Economist

Environmental Protection Agency • Washington, DC

2d • Onsite

About The Position

These positions are in the Office of the Administrator (AO), Office of Policy and Regulatory Management, National Center Environmental Economics Division, Research and Program Support Branch. AO This is an office-centered position--you must physically report to the duty station stated in this announcement on a regular basis.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen.
• If you are selected, you may be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
• This position is designated as Moderate Risk and requires a background investigation.
• Unless an appropriate background investigation is already on record with the Office of Personnel Management, you must undergo a background investigation.
• All conditions of the pre-employment security process must be met before an official letter of employment can be issued with a report for duty date.
• REAL ID requirements became effective on 05/07/25. If you are selected for this position and plan to use your driver's license or identification card during the onboarding process (i.e., for employment eligibility verification or to obtain your EPA identification card), the document must be a REAL ID-compliant state-issued driver's license or identification card that includes the REAL ID-compliant star marking, or must be an Enhanced Driver's License (EDL). You will receive information about alternative acceptable documents (e.g., passport) prior to onboarding.
• If you are selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure form within 30 days of your first day of employment and annually thereafter.
• NOTE: You must meet qualification requirements, including any requirements described in the Education section, by the closing date of this announcement.
• In addition to the basic entry education requirements, you must have specialized experience and/or directly related education as described below.
• To qualify for the GS-14 level, you must have 1 year of full-time specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 level defined as planning, conceptualizing, conducting, and reviewing quantitative economic analyses of the costs, environmental benefits, or similar outcomes for government programs or regulations; leading, coordinating, and conducting systematic investigation and research to advance analytic economic capabilities such as new modeling and measurement techniques, estimates, and/or data; and steering wider initiatives regarding economic guidance, executive orders, and other priorities.
• You will need the following competencies in order to perform the duties of this position successfully: Oral Communication, Written Communication, Technical Competence, Planning and Evaluating, Data Literacy and Analysis, Scientific Research, Problem Solving, Teamwork, Partnering.
• You will be evaluated on these critical competencies.
• 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.
• If you have part-time work experience, read this: Part-Time Experience .
• Economist: You must have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in economics with at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus; OR a combination of education and experience with courses equivalent to a major, as listed.
• For information about accreditation requirements, visit Accreditation .
• Except in special circumstances, those new to the federal government will be hired at the starting salary (step 1) of the applicable grade range listed in the Overview section.
• Are you a Displaced Federal Employee? If so, please read the Required Documents section and visit the EPA website for additional information: CTAP/ICTAP
• EPA participates in E-Verify.
• E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees.
• For additional information: E-Verify .
• If you are selected, travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid by EPA.
• Any travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting to work in this position will be your responsibility.
• This position is not in the bargaining unit.
• 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.

Nice To Haves

• If you are selected for this position, situational telework may be approved by your supervisor if you meet eligibility requirements, as allowable by agency policy and/or applicable collective bargaining agreement.
• EPA policy only allows telework to be approved situationally.
• Situational telework is for work or assignments of specific limited duration on an occasional, emergency, or ad hoc basis.
• NOTE: If you are an EPA employee who currently works at a remote work location (i.e., full-time telework), your approval for remote work does not transfer to this position, subject to Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical advice and consultation on quantitative economics methods, techniques, and analysis based on current economics literature and findings to government officials through written and verbal communication and in collaboration with experts from other disciplines.
• Contribute to advances in environmental economics through conceptualizing, conducting, disseminating and applying systematic investigation and research that will strengthen the analytic basis for quantifying the environmental benefits and economic costs to evaluate the tradeoffs for options considered for agency regulations and programs.
• Initiate, conduct, and review economic, statistical, and other quantitative and qualitative analyses undertaken to inform regulatory and programmatic decisions, while considering how economic, health, engineering and other related data interact as well as how to apply economic analyses to environmental benefit-cost issues.
• Participate in agency, and inter-agency workgroups; and develop and maintain working relationships across teams to develop and maintain sound relationships with professional peers.

Benefits

• 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.
• Learn more about federal benefits .
• Join EPA in protecting human health and the environment and enjoy many work life quality options!
• Working for the EPA offers you a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, life insurance, health benefits, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System.
• To learn more about us, visit Life and Careers at EPA .
• Review our benefits
• 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior