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Mechanical Engineer

Department of Energy
Department of Energy - Agency Wide
Office of Environmental Management - Richland Operations Office
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is part of the Office of Environmental Management - Richland Operations Office, Department of Energy. As a Mechanical Engineer, you will provide technical direction to a multidisciplinary group of professional and technical personnel engaged in carrying out the WTP project which is intensively affected by advances in scientific and engineering technology.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
02/22/2023 to 03/07/2023
This job will close when we have received 75 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$98,496 to - $151,308 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13 - 14
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Richland, WA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
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
23-ORP-RL-00827-11853375-MP
Control number
707916800

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Current Federal employees with competitive status; Former Federal employees with reinstatement eligibility; CTAP/ICTAP eligibles; Veterans with VOW, VEOA, or 30% disability; Military Spouses; Individuals with Disabilities Schedule A; Peace Corps, Vista (AmeriCorps) eligibles; Those eligible under an OPM interchange agreement or other special appointing authority.

Duties

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As a Mechanical Engineer, you will:

  • As a recognized expert in the field of Mechanical Engineering the incumbent provides technical direction to a multidisciplinary group of professional and technical personnel engaged in carrying out the agency projects.
  • As a recognized expert of an assigned system/group of systems/facility provide oversight of engineering aspects for the planning, development, implementation and nuclear facility operations/commissioning oversight for the asssigned programs/projects.
  • Responsible for the management, oversight, coordination, and review of the Mechanical portion of all analyses, studies, and other technical products prepared by professional engineering contractors for the WTP project.
  • Conduct extensive investigations into new technology to develop system components needed to resolve divergent and conflicting approaches to solve WTP engineering project situations and requiring initiative and ingenuity in development of advanced techniques and new approaches that will advance the state-of-the-art.
  • Evaluate and determine the feasibility and applicability of various systems and components in consideration of long-range
    program planning and development of systems or technology.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a United States Citizen.
  • This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
  • Males must abide by Selective Service registration requirements.
  • Subject to satisfactory security and suitability requirements
  • This position is included in the Department of Energy's Technical Qualification Program (TQP).
  • This position is included in a Bargaining Agreement.
  • May be required to successfully complete a probationary period.

Qualifications

You must meet the Basic Requirement and "Specialized Experience" to qualify for this position as described below.

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-12 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as:

GS-13: Experience analyzing technical engineering issues, requirements, and development efforts in order to resolve conflicts and address engineering uncertainties; and experience collaborating in the formulation of new mechanical engineering standards, concepts, and theories; and experience working in a group setting developing innovative recommendations that advance engineering programs and enhance operating programs within the organization.

GS-14: Experience at the GS-13 grade level, developing technical briefs that analyze and communicate the status of a particular program area; and experience providing authoritative consultation, advice, technical input, analyses, and recommendations to executive leadership on engineering matters; and experience evaluating engineering programs and project needs in order to prepare documentation to support organizational needs; and experience developing innovative recommendations that advance engineering programs and enhance operating programs within the organization.

OPM Qualification Standards for the GS-0801 series can be found at the following website: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/files/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf

"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. Time-in-Grade: 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 by the closing date of this announcement to receive consideration.

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

Basic Requirement for General Engineer:

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.

Education must be obtained from an accredited institution 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 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.
  • Your performance appraisal and incentive awards will be given due consideration in the selection process based on their relation to the duties of the position and the consistency with which they may be considered in evaluating you against other candidates.
  • Hiring incentives may be authorized in accordance with agency policy and if funding is available.
  • EEO Policy: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/EEO_Policy_Statement
  • Reasonable Accommodation Policy: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Reasonable_Accommodation_Policy_Statement
  • Veterans Information: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Veterans_Information
  • Selective Service Registration: http://www.sss.gov/

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 eligibility and qualification requirements above. Once the announcement closes, we will conduct a review of your application package to verify your eligibility and qualifications. If you are found qualified, your application will move forward to additional phases of the review process.

Merit Promotion & VEOA Procedures: If you are minimally qualified for this job, your responses to the self-assessment questions (True/False, Yes/ No, Multiple Choice questions) will be evaluated to determine if you are a best qualified candidate. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. Due weight will also be given to federal employees, when applicable, for performance appraisals and awards in accordance with 5 CFR § 335.103(b)(3). Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements and current employees must have at least a fully successful or equivalent performance rating to receive consideration.

Your application and resume should demonstrate that you possess the following competencies. Do not provide a separate narrative written statement. Rather, you must describe in your resume how your past work experience demonstrates that you possess the competencies identified below. Use 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.

  • Engineering and Technology
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Learning
  • Manages and Organizes Information
  • Technical Competence
  • Writing


Non-competitive Procedures: If you are applying under a non-competitive or special hiring authority, you will still be required to answer the assessment questions. However, you will not be evaluated against the rating and ranking criteria. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine if you are minimally qualified for this job. Veterans' Preference will be applied when required by the hiring authority (e.g., VRA, Schedule A).

All qualified Non-competitive applicants and the best qualified Merit Promotion and VEOA applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.

Career Transition Assistance Programs: To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet the eligibility criteria; and 2) be rated "well-qualified", which is defined as having a score of 85 or better.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date ( 03/07/2023) of this announcement.

To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11853375.

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