The Surface Transportation Board (STB) is an economic regulatory agency that exercises its statutory authority to support an efficient, competitive, and sound transportation network. This position is located in the Office of Economics (OE) at the STB and is responsible for assisting OE's Director and Deputy Director in accomplishing the office's technical functions effectively and efficiently.
You must meet the Mandatory Education Requirements listed in the "Education Requirements" section and the "Specialized Experience" to qualify for this series as described below. Specialized experience must meet 52 weeks equivalent to the next lower grade level. A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must clearly indicate the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Specialized Experience is defined as the experience that has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position of the Operations Research Analyst, 1515 series. To qualify for this position, you must meet the Mandatory Education Requirements and Specialized Experience outlined below for the Operations Research Analyst, as described below. Basic Requirements: Degree: in operations research; or at least 24 semester hours in a combination of operations research, mathematics, probability, statistics, mathematical logic, science, or subject-matter courses requiring substantial competence in college-level mathematics or statistics. At least 3 of the 24 semester hours must have been in calculus. AND GS-15 To be qualified for this position at the GS-15 grade level, you must demonstrate in your resume one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-14, in the Federal service (experience may have been gained in the private sector or volunteer experience) demonstrated by completing all of the following: (1)Writing and presenting comprehensive technical reports based on research ; (2) Developing new methods and approaches for using data to solve problems and; (3) Problem-solving using applied mathematics, economics, or statistics and; (4) Conducting research on rail transportation involving a data-driven approaches; and (5)Using analytical methods and techniques to evaluate laws, policies, guidelines, or rules related to transportation. All applicants are required to submit a resume with your application. To receive full consideration for relevant and specialized experience, please utilize the following date format MM/DD/YY to MM/DD/YY - or - MM/DD/YY to present and the number of hours worked per week for each period of employment/experience listed in your resume. Your responses to the questionnaire must be supported/demonstrated in your resume. If, after reviewing your resume and supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and experience, your rating may be lowered to reflect the submitted documentation more accurately. In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience or education. Your resume should not exceed 2 pages and must demonstrate the specialized experience related to the position for which you are applying. If your resume goes beyond two pages, we will only consider the first two pages for the required experience as outlined in the specialized experience. It must contain the following information: Name, address, telephone number, email address; Job Title (if Federal Service, provide series and grade; if not in GS plan, provide GS equivalent grade); If qualifying based on related unpaid (e.g. volunteer service) experience, you must provide hours worked per week and beginning/ending dates (mm/dd/yyyy to mm/dd/yyyy); If other than full time you must provide hours worked per week. PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination. Should you submit multiple resumes, only the latest uploaded resume will be reviewed. It is recommended to make your resume searchable in your USAJOBS.gov profile.
In this position, you will serve as an Operations Research Analyst (Senior Data Scientist/ Econometrician) in OE, responsible for managing and conducting analyses and researching items of importance to the agency and industry, such as applying complex concepts and statistical methods, including cost-benefit analysis and econometric analysis, to issues of competition in the rail industry. OE also makes available to the public a variety of statistical and financial analyses of the railroad industry. You apply these models to test economic theories, evaluate policy impacts, and make data-driven recommendations. You will support OE's work by employing quantitative and qualitative approaches to evaluate disparate data sources to identify and resolve issues central to the Board's analysis of proposed freight railroad transactions, economic regulation of the rail industry, and other transportation industry segments subject to the agency's jurisdiction. In addition, the position will focus on using advanced econometrics and data science methods, including machine learning, visual analytics (GIS as well as BI tools), and statistical models in an innovative manner to analyze market dynamics and competitive behavior within the transportation industry. As a Data Scientist/Econometrician in OE, you will perform the following duties: Lead and develop project plans for the Agency's analysis of freight railroad transactions, with a focus on mergers and transactions that affect the structure, conduct, and performance of the freight rail market. Develop and implement econometric models to analyze competitive effects of mergers, acquisitions, and business practices. Advise senior leadership of the advantages and limitations of various data science approaches, as well as potential applicability of new techniques, including applications of complex statistical methods, analytic tools, and computer languages. Conduct quantitative analysis of market structures, examine freight rail industry trends, perform forecasting of pertinent transportation data-related matters, and other factors relevant to Board proceedings. Apply statistical and economic methods to assess market power, analyze anticompetitive behaviors, and quantify economic harm. Initiate and conduct research by using modern data analytic techniques to assess the effects of agency actions on the transportation industry. Collaborate with other agency staff to analyze freight rail rate reasonableness in cases brought to the Board. Part of this is a determination on whether effective competition exists to constrain the rate-making power of a railroad in the rates it charges shippers. Collaborates with the agency's Office of Chief Counsel and other program offices to integrate economic analysis into Board decisions. Collaborate with other agency staff to work with and analyze a wide variety of data sources ranging from accounting to waybill data; perform data analysis and develop visualizations to answer questions raised by internal and external parties regarding various issues that come before the Board. Develop project plans and serve on project teams in areas that are of strategic interest to the Board, particularly in the areas involving railroad regulation. Employ a variety of quantitative and qualitative approaches to evaluate disparate data sources and identify and resolve consistency and/or discrepancy issues that may exist. YOU MUST PROVIDE TRANSCRIPTS TO SUPPORT THE EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE POSITION. You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.