Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results

Engineering Technician (Facilities Operations or Facilities Planning)

Smithsonian Institution
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. We are hiring multiple  positions that will be located in the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) or the National Museum of American History (NMAH), both of the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian Institution is presently engaged in comprehensive modernization plans to improve its aging capital infrastructure and facility deferred maintenance backlogs.

Overview

Help
Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
09/20/2023 to 10/04/2023
Salary
$94,199 to - $145,617 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12 - 13
Locations
4 vacancies in the following locations:
Washington, DC
FEW vacancies
Suitland, MD
FEW vacancies
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—In accordance with Smithsonian Insitutiion policy.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent - Federal
Work schedule
Full-time - Full-Time, Permanent
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13 - If hired at the GS-12. Full performance if hired at the GS-13.
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
23R-JW-309659-MPA-NMNH
Control number
749848200

This job is open to

Help

Clarification from the agency

Current and former Federal employees with permanent status or reinstatement eligibility. Individuals who are eligible for a special appointing authority may also apply; such as applicants with a disability, former Peace Corps volunteers, certain military spouses, veterans seeking a VRA/VEOA appointment, or veterans who have been separated from armed forces under honorable conditions after 3 years or more of continuous active service. More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

Duties

Help

The Engineering Technician provides technical assistance, monitors project installation/renovation/construction for the Unit and assists in providing space survey and customer project services.

In this position, you will:

  • Review, from a client and end-user standpoint, document technical plans, and project specifications produced by the Smithsonian’s outside architectural/engineering firms to ensure that the Unit’s needs are met.
  • Coordinate and monitor work on assigned projects performed in the Unit by other Unit departments, Smithsonian staff or their contractors.
  • Develop and maintain for the Unit a master schedule of construction events in the building that minimizes disruptions of ongoing Unit activities.
  • Assist in analyzing the space-related impacts of the renovation work on key functions of the building to include exhibitions, research, and collections storage, etc.
  • Assist in preparing written reports, especially on decisions that must be approved by the Unit leadership. 

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation
  • May need to complete a Probationary Period
  • Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer
  • Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.

Conditions of Employment

“Selections may be made for vacancies across the Smithsonian Institution (SI). By applying to this position, you agree to allow your application and other personal information to be shared with one or more SI hiring officials for employment consideration for same/similar positions within the location(s) identified in this announcement.”

Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions on OPM website.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements for position at these levels:

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.

In addition to the basic requirement:

Experience: GS-12-You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal Service.  For this position specialized experience is defined as experience interpreting and understanding working and conceptual drawings and specifications. 

Experience: GS-13-You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal Service.  For this position specialized experience is defined as experience interpreting and understanding working and conceptual drawings and specifications, applying concepts of engineering principles to review plans, scopes of work, and specifications related to construction or facilities projects, managing multiple priorities, and independently developing and providing technical recommendations/solutions to complex problems encountered during the administration of construction or facilities contracts. 

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.

Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.

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., but not required to qualify.

Additional information

This position is included in the bargaining unit.  

Current or Former Political Appointees: Beginning January 1, 2010, agencies must seek prior approval from OPM before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level under the provisions of title 5, United States Code. If you are currently or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Office of Human Resources. Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:

  • Position title;
  • Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
  • Agency; and,
  • Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

Recruitment Incentive: Recruitment incentive(s) may be authorized for this position.  However, approval for incentives are contingent upon various availability. If authorized, certain incentives will require the incumbent to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a certain time period.

Note: This statement does not imply nor guarantee an incentive will be offered and paid.

How you will be evaluated

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

Applicants for this position may be evaluated in multiple stages. The first stage is an evaluation of your responses to the online multiple-choice questions that assess your experience, education, and/or training for the job-related competencies below:

  • Knowledge of the development and organization of projects and programs supported by engineering principles acquired through years of technical experience.

  • Knowledge of procedures involved in designing, constructing and operating engineering and construction projects.
  • Knowledge of the programmatic operations of a museum or cultural institution to ensure that project plans and implementation encompass the needs of the various departments and units.

  • Skill in interpreting and understanding architectural working and conceptual drawings and specifications.

  • Ability to interact with a variety of people at all levels within and outside of the Unit.

Important Note:

Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire or other assessment tool for consistency. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Your resume should provide sufficient information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.