policies.

Qualifications

Interested candidates should be passionate about the ideals of our American republic, committed to upholding the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution, and committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government. Hiring decisions will not be based on race, sex, color, religion, or national origin. Applicants must meet eligibility and qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Current Federal employees asking to be considered under Merit Promotion procedures must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Qualification Criteria Step 1. All candidates must first meet the educational qualification requirements. Educational requirements are as follows: 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 plus appropriate experience or additional education. Step 2. For candidates who meet the educational qualification requirements, their resumes will be sent forward to the subject matter experts for further review. Resumes will be reviewed to determine if candidates meet the required qualification criteria and the required competencies for each grade. GS-7 Qualification Criteria: EDUCATION: 1 year of graduate-level education or superior academic achievement OR SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Candidates must have one year of specialized experience which is equivalent to the GS-5 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience: 1. Analyzing problems to identify significant factors through the application of appropriate econometric or statistical methods; identifying, collecting and validating relevant data; and interpreting competing solutions. 2. Reviewing and interpreting academic economic research for audiences with varying levels of experience. 3. Conducting exploratory data analysis and providing interpretation, including preparing visualizations, for use in decision memoranda, orders, research papers, or similar documents OR a combination of both education and experience. GS-7 Competencies: Ability to compile, clean, and verify economic data from primary and secondary sources, following exact specifications and regulations; Working familiarity with statistical or similar analytical software tools (e.g., Python, R, SAS, Power BI, Stata) needed to execute basic exploratory data analysis including organizing and summarizing data and generating meaningful visualizations, ideally for audiences with varying levels of expertise; Ability to leverage foundational knowledge of economic principles and concepts to assist in preparing and editing clearly written research summaries; reviews of academic economic research, regulatory filings, and industry publications; and other analyses that support economic studies; and Ability to collaborate with others and work with a multidisciplinary team to produce unified and comprehensive analyses. GS-9 Qualification Criteria: EDUCATION: 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree OR SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Candidates must have one year of specialized experience which is equivalent to the GS-7 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience: 1. Analyzing problems to identify significant factors through the application of appropriate econometric or statistical methods; identifying, collecting and validating relevant data; and interpreting competing solutions. 2. Reviewing and interpreting academic economic research for audiences with varying levels of experience. 3. Conducting exploratory data analysis and providing interpretation, including preparing visualizations, for use in decision memoranda, orders, research papers, or similar documents. 4. Drafting publicly facing technical writings such as articles, reports, and documentation OR a combination of both education and experience. GS-9 Competencies: Ability to compile, clean, and verify economic data from primary and secondary sources, following exact specifications and regulations; Demonstrated skill with statistical or similar analytical software tools (e.g., Python, R, SAS, Power BI, Stata) needed to execute intermediate exploratory data analysis including organizing and summarizing data and generating meaningful visualizations, ideally for audiences with varying levels of expertise; Ability to leverage foundational knowledge of economic principles and concepts to assist in preparing and editing clearly written research summaries; reviews of academic economic research, regulatory filings, and industry publications; and other analyses that support economic studies; Ability to collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to produce unified and comprehensive analyses; and Demonstrated ability to think critically about the totality of the economic impacts of policy changes, legislation, and other events. GS-11 Qualification Criteria: EDUCATION: 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Candidates must have one year of specialized experience which is equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience: 1. Analyzing problems to identify significant factors through the application of appropriate econometric or statistical methods; identifying, collecting and validating relevant data; and interpreting competing solutions. 2. Reviewing and interpreting academic economic research for audiences with varying levels of experience. 3. Conducting exploratory data analysis and providing interpretation, including preparing visualizations, for use in decision memoranda, orders, research papers, or similar documents. 4. Contributing to publicly facing technical writings such as articles, reports and documentation. 5. Evaluating and tracking regulatory policy implications through industry data OR a combination of both education and experience. GS-11 Competencies: Ability to compile, clean, and verify economic data from primary and secondary sources, following exact specifications and regulations; Demonstrated skill with statistical or similar analytical software tools (e.g., Python, R, SAS, Power BI, Stata) needed to execute intermediate exploratory data analysis including organizing and summarizing data and generating meaningful visualizations, ideally for audiences with varying levels of expertise; Ability to leverage foundational knowledge of economic principles and concepts to assist in preparing and editing clearly written research summaries; reviews of academic economic research, regulatory filings, and industry publications; and other analyses that support economic studies; Ability to collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to produce unified and comprehensive analyses; Demonstrated ability to think critically about the totality of the economic impacts of policy changes, legislation, and other events; and Ability to conduct economic research and quantitative analysis. Step 3. Subject matter experts will conduct a scored, competency based resume review. Candidates must receive a score of 90 or above in order to move forward to the next stage of the hiring process, the scored structured interview. Step 4. For candidates who receive an initial score of 90 or above on the scored, competency based resume review, a scored structured interview will be conducted by the subject matter experts. For candidates who receive a score of 90 or above on the scored structured interview will be referred to the selecting official for hiring consideration.

