Summary All current DOL/Bureau of Labor Statistics with competitive status. The Bureau of Labor Statistics measures labor market activity, working conditions, price changes, and productivity in the U.S. economy to support public and private decision making. The Economists will serve as Senior Economists in the Division of Consumer Prices and Price Indexes in the Branch of Index Methods Analysis and Evaluation or the Branch of Consumer Prices or the Branch of Revision Methodology. Responsibilities Branch of Index Methods, Analysis & Evaluation, Systems and Processes Requirements and Validation Section duties: Serves as program office representative on various development and acceptance test teams. Assists in the planning of work assignments for team members. Serves as the program office testing expert. Assists in the establishment of acceptance test environments in all functional areas, provides standards on testing strategies for end user developed software, and identifies and implements improvements in the testing process. Develops requirements papers for CPI systems modifications and enhancements. Initiates analyses of the needs of the CPI program and translates these needs into complete and clearly defined requirements paper. Review and analyzes system design documents to verify that they accurately reflect the requirements and contribute to overall program objectives and goals. Clarifies, restates, or revises requirements, when necessary. Prepare test cases and data to rigorously test all possible system responses. Conducts training for staff on system software, release changes, test scenarios for testing these changes, and testing methodology and techniques used in the releases. Provides feedback to system staff about test results, including identification of required changes/corrections detected during testing, recommends acceptable solutions, and specifies the correct procedure for retesting. Branch of Revision Methods duties: Develops the CPI requirements for processing and tabulating data from Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) databases. Ensures, through these requirements, that data from these sources will be correctly and consistently classified for CPI uses. Evaluates estimates derived from the expenditure databases and develops techniques which rely on other data sources to provide estimates at the detailed level required for the CPI and related estimates. Establishes detailed data requirements to be obtained from the CES for use in the CPI. Analyzes and proposes changes to the CE forms, procedures, or methodologies affecting their current use in the CPI or which will anticipate data requirements for subsequent revisions of the CPI. In performing these responsibilities, the incumbent works closely with senior staff in the Division of Consumer Expenditure Surveys. Develops an analysis system to evaluate CE data for changes in expenditure patterns. Run cost weight analysis system for research purposes, and analyze and evaluate relative importance changes. Analyzes potential classification changes in the cost weights and alternative policies for the frequency and nature of cost weight changes and item strata. Specifies improvements to composite estimation and raking procedures as well as those for update, link and pivot processes. Finalize CE changes required for ongoing CPI Revision. Develops cost weights for new PSUs. Develops requirements for revision systems review process and document the preprocessor. Develops long-range plan for new revision processes and integrate CPI staff into item structure development process. Prepare articles related to cost weights and samples. Represents the CPI on inter- and intra-agency task forces working on the CES. Provides technical assistance for staff within the CPI and other Price programs. Serves as a consultant or advisor on matters pertaining to the Cost Weights programs, especially in situations involving the incumbent's special expertise. Branch of Consumer Prices duties: Performs data review independently with minimal errors and by established deadlines. Identifies and resolves data issues in accordance with CPI procedures. Assists as needed with review, evaluation, and correction work to support coverage needs and special work and provides guidance to junior staff. Designs, initiates, and executes in depth methodological studies and/or projects to develop, examine and evaluate alternative means of measuring and analyzing price change in a specific commodity area. Conducting these studies may require the development of new methodologies and procedures. Research may also involve designing, writing, and using computer programs to produce specialized indexes and measure the effect of alternative methods on the index and the use of quality assurance tools and techniques. Initiates, plans and prepares complex analytical memoranda and articles that describe the background, methods and results of the research efforts undertaken. Represents the Section, Branch, Division, or Bureau as an expert at meetings to describe and explain the Section's pricing methodology and quality improvement program. The incumbent also represents the Bureau at meetings and conferences with officials of government agencies, professional groups, research organizations, etc. to provide information and technical advice, or to discuss mutual problems related to the assigned field of specialization. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications The BLS headquarters is currently located in Washington, D.C. but is in the process of relocating within the National Capital Area to Suitland, Maryland. If selected for this position, with an assigned duty station of Washington, D.C., you may be eligible for limited telework with approval from your supervisor, based on onsite duties and responsibilities, while the current headquarters is decommissioned and the future headquarters is being built. Upon completion of the new headquarters offices in Suitland, MD, you will be expected to report to the Suitland Federal Center after receiving notification to do so. At that time, you may be eligible to telework with approval from your supervisor, based on onsite duties and responsibilities, and if consistent with telework policies and mission needs of BLS. Economist, GS-0110: A) Degree in economics, that included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting or calculus. OR B) A combination of education and experience - courses equivalent to a major in economics, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS LISTED ABOVE APPLICANTS MUST ALSO MEET MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS TO BE CONSIDERED. Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-12, in the Federal Service. Specialized Experience: This experience must have equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and ability to successfully perform the duties of this position. Specialized experience should include a thorough range of complex economic professional work and training. For the GS-13 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level. Applicants must meet at least two of the following examples of specialized experience to be considered: Completed comprehensive economic reports or analytical studies; Reviewed and analyzed research that produced or led to measurable results; Conducted on-the-job training or mentoring in the field of economics AND Reviewed collected data, price developments and related factors, and index average price, for assigned components of the monthly Consumer Price Index to maintain the accuracy and representativeness of the indexes for those components OR translated sophisticated business needs into system requirements, acceptance tests and solutions for system development efforts. For additional information, refer to the Office of Personnel Management Operating Manual for Qualification Standards, Group Coverage Qualification Standards for Professional and Scientific Positions. Individual Occupation Requirements for Economist Series GS-110. Education Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service. If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information. Additional Information This position is inside the Local 12, AFGE bargaining unit. The mission of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to protect the welfare of workers and job seekers, improve working conditions, expand high-quality employment opportunities, and assure work-related benefits and rights for all workers. As such, the Department is committed to fostering a workplace and workforce that promote equal employment opportunity, reflects the diversity of the people we seek to serve, and models a culture of respect, equity, inclusion, and accessibility where every employee feels heard, supported, and empowered. Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES As a condition of employment, all personnel must undergo a background investigation for access to DOL facilities, systems, information and/or classified materials before they can enter on duty: BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION Click here for Telework Position Information. This is not a remote work position. The selectee will report to an assigned DOL office location on a regular basis and is eligible for participation in telework as determined by management in accordance with DOL policy. Based on agency needs, additional positions may be filled using this vacancy. The Department of Labor may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government to attract highly qualified candidates. Click here for Additional Information. The Fair Chance Act (FCA) prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOL employee has violated your rights under the FCA, you may file a complaint of the alleged violation following our agency's complaint process Guidelines for Reporting Violations of the Fair Chance Act. Note: The FCA does not apply to some positions specified under the Act, such as law enforcement or national security positions. All Department of Labor employees are subject to the provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Program under Executive Order 12564 and Public Law 100-71.