AGRL ECONMST

Full Job Description

The positions are located with the Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Market and Trade Economics Division, Crops Branch in Kansas City, MO.

Economic Research Service seeks applicants for two positions: Senior Cross-Commodity Economist for (1) Field crops, and (1) Cotton/Rice/Sugar.

The incumbents will monitor, evaluate, and conduct research on domestic and foreign economic and policy factors affecting agricultural markets and trade for their respective commodity areas.

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

Basic Requirements: Degree: A bachelor's (or higher) degree in 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.

AND Specialized Experience for GS-15 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-14 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position.

Specialized experience requirements for the GS-15 level of this position are: experience interpreting economic concepts as they relate to the food or agricultural commodity markets or international trade; reporting economic research data; analyzing policy issues that impact crop markets; leading a team to accomplish team objectives; and making presentations and producing publications in peer-reviewed journals or equivalent government or industry publications on current global or domestic food or commodity issues.

experience leading teams to develop and implement economic research studies and projects, conduct economic analysis using sophisticated modeling techniques, and publishing findings from the economic analysis in high-impact agency and/or academic publication outlets.

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. Major Duties:

• The incumbent serves as a Senior Cross Commodity Analyst in the Crops Branch.
• Independently plans and conducts complex and difficult market analysis and forecasting related to major agency programs, particularly those related to field crops markets of either Feed Grains, Oil Crops, and Wheat or Sugar, Rice, and Cotton.
• Expert in formulating research plans, developing methodology, determining data needs, and defining resources needed to carry out complex economic research and analysis programs of great significance, difficulty, and importance.
• Responsible for the coordination and integration of the team's program of outlook, research and analysis with those of other teams and other Branches in the Division and the Agency.
• The incumbent usually leads a team of lower graded economists and support people but may independently perform some major studies.
• Initiates, conceptualizes, formulates, plans, and executes an integrated market analysis and outlook program.
• Address complex economic and or other social science problems affecting the U.S. and foreign interests across the commodities that are covered in the branch.
• Conducts market analysis of a complex or difficult nature across the field crop commodities in the Branch.
• Complexity of assignments: incumbent must be proficient and precise in the use of a variety of unrelated analytical techniques and methods.
• Assumes full technical responsibility for formulating and carrying out research plans and is responsible for the validity and application of the economic results produced.
• Assesses current economic assumptions and explore alternative scenarios to continually improve the state of the art.
• Maintains large databases and oversees data collection, economic analysis and research, and publication and communication of results and findings.
• Represents the Agency and Department at such major forums as inter-governmental meetings, agricultural and related business meetings, international conferences, and other major symposiums.
• Serves as commodity expert in forums on policy analysis, market estimates or forecasts; and where expertise is needed related to supply, demand, processing, market structure, trade, or pricing of crop commodities.
• Consults with other commodity analysts, the World Agricultural Outlook Board (WAOB), and other Agencies
• Develops of statistical and analytical approaches to inform the Agency’s economic intelligence program for a wide array of commodities in the Branch.
• Communicates methods and analytical results in an interagency framework, to both inform the discussion and enhance the working relationship with other Agencies and commodity industries.