Requirements

See "Qualifications".

Education

See "Qualifications".

How to apply

To apply to this announcement go to the website: https://www.usajobs.gov/Search/Results?a=FC00&k=Federal%20Communications%20Commission Your application, including resume, all supplemental documents, registration information and answers to job specific questions must be received no later than midnight U.S. Eastern time of the closing date. For more information on applying federal jobs, please check this webpage https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/process As outlined in the "Required Documents Details" section of the announcement, resumes must meet be no longer than two pages in length and must meet the resume formatting requirements. If applying online poses a hardship, you may contact either the HR Specialist listed on the vacancy announcement or you may contact the Apply Government Solutions help desk (prior to the closing date of the vacancy announcement) via e-mail at [email protected] or you may reach them directly at 866-656-6831. The Apply Government Sollutions Help Desk is available Monday-Friday 7:00 am to 7:00 pm EST. NOTE: To be considered for an announced vacancy in the area of consideration within which the employee is eligible to compete, the employee must apply online using the Commission's automated recruitment system. Employees must submit all necessary application materials identified in the announcement by the specified closing date. If applying as an ICTAP or CTAP candidate... The Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) and the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) are programs designed to afford selection priority to well-qualified Federal employees who meet the definition of a “surplus” or “displaced” employee. To be eligible for consideration under CTAP you must meet all of the following criteria: 1) Be a current FCC employee who has received an official notice stating that your position is no longer needed, or that you will be separated by reduction in force (RIF); 2) Have a current performance rating of at least "fully successful" or equivalent as substantiated by the submitted/uploaded performance appraisal. This must be submitted with your application package; 3) Occupy a position in the same local commuting area of the vacancy; 4) Apply for a specific vacancy at or below your current grade level with no greater promotion potential than your current position; 5) Meet the application deadline in the announcement; and 6) Be deemed as "qualified" by meeting all of the required qualification criteria. To be eligible for consideration under ICTAP, you must be a displaced Federal employee and have a current duty station within the local commuting area of this vacancy. You must submit a copy of the appropriate documentation such as a RIF separation notice, a letter from OPM or your agency documenting your priority consideration status with your application package. The following categories of candidates are considered displaced Employees: Current or former career or career-conditional (tenure group I or II) competitive service employees who: Received a specific RIF separation notice; or Separated because of a compensable injury, whose compensation has been terminated, and whose former agency certifies that it is unable to place; or Retired with a disability and whose disability annuity has been or is being terminated; or Upon receipt of a RIF separation notice retired on the effective date of the RIF and submits a Standard Form 50 that indicates "Retirement in lieu of RIF", or Retired under the discontinued service retirement option, or Separated because he/she declined a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area. The additional following types of candidates are considered displaced Employees: Military/National Guard Technician--you were a Military Reserve or National Guard Technician and now receive a special OPM disability retirement annuity. To be eligible for consideration under ICTAP you must: 1) Have a current performance rating of at least "fully successful" or equivalent; 2) Occupy (or have been separated from) a position in the same local commuting area of the vacancy; 3) Apply for a specific vacancy at or below the grade level you are being (or have been) separated from that does not have greater promotion potential than your last position; 4) Meet the application deadline; and 5) Be deemed as "qualified" by meeting all of the required qualification criteria.