Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens and Status Candidates (this includes Merit Promotion, Status Candidates, Former Overseas Employees, CTAP, ICTAP, VRA, VEOA, 30% or More Disabled, EVHO, Schedule A, Military Spouses, Americorps, Peace Corps, Vista, Interchange Agreement Eligibles, and National Guard).

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PB III Duties:
As a Mechanical Engineer, you will plan, conduct, and document research to develop and test standards, technologies, and methods that address life cycle engineering challenges with a focus on manufacturing system integration and interoperability of information to further manufacturers' participation in a circular economy. This work will include supporting the definition of test scenarios that can be used to integrate and evaluate multiple manufacturing objectives and span the product life cycle. You will interact with stakeholders from academia, industry, and government in conducting research and preparing reports on findings. Research results will be presented at technical meetings including standards activities and submitted to peer-reviewed publications.

PB IV Duties:
As a Mechanical Engineer, you will provide technical leadership to a team conducting complex research of significant scope to address pressing industrial problems related to the digitalization of manufacturing, which may include engagement in a circular economy. You will work closely with internal and external partners to identify research topics and project plans. Topics may include manufacturing metrics and interface definitions, validation, and demonstrations. You will be responsible for defining and tracking project tasks and milestones, mentoring project staff on assignments, and reporting on project status and results. You will also be responsible for reviewing results of other colleagues and peers including reviewing papers and presentation material and presenting at international conferences and standards meetings.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. citizenship
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
• Suitable for Federal employment
• Bargaining Unit Position: No

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

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

- Professional registration -- Current registration as a professional engineer 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.

- Written Test-- Evidence of having successfully passed the Engineer-in-Training (EIT) examination, or the written test required for professional registration, which is administered by the Boards of Engineering Examiners in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.Applicants who have passed the EIT examination and have completed all the requirements for either (a) a bachelor's degree in engineering technology (BET) from an accredited college of university that included 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences, or (b) a BET from a program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) may be rated eligible for certain engineering positions at GS-5. Eligibility is limited to positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of the engineering technology program. Applicants for positions that involve highly technical research, development, or similar functions requiring an advanced level of competence in basic science must meet the basic requirements in paragraph A.

Because of the diversity in kind and quality of BET programs, graduates of other BET programs are required to complete at least 1 year of additional education or highly technical work experience of such nature as to provide reasonable assurance of the possession of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for professional engineering competence. The adequacy of this background must be demonstrated by passing the EIT examination.

- Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and in engineering that included the courses specified in the basic requirements. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of a professional engineering curriculum as described in paragraph A.

- Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in engineering technology or in an appropriate professional field, e.g., physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a 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.)

NOTE: An applicant who meets the basic requirements as specified in A or B above may qualify for positions in any branch of engineering unless selective factors indicate otherwise, or unless he/she qualifies under the provisions of B.2 related to the EIT examination or BET degree.

TO QUALIFY AT THE ZP-III LEVEL:

In addition to the above basic requirements: to qualify at the ZP-III, applicants must have one year (52 weeks) of the specialized experience at the GS-9 level (ZP-II at NIST). Specialized experience is defined as experience in manufacturing practices and operational models for improving performance across multiple objectives in manufacturing operations and/or their supply chains. This should be indicated by experience in research or development activities in one or more of the following the areas: of:
- Lifecycle engineering
- Manufacturing digital twins
- Reducing manufacturing environmental impacts
- Sustainable manufacturing or circular economy

OR

Master's degree or equivalent graduate degree.

OR

A combination of education and experience.

TO QUALIFY AT THE ZP-IV LEVEL:

In addition to the above basic requirements: to qualify at the ZP-IV: applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 (ZP-III) level at NIST. Specialized experience is defined as experience in leading collaborative and interdisciplinary research demonstrated by experience leading research or development activities in one or more of the following areas:

- Lifecycle engineering
- Manufacturing digital twins
- Reducing manufacturing environmental impacts
- Sustainable manufacturing or circular economy


The qualification requirements in this vacancy announcement are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook.

Applicant Reconsideration

How you will be evaluated

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

We will review your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documents to assess your qualifications for this position.

All applicants that meet the minimum qualifications will be referred to the selecting official for consideration. Under Direct Hire Authority, applicants are not rated and ranked and veteran's preference does not apply.

CTAP and ICTAP Eligibility: To be eligible for CTAP or ICTAP consideration, you must submit the required documents to establish eligibility (see required documents) and meet the minimum qualification requirements. You may be contacted to provide a response to assessment questions related to the position. To be considered CTAP or ICTAP eligible, you must receive a well-qualified score of at least 85 of out 100 on your assessment responses. Additional information may be found at: CTAP/ICTAP.

Resume Guidance
Evaluation Process