Clarification from the agency

Recent graduates who have completed, within the previous 2 years, a degree or certificate from a qualifying institution. (Exception: A veteran, who due to military service obligations was unable to apply within 2 years of receiving their degree, has as much as 6 years after degree completion to apply.). Must be a U.S. Citizen.

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The mission of the Applied Physics Division is to advance measurement science and technology in areas of critical importance to national priority needs, such as, advanced manufacturing, national security, quantum communications, strategic computing, and quantitative imaging!

As a new General Engineer on our team, you will design, implement and demonstrate a mobile platform for laser-based remote sensing of the precise and accurate detection of greenhouse gases for in field experiments.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. citizenship
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
• Suitable for Federal employment
• Must have completed in the last 2 years, a qualifying degree
• Degree must be from a qualifying institution
• Bargaining Unit Position: No

Qualifications

To be eligible for the Recent Graduate Program, applicants must meet one of the following requirements:

A. Completed all requirements for an associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational, or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution within the previous two years;

OR

B. Released or discharged from active duty within the previous two years, where the applicant is a veteran who, due to a military service obligation, was precluded from applying for a recent graduate position during any portion of the two-year eligibility period following completion of his/her degree or certificate requirements, provided that not more than six years have transpired since the applicant completed the requirements for his/her degree or certificate.

Applicants must meet requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Your resume must be complete (i.e., include dates of experience, salary, work schedule, etc.), detailed and relevant to the position.

Basic Requirements:

A. Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by 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)1, 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)2 examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and 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 the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.
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 bachelor's 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. (The above examples of related curricula are not allinclusive.)

Note: An applicant who meets the basic requirements as specified in A or B above, except as noted under B.1., may qualify for positions in any branch of engineering unless selective factors indicate otherwise.

In addition to the basic requirements, applicants must also have:

A. 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-5 (ZP-I at NIST). Specialized experience is defined as experience with laser based spectroscopy methods (such as LIDAR, DIAL, and/or frequency combs) for remote sensing of greenhouses gases and ability to use relevant equipment; ability to engineer a mobile platform for such equipment; ability to convey results and conclusions in oral and written form.

OR

B. 1 year of graduate-level education or superior academic achievement.

OR

C. A combination of education and specialized experience as described above.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done. We will credit all qualifying volunteer experience in your application.

The qualification requirements in this vacancy announcement are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook.

Applicant Reconsideration

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 resume, optional cover letter and supporting documents to assess your qualifications for this position. Please be sure that your resume and supporting documents include detailed information to support your qualifications for this position. Failure to provide sufficient and/or legible evidence in your resume or supporting documents may result in a "not qualified" determination. You MUST also selected at least ONE eligibility (i.e., how you wish to be considered) in order to receive consideration for this position.

RATING:
Applications will be assessed on the following competencies:

• Engineering and Technology
• Measurement and Instrumentation
• Written Communication

If the minimum qualifications and eligibility requirements are met, your application will be rated and ranked among others, based on your responses to the online questions regarding your experience, education, training, performance appraisals, or awards relevant to the duties of the position. Your rating may be lowered if your responses in the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.

To preview the questionnaire, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12357524

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. You will be referred depending upon your eligibility (i.e., Merit candidate, veterans preference, etc). Please review the Evaluation Process on how applicants are review and referred based upon how they wish to be considered for the position.

CTAP or ICTAP eligibility:
If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP), you must be determined eligible and rated as well-qualified to receive special selection priority. "Well Qualified" means that in addition to meeting the minimum qualification requirements and selective placement factor(s), if applicable, you must receive a score of 85 or higher. Please review the following site regarding required documents to support CTAP or ICTAP eligibility and additional information regarding this authority - CTAP/ICTAP Eligibility