Economist

This position develops, manages, and executes social science research portfolios and projects for NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science.

Responsibilities:

• Independently manage and execute social science projects across the full life cycle, from design through analysis, reporting, and dissemination.

• Provide expert guidance on theoretical, methodological, and statistical approaches across disciplines (e.g., sociology, economics, geography, public policy, statistics).

• Design and conduct economic assessments, including ecosystem service valuation (market and non-market), trade-off and cost-benefit studies, economic impact analyses, and recreational demand modeling for marine/coastal ecosystems.

• Lead project activities, including data collection and consolidation, database development and management, data diagnostics, and advanced data analysis.

• Lead research teams and provide guidance to junior personnel; foster collaboration and ensure effective execution of scientific tasks.

• Prepare, review, and coordinate reports, manuscripts, presentations, and technical products; manage internal and external review processes to ensure quality and consistency.

• Support senior personnel in programmatic planning and execution; perform additional responsibilities or special projects as directed.

Minimum Experience Requirements:

• Degree level commensurate with the labor category proposed in Natural Resource and Environmental Economics, Agricultural Economics, or a related social science discipline; Years of relevant work experience will commensurate with the labor category proposed

• Demonstrated experience independently conducting economic analyses, including evaluating and analyzing data from large secondary datasets and/or primary data collections.

• Demonstrated knowledge, experience, or certification in managing projects or programs

• Expertise with a variety of statistical, mathematical programming, and database software packages, such as STATA, R, SPSS, and other relevant tools.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to clearly convey complex ideas to diverse audiences.


• Proven ability to take initiative, work independently under pressure, and manage multiple projects, stakeholders, and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

• Ability to work effectively as part of an interdisciplinary team, supporting and coordinating with colleagues to achieve project goals.

At CSS, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and merit-based workplace. We provide equal employment opportunities to all individuals, ensuring that hiring and employment decisions are based on qualifications, skills, and performance. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.