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Supervisory Electronics Engineer

Department of the Interior
Geological Survey
This job announcement has closed

Summary

What General Information Do I Need To Know About This Position?

Open to all U.S. citizens under: USGS-SAC-23-11927433-DE-MB

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
06/27/2023 to 08/04/2023
Salary
$82,830 - $107,680 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Tuscaloosa, AL
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% or less - An average of 4 nights per month of overnight travel may be required for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—Relocation expenses authorized.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
USGS-SAC-23-11927434-ST-MB
Control number
733805000

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Open to current or former Federal employees w/perm comp status; OR those eligible under a special or noncomp appointing authority (e.g.,VRA, disabled, Pathways Interns & Recent Grads who are elig for noncomp conversion, etc.); OR current or former employees who are serving, or previously served, on temp or term appt in a land mgmt agency; OR veterans with preference or have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after approx 3yrs or more of continuous active service.

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Duties

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As a Supervisory Electronics Engineer within the Observing Systems Division of the Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility, some of your specific duties will include:

  • Serves as the senior expert electronics testing engineer and provides electronics technical assistance.
  • Prepares test plans for electronics instrumentation acceptance testing and evaluation studies.
  • Prepares technical specification, design and cost estimate for use by Water Mission Area (WMA), Water Science Centers (WSC) and/or outside vendors in the development and fabrication of prototype and production items.
  • Represents the section at technical conferences and meetings, and visits vendors and other testing laboratories to exchange information on new equipment, technology, and testing procedures.
  • Authors, reviews, and critiques technical reports and papers written by HIF and other WMA personnel.
  • Supervises lower level employees who work with testing and evaluating hydrologic equipment.
Physical Demands: The work is varied and can be physically demanding. The employee may sit comfortably to do some of the work. Typically, however, walking, standing, bending, and carrying heavy equipment (less than 50 pounds) are necessary. These items include test equipment, hand tools, and other test fixtures.

Work Environment: The work environment ranges from a typical office to the noise and heat of a non-air-conditioned laboratory, and occasional outdoors work on bridges along highways; in swamps; in streams; in automobiles, trucks or vans; and remote wooded areas. The work involves moderate risks or discomforts which require special safety precautions and protective clothing.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Key Requirements:

  1. Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
  2. Selectee may be subject to serving a one-year probationary period.
  3. Selectee must provide a valid state driver's license & safe driving record.
  4. Selectee subject to successful completion of a pre-employment medical exam.
  5. More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information

Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position?

  • If selected you may be asked to provide information regarding your COVID-19 vaccination status for the purposes of implementing workplace safety protocols, such as those related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.
  • Because this position requires travel for official business, the selectee will be required to apply for a charge card within 30 calendar days of appointment. Individuals who have delinquent account balances from a previous Government charge card will be required to satisfy their existing obligation before a new card can be issued.
  • Subject to completion of a one-year supervisory probationary period if one has not been completed.
  • This position requires successful completion of a pre-employment medical examination at Federal expense.
  • A background investigation will be required for this position. Continued employment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
  • Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system.
  • If you are a Federal employee applying for a promotion (under merit promotion procedures) you must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

Qualifications

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Applicants must meet A or B below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Electronics Engineer, all grade levels.

A. 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 5 of the following 7 areas of engineering science of 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.

B. ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF QUALIFYING: In lieu of meeting the specific educational requirements listed above, applicants may substitute four years of 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. This knowledge and understanding must be equivalent to that provided by a full 4-year professional engineering curriculum. ***The adequacy of such background MUST be demonstrated by one of the following:

  1. 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;
  2. Written Test - Evidence of having successfully passed the Engineer-in-Training (EIT) examination, or the written test required for professional engineering registration; or (**NOTE: 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 or university that included 60 semester hrs. of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences, or (b) a BET from a program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering & 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 specified in paragraph "A" above.)
  3. 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 "A" above: i.e., differential and integral calculus and courses in five of the seven areas of engineering science or physics as listed under "A" of the basic requirements above as (a) through (g). The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of a professional engineering curriculum as described in "A" above;
  4. 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 you also have at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance.
For GS-12:

