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General Engineer, GS-0801-11/12/13

Department of Homeland Security
U.S. Coast Guard
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), United States Coast Guard (USCG), Deputy Commandant for Mission Support, Assistant Commandant for Engineering and Logistics (CG-4), Office of Civil Engineering (CG-43), Shore Infrastructure Logistics Center (SILC), Waterways Operations Product Line (WOPL), MER Signal Power & Equipment Asset Line in Norfolk, VA.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
07/02/2024 to 07/11/2024
Salary
$73,572 to - $136,323 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11 - 13
Location
Norfolk, VA
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—Telework eligible
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel is required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent - This is a permanent appointment.
Work schedule
Full-time - This is a full-time position.
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
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
24-2921-SE-BK-DHA
Control number
798283700

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens. Subject position(s) will be filled through Direct Hire Authority: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/direct-hire-authority/ All applicants who meet the basic qualification requirements will be forwarded to the Selecting Official for further consideration. The "Rule of Three", Category Rating, Veterans Preference, and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy.

Duties

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This announcement is for an Ocean Engineer. The SILC Waterways Operations Product Line (WOPL) provides comprehensive support for the Coast Guard (CG) Aids to Navigation (ATON) and Marine Environmental Response (MER) missions, both ashore and afloat. The portfolio of work includes nearly 50,000 fixed and floating ATON platforms, an extensive array of signal equipment and power systems, support to the Coast Guard’s MER mission, and other maritime services that support the Maritime Transportation System (MTS) and the Coast Guard’s statutory roles/responsibilities to regulate and protect the waterways.

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

  • As an Ocean Engineer, the incumbent will be responsible for all technical aspects relating to the design, evaluation, specification, procurement, construction, maintenance, improvement, repair, logistics support, configuration management, and asset management of the Coast Guard-wide inventory of fixed and floating ATON equipment and systems and the greater WOPL world of work to include CG-MER mission responsibilities.
  • The Ocean Engineering will be responsible for developing standards for design, construction, maintenance, overhaul, deployment, retrieval, and disposal of fixed and floating ATON equipment and systems, MER equipment/missions, and other WOPL items with additional emphasis on standard fixed and floating aid configurations.
  • The Ocean Engineer will develop standards for automating, modernizing, and solarizing complex aids to navigation and other maritime based equipment, including defining requirements, analyzing alternatives and the proper design and selection of structures and system equipment combinations to assure the compatibility of all its subsystems and equipment.
  • The Ocean Engineer designs, evaluates, tests, and makes recommendations to implement new equipment and systems to meet specific fixed and floating ATON mission requirements and other demands/requirements as directed by WOPL and the relevant operational commander.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • State Driver's License is Required.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.

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

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR GS-0801: 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 five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: statics, dynamics; strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); fluid mechanics, hydraulics; thermodynamics; electrical fields and circuits; nature and properties of materials and any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.

OR

Combination of education and experience-college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying professional engineering, and 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:

  • Professional registration-Current registration as a professional engineer by any State. 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.
  • 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.
  • 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 of university that included 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences, or (b) a BET from a program accredited by the 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. Because of the diversity in kind and quality of BET programs, graduates of other BET programs are required to complete at least 1 year of additional education or highly technical work experience of such nature as to provide reasonable assurance of the possession of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for professional engineering competence. The adequacy of this background must be demonstrated by passing the EIT examination.
  • 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 the basic requirements. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of a professional engineering curriculum.
  • 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 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.

AND

You qualify for the GS-11 grade level if you possess one year of specialized experience at the GS-09 grade level performing duties such as:

  • Providing technical liaison support and sponsors projects with the Coast Guard Research and Development Center for the evaluation of potential new technologies.
  • Evaluating equipment performance through surveys of users and first-hand observation of prototype field installations and deployments
  • maintaining technical insight into the cause and the plan of action when damaged, failed, or otherwise nonconforming hardware, equipment, or systems are encountered in the field.

You qualify for the GS-12 grade level if you possess one year of specialized experience at the GS-11 grade level performing duties such as:

  • Developing procurement and logistics management strategies; participates in contract negotiations; prepares technical procurement documentation; carries out pre-award surveys and production inspections; monitors performance of the contracts on an ongoing basis
  • Reviewing project plans and evaluates designs submitted by Districts and CEU
  • Providing engineering support for project development; reviews project submittals to ensure proposed solutions meet operational requirements, budget restrictions, and overall design policy; and coordinates the efforts of key personnel

You qualify for the GS-13 grade level if you possess one year of specialized experience at the GS-12 grade level performing duties such as:

  • Modifying existing equipment and systems to improve performance and reduce cost
  • Establishing configuration management procedures for equipment, systems, and associated technical data such as engineering specifications, drawings, and design software.
  • Developing asset management procedures for the Coast Guard-wide inventory of fixed and floating ATON equipment and systems, MER equipment/missions, and other maritime based equipment.

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.

Education

This position does have a positive education requirement. If you are including education on your resume, report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. See Required Documents section for detail.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet Federal qualification requirements if you can show that your foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence with your application. See Recognition of Foreign Qualifications click here

Additional information

Applicants will be required to complete questions contained on the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) at the time a tentative job offer is made. Certain responses on the form could pose a problem with suitability for employment determinations. If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete/make updates to the OF-306 and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, or imprisonment.

DHS uses e-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about e-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities at click here

Recruitment Incentive: Selectee(s) for this position who are newly appointed to a permanent position are authorized to receive a one-time recruitment incentive of 10% of the salary, including locality for this position. Receipt of the bonus will require a 12 month service agreement. "Newly appointed" refers to the first appointment (regardless of tenure) as an employee of the Federal Government, an appointment following a break in service of at least 90 days from a previous appointment as an employee of the Federal Government, or, in certain cases, an appointment following a break in service of less than 90 days from a previous appointment as an employee of the Federal Government.
Relocation Incentive: Selectee(s) for this position who are current federal employees on permanent appointments and will be moving outside of the current commuting area of their current position to accept this position are authorized to receive a one-time relocation bonus of 10% of the salary including locality for this position. Receipt of the bonus will require a 12 month service agreement. The employee must establish a residence in the new geographic area prior to payment.

All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit.

The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR § 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR § 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps/VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.

More than 1 selection may be made from this announcement if additional identical vacancies in the same title, series, grade, and unit occur within 45 days from the date the certificate was issued.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for the application and hiring process, please contact 202-795-6284. Decisions on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Visit Reasonable Accommodation

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, you will be referred for consideration. The following competencies or knowledge, skills, and abilities are needed to perform this job:

  1. Knowledge and ability to apply engineering theory, practice, and experience to the design and procurement of new fixed and floating ATON equipment and systems, MER equipment/missions, and other maritime based equipment, from conceptual phase and design to final engineering specifications and procurement contracting, to logistics and maintenance planning, to final disposal.
  2. Knowledge and ability to modify standard engineering practices to solve the routine and unique problems associated with designing and procuring equipment and systems for open ocean, coastal, and inland regions in tropical, temperate, and arctic environments.
  3. Ability to assess technical and operational feasibility of design proposals, and make judgments regarding cost-effectiveness, based on a thorough knowledge of industrial manufacturing processes, engineering cost analysis techniques, field unit operations, and the deployment and utilization of fixed and floating ATON equipment and systems, MER equipment/missions, and other maritime based equipment
  4. Knowledge of research and development processes, techniques, and capabilities, and the ability to plan and carry out engineering development, test, and evaluation projects.

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