FINANCIAL ECONOMIST

Summary This position is located in the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Asst Secretary for Housing-Federal Housing Commissioner. If you do not meet any of the categories listed below, you may wish to apply under announcement 26-HUD-12986441-P which is open for any U.S. citizen to apply. Please refer to that announcement for details on open period, eligibility, and how to apply. Responsibilities HUD's Mission The mission of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is to foster strong communities by supporting access to quality, affordable housing, expanding the housing supply, and unlocking homeownership opportunities for the American people. The Department is committed to furthering the promise of self-sufficiency in every American while promoting economic development to revitalize rural, tribal, and urban communities across the country. The Office of Housing provides vital public services through its nationally administered programs. It oversees the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the largest mortgage insurer in the world, and regulates important parts of the housing industry. The Office of Housing is committed to building and preserving healthy neighborhoods and communities through homeownership, rental housing and healthcare opportunities. The Office of Risk Management provides independent assessments of emerging and existing risks, communicates substantiated evaluation of risks, as well as recommends risk management strategies and risk mitigation tactics to FHA, its partners, customers and constituents in order to strengthen consumer confidence in the Federal Housing Administration Programs, while increasing capital reserves. As a FINANCIAL ECONOMIST, you will: - Develop econometric models in conjunction with Office of Risk Management contractors for in-house actuarial reviews of programs within the FHA General Insurance and Special Risk Insurance funds and for identifying emerging trends or risk factors affecting the performance of FHA GI/SRI Fund programs. - Advise the FHA Commissioner and senior management regarding premium and underwriting policies for Single Family Forward and Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) insurance programs that achieve target credit subsidy rates. - Assume responsibility for accuracy and timeliness of cash flow estimates used in the preparation of FHA's audited financial statements, budget estimates, actuarial reviews, and or other reports prepared by the Office of Risk Management or its contractors. - Serve as technical and policy liaison with Federal oversight entities, such as the Office of Management and Budget, the General Accounting Office, the Office of the Inspector General, and the Congressional Budget Office, regarding financial and actuarial assessments and audits of various FHA mortgage insurance programs. - Serve as technical and policy liaison with other HUD Offices regarding financial and actuarial assessments and audits of various FHA mortgage insurance programs. Requirements Conditions of Employment The official duty station for this position will be in Alexandria, Virginia. Failure to report to duty at this location may be grounds for a disciplinary action, including removal. Key Requirements: Must be U.S. Citizen or U.S. National. A probationary or trial period may be required. Continued employment is contingent upon supervisory certification that continued employment will benefit the Federal Service; the certification will occur no less than 30 days before the end of the probationary/trial period. Must successfully complete a background investigation. Public Trust - Background Investigation will be required. Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency. Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer. If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so. Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form i-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S. Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel. Please refer to "Additional Information Section for additional Conditions of Employment." Qualifications You must meet the following requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. Specialized Experience: For the GS-14 grade level, you must have one year (52 full weeks) of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized Experience for this position includes: - Analyzing and applying techniques to conduct financial and risk assessments of financial data for policies, initiatives, and programs such as single family, multifamily or healthcare housing industries; AND - Assisting in the development of research designs for models related to the analysis of housing or urban or rural economics, public finance, financial economics, labor economics, or microeconomics. The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your resume. Time-in-Grade: In addition to the above requirements, you must meet the following time-in-grade requirement, if applicable: For the GS- 14must have been at the GS-13 level for 52 weeks. Time After Competitive Appointment: Candidates who are current Federal employees serving on a non-temporary competitive appointment must have served at least three months in that appointment. Education The education generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions. Economist Series, 0110 Individual Occupational Requirements A. Degree: economics, that included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus. OR B. Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in economics, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Evaluation of Experience - Examples of qualifying experience include: 1.individual economic research assignments requiring planning, information assembly, analysis and evaluation, conclusions and report preparation; 2.supervisory or project coordination assignments involving a staff of professional economists, and requiring the evaluation and interpretation of economic information; or 3.teaching assignments in a college or university that included both class instruction in economics subjects and one of the following (1) personal research that produced evidence of results, (2) direction of graduate theses in economics, or (3) service as a consultant or advisor on technical economics problems. Experience in related fields that did not involve the use and understanding of economic principles and theories may not be used as qualifying experience for these positions. Special attention on this point should be given to certain types of work that may or may not have provided professional economic experience. The following examples of work require special care in such determinations: 1.economic statistics; 2.industrial surveys; 3.management of individual business enterprises, including farms; 4.industrial planning; 5.writing or editorial work in economic subjects; and 6.financial market analysis. Additional Information OTHER INFORMATION: We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies. Relocation expenses will not be paid. Relocation incentive will not be paid. Recruitment incentive will not be paid. This is a bargaining unit position. This position is Exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). HUD offers alternative and flexible work schedules. This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies for similar positions across HUD. During the online application process, you will be asked to specify if you would like your application information shared with other hiring managers in the Program Office listed in this announcement or in other HUD Program Offices. Opting to share your application information will not impact your application for this announcement, nor will it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT (CONTINUED): HUD employees are subject to a number of government-wide and HUD specific ethics laws and regulations, including restrictions on working in a real estate related business, and having Section 8 tenants, along with other prohibited interests and activities. To review applicable ethics rules and HUD specific restrictions, please visit