Financial Analyst

Summary

EBSA plays a vital role in protecting the retirement, health, and other job-based benefits of America's workers, retirees, and their families. We issue effective regulations, offer comprehensive education and assistance to workers, plan sponsors, fiduciaries, and service providers, and rigorously enforce the law. We serve workers, families, and the broader employee benefits community by protecting the security and integrity of the nation's benefit systems.

Duties

The Financial Analyst position is located in the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), Office of Enforcement (OE), Division of Investigative Strategies (DIS).
DIS's primary mission is to conduct, develop, and pursue complex investigations, with a focus on identifying new investigative approaches, issues, plans, templates, and strategies that EBSA field offices can use to pursue similar cases in the future.
The Financial Analyst plans and develops enforcement policies and strategies; supports the implementation of civil enforcement programs and, when applicable, criminal enforcement matters; evaluates enforcement program effectiveness; and provides investigative support to staff who investigate private-sector employee benefit plans and service providers to protect the interests of plan participants and beneficiaries. The Analyst initiates, conducts, and coordinates primarily civil investigations of alleged violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).
Selectee(s) will report to an assigned DOL office location on a regular basis and be eligible for telework as determined by agency policy. This is not a remote position. Offices are located in Boston, MA; New York, NY; Philadelphia, PA; Silver Spring, MD; Washington, DC; Atlanta, GA; Plantation, FL; Chicago, IL; Fort Wright, KY; Kansas City, MO; Dallas, TX; Pasadena, CA; San Francisco, CA; and Seattle, WA. Selectee will report to National Office or Regional Office, as appropriate.
The advertised salary reflects the pay range for the above locations. Upon selection, salary will be set in accordance with the selectee's assigned duty location.
Major duties include but are not limited to:

• Evaluate employee benefit plan financial activities to detect imprudent investments, improper or prohibited transactions, excessive fees, and other violations, and assess their impact on the plan's operations and financial condition.
• Apply ERISA and related laws (e.g., tax, securities, HIPAA, COBRA) and Federal rules of evidence to investigative analyses and case development.
• Coordinate, participate in technical, and often, multifaceted civil investigations of large and varied employee benefit plans, service providers, trust departments, and other financial entities having relationships and conducting transactions with ERISA-covered plans.
• Provide financial analytical support for investigations and examinations of selected employee benefit plans, financial institutions, service providers, and related entities. Identify and assess targets using a variety of sources and methods, including enforcement priorities, national and local emerging trends, reporting and disclosure filings, patterns of improper plan transactions, media reports, and other relevant data.
• Use technology and data systems to collect and analyze financial information, identify connections among entities, review large transaction datasets, and evaluate technical assets such as real estate, derivatives, and private equity.
• Prepare comprehensive, well-documented reports, work papers, and in-depth financial analyses of planned financial activities.
• Create summary exhibits, charts, and demonstratives from voluminous financial documentation for investigations and trials.
• Produce written analyses and recommendations (including enforcement strategies) and reports on investigation targets using databases, case files, and intelligence information.
• Coordinate and collaborate with investigators, attorneys, government agencies, financial institutions, service providers, and industry partners to support and conduct technical investigations.
• Provide classroom instruction/training on financial analysis topics and represent the agency in meetings and conferences to gain information, share best practices, and resolve problems.
• Support trial preparations by conducting on-site visits, interviews, records reviews and assist in identifying and preparing expert witnesses for testimony.
• Evaluate enforcement program effectiveness and develop/enhance enforcement strategies, policies, procedures, and new financial analysis techniques.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Must be at least 16 years old.
• Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Candidate required to obtain and maintain the necessary security/investigation level.

Qualifications

You must meet the IOR (Individual Occupational Requirement) and Specialized Experience to qualify for the Financial Analyst position, as described below.

For GS-14: Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level GS-13 in the Federal Service.

Individual Occupational Requirements:
Education:
Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study in one or a combination of the following fields - finance, business administration, economics, accounting, insurance, engineering, mathematics, banking and credit, law, real estate operations, statistics, or other fields related to the position, such as agriculture, agricultural economics, farm, livestock or ranch management, or rural sociology.
OR
Experience:
Experience such as performing financial analysis and evaluation work requiring a comprehensive knowledge of (1) corporate finance and any specialized fields of finance required such as public finance, securities, international finance, money and securities markets, investments, and banking, and (2) the financial and management structure, operations, and practices of corporate and other organizations.
For the GS-14 grade level: In addition to meeting the requirements above, applicants must demonstrate 52 weeks of qualifying specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal service. Applicants must meet at least 4 out of the 5 statements below:

• Experience analyzing financial practices, transactions, and control systems to identify prohibited transactions, imprudent investments, excessive or improper fees/charges, prohibited loans, and other improper or illegal financial activities, while determining their impact on employee benefit plan operations and financial status.
• Experience preparing comprehensive, well-documented analytical work products (e.g., reports, work papers, charts, exhibits, and summaries) derived from financial records to create demonstratives and supporting trial preparation.
• Experience providing litigation support, including in-depth analysis of financial transactions, assisting in the identification and preparation of testifying expert witnesses, and testifying as a fact witness.
• Experience performing valuation and analysis of technical and hard-to-value assets (e.g., real estate, closely held equity, debt securities, derivatives, swaps, hedge funds, private equity) and assessing portfolio construction, performance, and risk.
• Experience collaborating and communicating effectively with investigators, attorneys, law enforcement, private industry, banks, insurance companies, auditors, and other government agencies.

Education

There is no substitution of education for the specialized experience at the GS-14 level for this position.
Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Additional information

Applicants must meet all legal and regulatory requirements. Reference the Required Documents section for additional requirements.
The mission of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to protect the welfare of workers and job seekers, improve working conditions, expand high-quality employment opportunities, and assure work-related benefits and rights for all workers.
Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES
As a condition of employment, all personnel must undergo a background investigation for access to DOL facilities, systems, information and/or classified materials before they can enter on duty: BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION
This position is inside the bargaining unit. If the duty location is within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the position will be included in the Local 12, AFGE bargaining unit. If the duty location is outside the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the position will be included in the NCFLL bargaining unit.
For more information, click Career Ladder Promotion Information
For more information, click Telework Position Information. This is not a remote work position. The selectee will report to an assigned DOL office location on a regular basis and is eligible for participation in telework as determined by management in accordance with DOL policy.
Based on agency needs, additional positions may be filled using this vacancy.
The Department of Labor may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government to attract highly qualified candidates. Click for more information on Pay, Leave, and Workforce Flexibilities.
The Fair Chance Act (FCA) prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOL employee has violated your rights under the FCA, you may file a complaint of the alleged violation following our agency's complaint process Guidelines for Reporting Violations of the Fair Chance Act.
Note: The FCA does not apply to some positions specified under the Act, such as law enforcement or national security positions.
All Department of Labor employees are subject to the provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Program under Executive Order 12564 and Public Law 100-71.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.