Economist

Federal Trade Commission • Washington, DC

15h • Onsite

About The Position

FTC economists make independent policy recommendations to the Commission based on their theoretical and empirical analysis of relevant issues. Research by FTC economists is supported and encouraged, in part through the Bureau's working paper series, seminar series, and annual FTC Microeconomics Conference. FTC economists regularly present their work at seminars/conferences, and publish in top journals. Economists in all fields of applied microeconomics and econometrics are encouraged to apply.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship requirement must be met by the closing date of this vacancy.
• This position is subject to a background investigation.
• Males born after December 31, 1959 must register with Selective Service.
• You may serve a one-year probationary period under this appointment.
• This position is in the bargaining unit.
• This position is represented by the National Treasury Employees Union.
• If selected for this position, the agency will evaluate your fitness and whether continuation of employment advances the public interest before extending your appointment beyond one-year probationary period.
• Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.
• Degree: Economics, that included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus.
• Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in economics, as shown in 1 above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
• You must demonstrate in your resume at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-14 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks:
• Independently or as a lead producing formal written materials (e.g., memoranda, reports, briefing materials, manuscripts, white papers, or research papers) based on economic analysis that is of publication-level quality in a leading field journal analyzing antitrust issues, mergers, competition policy, competitive effects of firm conduct, consumer protection enforcement, regulatory impacts, and/or deceptive or unfair business practices.
• Leading a collaborative team with other researchers, students, or colleagues in a university, research institute, business, non-profit, or government setting on a microeconomic or microeconometric research project, demonstrating an ability to identify and collect appropriate information and/or data to analyze economic theories, issues, or hypotheses.
• Applying at least graduate-level knowledge of microeconomics and/or microeconometrics to lead novel economic research and/or analysis of antitrust issues, mergers, competition policy, competitive effects of firm conduct, consumer protection enforcement, regulatory impacts, and/or deceptive or unfair business practices in formal written material of publication-level quality.

Responsibilities

• Apply statistical, mathematical, and econometric techniques to the analysis of data to empirically analyze economic theories and test hypotheses in support of policy recommendations.
• Provide analysis and interpretation of economic and related information collected from companies to support policy and program decision-making.
• Identify and collect the appropriate data needed to analyze the validity of competing economic theories.
• Conduct investigations, reviews, and studies that apply a thorough knowledge of microeconomic theory to study the behavior of individual consumers, firms, and industries in order to analyze how markets establish relative prices among goods and services and thereby allocate limited resources among alternative uses.
• Analyze the likely effects on consumers and firm competition of mergers, agreements between firms, and individual firm business practices.
• Prepare economic impact assessments under the laws that govern federal rulemaking to ensure adequate considerations of the costs and benefits of proposed rules.
• Develop oral and written products, tailored to the needs of the audience, in support of recommendations involving issues such as the economic aspects of new or proposed investigations, policies, or rules affecting FTC programs.
• Undertake research aimed at addressing unresolved theoretical or empirical questions in topics related to competition, consumer protection, and general understanding of consumer and firm behavior.
• Draft, present, and defend positions for policy, enforcement decisions, and education of other competition and consumer protection agencies.
• Lead teams of economists and statisticians conducting complex economic analysis; provide technical guidance and oversight; and ensure the quality and relevance of analytical work in support of enforcement, policy, or regulatory initiatives.

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.
• 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