Economic Analyst Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Summary
This position is located in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Office of the Chief Economist (OCE), World Agricultural Outlook Board (WAOB). The incumbent serves as an Agricultural Economist (Commodities Analyst) responsible for monitoring markets, conducting economic analyses, and preparing commodity forecasts.
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Duties
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• Monitors agricultural markets and conducts economic analysis on supply, use, and price forecasts for crops and livestock products.
• Evaluates changing agricultural policies, programs, economic conditions, and other factors that influence current and future commodity supply and demand, and contributes to studies covering a wide range of domestic and global agricultural issues.
• Contributes to assessments on evolving supply and demand conditions among major producing and consuming countries and analyzes how these shifts influence global agricultural trade patterns.
• Contributes to analyses on how global supply, demand, exchange rates, and prices influence U.S. crop and livestock producers under current and alternative market conditions and technologies.
• Plans, directs, and guides commodity outlook analyses for major crop or livestock products, ensuring analytical rigor and consistency across outlook efforts.
• Plays a central role in shaping and coordinating commodity outlook activities, providing strategic direction, mentoring, and ensuring high quality, policy relevant economic insights.
• Maintains knowledge of commodity outlook work, executes analytical approaches, oversees evaluations, and represents the outlook function in internal and external engagements.
• Explains agricultural data and analysis-both in written products and verbal presentations-in clear, accessible formats that help diverse users understand key findings and support effective decision making.
• Provides timely, well researched, and objective information that contributes to producing reliable agricultural supply and demand estimates and supports decision making across relevant program and policy areas.
• Communicates with diverse audiences-both expert and non expert- clearly explaining agricultural estimates and analysis and making essential insights accessible to technical specialists and general audiences alike.
• Produces timely, well structured economic analysis and effectively manages assigned analytical tasks, ensuring work products are completed within established deadlines.
• Supports the development, monitoring, and maintenance of well structured market analysis data, helping ensure accuracy, clarity, and consistency across publications, datasets, and analytical workflows.
• Provides helpful and thoughtful feedback on colleagues' work, supporting organizational standards and contributing to clear, reliable, and well coordinated market outlook products.

Requirements
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Conditions of employment

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• Direct Deposit - Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
• If selected, you may be required to serve a probationary as applicable to appointment type. Refer to Next Steps section for additional information.

Qualifications
Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including Basic Requirements and Minimum Qualification Requirements, as defined below.
Basic Requirements:
In addition to meeting the Minimum Qualification Requirements outlined in the following section, applicants MUST meet the following occupational series requirements:
A. Economist Series, 0110
Degree: economics, that included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus.
OR
Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in economics, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
Minimum Qualification Requirements: In addition to meeting at least one of the Basic Requirements outlined above, applicants must also meet the specialized experience and/or education requirements shown below. If qualifying based on experience, your application or resume must clearly show that you possess the specialized experience requirements.
Time in grade:
Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.
Specialized Experience:
GS-13: One year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service or equivalent responsibility in the private sector/pay systems that has equipped the candidate with the particular competencies to successfully perform as an Agricultural Economist. For this position specialized experience is having the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position: experience in using statistical and quantitative analysis techniques to evaluate and prepare forecasts and estimates of international and/or domestic agricultural commodities and providing policy makers and the general public with economically sound assessments of the agricultural commodity situation and outlook.
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.
Education
All applicants must meet at least one of the Basic Requirements as outlined in the above Qualifications section.
Additional information
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here.
Direct Hire Authority: This announcement is issued under the direct-hire authority to recruit for positions for which there is a critical need. Category rating, veteran's preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to this public notice. Any selections made under this notice will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Current Federal employees would therefore, be given new appointments to the civil service and new probationary period required.
If selected, you will be required to submit Form OGE-450 within 30 days of your initial appointment date, and annually thereafter. Selectee is subject to financial Disclosure Requirements in accordance with 5 CFR, Part 2635, Sub part E regarding business or personal transactions with applicants, borrowers, or business contacts who have or who are seeking business with this Agency. Selectee must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance. If selected you will be subject to a National Agency Check and Inquiry (NACI) and a credit report.
Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement
Incentives may be authorized.
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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.
Benefits
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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. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal 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.