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Mechanical Engineer

Department of the Army
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Civilian employees serve a vital role in supporting the Army mission. They provide the skills that are not readily available in the military, but crucial to support military operations. The Army integrates the talents and skills of its military and civilian members to form a Total Army.

About the Position:
Position(s) will be filled under the Department of the Army Pathways Recent Graduates Program. Click here for more information on Pathways program participation. After Program completion, Department of the Army Recent Graduates MAY be converted to a permanent position or to a term position (a project-based term of employment lasting between one and four years).

Applicants can be selected at either the GS-07 or GS-09. The target grade of this position is GS-11.

To be eligible for conversion to a permanent or term position, Recent Graduates must:

  • Be a U.S. Citizen
  • Successfully complete all the requirements of the Recent Graduate Program as defined in the Agency Participant Agreement.
  • Demonstrate successful job performance.
  • Meet the Office of Personnel Management qualification standard including any applicable positive education requirements and/or selection placement factors and any other designated special qualifications requirements and conditions of employment (e.g. medical standards) appropriate for the position to which being converted.
To learn more, please visit the Office of Personnel Management webpage, Hiring Authorities: Students & Recent Graduates.

Who May Apply:
Positions are open to:
  • Recent graduates who have completed, within the previous two years, a qualifying associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution. Short-term training programs (e.g. several two-week programs completed) are not considered an academic course of study.
  • Current students who will graduate no later than 9 months.
  • Preference eligible veterans who were precluded from applying due to their military service obligation begin their two-year eligibility period upon release or discharge from active duty. Eligibility for these veterans cannot exceed six years after degree or certificate completion.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
11/13/2017 to 11/27/2017
Salary
$45,970 to - $78,270 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7 - 9
Location
2 vacancies in the following location:
Louisville, KY
Travel Required
Occasional travel - 10% or less business travel is required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Recent Graduates
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Promotion potential
11
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Announcement number
SWGJ173523415151PR
Control number
484036800

This job is open to

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Duties

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Looking for a great place to work? The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is one of the best! In 2016, USACE ranked number two of government large-agency subcomponents! As rated by their employees, USACE supervisors strongly support employee development and opportunities to demonstrate leadership skills, while also maintaining an optimal work/life balance. The Corps offers a team-inspiring and collaborative work environment; providing challenging and rewarding careers across a variety of disciplines.

As a developmental Mechanical Engineer, you will assist in performing duties such as:

  • Accomplish professional mechanical engineering work on investigations, studies, analysis, design and modification of mechanical features of various projects;
  • Develop preliminary and final designs and plans for mechanical features. Systems characteristically include heating, ventilating & air conditioning (HVAC), hydraulic fluid power systems, machinery design, diesel power plants, pumps systems, compressed air systems, plumbing, piping and related control systems; OR
  • Prepare calculation, reports, drawings, cost estimates and technical specifications for mechanical features.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Other Requirements:

  • Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
  • You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
  • Two year trial/probationary period may be required.
  • Appointment is subject to the completion of a favorable suitability or fitness determination.
  • Direct Deposit of Pay is Required.
  • This is a Career Program (CP) 18 position.
  • Recent Graduates must sign a Participant Agreement with the Agency.
  • A mobility agreement is be required for this position.

Qualifications

For this position, you must possess a Mechanical degree. 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.

Specialized Experience for the GS-07: One year of specialized experience which includes searching technical reports to obtain information relating to projects; and applying basic formulas to routine calculations. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-05).

OR

Education: One full year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: Civil, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering.

OR

Superior Academic Achievement. In order to be creditable under this provision, Superior Academic Achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled, such as that identified in Education above. Superior Academic Achievement is based on:
(1) Class Standing - Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR
(2) Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) - Applicants must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.; OR
(3) Honor Society Membership - Applicants may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achsnatl.org/).

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages.

Specialized Experience for the GS-09: One year of specialized experience which includes preparing portions of conventional engineering plans, designs, and/or design specifications; and conducting limited site surveys. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-07).

OR

Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: Civil, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency (knowledge, skills, abilities) in the following areas:

  • Grade Point Average

Education

Only degrees from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education are acceptable to meet positive education requirements or to substitute education for experience. For additional information, please go to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and U.S. Department of Education websites at - http://www.opm.gov/qualifications and http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html

Foreign education must be evaluated for U.S. equivalency in order to be considered for this position. Please submit your foreign education evaluation with your application.

Additional information

  • If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.
  • Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
  • If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitantinformation sheet.
  • You may claim military spouse preference.
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

Basis for Rating: Qualified candidates will be assigned to one of two quality categories: Ideal Candidate and Eligible Candidate. Veteran preference eligibles are listed ahead of non-preference eligibles within each quality category.

  • Ideal: This category will be used for those candidates who meet a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher.
  • Eligible: This category will be used for those candidates who meet the minimum qualifications of the position.

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