Social Science Analyst ( Analyst in Public Finance)

Social Science Analyst ( Analyst in Public Finance)

Department: Legislative Branch

Location(s): Washington, District of Columbia

Salary Range: $84601 - $109975 Per Year

Job Summary: This position is located in the Government and Finance Division, Congressional Research Service. This is a non-supervisory, bargaining unit position. The position description number for this position is 004746. The incumbent for this position will work a flexitime or compflex work schedule. The salary range indicated reflects the locality pay adjustments for the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan area. Relocation expenses will not be reimbursed

Major Duties:

• The primary purpose of this position is to serve the United States Congress as a public policy analyst by locating and interpreting factual information; conducting research; preparing objective, non-partisan descriptive, background, and analytical reports; and participating in team research projects and seminars. The employee is also expected to develop over time the skills necessary to provide public policy and legislative analysis and consultation to congressional committees, Members, and staff at increasingly sophisticated levels. Typically, such knowledge would be gained through extended graduate study, or experience and professional development activities equivalent to such study in a professional field, coupled with the skill to apply this knowledge to public policy issues. Knowledge and skill at this level must include: 1. A perception of opposing views and biases within the profession; 2. The ability to use judgment in the presentation of options that represent divergent views and describe the possible consequences of adopting such options; and 3. The differences between this level and Level 1-6 include broader comprehension of the field of knowledge, a demonstrated understanding of divergent concepts within the profession, and proficiency in research methodology. Assignments are made by the supervisor or a senior policy analyst, who provides general direction as to objectives, priorities, and deadlines and gives assistance in unusual situations which do not have clear precedents. The analyst independently plans and carries out assignments in accordance with general directions, agency policies, previous training, or accepted professional practices. As appropriate, products are reviewed for accuracy, responsiveness, appropriate organization of material, and conformance with agency policy. Procedures for performing the work are established and some specific guides are available. Guides are not completely applicable to many work situations. Typically, the analyst is thoroughly familiar with the guidelines that apply to routine work situations and also is becoming adept at interpreting and applying guidelines and precedents in non-routine situations without referring questions to others. The work assigned typically has aspects of sensitivity which require more mature judgment regarding the implications of choices of methodology. Assignments require the use of a variety of unrelated analytical methods and techniques of a professional field or discipline. The analyst typically: (1) selects, organizes, and presents information, identifies bias, analyzes interrelationships, and presents and evaluates policy options; (2) deals with unusual circumstances (e.g., under rigid deadlines, often works with voluminous and/or incomplete and conflicting information and data), chooses from among various analytical methods depending on the type of data and the nature of the task, and identifies and defines unclear issues; and (3) decides on form, content, scope, and depth of response and interprets and presents balanced findings. The purpose of the work is to provide authoritative information on, and analysis of, public policy questions or legislative proposals, and to summarize alternatives for consideration by policy makers. The work product or service (e.g., analytical reports, written and oral correspondence) aids the policy making activity of the Congress by defining the impacts of the various alternatives to a given problem or proposal. Personal contacts are with analysts and specialists within the Service, with staffs of Members and committees of Congress, with program directors in Executive,Legislative, or Judicial Branch organizations, with members of trade associations and public interest groups, or with state and local government officials. Contacts may be initiated by the analyst, the person requesting information and/or assistance, or another party, and frequently involve unstructured face-to-face meetings. Some contacts with specific Member or committee staffs are frequent and recurring since the analyst frequently functions in a liaison capacity with such offices. The purpose of the contact is to summarize, interpret, and relate information on difficult or misunderstood public policy questions; to present alternative approaches to policy questions to congressional staffs with differing viewpoints and goals; to inform congressional offices of the analytical capabilities of the policy analyst's organization as they relate to various projects and issues; and to establish working relationships with program officials or policy analysis staffs in other agencies and other branches of the Federal Government. The establishment of contacts is frequently an important aspect of the work at this level and requires tact and negotiating skills. The work is sedentary. No special physical effort or ability is required to perform the work. The work is performed in a typical office setting.

Qualifications: Applicants must have had progressively responsible experience and training sufficient in scope and quality to furnish them with an acceptable level of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position without more than normal supervision. Knowledge of public economics with an emphasis on federal tax administration and enforcement, individual income taxation, or tax expenditures.** Ability to analyze public policy issues.** Ability to write in a public policy context.** Ability to convey analysis and information orally through briefings, consultations, and other presentations. Ability to work collaboratively with others. Ability to exercise objectivity in all phases of analysis and consultation. Ability to communicate effectively other than in writing.

How to Apply: Please carefully follow all instructions under the How to Apply tab to ensure you are considered for the position. Please note, there is no page restriction to your resume, and you are allowed to upload a resume longer than two pages in the resume section within the application process. When the application system prompts, please proceed to the agency site to complete your application. You are required to apply online for this announcement. We are unable to accept mailed or emailed documents. You must complete the entire application process, including submission of all documents BEFORE this announcement closes. To do so, complete the following steps. Step 1: If you do not already have one, create a resume on USAJOBS. Although you must enter your Social Security Number for USAJOBS, this information will not be provided to the Library of Congress. Step 2: Review the Job Announcement. We recommend you go to the end of the Qualification and Evaluation section of the job announcement to preview the online questions that you will answer in Step 4. You may wish to customize your USAJOBS resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Step 3: Click on the "APPLY ONLINE" button to the right of this announcement. Follow USAJOBS' instructions to access your account and submit your resume. You will be redirected to the Hiring Management website to complete the application process. If this is your first time in Hiring Management, you will be asked to answer questions related to your eligibility for Federal employment. You will be able to update this information and save it to our account for future announcements. Step 4: Once you have completed the eligibility questions, you will be taken directly to the vacancy application questions. Answer all questions honestly and thoroughly. Step 5: Hiring Management offers three options that will electronically attach your documentation to your online application once you finish answering the questions in the job announcement. (1) You may select a document that you have already uploaded to USAJOBS for a previous announcement. (2) You may electronically upload a document directly from your computer to your application. Be certain to review your complete application for confirmation of the document uploaded and click on "Finished" to be returned to USAJOBS. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have multiple documents of the same kind, e.g. 2 undergraduate transcripts from different schools or 2 SF-50s, etc., be sure that they are all in the same file on your computer or in your USAJOBS profile before uploading them. If you try uploading them individually, only the last one sent will be visible in our system. If you have any questions about this information, please contact the person on this announcement BEFORE the closing date. Step 6: Click on "Finish" after you have completed your application. Once you have submitted your application, you can check your status online through your Hiring Management or MY USAJOBS account. Your complete online application and any required supplemental documentation (e.g., SF-50, etc.) must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the closing date of the announcement. It is your responsibility to ensure that all documents are received on time and that the materials are readable. Failure to do so will result in your application being excluded from consideration for this announcement. If you are experiencing any technical difficulty with the online process, you MUST CONTACT THE POINT OF CONTACT FOR THIS ANNOUNCEMENT BEFORE THE CLOSING DATE. For all technical issues please contact jobhelp@loc.gov , no later than 4:30pm EST of the Closing Date. REQUESTS FOR EXTENSIONS WILL NOT BE GRANTED.

Application Deadline: 2025-12-26