This position is located at Bureau of Engraving and Printing, PLATE MAKING ENGRAVING PHOTO ENGRAVING BRANCH WCF. As a LETTER & SCRIPT ENGRAVER (BANKNOTE) APPRENTICE, you will serve in a seven-year apprentice in training for the position of Letter & Script Engraver. Training consists of actual shop work under the instruction and supervision of journeyman Engravers to whom the apprentice is assigned.
Summary
This position is located at Bureau of Engraving and Printing, PLATE MAKING ENGRAVING PHOTO ENGRAVING BRANCH WCF. As a LETTER & SCRIPT ENGRAVER (BANKNOTE) APPRENTICE, you will serve in a seven-year apprentice in training for the position of Letter & Script Engraver. Training consists of actual shop work under the instruction and supervision of journeyman Engravers to whom the apprentice is assigned.
The following are the duties of this position at the WE-4. If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties and will receive training to help you grow in this position.
As a Letter & Script Engraver (Banknote) Apprentice, you will:
Draw and engrave manually & digitally on steel dies or plates script, white, black and shaded face lettering (Gothic, Old English, Roman, and other various types of letters), lathe work and designs of various kinds (such as simple ornaments) used in the production of Banknotes and other government securities.
Employ a style and manner designed to prevent counterfeiting called bank note engraving.
Artistically master the use of the ruling machine and ONE system digital engraving software and various other tools of trade.
This opportunity is also open to Status Candidates under Announcement 23-BEP-360. Please refer to that announcement for details on open period, eligibility, and how to apply.
Physical Requirements: The incumbent must be able to lift weights up to 23 kilograms (50 lbs) obtaining assistance when necessary. Incumbent must have good eyesight, coordination and dexterity. Work is mostly sedentary (frequent sitting is necessary when engraving), however, work does require periods of standing. The work performed is tedious and requires extreme accuracy. The Apprentice must learn to use a magnifying glass for all of his/her engraving operations. The highest degree of patience and concentration are prime factors in the hand engraving of an original die produced to the high standards required to prevent counterfeiting.
AND
You must show in your experience in online application that you possess the knowledge, skill and abilities to perform the duties of the position.
The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. Be sure all experience is documented in your résumé by indicating place of employment, job title, length of time performing the duties, and the name and contact information for the supervisor. We must be able to verify this experience in your résumé in order for you to receive credit.
Key Requirements:
Please refer to "Conditions of Employment."
Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying.
Must be U.S. Citizen or U.S. National
SUITABILITY, CLEARANCE & REQUIREMENTS: A background investigation will be required for all new hires. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for disqualification in the hiring process. The background investigation process conducted by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing is very thorough. Therefore it is imperative that applicants exercise candor and honesty when answering background questionnaires, especially as it relates to arrest, employment, education, finances, illegal drug use, and/or other criminal history. Falsification discovered in security documents or during the background investigation process may result in an immediate negative suitability determination or immediate revocation of your interim clearance (if applicable).
Qualifications
You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
You must meet the screen-out element Aptitude and interest for learning trade theory and practice (Screen-out), normally addressed at the beginning of the online questions. In addition, you must also obtain an average score of two (2) for the following elements for this position as addressed through the online question in order to be considered minimally qualified. Your application will be evaluated in the following areas: Aptitude and interest for learning trade theory and practice (Screen-out), Technical Practices (theoretical, precise, artistic), Use of Measuring Instruments, Ability To Interpret Instructions, Specifications, etc. (other than blueprints), and Ability To Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment.
Interview Qualifications: Upon completion of the rating process, the candidates moving forward will be interviewed. The interview process will consist of a live meeting before a panel. Instructions will be provided detailing steps in a timed creation of personal art work to be used in consideration for hiring. The following art supplies will be needed to complete the process.
Art supplies needed: Drawing Paper (minimum 11"x14"), Pencil, Pen (black ink only) and 12" ruler
Additional information
OTHER INFORMATION:
We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
This is a bargaining unit position. 1501, Local 32 - International Plate Printers, Die Stampers & Engravers Union of North America (Engravers)
The facility typically shuts down annually between Christmas and New Year's Day. As such, all BEP employees must take leave for work days during the shutdown period.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
A one year probationary period may be required.
