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General Engineer/Architect (Building Enclosure)

Legislative Branch
Architect of the Capitol

Summary

This position is within the Architect of the Capitol (AOC); Office of the Chief Engineer (OCE); Planning and Design Division (PDD); Planning, Engineering, and Architecture Branch (PEAB); Architecture Section. The incumbent will acts as the subject matter expert for Building Enclosure Commissioning (BECx), including hygrothermal analysis. They will perform architectural/engineering design, technical analysis, and project management on projects from planning and programming through construction.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
02/02/2026 to 02/17/2026
Salary
$143,913 to - $187,093 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Location
Architect of the Capitol
Washington, DC
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—Telework as directed by agency policy
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent - Full Time
Work schedule
Full-time - This is an Excepted Service position and does not require or confer civil service Competitive Status
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
14 - Full Performance Level is GS-14.
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
OCE-2026-048
Control number
856292100

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

See Requirements section of this announcement for information on who may apply.

Duties

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This position is being advertised as an interdisciplinary General Engineer/Architect which means you may be placed into an Engineer position or an Architect position based on your educational background and/or qualifications. Please refer to the "Qualifications" section of this announcement for additional information. 

MAJOR DUTIES:

Building Enclosure Advice & Guidance (35%)

The incumbent performs Building Enclosure Commissioning (BECx), including hygrothermal analysis, on all internally designed exterior envelopes and reviews all BECx, including hygrothermal analyses, from external design teams. They will perform BECx research and forensic analysis on existing buildings under the care of the AOC and coordinate findings and treatment recommendations with the AOC Historic Preservation Officer and Curators.

Consults with management and planning personnel to prepare BECx requirements and criteria for projects for design, construction, or modification to facilities. Applies specialized technical knowledge of BECx, architecture, historic preservation, and engineering concepts, methods and procedures.

Provides BECx guidance and technical advice to peers and lower-grade employees and specialists within the organization performing related assignments. Is available to those employees for consultation on assigned projects.

Conducts reviews of contractor or consultant submissions that resolve highly complex technical difficulties and assist with issues involving BECx, architecture, engineering, and historic preservation.

Architectural/Engineering Requirements, Specifications, and Facility Design Work (30%)

As an A/E Task Leader, coordinates with other project team members, disciplines, and program representatives to ensure programmatic requirements are met while integrating applicable building code, standards, guides, and precedents. 

Coordinates with other project and program areas to integrate concurrent standards, guides, and precedents. Participates with customers to develop requirements. Analyzes requirements and design criteria, develops cost estimates, assures validation of requirements, and evaluates schedules and the feasibility of project accomplishment.

Conducts surveys of and prepares drawings of existing conditions in preparation for design, periodic inspections during construction, and final inspections at the completion of work to ensure design compliance.

Self-performs all A/E documentation (drawings, specifications, schedules, renderings, meeting minutes, reports, etc.) in accordance with the Agency's policies and procedures.

Project Management (30%)

Acts as a Project Manager and Task Leader on assigned in-house design projects.

  • Prepares scope and statement of work.
  • Coordinates and leads an integrated team of multiple architectural and engineering disciplines, building superintendent's representatives; and the agency Historic Preservation Officer and curator.
  • Manages the schedule, budget and quality of projects.
  • Reports project status to management and meets the clients' objectives.

The incumbent serves as Contracting Officers Representative (COR).

  • Performs contract administration activities for IDIQ AIE consulting services contracts and other specialized procurements.
  • Prepares scopes of work, fee estimates, schedules, and contract solicitation documents prior to award.
  • Prepares responses to offeror questions, conducts proposal evaluations, and reports award recommendations.
  • During the period of contract performance, holds project meetings, maintains contract files, monitors work progress, ensures compliance with contract requirements, incorporates change orders, recommends approval of progress payments and final payment to the contractor, and completes contract closeout process in compliance with Agency requirements.

