Back Foreign Service Economist Officer

You are encouraged to read the entire announcement before you submit your application package. Your application may not receive full consideration if you do not follow the instructions as outlined.

This is a Foreign Service announcement. Worldwide availability is a requirement of the position.

USAID recruits Economist Officers to design, lead, manage and contribute to U.S. assistance programs in developing countries. USAID economists support assistance programs in the areas of country strategy development, sectoral program choices, project design, project economic analysis, and monitoring and evaluation. Economists may oversee and manage economic growth programs related to Macroeconomic Reform; Economic Policy and Institutions; Business, Legal and Institutional Reform; Financial Sector Reform; Privatization; and Trade and Investment.

Strategic Planning:Assists in the planning of a broad range of economic growth program activities, including identifying opportunities for integrating development assistance principles with economic growth sector programs; participates in the formation of policies and guidelines to further economic growth activities. Contributes to strategic planning documents, country assistance strategies, and sector strategies. Employs economic analyses, such as inclusive growth diagnostics to provide guidance to senior managers for decisions on the allocation of resources across sectors, and as inputs to cross-cutting issues such as environment or gender.

Program Analysis: Participates and assists in the development of plans and programs for technical assistance, strategic planning, and other activities within the economic growth sector. Performs analyses of macroeconomic and sector trends to inform senior management and program managers of relevant factors that may affect the U.S. assistance program. Supports design and evaluation of projects in all sectors. Performs economic analysis, such as cost-benefit analysis or cost-effectiveness analysis, as appropriate, of new project proposals and/or oversees contracted economic analyses. Communicates results of analysis both verbally and in writing to specialist and non- specialist audiences in a manner easily understood.

Reviews statistical soundness of data used to track program performance, researches and presents reliable evidence on cost-effectiveness of interventions across Mission portfolios and provides input into potential cost-effectiveness impact evaluations for sector offices to fill evidence gaps. Contributes economic criteria into scopes of work for project and program evaluations and briefs Mission, Washington, and field interagency managers regarding macroeconomic background and conditions within which USAID programs operate.

Economic Policy Guidance: Serves as a technical resource to foreign assistance activities in the area of economic growth. Supports activities within the economic growth sector by reviewing and analyzing data and providing assistance on economic growth issues. Assists in coordinating and managing activities, strategies, policies, concepts, procedures, and guidelines for establishing programs in the economic growth sector. Identifies and analyzes macroeconomic and microeconomic constraints to development, both sector-wide and country-specific, and recommends courses of action.

Develops professional contacts, supports and contributes to joint analytic activities with economists and other officials in the host country government, resident missions of the international financial institutions, bilateral donors, embassies, as well as within the local academic and business communities, including the U.S, international and local chambers of commerce.

Collaborates with host country economists in the analysis of economic development problems, policy issues, project design, and implementation.

Program Management: Contributes to the selection, design, implementation, and evaluation of foreign assistance activities in all program areas by identifying and analyzing economic issues relevant to their success, including the incentives affecting the behavior of those affected by those activities; the likely fiscal sustainability of those activities, the feasibility and desirability of greater reliance on market mechanisms, and similar issues. Provides technical advice on the likely impact of economic growth on social outcomes, and on the impact of social sector investments on economic outcomes.

Supervision and Management Throughout a Foreign Service career, likely assume positions that entail supervision of one or more staff and/or management of a team or office within USAID. Support professional development of other staff, conduct an annual evaluation process, and address any conduct or performance issues that may arise.

Education

USAID has a reverse grading system, e.g. FS4 is the higher grade.
FS-05, $67,122 (with Washington D.C. locality) to $98,571 Applicant must:

- have a graduate (Master's or Doctorate) degree in a relevant major PLUS two (2) years of relevant experience.

FS-04, $82,837 (with Washington D.C. locality) to $121,648 Applicant must have:

- a Master's degree in a relevant major PLUS four (4) years of relevant experience OR a Doctorate degree in a relevant major PLUS three

(3) years of relevant experience.

Relevant degrees are in economics, agricultural/resource economics, international development, or public policy if coursework is fully equivalent to a graduate degree in economics, i.e. includes successful completion of one or more years of graduate-level coursework in economics in the following fields: (a) microeconomic theory or applied microeconomics; (b) macroeconomic theory; and (c) statistics, econometrics, or quantitative methods.

Relevant experience is defined as experience in at least one of the following: Economic Growth disciplines: Macroeconomic policy, microeconomic Policy and Institutions; Agriculture and Agribusiness; business enabling environment; Financial Sector Reform; Privatization; Trade and Investment; or Enterprise Development and Competitiveness.

Examples of qualifying experience include: (1) individual 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; (3) service as an independent expert or consultant on technical economics problems, or as an economic advisor within a relevant public or private organization; or (4) teaching assignments in a college or university that included both class instruction in economics subjects and one of the following: (a) personal research that produced evidence of results, (b) direction of graduate theses in economics, or (c) services as an advisor or consultant in technical economics problems.

Conditions of Employment

• United States Citizenship is required.
• Relevant education and experience, see Qualifications below.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret Security clearance.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered with the Selective Service. If selected, the applicant must sign a statement certifying his registration, or the applicant must demonstrate exempt status under the Selective Service Law.
• Worldwide Availability. Worldwide availability is a requirement of the position. Successful candidates must be available to accept assignments to any country where USAID operates.
• Must be between 18 and 59 years old at time of application, unless the applicant is a Veteran. Veteran, must be between 18 and 64 years old at time of application.
• Class 1 Medical Clearance (no identifiable medical condition that would limit assignment). A medical clearance or waiver is required prior to being hired for this position verifying that the applicant is able to serve at any USAID overseas post.
• Foreign Language Proficiency is not required to apply; however, applicants who demonstrate proficiency in a USAID tenuring language will have an opportunity to test via phone for bonus points to be added to their interview score.
• Drug Testing. These are Testing Designated Positions under the Agency's approved Drug Free WorkPlace Program. All applicants selected for this position will be subject to random drug testing once they begin working for the Agency.
• Languages: Bilingual preferred; at a minimum, the ability to communicate proficiently in a second spoken or signed language.