Public Trust - Background Investigation will be required.
Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
Submit to a drug test prior to your appointment and random drug testing while you occupy the position.
Pass a pre-employment physical examination.
Wear required safety clothing and/or equipment required by the position. This may include safety shoes, hard hats, hearing protection, gloves, masks, etc.
Shift Work: This facility operates on a 24 hour per day, three-shift basis. Assignment to a specific shift cannot be guaranteed. The successful applicant must be available to work on all three shifts on a rotational basis. This position is Day Shift Only
Weekend work and overtime, if applicable, will be scheduled when needed based on production requirements as determined by Management.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your application includes your résumé, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your résumé includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your résumé may result in a "not qualified" determination.
Rating: Your application will be evaluated in the following areas: *PLEASE READ CAREFULLY: A two-phase rating method will be used. In using this method, your application will constitute 25% of your overall rating. Your application will be evaluated in the following areas: Aptitude and interest for learning trade theory and practice (Screen-out), Technical Practices (theoretical, precise, artistic), Use of Measuring Instruments, Ability To Interpret Instructions, Specifications, etc. (other than blueprints), and Ability To Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment.
Category rating will be used to rank and select eligible candidates. If qualified, you will be assigned to one of three quality level categories; Gold (highest quality category), Silver (middle quality category), or Bronze (minimally qualified category), depending on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, and training related to this position. A subject matter expert may be used in the evaluation.
The remaining 75% will be determined by your artwork.
Artwork. A limit of only four (4) pieces of personally created artwork will be submitted; if more than 4 pieces of artwork are submitted only 4 pieces will be reviewed. One(1) of the pieces of artwork must be of a hand drawn letter script art. The three (3) other hand drawn pieces of artwork are from your choosing of the following categories 1) Portrait drawing, 2) Mechanical, technical or drafting, 3) Digital hand drawing, 4) Free hand line drawing. Your artwork will be evaluated by a Subject Matter Expert (SME)/Art panel in the following areas: Composition/Layout, Draftsmanship, Rendering and Perspective. Failure to meet the minimum art panel score of 60 out of 100 will remove you from consideration.
Artwork submitted thru USA Jobs will be considered! All artwork should be submitted no later than date of 1/8/2024, thru the following email address: WCF_Engravers@BEP.gov
Interview Process: Upon completion of the rating process, eligible candidates moving forward will be interviewed. The interview process will consist of a live meeting before a panel. Instructions will be provided detailing steps in a timed creation of personal artwork to be used in consideration for hiring. The following art supplies will be needed to complete the process. Art supplies needed: Drawing Paper (minimum 11"x14"), Pencil, Pen (black ink only) and 12" ruler
Veterans' preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Qualified preference-eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more will be listed at the top of the highest category.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:
Artwork. A limit of only four (4) pieces of personally created artwork will be submitted; if more than 4 pieces of artwork are submitted only 4 pieces will be reviewed. One(1) of the pieces of artwork must be of a hand drawn letter script art. The three (3) other hand drawn pieces of artwork are from your choosing of the following categories 1) Portrait drawing, 2) Mechanical, technical or drafting, 3) Digital hand drawing, 4) Free hand line drawing. Your artwork will be evaluated in the following areas: Composition/Layout, Draftsmanship, Rendering and Perspective. Failure to score a minimum score of 60 out of 100 on Artwork will result in being screened out.
Maximum capacity for each piece of artwork is 100mb, with JPEG files being the preferred compressed file. If the artwork is over 100mb, you are to send separate email submittals by the closing date of this announcement. No artwork should be submitted that requires special software. Please place you name on the file for identification purposes and avoid placing it on the artwork. All submittals through email need to be sent to Bureau of Engraving & Printing at WCF_Engravers@BEP.gov Not through USA JOBS, no later than 11/27/2023.
All applicants must submit a résumé showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed. All applicants are required to submit arésumé either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.) We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your résumé to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view résumé tips.
