• Investigates possible electrical malfunctions, failures or modifications to electrical and mechanical equipment and/or components.
• Performs examinations that may require the use of instrumental measurement procedures and equipment, such as thermocouple and electrical electronic instrumentation.
• Participates in crime scene processing by providing assistance to investigators on electrical failure scenarios and analyses.
• Provides investigators with written and oral presentations of test results.
• Plans and implements tests to evaluate electrical equipment, components and products that may cause fire hazards and their effect on fire ignition, development and spread.
• Interprets and evaluates the results of analyses to determine the validity and scientific significance based on a reasonable degree of scientific certainty and to ensure that all relevant questions are answered.

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• May be required to serve a one year probationary period.
• Pass drug screening and subject to random drug test.
• Suitable for Federal employment determined by background investigation.
• Must be registered or exempt from the Selective Service. See www.sss.gov.
• Must be able to obtain a Top Secret Clearance

To qualify you must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: http://www.opm.gov/qualifications.

To qualify you must meet the basic requirements.

Basic Requirement: Degree in professional engineering. To be acceptable, the curriculum must: (1) be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) as a professional engineering curriculum; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.

OR

Combination of education and experience--college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying professional engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. Additional info on basic requirements at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/StPandards/IORs/gs0800/0800.htm#occupations

All academic degrees and course work must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see www.ed.gov.

In addition to the basic requirements to qualify for the GS-12:

You must have at least one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-11 federal grade level.

To qualify at the GS-12 level:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:

• Demonstrated knowledge of the understanding and mastery of electrical or electronic engineering theories and practices.
• Experience operating and interpreting the instruments necessary to analyze electrical evidence from complex cases.
• Knowledge and experience in electrical and electronic devices, systems and their respective failure modes.
• Experience writing and orally communicating concise analytical results and findings.
• Demonstrated knowledge of fire and forensic laws, regulations pertaining to fire and forensic evidence.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP). The ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Silver (minimum score of 85) or better category using established category rating criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at: http://www.opm.gov/ctap/index.asp.

The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Silver (minimum score of 85) or better category using established category rating criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at: http://www.opm.gov/ctap/index.asp.

Veteran Preference:If you are entitled to veteran preference, you should indicate the type of veteran preference you are claiming on your résumé.

In order to verify your veteran preference entitlement, please submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty); official statement of service from your command if you are currently on active duty; or other official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) that shows your military service was performed under honorable conditions.

In addition,if you are a disabled veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, or widow/widower of a veteran, the spouse of a disabled veteran or the natural mother of a disabled or deceased veteran, you must submit the October 2013 Revised Standard Form (SF) 15, “Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference,” and the other required documentation identified on the reverse side of the SF-15 to support your preference claim.

Although veteran preference points are not assigned under the category rating procedures described under “How You Will Be Evaluated,” veteran preference eligibles are listed ahead of non-veterans within each category for which they are qualified.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your application will be evaluated and rated under ATF’s Category Rating and Selection Procedures. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are basically qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the online assessment questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. Your application will then be placed in one of three categories:

Gold - applicants possessing a background that demonstrates a superior level of possession of all evaluation criteria, Silver - applicants possessing a background that demonstrates a satisfactory level of possession of the evaluation criteria or Bronze - applicants possessing the specialized experience.

Names of all candidates in the Gold category will be sent to the hiring official for employment consideration.

Candidates within the Gold category who are eligible for veteran preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles.

The assessment questionnaire is designed to measure your ability in the following competencies:

• Requires a mastery of the principles, theories and practices of electrical or electronic engineering.
• Requires skills in operating and interpreting the instruments necessary to analyze electrical evidence from complex cases.
• Requires broad knowledge of the investigative procedures for effective collection, preservation and packaging of evidence.
• Requires the ability to clearly and concisely express ideas and facts, both orally and in writing and effectively present analytical results.
• Requires and in-depth knowledge of relevant laws, regulations and guidelines pertaining to fire and forensic evidence.
• Requires skill in analyzing issues, overcoming obstacles, fostering teamwork and coordinating the work of several organizational segments or projects.

To preview questions please click here.