KEY REQUIREMENTS



• You must be a U.S. citizen.
• If your resume is incomplete, you will not be considered for this vacancy.
• You must be registered with Selective Service if applicable (www.sss.gov).
• You must be suitable for Federal employment.
• Time-in-grade/band requirements must be met.

The individual selected for this position will:

Major Duty 1 - Responsible for preparing economic statistics on input, outputs, value added, and final expenditures in the U.S. economy.

Major Duty 2 - Responsible for developing and maintaining estimation applications using SQL, C#, and SAS.

Major Duty 3 - Develop improved methods to address limitations in current estimation procedures and gaps in data coverage.

Major Duty 4 - Interpret and analyze economic statistics from a variety of sources.

Major Duty 5 - Provide clear and concise written and verbal communications.

Major Duty 6 - Assist with technical issues related to the production of economic statistics.

Major Duty 7 - Perform individual research. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: Basic Entry Requirements for All Grade or Band Levels:

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

OR

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

BAND LEVEL REQUIREMENTS:

Band II (GS-9 Level) To qualify for the band II (GS-9 level), you must meet the basic requirements listed above and have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-7 level) or band II. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:  experience applying and using economic and statistical concepts, techniques, and methods; identifying and resolving data abnormalities; estimating and manipulating data; working collaboratively with others or as a part of a team to develop economic statistics or reports and other economic/statistical materials; communicating in person or in writing on economic related topics; and using IT tools to develop computer programs, subroutines, or data processing algorithms.   

OR

2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree

Band III (GS-11 Level) To qualify for the band III (GS-11 level), you meet the basic education requirements listed above and have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-9 level) or band II. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: experience applying and using economic and statistical concepts, techniques, and methods; identifying and resolving data abnormalities; estimating and manipulating data; working collaboratively with others or as a part of a team to develop economic statistics or reports and other economic/statistical materials; communicating in person or in writing on economic related topics; and using IT tools to develop computer programs, subroutines, or data processing algorithms.

OR

A Ph.D. in Economics or you must have three years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. in Economics.

Note: To receive consideration for this vacancy, transcripts (unofficial or official) must be faxed in before the closing date. Please refer to the faxing instructions below. There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for this position.

Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Any required investigations and clearances must be completed before the selectee can be placed in the position.

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

We will review your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation (transcripts if applicable) to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for the position.  If you meet the minimum qualifications stated in the vacancy announcement, we will compare your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to your responses on the scored occupational questionnaire that you completed as part of the application.  However, your resume or optional cover letter must support your responses to the occupational questions, or your score will be lowered.  The best-qualified candidates will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview. 

The scored occupational questionnaire will evaluate you on the following competencies; please do not provide a separate written response:

--KSA 1 - Knowledge of and ability to apply economic concepts, techniques and methods.

--KSA 2 - Ability to develop, understand, identify, and correct the sources of discrepancies in complex data processing algorithms.

--KSA 3 - Ability to communicate on economic related topics in writing and in person to a variety of audiences.

--KSA 4 - Ability to design, code, and debug data processing algorithms using SQL, C#, SAS, and/or programming languages.

--KSA 5 - Ability to prepare and analyze statistical data.

Benefits include:  health, life, dental and vision insurance, comprehensive retirement, tax-deferred Thrift Savings Plan (401K), sick and annual leave (employees accumulate 13 days of sick leave each year along with 13 to 26 vacation days, depending on years of employment), ten paid holidays, Flexible Spending Accounts.  Explore the benefits offered to most Federal employees at http://www.usa.gov/Federal_Employees/Benefits.shtml.

Additional benefits may include flexible work schedule, transportation subsidy, exercise and shower facilities, career development with a generous training program, and more. 

OTHER INFORMATION:

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan

(ICTAP) candidates will be eligible if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining a rating of at least 85 out of 100.  Information about

CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Career Transition Resources website at: http://www.opm.gov/ctap/index.asp.  CTAP/ICTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:

1. A copy of your specific Reduction In Force (RIF) notice, written notice of your expected separation or other documentation of priority consideration status;

2. A copy of your latest SF-50 - noting current position, grade or band level, and duty location;

3. A copy of your last performance appraisal including your rating; and

4. Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

The following links provide information on how you may be eligible for various hiring authorities:

*Veterans Recruitment Act (VRA)

*Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA)

*30% or more disabled veterans

*Persons with disabilities

*Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)

*Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)

 The Department of Commerce provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities.  If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the Human Resources Office.  The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis.  TTY users can contact the Human Resources Office via the Federal Relay Service, 1-800-877-8339.

Your complete application, including required documents, must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

To apply on-line, you must complete and submit an application by accessing the USAJOBS website at http://www.usajobs.gov. To begin, click the Apply Online button near on the right side of this screen and follow the prompts to register into your USAJOBS account, answer the questions, and submit all required documents.

To return to your saved application, log in to your USAJOBS account at https://my.usajobs.gov and place your cursor over “My Account” and then click on "Application Status."  Click on the position title, and then select Apply Online to continue.

If you have problems completing your on-line application, including problems submitting your supporting documents, please contact the Help Desk immediately by e-mail at mgshelp@monster.com or phone at 866-656-6831.  The help desk is available Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST.

For instructions on submitting your application in another format please contact: Candace Goode candace.p.goode@census.gov or (301) 763-3705. 

MORE THAN ONE POSITION MAY BE FILLED THROUGH THIS VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

**THIS POSITION HAS A POSITIVE EDUCATION REQUIREMENT; WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU SEND ALL OF YOUR OFFICIAL OR UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS FROM ANY ACCREDITED EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS POSITION**  

A complete application consists of the following:  *Resume showing relevant experience; cover letter optional.  Your resume must indicate your citizenship and if you are registered for Selective Service if you are a male born after 12/31/59.  Your resume should also list your education and work experience including the dates (mm/dd/yy) of each employment along with the number of hours worked per week.  For work in the Federal service, please include the grade or band level for the position(s).  Your resume will be used to validate your responses to the assessment tool(s).

*SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action," if applicable, supporting your eligibility.

*Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) documentation, if applicable. 

For more information, please go to http://www.opm.gov/staffingPortal/Vetguide.asp#VeteransEmploymentAct1998.

*Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) documentation, if applicable. See the “Other Information” section.

*Education.  If this position requires higher education, you may be asked to 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 http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/policy/ApplicationOfStds-04.asp for more information.

*Documentation supporting eligibility for non-competitive appointment, (severely disabled, eligible veterans, certain military spouses, etc.)

You are not required to submit official documents at this time; copies are sufficient.

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 of foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree.  A listing of these accredited organizations can be found here at http://www.naces.org/members.htm. 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.

AGENCY CONTACT INFO:

WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT:

We will notify you of the outcome after each step of the recruitment process has been completed.  You can check the status of your application by accessing the USAJOBS website at https://my.usajobs.gov and placing your cursor over “My Account” and then click on "Applicant Status.”

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.).