ECONOMIC ASSISTANT (RESEARCH)
ECONOMIC ASSISTANT (RESEARCH)
Maintaining public confidence. It’s what we do.
At the FDIC, your work directly supports our core mission of maintaining stability and public confidence in the nation’s financial system. Deposit insurance protects everyone with a bank deposit account. It also protects the entire nation’s financial stability. The professional staff of the Division of Insurance and Research (DIR) carries out this essential mission by managing a risk-based deposit insurance system and identifying, monitoring, and addressing risks to the Deposit Insurance Fund.
Learn and Grow
As an Economic Assistant (Research) you use and develop a wide range of valuable skills. Foremost, you are a critical thinker who asks questions and actively seeks answers. You may be asked to learn a statistical programming language to analyze trends in bank financial data, develop analytical tools to improve our team’s ability to evaluate bank insurance assessments, or explore financial innovations and their potential impact on bank safety and soundness. Every day, you will find opportunities to learn and grow.
What We Offer
We offer competitive and generous benefits programs. We respect work-life balance. The FDIC has consistently ranked among the top federal agencies according to the “Best Places to Work in the Federal Government” report.
Informational Session
DIR hiring managers will host a 30-minute informational virtual Q&A session about the Economic Assistant (Research) position on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. To receive a link to the session, register your email here by 5:00 p.m. (EST), March 4, 2024.
Telework Eligibility
The FDIC offers position-specific telework options. For more information, please reference the above-mentioned telework options here.
Ready to Apply?
Please review the job announcement below and submit your application by
11:59 p.m. (EST) Monday, March 11, 2024.
Job Locations
Headquarters (Washington, DC)
Regional Offices (Atlanta, GA; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; Kansas City, MO; New York, NY; San Francisco, CA)
Job Description
Economic Assistants (Research) in DIR research, analyze and evaluate banking industry and economic information supporting staff research projects, work assignments, and the FDIC’s program for identifying, monitoring, and addressing existing and emerging risks to the Deposit Insurance Fund. They are also responsible for responding to data or information requests from other divisions, agencies, state and local governments, and bankers on economic or financial matters. Economic Assistants (Research) may also research, gather information, and compile data pertaining to the financial services industry, financial markets, FDIC-insured institutions, as well as national, international, and regional economic developments. They often collaborate with other DIR staff on draft research publications or other FDIC publications that analyze banking and economic trends and conditions. Economic Assistants (Research) working on the Failed Bank Data Project assist the staff economists in their analysis of large, complex data collected from failed banks. In addition to maintaining and adding to the structured asset and liability data, Economic Assistants (Research) search and analyze failed banks’ regulatory reports, internal documents, and public news items to provide information relevant to the structured data analysis. Economic Assistants (Research) in Regional Offices contribute to the analysis of local economic and financial data for the production of written products, outreach presentations, and special projects.
Job Start Date
Spring 2024, Summer 2024, or Fall 2024, contingent on completion of degree requirements and conferring of official transcript.
Other Information
The position is limited to a two-year term, with possible one-year extensions, not to exceed four years in total length.
Required Education and Experience
Applicants must meet specific education requirements or have a combination of education and experience, as outlined below.
1 – Degree ineconomics, that includes at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus; or
2 - Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in economics, as shown in 1 above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
Evaluation of Experience
Examples of qualifying experience include:
- individual economic research assignments requiring planning, information assembly, analysis and evaluation, conclusions and report preparation;
- supervisory or project coordination assignments involving a staff of professional economists, and requiring the evaluation and interpretation of economic information; or
- 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 thesis in economics, or (3) service as a consultant or advisor on technical economics problems.
OR
1 – One year of graduate level education, or
2 – Superior academic achievement in undergraduate school that includes a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0.
Superior Academic Achievement is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership.
1) Class standing -- Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses.
2) Grade-point average (G.P.A.) -- Applicants must have a grade-point average of: 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.
3) Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society. A list of acceptable honor societies can be found at https://www.achsnatl.org/quick_link.asp
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this posting may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating. You can confirm if your school is accredited here.
Foreign Education
If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and that such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program. More information can be found here.
Position Type
Full time
Compensation:
As of 2024, the base salary is $46,163 plus the applicable locality rate (a list of the 2024 locality rates is available on (FDIC.gov).
Washington DC $ 61,586 with locality; Atlanta, GA $56,988 with locality; Boston, MA $61,401 with locality; Chicago, IL $60,201 with locality; Dallas, TX $58,685 with locality; Kansas City, MO $54,772 with locality; New York, NY $ 64,661 with locality; San Francisco, CA $70,052 with locality).
Required Documents: Failure to provide all of the required documentation as stated in this posting may result in an ineligible determination or may affect your consideration status.
1 – Cover letter that clearly states the office location(s) for which the candidate wishes to be considered.
2 – Resume that includes the position title of “Economic Assistant (Research)” as well as the candidate’s name, address, daytime telephone number, and email address. More information on federal resumes can be found on the USAJOBS website.
3 – Transcript that includes all coursework being used to qualify for the education requirements of the position. An unofficial transcript is acceptable for the initial application.
4 – Veteran’s Preference candidates should click here. If claiming veterans preference, Veterans must submit the Member 4 copy of the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, or documentation showing the type of discharge/character of service, i.e., Honorable, Under Honorable Conditions, etc., along with any other documents, (VA Letter or SF-15) to demonstrate veterans’ preference eligibility.
How to Apply
Interested applicants should send their application package by email to EconomistCareers@FDIC.gov. To be considered, application packages must include a cover letter, resume, and transcript with the content outlined above. Incomplete or mailed applications will not be considered.
Please direct all questions regarding Economic RA positions to EconomistCareers@FDIC.gov.
Visit the FDIC’s jobs website for information on compensation, benefits, and other FDIC employment opportunities.
The FDIC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
U.S. Citizenship is required.