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Interdisciplinary - General Engineer/Physical Scientist

Department of Energy
Department of Energy - Agency Wide
This job announcement has closed

Summary

A successful candidate in this position will manage and coordinate all aspects of the Fusion Energy Sciences program, by serving as the primary interface for private-public partnerships with national laboratories, Federal agencies, domestic and international companies, associations, and international entities.  

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
01/11/2021 to 01/22/2021
Salary
$144,128 to - $172,500 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 15
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Germantown, MD
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional overnight may be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—Relocation/Recruitment incentives may be authorized subject to the availability of funding.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
15
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
TN-21-SC-00602-DH
Control number
589042000

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to the public. This position is announced under the Department of Energy's Direct Hire Authority (DHA) for General Engineer/Physical Scientist positions in the 0801/1301 series.

Duties

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As a General Engineer/Physical Scientist, GS-0801/1301, you will:

  • Serve as a recognized authority on all matters related to the establishment of partnerships with the private sector, including domestic or international companies pursuing various fusion reactor concepts, as well as companies or industries that develop components, subsystems, or other research or technology capabilities relevant to the development of fusion energy.
  • Plan, organize, and manage programs/projects of outstanding scope, difficulty and complexity within areas of responsibility that enable accomplishment of vital agency missions and goals.
  • Identify and analyze the technical needs of engineering and/or scientific programs, recommend and oversee appropriate technology development to enable or improve program execution.
  • Provide authoritative consultation, advice, technical input, analyses and recommendation to the highest levels of management within and outside of DOE on matters of exceptional importance.
  • Determine funding levels, prepare and justify program budgets, tracking performance and milestones, and implement adjustments to engineer and scientific programs as required.
  • May act as a contracting officer representative to determine the acceptability of work performed by contractors.
  • Serve as spokesperson for and represent the DOE in high level meetings and on interagency and technical committees at the national and international levels.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a United States Citizen.
  • This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
  • See "Other Information" section regarding Selective Service requirements.
  • Resume and question responses must be submitted online
  • Males must abide by Selective Service registration requirements.

Other Requirements

  • This position will be filled under the OPM Government-Wide Direct Hire Authority Certain STEM Positions for grades GS 11-15. This serves as a public notice for the use of the Direct Hire Authority in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 3327 and 3330 and 5 CFR 330. 
  • Selection made under this announcement will be processed as a new appointment to the Civil Service
  • Status and Non-Status applicants from outside DOE selected for this position are required to serve a mandatory one (1) year probationary period. A DOE career status employee selected for this position may be required to serve a new one (1) year probationary period, pursuant to 5 CFR 315.802.
  • Subject to the appropriate background investigation to determine suitability or fitness for federal employment.
  • You will be required to submit a Financial Disclosure Statement, OGE-450, Executive Branch Personnel Confidential Financial Disclosure Report. 
  • This position is eligible for telework; however, approval is at the discretion of the supervisor.
  • This position is included in a bargaining unit.
  • You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade, GS-14, in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: 

  • Providing leadership and direction to pioneering engineering and scientific development efforts in achieving innovative capabilities relative to new or expanded use of energy resources, including fusion energy.
  • Reviewing studies and developments by international fusion programs, including international private efforts toward the development of fusion energy.
  • Planning and managing programs to include determining needed funding levels, preparing and justifying budgets related to public-private partnerships, tracking performance and milestones, and implementing adjustments to programs as required.
  • Developing program objectives, eligibility requirements, and funding profiles for future partnerships with the private sector, including cost-sharing programs.

Your application and resume should demonstrate that you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). Do not provide a separate narrative written statement. Rather, you must describe in your application how your past work experience demonstrates that you possess the KSAs identified below. Cite specific examples of employment or experience contained in your resume and describe how this experience has prepared you to successfully perform the duties of this position. DO NOT write "see resume" in your application!

  1. Skill in applying, the art and science of engineering or physical science fields sufficient to serve as an authoritative agency resource and representative for assigned programs.
  2. Knowledge of project management principles, methods and practices to effectively manage or lead engineering projects of significant size, scope and complexity.
  3. Skill in evaluating the technical merits, maturity and risk associated with various technology alternatives proposed to address complex engineering or scientific problems.
  4. Skill in analyzing, reporting on, and developing recommendations for senior executives on complex and controversial technical issues that have national policy implications.
  5. Knowledge of Federal rules and regulations governing procurement, funding and contracts to effectively manage contractor activities.
  6. Skill in effective oral and written communication to convey information, and persuade individuals, or groups to accept a position or recommendations and accomplish objectives with which they might initially disagree or be reluctant to accept.

"Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills; and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

CTAP/ICTAP candidates: To be considered "well qualified" you must meet all of the requirements as described in this section.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

EDUCATION:

To qualify for the GS-0801, General Engineer position, you must meet the following Basic Requirements:

A. Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor’s degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; 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

B. 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 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.  The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:

  1. Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT)1, or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.
  2. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
  3. Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.
  4. Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor’s degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.)

To qualify for the GS-1301, Physical Scientist position, you must meet the following Basic Requirements:

A. Degree: physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics.

OR

B. Combination of education and experience--education equivalent to one of the majors shown in A above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website.



Additional information

The U.S. Department of Energy fosters a diverse and inclusive workplace and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

  • New employees to the Department of Energy will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify
  • Veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. For more information, please visit the links at the bottom of this page or visit the FedsHireVets website.
  • If you believe that you are eligible for the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), please visit the OPM ICTAP/CTAP website for more information. In order to be considered under the ICTAP program, your application must score within the pre-established "well qualified" category as stated in the Qualifications section.
  • More than one selection may be made from this vacancy announcement.
  • Some positions may require completion of a probationary period of up to 1 (one) year.
  • Many positions require successful completion of a background investigation.
  • All males born after December 31st 1959 must abide by laws regarding Selective Service registration. To learn more about this law, visit the Selective Service web page, Who Must Register. If you are not registered and don't have an approved exemption, you will not be eligible for employment with the Federal government.

EEO Policy: https://www.eeoc.gov/federal/fed_employees/index.cfm
Reasonable Accommodation Policy:  https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/disability-employment/reasonable-accommodations/
Veterans Information: https://www.fedshirevets.gov/job-seekers/veterans-preference/ 

Telework:  www.telework.gov

Selective Service Registration: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/fair-and-transparent/selective-service/

How you will be evaluated

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

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

Under this Direct-Hire authority, applicants are required to meet minimum qualification requirements at the grade level(s) of interest. Veteran's Preference, Schedule A, Category Rating, and other methods of consideration DO NOT APPLY under Direct-Hire Authority regulations.

Appointments made under this authority may be processed as new appointments to the Civil Service. Current Civil Service employees would, therefore, be given new appointments to the Civil Service. Status and Non-Status applicants from outside DOE selected for this position may be required to serve a mandatory one (1) year probationary period.

If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses you provided in your online questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly.


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