Pathways Recent Graduate Economist/Statistician/Data Scientist

US Railroad Retirement Board; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 54,000 - 82,000; Full time

Job summary

US Railroad Retirement Board seeks a GS-07/09 Pathways Recent Graduate Economist/Statistician/Data Scientist to plan and conduct economic, statistical and financial studies for agency programs under the RRA, RUIA, RRTA, SSA and related laws.

The program offers developmental experiences with potential for non-competitive conversion after completion of requirements; basic requirements in economics, statistics or data science apply, with multiple pathways to enter at GS-07 or GS-09 levels.

Qualifications

• Economics/Statistics/Data Science degree with required coursework.
• One year of specialized experience for GS-07 or graduate education for GS-07/09.
• Education/experience meeting basic requirements for economist/statistician/data science tracks.

Responsibilities

• Collect, tabulate, analyze, and present economic and statistical data.
• Conduct studies and analyses on proposals to modify the Acts.
• Prepare materials for agency publications.
• Identify and oversee data collection and development.
• Develop data for program management and direction.
• Prepare ad hoc reports and conduct studies as directed.
• Analyze large data sets and make recommendations for policy and program integrity.

Skills

Data analysis

Economics knowledge

Statistical methods

Data interpretation

Education

Economics/Statistics/Data Science degree

Graduate level education in economics/statistics/data science

Relevant combination of education/experience

Tools

SAS

R

SQL

Excel

Job description

The U.S. Railroad Retirement Board is hiring a GS-07/09 Pathways Recent Graduate Economist/Statistician/Data Scientist. The incumbent is professionally responsible for planning and conducting various economic, statistical and financial studies, projects, and cost calculations for programs administered by the agency under the provisions of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA), Railroad Unemployment and Insurance Act (RUIA), and/or other pertinent laws.

As a Pathways Recent Graduate Economist/Statistician/Data Scientist, you will:

• Collect, tabulate, analyze, interpret, and present economic and statistical data used in programs administered by the agency under the provisions of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA), Railroad Unemployment and Insurance Act (RUIA), Railroad Retirement Tax Act (RRTA), Social Security Act (SSA), and/or other pertinent laws.
• Conduct studies and analyses on proposals to modify the Acts.
• Prepare materials for a variety of agency publications.
• Identify and oversee the collection and development of relevant data.
• Develop and identify data required for use in the management and direction of the programs.
• Prepare ad hoc reports and conduct studies as directed.
• Be responsible for contributing to the analysis and review of large amounts of relevant data.
• Make recommendations resulting from analysis and reviews of data. Analysis and recommendations developed can influence the management and oversight of the benefit programs and be used to formulate policy, address program vulnerabilities and ensure the integrity of the programs.
• Address irregularities, anomalies, or suspicious patterns or trends in the programs.

The RRB Recent Graduates Program affords developmental experiences in the Federal Government intended to promote possible careers in the civil service to individuals who have recently graduated from qualifying educational institutions or programs. Successful applicants are placed in a dynamic, developmental program with the potential to lead to a civil service career in the Federal Government. Following the completion of program requirements, selectees may be considered for non-competitive conversion to a career-conditional or term appointment. All conversion requirements will be identified in the Participant Agreement.

Program requirements include but are not limited to:

• Successful completion of at least 1-year of continuous service
• Completion of at least 40 hours of interactive training
• Demonstration of successful job performance
• Meet the qualification standards for the position to which the Recent Graduate may be converted
• Conversion to the competitive service is not implied nor guaranteed.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements for Economist Series 0110:

• 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, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
• Basic Requirements for Statistician Series 1530:Degree: that included 15 semester hours in statistics (or in mathematics and statistics, provided at least 6 semester hours were in statistics), and 9 additional semester hours in one or more of the following: physical or biological sciences, medicine, education, or engineering; or in the social sciences including demography, history, economics, social welfare, geography, international relations, social or cultural anthropology, health sociology, political science, public administration, psychology, etc. Credit toward meeting statistical course requirements should be given for courses in which 50 percent of the course content appears to be statistical methods, e.g., courses that included studies in research methods in psychology or economics such as tests and measurements or business cycles, or courses in methods of processing mass statistical data such as tabulating methods or electronic data processing.
• or
• Combination of education and experience -- courses as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. The experience should have included a full range of professional statistical work such as (a) sampling, (b) collecting, computing, and analyzing statistical data, and (c) applying statistical techniques such as measurement of central tendency, dispersion, skewness, sampling error, simple and multiple correlation, analysis of variance, and tests of significance.
• Basic Requirements for Data Science Series 1560:Degree: Mathematics, statistics, computer science, data science or field directly related to the position. The degree must be in a major field of study (at least at the baccalaureate level) that is appropriate for the position.
• or
• Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major field of study (30 semester hours) as shown in paragraph A above, plus additional education or appropriate experience.

In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must have the specialized experience and/or directly related education as defined below.

For Grade GS-07:

A. One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service that includes assisting with the planning and conducting data collection studies or projects; analyzing data sets; assisting with conducting analysis using various computer applications and software such as QMF, SAS, R, SQL, and Excel; and assisting in developing a portion of a technical report. OR

B. One full year of graduate level education in an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in one of the following related fields: Economics, Statistics, Data Science, Mathematics, Actuarial Science, or Computer Science. The education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. OR

C. Superior Academic Achievement: Completion of a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree in a field of study that demonstrates the competencies required by this position with either (1) a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 based on a 4.0 scale; (2) a 3.5 GPA based on a 4.0 scale for all required courses completed in a qualifying major field of study at either the time of application or during the last two years of your undergraduate curriculum; (3) class standing of upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or a major subdivision of the college; or, (4) membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society certified by the Association of College Honor Societies, excluding freshman honor societies; If applying under this provision, copies of transcripts (from each school attended) for undergraduate courses must be submitted with your application, and originals must be provided prior to entering on duty. OR

D. A combination of education and experience as listed above.

For Grade GS-09:

A. One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service that includes planning and conducting data collection studies or projects; providing analysis and recommendations from analysis of data sets; conducting analysis using various computer applications and software such as QMF, SAS, R, SQL, and Excel; and preparing detailed concise technical reports. OR

B. A Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a related field such as Economics, Statistics, Data Science, Mathematics, Actuarial Science, or Computer Science. OR

C. A combination of specialized experience and qualifying graduate education beyond the first year of graduate study that together meet the requirements for this position.

In addition to the above, you must have, within the previous 2 years*, completed all educational requirements for a qualifying associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying institution. Education requirements must be met by October 10, 2026.

*Veterans who, due to a military service obligation, were precluded from applying to a Recent Graduates Program during any portion of the 2 year eligibility period may have their eligibility period extended so that they receive the full 2 years of eligibility. The remaining 2-year eligibility period will begin upon his or her release or discharge from active duty. The veteran's eligibility period may not extend beyond 6 years from the date of completion of all requirements of an academic course of study.