Summary

The Division of Economic and Risk Analysis is seeking applicants to fill several Financial Economist positions. As a Financial Economist, you will be part of a team that has a track record of creative thinking, strong empirical research abilities, and excellent communication skills. We seek individuals with a keen interest in finance, securities markets and public policy.

Duties

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In this role as a Financial Economist, you will be responsible for:

• Applying advanced economic concepts and methods to the evaluation of federal financial rules and policies, including their impact on individuals, businesses, market efficiency, competition, and capital formation.
• Analyzing economic, financial, and administrative data to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of federal financial and securities regulations and policies.
• Designing, implementing, and maintaining quantitative and qualitative models to risk-rank market participants, financial entities, and market events, providing decision-ready assessments of systemic vulenerabilities.
• Planning, organizing, and prioritizing tasks to address needs, emerging issues, and meet timelines, while working collaboratively and flexibly with multi-disciplinary team members, including lawyers, data analysts, and finance policy experts.
• Discussing, evaluating economic research, comments, and analysis authored by federal agencies, international organizations, standard setting bodies, academics and other experts to determine their relevance and implications for federal financial rules and policies, or broadly systemic risk.
• Providing economic guidance and research expertise to a broad range of activities, including federal policy, rule-making, enforcement actions, market risk assessment, and other regulatory initiatives, with opportunities to specialize in policy areas.
• Reviewing draft analyses and reports to ensure accuracy, precision, and clarity of presentation of economic issues and data.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• CITZENSHIP: You must be a US Citizen.
• SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/).
• SECURITY CLEARANCE: Entrance on duty is contingent upon completion of a pre-employment security investigation. Favorable results on a Background Investigation may be a condition of employment or selection to another position.
• PERMANENT CHANGE OF STATION (PCS): Moving/Relocation expenses are not authorized.
• DIRECT DEPOSIT: All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• PROBATIONARY PERIOD: This appointment may require completion of a one-year probationary period.
• The selectee is required to report to the duty station(s) listed.

Qualifications

Applicants are responsible for confirming all required materials are submitted by the closing date of the announcement. Please check the HowYou Will Be Evaluated and Required Documents sections carefully, as missing documents will render the application incomplete and ineligible for review.

Qualifying experience may be obtained in the private or public sector. 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, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

BASIC REQUIREMENT:

A. Applicants must possess a degree in economics that included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus.

OR

B. An appropriate combination of education and experiencecourses equivalent to a major in economics, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Examples of qualifying experience include individual economic research assignments requiring planning, information assembly, analysis and evaluation, conclusions and report preparation; supervisory or project coordination assignments involving a staff of professional economists, and requiring the evaluation and interpretation of economic information; or teaching assignments in a college or university in economic subjects in combination with 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.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: In addition to meeting the basic requirement, applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS/SK-13 grade level providing economic analysis which includes at least one of the following:

1. Success in conducting research that is of comparable quality to peer-and economics journals;
2. Experience analyzing the economics of securities litigation that have been submitted in federal courts or in the context of an SEC action, including the quantification of either harm to investors or ill-gotten gains;
3. Experience writing reports that evaluate the effect of policy and rule changes on market performance and function;
4. Experience writing reports in market microstructure or similar applied microeconomic fields such as industrial organizations and auction theory;
5. Experience in analyzing the costs and benefits of regulations in financial markets, including effects on market efficiency, competition, and capital formation;
6. Experience in developing, writing, and presenting economic risk analyses to intra-agency or international organizations, or other standard setting bodies.

ACCOMPLISHMENT RECORD COMPETENCIES: Your Accomplishment Record narratives should address the following competencies. See the How You Will Be Evaluated section below for more information:

Competency 1: Economic Analysis - Evaluates economic effects of financial actions related to a rule, conduct in the marketplace, and/or risks in the market.

Competency 2: Statistical Expertise - Performs and interprets data analysis.

Competency 3: Teamwork and Collaboration - Interacts with internal and external others in a manner that advances examinations and SEC goals and objectives.

Competency 4: Workload Management - Effectively prioritizes workload in a way that accommodates unforeseen developments and achieves successful outcomes.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. All applicants are required to submit a complete application package by the specified cutoff dates. Incomplete submissions by the bi-weekly cutoff will not move forward in the hiring process. Certificates will be issued on a bi-weekly basis until the announcement's closing date.

Cut Off Dates: October 2nd; October 16th; October 30th; November 13th; November 27th, December 11th, December 24th; January 8th, January 22nd; February 5th; February 19th; March 5th; and March 19th.

Education

You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. If you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, you must submit a copy of your unofficial transcripts or equivalent by the closing date of the announcement. Qualifying education must have been obtained from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Internal Applicants: OHR will verify education qualifications for internal applicants using documents in the Electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF). If required transcripts or certificates are not present in your eOPF, you will be required to provide them to OHR. If selected, a start date will not be established until official transcripts are received.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs. For more information, click here.

Applicants may also find the following helpful:

National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) is an association of 19 credential evaluation services with admission standards and an enforced code of good practice.

Association of International Credentials Evaluators (AICE) is an association of 10 credential evaluation services with a board of advisors and an enforced code of ethics.

Additional information

Supplementary vacancies may be filled in addition to the number stated in this announcement and may be filled from any division or office within the agency.

SEC COMPENSATION PROGRAM: Total salary (base pay + locality) is dependent upon duty location. The overall salary range listed above is provided for informational purposes; a selectee's initial pay will be established below the maximum rate of the range. The pay for current SEC employees will be determined according to the procedures specified in the agency's policy. Please click here for a compensation overview.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR SURPLUS OR DISPLACED FEDERAL EMPLOYEES: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not I/CTAP eligible. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; the questionnaire asks you to identify your ICTAP/CTAP eligibility (2) be rated well-qualified; and, (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. View information about I/CTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website.

Reasonable Accommodation: If you are an applicant who needs a reasonable accommodation to participate in the SEC application process due to a medical disability, please contact [email protected]. For religious-based accommodations, please contact [email protected] . Please be sure to submit your request at least 5 business days in advance of the date you need the requested accommodation.

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.