All applicants must submit vacancy assessment question responses: All applicants are required to complete vacancy question responses by clicking the apply online button of this vacancy announcement.
VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: If you are claiming veterans preference, please see applicant guide for required documentation. In order to be considered for veterans preference, you must submit all required documentation as outlined in the applicant guide.
CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP) OR INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP) DOCUMENTATION: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP/ICTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents you must submit in order to be eligible.
RECOMMENDED DOCUMENTS:
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing has partnered with the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service to provide certain personnel services to its organization. Fiscal Service's responsibilities include advertising vacancies, accepting and handling applications, and extending job offers.
You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on the announcement's closing date.
To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
Follow the prompts to select your résume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.
For additional information on the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or the ADA, please click on the links below:
If you wish to make changes/updates to your application and the vacancy is still open, you can click on the job announcement and "Update Application" to be taken back to your application.
No updates can be made once the announcement has closed.
For additional information on how to apply, please visit the Partnership for Public Service's Go Government website.
PLATE MAKING ENGRAVING PHOTO ENGRAVING BRANCH WCF
Administrative Resource Center
Parkersburg, WV 26101
US
Next steps
To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account at https://www.usajobs.gov. On the Home page, scroll down and locate your job application. Once the job has been located, click the "Track this application" link on the right under the application date. The page will refresh to display the Agency's Application Information page where you can scroll down and review any notifications the agency has sent you. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated.
Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview. We will not reimburse costs related to the interview such as travel to and from the interview site.
For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:
Artwork. A limit of only four (4) pieces of personally created artwork will be submitted; if more than 4 pieces of artwork are submitted only 4 pieces will be reviewed. One(1) of the pieces of artwork must be of a hand drawn letter script art. The three (3) other hand drawn pieces of artwork are from your choosing of the following categories 1) Portrait drawing, 2) Mechanical, technical or drafting, 3) Digital hand drawing, 4) Free hand line drawing. Your artwork will be evaluated in the following areas: Composition/Layout, Draftsmanship, Rendering and Perspective. Failure to score a minimum score of 60 out of 100 on Artwork will result in being screened out.
Maximum capacity for each piece of artwork is 100mb, with JPEG files being the preferred compressed file. If the artwork is over 100mb, you are to send separate email submittals by the closing date of this announcement. No artwork should be submitted that requires special software. Please place you name on the file for identification purposes and avoid placing it on the artwork. All submittals through email need to be sent to Bureau of Engraving & Printing at WCF_Engravers@BEP.gov Not through USA JOBS, no later than 11/27/2023.
All applicants must submit a résumé showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed. All applicants are required to submit arésumé either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.) We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your résumé to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view résumé tips.
All applicants must submit vacancy assessment question responses: All applicants are required to complete vacancy question responses by clicking the apply online button of this vacancy announcement.
VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: If you are claiming veterans preference, please see applicant guide for required documentation. In order to be considered for veterans preference, you must submit all required documentation as outlined in the applicant guide.
CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP) OR INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP) DOCUMENTATION: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP/ICTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents you must submit in order to be eligible.
RECOMMENDED DOCUMENTS:
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing has partnered with the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service to provide certain personnel services to its organization. Fiscal Service's responsibilities include advertising vacancies, accepting and handling applications, and extending job offers.
You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on the announcement's closing date.
To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
Follow the prompts to select your résume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.
For additional information on the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or the ADA, please click on the links below:
If you wish to make changes/updates to your application and the vacancy is still open, you can click on the job announcement and "Update Application" to be taken back to your application.
No updates can be made once the announcement has closed.
For additional information on how to apply, please visit the Partnership for Public Service's Go Government website.
PLATE MAKING ENGRAVING PHOTO ENGRAVING BRANCH WCF
Administrative Resource Center
Parkersburg, WV 26101
US
Next steps
To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account at https://www.usajobs.gov. On the Home page, scroll down and locate your job application. Once the job has been located, click the "Track this application" link on the right under the application date. The page will refresh to display the Agency's Application Information page where you can scroll down and review any notifications the agency has sent you. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated.
Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview. We will not reimburse costs related to the interview such as travel to and from the interview site.
For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
