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Engineering Technician

Department of Health and Human Services
Indian Health Service
Office of Environmental Health and Engineering
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is an Engineering Technician, Division of Sanitation Facilities Construction, with locations at Minnesota District Office, Bemidji, MN; Bemidji Area Office, Bemidji, MN; Rhinelander District Office, Rhinelander, WI; Ashland Field Office, Ashland, WI; Sault Sainte Marie Field Office, Sault Sainte Marie, and MI; Traverse City Field Office, Traverse City, MI. This position reports to the Director of Division of Environmental Health Services or designee.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
02/16/2023 to 10/18/2023
Salary
$33,693 to - $60,703 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 4 - 7
Locations
Few vacancies in the following locations:
Sault Ste. Marie, MI
Traverse City, MI
Bemidji, MN
Ashland, WI
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
7
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
IHS-23-BJ-11849834-ESEP/MP
Control number
707368300

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Duties

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  • Follow specific drafting standards utilizing AutoCAD/Civil3D to prepare detailed construction plansets and record drawings for sanitation facilities from verbal instructions, marked up drawings, field notes, survey data, hand sketches, and other pertinent reference materials.
  • Inspect the work of construction contractors and tribal force account crews during the construction of individual and community sanitation facilities to ensure compliance with the specifications and technical drawings.
  • Perform field surveys using electronic surveying equipment and electronic field book to gather field data for the design of individual and community sanitation facilities and records drawings/asbuilts.
  • Assist project managers and engineers in administering projects to provide homes with individual and community sanitation (water, sewer, and solid waste) facilities. Maintain working files on all projects and file documents on server in accordance with office policy.
  • Design onsite septic systems and ensure domestic well locations meet required setbacks and isolation distances.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Must pass pre-employment examination.
Selectee may be subject to a probationary/trial period
ESEP appointees typically serve a two year trial period
U.S. Citizenship is required
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
Selectee(s) are required to have a viable bank account at a financial institution for electronic direct deposit of salary payment.

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/.

Background Investigation: If you are selected for this vacancy, you must undergo a pre-employment fingerprint check and background investigation. Fingerprint results and background investigation documentation must be cleared prior to hire. After you begin your employment, your continued employment is contingent upon the outcome of a complete background investigation as determined by the sensitivity level of your position. The investigation must find that you are suitable for Federal employment in your position. If you are found not suitable, you will be terminated after you begin work. If you make a false statement in any part of your application, you may not be hired; you may be fired after you begin work; or subject to possible criminal charges. You may be subject to a credit check as a part of the background investigation process.

Qualifications

This is an Open Continuous Announcement and applications will be referred when vacancies occur. This Announcement is intended as a mechanism of providing consideration for the greatest number of potential candidates. Candidates with a complete application will be considered for all vacancies that occur for a 8-month periodor the closing date of this announcement, whichever comes first. You will be considered for those vacancies that match your desired geographic locations, skills and or job preferences. Positions may be filled at ANY of the grade levels indicated in this announcement, with or without promotion potential as vacancies occur. Applicants should specify the lowest grade (GS-level) that they will accept.

To qualify for this position, your resume must state sufficient experience and/or education, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are applying.

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; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer and part time experience. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.

BASIC REQUIREMENT(S):

Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 or equivalent and above): Examples of qualifying specialized experience include technical work in: drafting, surveying construction estimating, physical science, mathematics, aerospace, architecture, chemicals, electrical or mechanical systems, mining, petroleum, or nuclear systems.

Experience in a trade or craft may be credited as specialized experience when the work provided intensive knowledge of engineering principles, techniques, methods, and precedents. Examples are trade positions with substantial developmental, test, or design responsibilities such as:

  • Planner and estimator who analyzed designs for production purposes.
  • Instrument maker or model maker who performed design or development work on devices fabricated.
OR

Education and Training
For positions at GS-4 (or equivalent): Successful completion of 2 years of post-secondary study that included at least 12 semester hours in any combination of courses such as those shown above for GS-3 (or equivalent). At least 3 of the 12 semester hours must have been in drafting if the position has been designated by a drafting area of specialization.
For positions at GS-5 (or equivalent): Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree (a) with major study in an appropriate field of engineering, construction, or industrial technology; or (b) that included at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as those shown above for GS-3 (or equivalent). At least 6 of the 24 semester hours must have been in drafting if the position has been designated by a drafting area of specialization.

