Summary

This position is located at Department of Housing and Urban Development, Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research.

This opportunity is also open to Status Candidates under Announcement . Please refer to that announcement for details on open period, eligibility, and how to apply. Please refer to that announcement for details on open period, eligibility, and how to apply.

Duties

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HUD's Mission

The mission of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is to foster strong communities by supporting access to quality, affordable housing, expanding the housing supply, and unlocking homeownership opportunities for the American people. The Department is committed to furthering the promise of self-sufficiency in every American while promoting economic development to revitalize rural, tribal, and urban communities across the country.

This position is located in the Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R), The Office of Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research. PD&R is responsible for providing advice and information to the Secretary to further the agency's, policy agenda; for maintaining current information to monitor housing needs, housing market conditions, and the operation of existing programs; and for conducting research on priority housing and community development issues. The Office of Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research is responsible to the Secretary on overall Department policy, program evaluation, and research.

As a Economist, you will:

• Assist the Director of the Housing Finance Analysis Division by conducting economic analyses that address problems of great difficulty and critical importance.
• Prepare research designs for economic studies related to the Department's general housing and housing finance responsibilities, usually involving problems of great difficulty and critical importance.
• Advise the Division Director on what policy relevant questions should be answered as part of the economic study and whether the questions are answerable within the time and resources available and within the limitations of economic methodology.
• Develop research designs answering important economic questions as in an analysis of the impacts of new mortgage types on housing affordability and the FHA Insurance Fund.
• Obtain input from program or field office staff into the research design and explain to program or field office staff how the research design will answer the policy relevant questions.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Candidates will be selected for a job assigned to one of the official duty stations listed in this announcement. Failure to report to duty at the location for which the candidate is selected may be grounds for a disciplinary action, including removal.

Key Requirements:

• Must be U.S. Citizen or U.S. National.
• A one year probationary period may be required. Continued employment is contingent upon supervisory certification that continued employment will benefit the Federal Service; the certification will occur no less than 30 days before the end of the probationary/trial period.
• Must successfully complete a background investigation.
• Public Trust - Background Investigation will be required.
• Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
• Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
• If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
• Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form i-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
• Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
• File a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of appointment and annually from then on.
• Please refer to "Additional Information Section for additional Conditions of Employment."

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Specialized Experience: For the GS-14 grade level, you must have one year (52 full weeks) of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized Experience for this position includes:

• Leading two or more simultaneous economic research design studies involving advanced statistical and econometric analysis, simulation modeling, the use of computer software, and advanced housing economics, finance, or public finance theory; AND
• Developing research designs related to the analysis of housing and urban economics, housing finance, public finance, or microeconomics issues; AND
• Utilizing computer software packages (such as SAS, SPSS, STATA, RATS, or others) to conduct econometric and statistical analysis; AND
• Communicating effectively and persuasively, both orally and in writing, on findings of economic studies with special emphasis on describing and assessing the adequacy and significance of the methodology and data employed and findings derived.

The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your resume.

Education

Basic Requirements Degree:

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

OR

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

Examples of qualifying experience include:

1. Individual economic research assignments requiring planning, information assembly, analysis and evaluation, conclusions and report preparation;

2. Supervisory or project coordination assignments involving a staff of professional economists and requiring the evaluation and interpretation of economic information; or

3. 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.

The education generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.

Additional information

OTHER INFORMATION:

• We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
• Relocation expenses will not be paid.
• Relocation incentive will not be paid.
• Recruitment incentive will not be paid.
• This is a bargaining unit position.
• This position is Exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
• HUD offers alternative and flexible work schedules.
• This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies for similar positions across HUD. During the online application process, you will be asked to specify if you would like your application information shared with other hiring managers in the Program Office listed in this announcement or in other HUD Program Offices. Opting to share your application information will not impact your application for this announcement, nor will it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT (CONTINUED):

HUD employees are subject to a number of government-wide and HUD specific ethics laws and regulations, including restrictions on working in a real estate related business, and having Section 8 tenants, along with other prohibited interests and activities. To review applicable ethics rules and HUD specific restrictions, please visit https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/general_counsel/ethics.

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.