Summary This position is located on the State Programs Team, in the State Office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The incumbent provides advice and assistance on economic issues associated with conservation programs administered by the Staff. Responsibilities Conduct management-defined analyses of economic issues associated with ecological and conservation policies, synthesizes data and information, and provides advice and recommendations on resource problems to management and conservation districts. Provide analytical support for regulatory and policy actions, changes in programs, and specific conservation projects, including contributing work on impact assessments and cost/benefit analyses. Assist in efforts to develop methods and tools to estimate the economic benefits of conservation programs and specific projects. Support projects led by senior staff requiring cross-team interaction within the organization. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement. BASIC REQUIREMENTS: Degree: Must have a bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in economics that included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.); OR Combination of Education and Experience: Must have a combination of education and experience which includes courses equivalent to a major in economics, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.) In addition to meeting one of the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must meet the following Minimum Qualifications Requirement in order to be considered: MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level(s) in which you are applying: GS-9 Specialized Experience: Must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service performing the following duties: Preparing preliminary reports based on analysis of economic data; Making follow up contact for necessary clarifications to ensure accuracy of data provided; AND Assisting higher graded economists in conducting economic feasibility studies of management and conservation district projects. (Your resume must fully support the required specialized experience.) OR Education: Must have successfully completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a degree in economics (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.) OR Combination of Experience and Education: Must have computed the percentage of the requirements that I meet, and the total is at least 100% (To compute the percentage, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then, divide your semester hours of graduate education beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify.). (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.) GS-11 Specialized Experience: Must possess at least one year of specialized experience (equivalent to or above the GS-09 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates all of the following: Conducting analyses of economic issues associated with ecological and conservation policies; Conducting quantitative analysis and application of statistical principles; and Assisting in the development of methods and tools to estimate the economic benefits of conservation programs. (Your resume must fully support the required specialized experience.) OR Education: Must have successfully completed a PhD in economics, or three full years (54 semester hours) of progressively higher graduate education leading to a PhD in economics. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.) OR Combination of Experience and Education: Must possess an appropriate combination of specialized experience and education. Note: your combination may be computed by first determining your total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for this grade level; then determining your education as a percentage of the education required for this grade level (only graduate education in excess of 36 semester hours may be used to qualify applicants for this grade level). The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.) IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). 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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. The OPM Qualification Standards for this position can be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=List-by-Occupational-Series Education You must submit a copy of your college transcripts or a list of college courses with credit hours, dates completed, and grades received to verify all education requirements (i.e. substitution of education and/or basic education requirement). If a relevant course is not clearly qualifying (e.g. special topic, seminar, research, thesis, obscure or misleading course title, etc.), please submit an official course syllabi and/or detailed course description from the university/college for that particular course to ensure you are properly evaluated. Please note that qualifications determinations are based solely on the information submitted for each particular vacancy announcement. You must document all requirements on every vacancy; we cannot use previous determinations as a basis for rating. All required information must be received by the closing date of this announcement, and non-submission of all required documents/documentation will result in non-consideration. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted. This information must be received by the closing date of this announcement. Non-submission of these documents will result in non-consideration. 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. Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov) Additional Information If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed. This position may be eligible for telework within the local commuting area of the position and other flexible work arrangements. Other flexibilities are possible dependent upon availability and/or the position and its associated duties. Employee participation is at the discretion of the supervisor. PLEASE NOTE: In the interest of filling these positions as efficiently as possible, we are requiring the following: If called for an interview, applicants must be available to interview within 3 business days of being contacted. If a tentative job offer is extended, selectee will have 2 business days in which to accept or decline. Recruitment incentives may be authorized; Management may authorize superior qualifications enhanced annual leave for applicants who are deemed to be highly qualified. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp#ictap The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the USDA with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Agency has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp#ctap