Clarification from the agency

This position is being advertised under Direct-Hire Authority. Under this authority, competitive rating, ranking and veterans' preference procedures do not apply.

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As a General Engineer, you will perform the following duties:

• Serves as an authoritative resource for the agency, on novel and challenging engineering problems, technical policy matters and latest developments. Performs high-level analyses of radio frequency (RF) propagation, link budgets, modulation schemes, and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) for terrestrial, airborne, and space-based systems. Applies propagation models, simulation tools, and measurement data to evaluate spectrum proposals.
• Serves as a principal speaker or panel member in a wide variety of workshops, seminars, and conferences for trade and professional associations and interest groups to communicate the objectives, benefits, and offerings of the assigned program. Participates in domestic or international meetings, conferences, and symposia of engineering and technical policy matters.
• Contributes to domestic and international spectrum policy development and advocacy, including participation in the agency Inter-department Radio Advisory Committee (IRAC), Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proceedings, and International Telecommunication Union-Radiocommunication (ITU-R) study or working groups, and which may include participation on a delegation representing the United States at ITU-R meetings.
• Prepares technical reports advocating for spectrum policy positions. Coordinates with other federal agencies, private industry, and foreign administrations to resolve technical conflicts and ensure mission continuity.
• Develops and provides implementing guidance for technically complex engineering spectrum-dependent systems, projects and programs designed to solve novel and challenging engineering management problems that exist in different settings.

This Job Opportunity Announcement may be used to fill other General Engineer GS-0801-14, FPL 14 positions within the Department of Commerce in the same geographical location with the same qualifications and specialized experience.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• This position requires a SECRET CLEARANCE: Any required investigations and clearances must be completed before the selectee can be placed in the position.
• You must successfully pass a background investigation. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use of possession of drugs.
• A probationary period may be required.
• Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/).
• If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application.
• All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• Bargaining Unit Position: NO
• Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE form 450): NO
• Permanent Change of Duty Station (PCS) Expense: WILL NOT be paid
• License required: NO
• Drug Test Required: YES, This position is subject to pre-employment drug testing and random drug testing thereafter.
• Pre-employment physical required: NO
• Recruitment Incentive may be offered up to $10,000 (New Federal employees only)
• Relocation Incentive may be offered up to $10,000 (Current Federal employees only)

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=Occupational-Series

Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government.

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.

To qualify for the GS-14 level, applicants must meet the following:

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. 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 all-inclusive.)

AND

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as:

1. Serving as a senior technical expert on spectrum-dependent technologies;

2. Performing high-level analyses of radio frequency (RF) propagation, link budgets, modulation schemes, and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) for terrestrial, airborne, or space-based systems; AND

3. Contributing to domestic or international spectrum policy development or advocacy.

How you will be evaluated

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

Under the provisions of the Direct-Hire Authority (DHA), rating, ranking and veterans' preference does not apply. While veterans' preference does not apply in DHA, preference eligibles are encouraged to submit their supporting documentation (DD-214 stating disposition of discharge or character of service, VA letter, SF-15, etc.).

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., two-page resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire and the result of the Structured Interview required for this position.

Applicants who meet the qualification requirements, as defined in the job opportunity announcement, will be referred for selection consideration.

Structured Interview: A structured interview is an assessment method designed to measure job-related competencies of candidates by systematically inquiring about their behavior in past experiences and/or their proposed behavior in hypothetical situations.

For Certain Military Spouses: All applicants who meet the qualification requirements and military spouse noncompetitive eligibility requirements (see "Additional Information" section above") will be forwarded to the Selecting Official for consideration on a separate referral list. While veterans' preference is not a consideration when filling positions under the military spouse non-competitive hiring authority, preference eligibles are encouraged to submit their supporting documentation (DD-214, stating disposition of discharge or character of service, VA letter, SF-15, etc.).

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

The technical assessment will evaluate you on the following competencies; please do not provide a separate written response:

• Technical Competence
• Oral Communication
• Strategic Thinking
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Creative Thinking

Do NOT include the following types of information in your resume/application. If any are included, you will be deemed INELIGIBLE for consideration.

• Classified or government sensitive information
• Social Security Number (SSN)
• Photos of yourself
• Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc.

To preview the questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12807534