Economist

Your tasks

You will serve as a Economist at the National Minerals Information Center providing support to assess mineral markets, supply risks, and material flows. Salary The salary range is between $75,068 (GS-11 Step 1) - $172,980 (GS-13 Step 10) per annum based on the duty station, and the applicable locality pay table. For more information, please refer to the OPM Salary Tables at General Schedule. First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.

Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Collects, organizes, and analyzes data and information on mineral and material production, availability, production capacity, production costs, market prices, consumption, trade, recovery, and recycling at each life cycle stage. Develops new and improves current methodologies and indicators for assessing supply risk, import reliance, price elasticities, and industrial sector vulnerabilities for non-fuel mineral commodities. Develops supply and demand scenarios based on top-down and bottom-up material stocks and flows models, system dynamics modeling, and/or econometric models. Develops complex spreadsheets, compiles large data sets, archives relevant information for current and future analyses, performs statistical analyses, and develops graphics and data visualizations. Disseminates results orally and in writing for submission in peer-reviewed international scientific and economic journals.

Requirements

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-10/23/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected. Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications: Basic Educational Requirement AND/OR Specialized Experience for the series to which you are applying. Basic Educational Requirements: In addition to the specialized experience requirements for this position, you must meet at least one of the following: A. Degree: economics, that included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus. You must submit transcripts. B. Combination of education and experience: c courses equivalent to a major in economics, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. -AND- To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level: Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: examples of such experience may include supply chain analysis, economic and econometric modeling, industrial ecology, material flow and trade analysis, and/or life cycle assessment, that is specific to non-fuel mineral commodities. This work would have required the individual to select and make minor adaptations to procedures and accepted practices and handle unexpected conditions arising in the normal course of the work. At this level, economists have the ability to independently perform moderately difficult and responsible scientific work. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- Education: Three years of progressively higher-level graduate education (54 semester hours, 81 quarter hours or the equivalent) leading to a Ph.D. degree in economics or other directly related field of study or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in economics or other directly related field of study if it provided the knowledge, skill and abilities necessary to do the work of the position to be filled. You must include transcripts. -OR- Combination of education and experience: a combination of successfully completed graduate level education, as described, above that is beyond the second year of progressive graduate study and professional experience, as described above. To combine education and experience, first take the percentage of qualifying education required for the grade level. Then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include hours per week and transcripts. To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level: Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: Examples of such experience may include supply chain analysis, economic and econometric modeling, industrial ecology, material flow and trade analysis, criticality assessments, life cycle assessment, supply risk assessment, supply and demand scenario development, and/or uncertainty analysis that is specific to non-fuel mineral commodities. This work typically involved conventional methods and techniques though it required going beyond clear precedents and required adapting methods to the problems at hand and interpreting findings in terms of their scientific significance. At this level, economists have the ability to independently perform scientific work of considerable difficulty. You must include hours per week worked. To qualify for this position at the GS-13 grade level: Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: Examples of such experience may include supply chain analysis, economic and econometric modeling, industrial ecology, material flow and trade analysis, criticality assessments, life cycle assessment, supply risk assessment, supply and demand scenario development, and/or uncertainty analysis that is specific to non-fuel mineral commodities. The complexity of this work typically required extensive modification and adaptation of standard procedures, methods, and techniques, and the development of totally new methods and techniques to address novel or obscure problems for which guidelines or precedents were not substantially applicable. At this level, economists have wide latitude for the exercise of independent judgment to perform scientific work of marked difficulty and responsibility. You must include hours per week worked. Volunteer Experience: 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.

This position has a mandatory education requirement. You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | U.S. Department of Education. https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualification

Other

Requirements Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service. Direct Deposit participation required. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit www.dhs.gov/EVerify/. You are required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated. This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probationary your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.