Industry Economist

Summary

This position is located in the Office of Economics and Analytics, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), located in Washington, DC. RELOCATION EXPENSES WILL NOT BE PAID. THIS VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT MAY BE USED TO FILL ADDITIONAL POSITIONS WITHIN 90 DAYS.

Duties

The incumbent serves as an expert and technical advisor on complex economic issues in telecommunications and regulatory policy, typically in the areas of industrial organization, applied microeconomics, and/or econometrics. The incumbent responds to special requests for specific analyses, research, and studies for use in reports to inform policymaking, and for preparation of testimony to be presented before Congressional Committees. In collaboration with internal and external stakeholders, the incumbent develops and implements meaningful data collections, processes the collected data for economic analyses, and undertakes such analyses to enhance understanding of competition and pricing in telecommunications markets, broadband deployment, spectrum allocation, and the technological deployment of communications services. The incumbent initiates and conducts complex economic research, analyses, and studies and develops analytical techniques for economic studies on regulation of the telecommunications markets, broadband deployment, spectrum allocation, and the technological development of communications services. The incumbent conducts and leads sophisticated analyses of major economic issues and policy questions, preparing reports and presenting results to audiences with varying levels of expertise. The incumbent collaborates with multidisciplinary teams to conduct and direct studies on the economics of the telecommunications industry. The studies require a high degree of specialized knowledge of economics and statistics, especially as they relate to the telecommunications industry, and a strong grasp of industry trends. The incumbent develops economic models and applying econometric techniques to evaluate industry behavior and regulatory impacts.

Qualifications

Qualification Criteria Step 1. All candidates must first meet the educational qualification requirements. Educational requirements are as follows: 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 plus appropriate experience or additional education. Step 2. For candidates who meet the educational qualification requirements, their resumes will be sent forward to the subject matter experts for further review. Resumes will be reviewed to determine if candidates meet the required qualification criteria and the required competencies for each grade. GS-12 Qualification Criteria-SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Candidates must have one year of specialized experience which is equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as follows: 1. (1) candidate has performed research used in publications in peer-reviewed journals (even if candidate is not an author of a peer-reviewed journal publication) focused on applied microeconomics, industrial organization, or the economics of telecommunications or other network industries, including but not limited to industry-relevant technological innovation and/or (2) candidate has assisted senior economists in the teaching of economics courses focused on applied microeconomics, industrial organization, or the economics of telecommunications or other network industries, including but not limited to industry-relevant technological innovation. and/or (3) candidate has contributed to agency policymaking involving microeconomics analysis focused on applied microeconomics, industrial organization, or the economics of telecommunications or other network industries, including but not limited to industry-relevant technological innovation. GS-12 Competencies: Ability to serve as a technical advisor on economic issues in telecommunications and regulatory policy, displaying expertise in the areas of industrial organization, applied microeconomics, and/or econometrics; Ability to specify and implement processes and strategies to compile, clean, and verify economic data from primary and secondary sources--including direct interaction with survey respondents or data-generating entities; Ability to independently conduct comprehensive economic research and analyses involving technical and economic aspects and regulation of the telecommunications, wireless and/or media industries; Demonstrated skill with statistical or similar analytical software tools (e.g., Python, R, SAS, Power BI, Stata) needed to organize and summarize data; Ability to present to audiences with varying levels of expertise; Ability to independently develop narrative, statistical, and/or graphical reports of research and analysis, including policy recommendations by leveraging foundational knowledge of economic principles and concepts; Ability to collaborate with others and work with a multidisciplinary team to produce unified and comprehensive analyses; and Demonstrated ability to think critically and completely about the economic impacts of policy changes, legislation, and other events. GS-13 Qualification Criteria-SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Candidates must have one year of specialized experience which is equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as follows: (1) candidate has at least one credited publication in a peer-reviewed journal or has made significant contributions to one or more publications in peer-reviewed journals focused on applied microeconomics, industrial organization, or the economics of telecommunications or other network industries, including but not limited to industry-relevant technological innovation. and/or (2) candidate has significantly assisted senior economists in the teaching of courses in microeconomics or the relevant related fields mentioned above (specifically applied microeconomics, industrial organization, or the economics of telecommunications or other network industries, including but not limited to industry-relevant technological innovation), and/or (3) candidate has made significant contributions to agency policymaking involving microeconomics analysis focused on applied microeconomics, industrial organization, or the economics of telecommunications or other network industries, including but not limited to industry-relevant technological innovation. GS-13 Competencies: Ability to serve as a technical advisor on complex economic issues in telecommunications and regulatory policy, displaying expertise in the areas of industrial organization, applied microeconomics, and/or econometrics; Ability to develop and co-lead processes to compile, clean, and verify economic data from primary and secondary sources-- including possible direct interaction with survey respondents or data-generating entities--following exact specifications and regulations. In-depth knowledge of statistical techniques and other requirements, processes, and systems; Ability to conduct and co-lead sophisticated analyses of major economic issues and policy questions, and ability to prepare reports and present results pertaining to this work. Demonstrated ability to think critically and completely about the economic impacts of policy changes, legislation, and other events and to present these findings to audiences with varying levels of expertise; Ability to apply knowledge of economics and statistics, especially as they relate to the telecommunications industry, and a strong grasp of industry trends. Ability to collaborate with others and work with a multidisciplinary team to produce unified and comprehensive analyses, including potentially leading these teams on specific projects; and Demonstrated ability to think critically and completely about the economic impacts of policy changes, legisl