In addition to the basic requirements as stated above, applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-12 level:

Possess at least one full-time year of specialized professional engineering experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service. Examples of GS-11 level work may include: 1) Conducting studies to determine the need and feasibility for equipment; 2) developing recommendations for changes the manufacturer should make or specifications for a category of devices; 3) preparing design criteria for complex facilities with varying conditions or scope of difficulty or providing formal specifications regarding materials, sizes, dimensions, quantities, costs.

**OR Possess one year of professional engineering experience defined as nonroutine engineering work that required and was characterized by (1) professional knowledge of engineering; (2) professional ability to apply such knowledge to engineering problems; and (3) positive and continuing development of professional knowledge and ability. To be creditable, this professional engineering experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service and it must have equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled.

You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the announcement.

Education

  • 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). 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.
  • Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.usgs.gov/about/organization/science-support/human-capital/how-foreign-education-evaluated-federal-jobs .

Additional information

Other Information:

  • Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.
  • Under Executive Order 11935, only United States citizens and nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swains Island) may compete for civil service jobs. Agencies are permitted to hire non-citizens only in very limited circumstances where there are no qualified citizens available for the position.
  • USGS employees are subject to Title 43, USC Section 31(a) and may not: (a) have any personal, private, direct or indirect interest in lands or mineral wealth of lands under survey; (b) have any substantial personal, private, direct or indirect interests in any private mining or mineral enterprise doing business with the United States; or (c) execute surveys or examinations for private parties or corporations.
  • The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.
  • DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify.
  • The Department of the Interior (DOI) places a high value on diversity of experience and cultural perspectives and encourages applications from all interested eligible candidates. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) are fundamental principles that guide the Department and allow us to successfully achieve our mission.
  • THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.
Agency Benefits:

How you will be evaluated

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

--Vacancy Related Questions: As part of the online application process, you will need to respond to a series of questions designed to assess your possession of the following knowledge skills, abilities and/or competencies:

  • Scientific Knowledge
  • Mathematical Functions
  • Technology Application
  • Interpersonal Communication
  • Leadership & Supervision
--Basis of Rating: Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessment required for this position. Your responses must be substantiated by your resume. If you do not respond to the application questions you may be rated ineligible.

Additional Assessment Required: If you meet the eligibility and basic qualification requirements for this position a subject-matter-expert will perform a structured review of your resume to evaluate your knowledge, skills, abilities, and competences as they directly relate to the duties of this position.

Due weight will be given to performance appraisals and awards during the interview/selection process conducted by the hiring manager. If referred, all relevant documents including performance appraisals and awards submitted with your application package will be forwarded to the hiring official for review.

--NOTE: If it is determined that you have rated yourself higher than is supported in your description of experience and/or education as described in your resume/application, or that your resume or application is incomplete, you may be rated ineligible, not qualified, or your score may be lowered.

To preview the announcement questionnaire, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11927434

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

Required documents may be: (1) uploaded directly from your desktop; or (2) uploaded directly from your USAJOBS stored attachments.

Resume

--You are highly encouraged to use USAJOBS Resume Builder to ensure all required information is included in your Resume. If you use your own resume, curriculum vitae, or other written form, then you must describe your job-related qualifications, including: beginning and ending dates for paid and non-paid work experience; hours worked per week; month and year of employment for each job title listed; annual salary; and description of job duties. Include name and address of employer; supervisor name and telephone number. Additional information on what to include can be found here.

Geological Survey

Agency contact information

Melissa Barnhart
Phone
916-278-9412
Email
mabarnhart@usgs.gov
Address
OSD HIF
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
Mail Stop 600
Reston, VA 20192
US

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