Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to all U.S. citizens under Expedited Hiring Authority procedures.

The incumbent of this position serves as a senior Naval Architect and subject matter expert in the Engineering Services Division (ESD), Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering Branch,  Naval Architecture Section.  The Surface Forces Logistics Center provides all required logistics, maintenance, and engineering to the Coast Guard fleet.  At ESD, we serve as subject matter experts for all of CG Naval Engineering and support new vessel acquisition programs in addition to the sustainment of existing cutters and boats.  The Naval Architecture Section also supports the Coast Guard Engineering Technical Authority by developing and maintaining Naval Architecture Technical Standards managed by cognizant Technical Warrant Holders.

Being a Coast Guard civilian makes you a valuable member of the Coast Guard team.  Typical work assignments include: 

- Developing or reviewing work product of the section, or of contractors, that may include evaluating or developing naval architecture design plans, calculations of hull strength, analyses of weight and ship stability, determining resistance and propulsion characteristics, selection of propellers, ship motions assessments, computational fluid dynamics calculations, test and trial performance and data assessment, input to propulsion machinery and auxiliary machinery systems selection, development of functional arrangements plans, dry dock calculations, shipyard construction practices, bills of material, and procurement specification development;

- Planning, performing and managing projects for feasibility, concept, preliminary, contract and detailed design efforts for new cutters and modifications of existing cutters, where major changes in shipboard equipment or arrangements affect space, weight, structures, stability, speed or cost. 

- Planning, developing, coordinating and accomplishing large, complicated projects, such as cutter design studies, application of state-of-the-art technologies, development cost estimating methodologies, cost estimating relationships and economic analysis;

- Developing Technical Risk Assessments, and Technical Decision Memos in support of Engineering Technical Authority / Program Management decisions;

- Developing, reviewing and providing recommendations for proposed project requirements, expected results, and budgetary estimates;

- Establishing methods and procedures to substantially reduce project costs;

- Initiating contracting support actions and providing expert technical advice and direction to contractor professionals; and,

- Evaluating bid proposals and preparing performance specifications.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship is required.

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENTS A. Applicants must show successful completion of a professional engineering curriculum leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in engineering in an accredited college or university. 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 advanced courses 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); (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics. OR B. A 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 professional engineering, and (2) a good theoretical and practical understanding 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: 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 registration, which is administered by the Boards of Engineering Examiners in the various States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam. 3. Specified Academic Courses: successful completion in an accredited college or university of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and in engineering. These must have included the courses specified in the basic requirement. 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 the candidate has at least one (1) year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. (The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.)

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS IN ADDITION, applicants must have at least 1 full year of experience (equivalent to the GS-13 or higher level in the Federal service) planning, developing, coordinating and accomplishing large, complicated projects which require multiple manpower and funding, such as cutter design studies, model and full scale test projects, application of state-of-the-art technologies, development of design criteria, evaluation and prototyping of new systems and computer applications for ship powering and performance, hydrodynamic design, sea-keeping and ship motions, maneuvering, habitability and human factors; conducting conceptual and preliminary design studies for proposed vessels based on operational requirements documents; determining principal dimensions and hull type, powering requirements, general arrangement layout, preliminary structural arrangement and stability analyses; reviewing and providing recommendations for proposed project requirements, expected results, and budgetary estimates, as well as establishing methods and procedures to substantially reduce project costs; ensuring that training requirements and integrated logistics support requirements are established for projects; analyzing, evaluating and developing naval architecture design plans, procurement specifications, hydrostatics, lines and offsets, calculations of hull strength, analyses of ship stability, resistance and propulsion, propeller selection, test and trial data, etc.; determining methods and procedures appropriate for testing naval architecture installations and performing the tests; and providing contractor oversight for naval architecture projects.

Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular ability, skill, and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of this position and is typically in or related to this line of work.

National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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.

How you will be evaluated

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

We will review your résumé and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. If you meet the minimum qualifications, your experience, education and training will be rated using the on-line self assessment questions that are based on the following competencies or knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform this job:

1. Knowledge of the concepts and principles of naval architecture.

2. Ability to develop new approaches that guide others who solve a variety of naval architecture technical problems.

3. Ability to apply new, innovative, or experimental naval architecture or engineering theories, developments, or practices.

4. Ability and experience to lead and execute complex naval architecture projects.

Your resume and responses to the self-assessment questions are an integral part of the process for determining your qualifications for the position. Therefore, you must support your responses to the self-assessment questions by providing examples of past and present experience in your resume.

If you are best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview.

Consideration will be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards as an indicator of quality of prior experience; no points will be assigned.