Certification:
Engineering technicians may be certified by the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies, an organization sponsored by the National Society of Professional Engineers. Certification by the Institute will be helpful as a measure of the technician's quality of experience.

In addition to the Basic Requirements, you must also meet the Minimum Qualifications stated below.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks:

GS-04: 2 years above high school with courses related to the occupation or Six months of general experience and six months of specialized experience. Examples of Specialized Experience include Experience using computer software such as Microsoft Office or similar. Working with homeowners to provide support and troubleshoot solutions. Experience supporting or on construction crew.

GS-05: 4-year course study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation or One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-04 grade level. Examples include Experience in utility, sanitation facilities, or residential (i.e., building homes, septic systems, plumbing, electrical) such as working on construction or survey crew; OR Experience using computer aided drafting software (AutoCAD, Civil3D) and Microsoft Office or Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams).

GS-06: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 grade level. Examples include: Experience as a lead septic installer; OR Experience as drinking water operator, wastewater operator, or well drilling operator OR Experience with overseeing construction or survey crews, daily reports, occupational safety (OSHA), and construction field operations.

GS-07: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-06 grade level. Examples include: Experience as a septic designer or inspector; OR Experience preparing, reviewing, or interpreting technical specifications and drawings for community (municipal) sanitation facilities; using field survey data to draft engineering plan sets and record drawings in AutoCAD/Civil3D; and estimating cost, manpower, and materials necessary to construct sanitation facilities or other heavy or utility construction under the direction of the project engineer or manager.

General Experience Defined: (l) Any type of work that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work of the position, or (2) experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupation.

Specialized Experience Defined: Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. Applicants who have the 1 year of appropriate specialized experience, as indicated in the table, are not required by this standard to have general experience, education above the high school level, or any additional specialized experience to meet the minimum qualification requirements.

Time In Grade
Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade Requirements: Merit Promotion (status) candidates must have completed one year of service at the next lower grade level. Time-In-Grade provisions do not apply under the Excepted Service Examining Plan (ESEP).

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

Education

There are no education requirements.

Additional information

Additional selection(s) of candidates may be possible within 240 days from the date the certificate of eligibles was issued for this announcement.

Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. IHS may offer newly-appointed Federal employees credit for their directly related previous non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave.

Recruitment or relocation incentives may be authorized. At least a 6 month service agreement will be required.

This position has promotion potential to the GS-07 grade level. Promotion to the next grade level is at management's discretion and is based on your demonstrated ability to perform the higher level duties, the continuing need for the higher level duties, and "Regulatory/Administrative" approval. Promotion to the next higher grade level is not guaranteed and no promise of promotion is implied.

How you will be evaluated

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

Additional selections may be made for similar positions across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the local commuting area(s) of the location identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) at HHS. Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions across HHS.

To determine if you are qualified for this position, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against the qualifications as defined in the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement and your responses to the assessment questions.
You will be further evaluated/rated based on the information provided in your resume (your resume must state specific duties that relate to this position) and your responses to the assessment questions to determine your competency in the following.

  • Attention to Detail
  • Manages and Organizes Information
  • Oral Communication
  • Project Management
  • Technical Competence


You will receive a numeric rating based on your responses to the assessment questionnaires. If after reviewing your resume and responses to the assessment questions, a determination is made that you have overstated your qualifications and or experience, you may lose consideration.

The following links below provide information on how you may be eligible for various hiring authorities. If you are a Veteran, qualified CTAP and ICTAP eligible, or an individual with a disability, please refer to the following links below for additional guidance. CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be eligible for selection priority if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a "well qualified" rating of 85 out of 100. Information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Workforce Restructuring Career Transition website at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. CTAP/ICTAP documentation requirements are listed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
Click here to view vacancy questions: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11849834. All documents above MUST be received by 11:59 pm (Eastern Standard Time) of the closing date of, 12/31/2023, to be considered.

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