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Engineering Technician (Mechanical) SME

Department of Transportation
Maritime Administration

Summary

This position is established to provide instructions to Midshipmen in the Engineering Laboratories and the fabrication, installation, and maintenance of instructional equipment in the various Engineering laboratories used for the Engineering Education Program.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
01/06/2026 to 07/06/2026
Salary
$88,005 to - $114,413 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11
Location
2 vacancies in the following location:
Kings Point, NY
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time - Full Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
Yes - This is a Bargaining unit position represented by (AFGE/2116).
Announcement number
MARAD.MMA-2026-0017
Control number
853651900

Duties

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As an Engineering Technician (Mechanical), you will:

  • Instruct Midshipmen and provide support for faculty led courses in various Marine Engineering Laboratories.
  • Be responsible for the implementation of proper operational processes and safety procedures in the laboratories.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of welding technology and welding instruction, welding methods in a classroom/laboratory environment.
  • Be responsible for the operation, installation, maintenance, troubleshooting, repair, refurbishment, and upgrading of various mechanical instructional equipment in all of the Marine Engineering laboratories.

The ideal candidate is a highly motivated, experienced professional mechanical technician who has experience providing instruction and maintaining equipment in an academic laboratory environment. The candidate will have experience in welding and machine shop operations, and have experience operating, installing and repairing complex instructional equipment. The candidate will have experience in various marine engineering environments, including diesel, steam, refrigeration, and others.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S.Citizen and eligible for consideration.
  • You must meet specialized experience to qualify.
  • Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
  • Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

  • your performance and conduct;
  • the needs and interests of the agency;
  • whether your continued employment would advance the organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
  • whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

  • SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
  • BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: You will be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding.
  • PROBATIONARY PERIOD: You must complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).
  • DEU REQUIREMENTS: Applicants selected under delegated examining procedures may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).

Qualifications

Individual Occupational Requirements for series 0802 (for positions at GS-4 or equivalent and above): This series covers technical positions supervising, leading, or performing work involving applying a practical knowledge of the methods and techniques of engineering or architecture; and construction, application, properties, operations, and limitations of engineering systems, processes, structures, machinery, devices, and materials.

Examples of qualifying specialized experience include technical work in: drafting, surveying construction estimating, physical science, mathematics, aerospace, architecture, chemicals, electrical or mechanical systems, mining, petroleum, or nuclear systems.

Experience in a trade or craft may be credited as specialized experience when the work provided intensive knowledge of engineering principles, techniques, methods, and precedents. Examples are trade positions with substantial developmental, test, or design responsibilities such as:

  • Planner and estimator who analyzed designs for production purposes.
  • Instrument maker or model maker who performed design or development work on devices fabricated.

For more information refer to: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/engineering-technical-series-0802/.

To determine if you are eligible, review the following grade specific details. You will be asked questions as part of your application but make sure to verify how you meet this experience in your resume, or you may be deemed ineligible.

For the GS-11: On Experience, you must have at least one year of specialized experience, equal or equivalent to the GS-09 grade level, which included:

  • Experience in the use and applications of various types of hand tools and power tools, fabrication tools, measuring tools, and similar tools.
  • Experience in the installation, operation, maintenance, and/or repair of mechanical equipment such as pumps, valves, piping, steam and/or gas turbines, diesel engines, heat exchangers, control systems, etc. OR equivalent equipment typically in an industrial environment.

Highly Desirable Experience:

  • Experience instructing in an Academic Engineering environment.
  • Experience operating and/or instructing the use of the various welding processes.
  • Experience in the operation and/or instructing the use of lathes and mills.
  • Experience working underway in a marine environment.
  • Ability to review and comprehend schematics, diagrams, detailed drawings, sketches, manuals, or the equivalent.

You cannot qualify based on education at the GS-11 level; you must have experience.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will also be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

  • Education and Training - Knowledge of teaching, training, research, making presentations, lecturing, testing, and other instructional methods.
  • Industrial Equipment Operation - Knowledge of principles and methods for operating industrial equipment.
  • Mechanics - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their design, use, benefits, repair, operation, and maintenance.
  • Metal Processing and Metalworking - Knowledge of materials, methods, and appropriate tools to process, treat, form, or shape metal.
  • Teaching - Help others learn through formal or informal methods; identify training needs; provide constructive feedback; coach others on how to perform tasks; act as a mentor.

For all types of consideration, 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.

All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Additional information

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Transportation by email at, FairChanceAct@dot.gov. To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

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

DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume/ application does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination. Please ensure that your resume contains specific information such as position titles, beginning and ending dates of employment for each position, average number of hours worked per week, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level. 

All applicants:  Your application will be reviewed in two phases determine how you move forward in the hiring process.  Phase I: Your resume will be reviewed to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. ONLY two (2) pages of your resume will be reviewed. Additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume) will not be reviewed.  Applicants passing “Phase I” will move on to the “Phase II” of the assessment process where your application will be reviewed and rated based on the KSAs/Competencies listed in the vacancy announcement by a Subject Matter Expert (SME).


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