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MECHANICAL ENGINEER

Department of the Army
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
JAPAN ENGINEERING DIVISION ENGINEERING BRANCH MECHANICAL SECTION
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This is an Open Continuous Announcement. The first cut-off date for this Open Continuous Announcement will be 30 Sep 22. Cut-off intervals after the initial cut-off date will be every 30 days until the position is filled.

This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) solicitation utilizing the DHA for OPM Government-wide Direct Hire Authority to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
08/31/2022 to 06/01/2023
Salary
$70,576 to - $91,069 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Locations
2 vacancies in the following locations:
Camp Foster, Japan
Zama, Camp Zama, Japan
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel up to 10% for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is authorized, subject to the provisions of the Joint Travel Regulations.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
FEFC228924538445
Control number
674612700

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

See "Who May Apply" in the "Qualifications" section for more information on who is eligible to apply for this position.

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Duties

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  • Performs mechanical engineering design and review work for both Host Nation and US funded projects.
  • Projects cover problems ranging from the conventional to the complex and require a capability of adapting precedence and engineering theories and principles to the particular needs of the project
  • Reviews mechanical designs prepared by Architect-Engineers (A-E) to ensure design excellence and that user and funding requirements are met.
  • Prepares the engineering criteria and detailed as well general parameters for guidance in preparing contract plans and specifications.
  • Monitors design and review work performed by Japanese National (JN) counterparts to ensure compliance with established technical criteria and administrative policies.
  • Responsible in serving other staff elements of the District and other agency staff elements as consultant and technical expert in mechanical engineering problems involving planning, design, construction, and operations.
  • Performs quality assurance reviews for soundness of mechanical engineering in a variety of areas and system types such as HVAC, compressed air, plumbing, and Cybersecurity, etc.
  • Applies advanced concepts, principles, and practices of mechanical engineering to interpret and develop technical criteria.
  • Prepares replies to architect-engineer firms, other Districts/Centers, or contractors/manufacturers regarding the mechanical portions to set forth the basis for exceptions taken and revisions required in proposed mechanical systems.
  • Perform inspections and assessments of existing mechanical systems and develops memos and reports with recommendations for correction or improvement.
  • Maintain awareness of current advances in mechanical design and construction to recommend changes in programs, practices, methods or design procedures.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
  • Two year trial/probationary period may be required.
  • This position requires you to submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE450) upon entry, and annually thereafter.
  • This position requires a Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) Level II certification in Facilities Engineering within 24 months of entrance on duty.
  • This position requires approximately 10% of your duty to be performed in Temporary Duty Away (TDY) from your place of work status (Travel Conditions).
  • This position requires a Public Trust Security Background investigation.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens

If you are currently stationed in the overseas area, all of your overseas time will be credited toward your current overseas tour end date. Your overseas time served will not reset upon accepting this assignment.

If you have returned from OCONUS within the past 2 years or less, your time previously served in the OCONUS area will be credited to your 5 year overseas rotation upon accepting this assignment.

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. 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. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Basic Requirement for Mechanical Engineer:

A. Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (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), 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, or 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 A above. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program.

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 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.

In addition to meeting the basic requirements above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes meeting THREE OF THE FOLLOWING: 1) Develop detailed mechanical engineering reports, plans, and/or specifications for new construction, renovation, or rehabilitation projects for mechanical equipment and features of complex construction projects; and 2) review mechanical engineering reports, plans, and/or specifications for commercial or government clients; 3) Develops design concepts and design drawings using computer aided design software; 4) Provides technical review of Architect/Engineer or in-house designs, specifications, and/or reports as related to mechanical issues. 5) prepare technical specifications, material estimates, technical reports, and/or portions of design memoranda for an engineering program. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-11) or equivalent grade level.

Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-11).

Military Members: Resumes will be accepted from members of the Armed Forces who indicate in their applications that they will be available for appointment within 120 days of the closing date of this announcement. Military members may be appointed while on terminal/transitional leave, before the effective date of their military retirement/separation.

Separated Military Members: Resumes will be accepted from members of the Armed Forces who indicate in their applications that they are available for appointment within 120 days of the closing date of this announcement. Military members may be appointed while on terminal/transitional leave, before the effective date of their military retirement/separation.

Military Retirees: Within the DoD (Department of Defense), including non-appropriated fund positions, the appointment of retired military members within 180 days immediately following the retirement date to a civilian position is subject to the provisions of 5 United States Code 3326 or 5 U.S.C. 5305.

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Additional information

  • 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.
  • Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
  • 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 Annuitant information sheet.
  • Applicants must comply with the Exceptional Family Member Program requirements as outlined in the DoD Instruction 1315.19.
  • Locality pay does not apply in the overseas area.
  • If an employee brings a family member to an overseas location who requires medical or dental care, then the employee will be responsible for obtaining and paying for such care. Access for civilian employees and their families to military medical and dental treatment facilities is on a space-available and reimbursable basis only.
  • Pay retention may be offered to selected applicants for positions at overseas locations. Pay retention will not be offered as an incentive for employees moving between overseas positions.
  • Selectees initially recruited from the United States may receive certain foreign area benefits such as: Living Quarters Allowance (LQA) or government quarters, home leave, etc. (Subject to approval)
  • Selectees recruited outside the U.S. will have their eligibility for foreign area benefits determined at the time of hire.
  • Overseas allowances may be authorized in accordance with Department of State Standardized Regulation (DSSR) and DoDI 1400.25 volume 1250.
  • For positions in a foreign country, that country's laws or international agreements may have a direct impact on the ability of an employee's same sex domestic partner or spouse to accompany the employee and receive certain benefits. If you believe you may be affected by these laws and agreements, you should familiarize yourself with relevant information and direct questions concerning a specific country (Foreign Duty Location) to the appropriate Army Human Resources point of contact prior to the acceptance of employment and your entrance on duty.
  • This is a Career Program (CP) 18 - Engineers and Scientists (Construction) position.
  • The initial length of this overseas tour is 36 months for Camp Zama Japan.
  • The initial length of this overseas tour is 24 months for Okinawa Japan.
  • Defense National Relocation Program will not be authorized.
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
  • When you perform a Civilian Permanent Change of Station (PCS) with the government, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers the majority of your entitlements to be taxable. Visit https://www.dfas.mil/civilianemployees/civrelo/Civilian-Moving-Expenses-Tax-Deduction/ for more 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.
  • Permanent Change of Station (PCS) allowances may be authorized, subject to the provisions of the Joint Travel Regulations and an agency determination that a PCS move is in the Government Interest.
  • Relocation or recruitment incentive may be authorized for eligible candidates based on funding availability.
  • Student Loan Repayment/Advanced in Hire/Advanced Leave Accrual/Separate Maintenance Allowance are not authorized.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your résumé and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your résumé and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

U.S. citizens overseas under ordinarily resident status are not eligible for appointment under the Status of Forces Agreement.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority for this position. To receive selection priority, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria (2) be rated well-qualified for the position and; (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. To be considered well-qualified and receive selection priority applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a score of 90 or above. Additional information about the program is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website.

Additional Information Cont.

  • Due to COVID-19, the agency is currently in an expanded telework posture. If selected, you may be expected to temporarily telework, even if your home is located outside the local commuting area. Once employees are permitted to return to the office, you will be expected to report to the duty station listed on this announcement within a designated time frame identified by the organization. At that time, you may be eligible to request to continue to telework one or more days a pay period depending upon the terms of the agency's telework policy.
  • Information may be requested regarding the vaccination status of selectees for the purposes of implementing workplace safety protocols. For more information, visit https://www.saferfederalworkforce.gov/faq/vaccinations/.

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