Prepares, revises, and maintains project papers and electronic files for agency archives. 

Scope of Work Development (5%)

The incumbent will work closely with end-users, as well as with planning, project management, jurisdiction, and construction personnel to develop scopes of work (SOW) for large, complex, high-profile design and construction projects for execution by the Design and Program Delivery branch.

The incumbent will be responsible for ensuring all work required to execute the client’s program is captured in the SOW, that all deferred or future maintenance items within the construction area are incorporated in the SOW, and that any separate projects that are active or are being considered are incorporated into the SOW in order to reduce construction impacts on our customers and rework within areas of our campus.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Your resume and question responses must demonstrate the job-related KSAs.
  • You must meet the definition of specialized experience.
  • You must meet educational requirements for Architect or Engineer.
  • You must be able to pass a drug test.
  • You must meet the Selective Factor for this position.

To be employed by the Architect of the Capitol in a paid position, an individual must meet one of the categories below:

  • A citizen of the United States;
  • A person who is lawfully admitted for permanent residence and is seeking citizenship as outlined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)(B);
  • A person who is admitted as a refugee under 8 U.S.C. 1157 or is granted asylum under 8 U.S.C. 1158 and has filed a declaration of intention to become a lawful permanent resident and then a citizen when eligible;
  • A person who owes allegiance to the United States (nationals of American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Northern Mariana Islands, and nationals who meet other requirements described in 8 U.S.C. 1408); or
  • A person who is currently an officer or employee of the Government of the United States.

Qualifications

You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on the OPM web site at OPM qualification standards

Specialized experience: is experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.
 
Candidates for the GS-14 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower (GS-13) grade level in the Federal service. 
 
Specialized experience for this position must demonstrate all of the following: (A) Comprehensive knowledge and experience with architecture, historic preservation, and/or engineering concepts, methods and procedures; (B) Performing design, technical reviews, and project management on building projects from planning and programming through construction, commissioning and project closeout; (C) Providing design development and technical guidance for professional Architect/Engineer firms; (D) Assessing compliance with construction standards, preparing full construction drawings and specifications, and preparing scope of work documents and statements of work; and (E) Serving as a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) or equivalent for construction projects.

Education

In addition to meeting the specialized experience requirements for this position, applicants must possess the following:

Education Required For Engineers:

1. Bachelor's degree in professional engineering: To be creditable, 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 (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and -- any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.

--OR--

2. 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 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: (a) current registration as a professional engineer by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico; (b) evidence of having successfully passed the Engineer-in-Training (EIT) examination or the written test required for professional registration; (c) successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences that are fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of a professional engineering curriculum; or (d) successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in engineering technology or in an appropriate professional field.

For a detailed explanation of the related curriculum or experience, please visit the following website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/general-engineering-series-0801/

Education Required For Architects:

1. Degree: Architecture; or related field that included 60 semester hours of course work in architecture or related disciplines of which at least (1) 30 semester hours were in architectural design, and (2) 6 semester hours were in each of the following: structural technology, properties of materials and methods of construction, and environmental control systems

--OR--

2. Combination of education and experience -- college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished: (1) a thorough knowledge of the arts and sciences underlying professional architecture, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the architectural principles, methods, and techniques and their applications to the design and construction or improvement of buildings. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by at least one of the following:

  1. Related Curriculum: Degree in architectural engineering may be accepted.
  2. Experience: An applicant lacking a degree in architecture must have had l year of experience in an architect's office or in architectural work for each year short of graduation from a program of study in architecture. In the absence of college courses, 5 years of such experience is required. This experience must have demonstrated that the applicant has acquired a thorough knowledge of the fundamental principles and theories of professional architecture.

For a detailed explanation of the related curriculum or experience, please visit the following website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/architecture-series-0808

Transcripts are required upon selection.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: 

Education completed outside of the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment.

Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part of foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree.

You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course-by-course listing if selected.

Additional information

Welcome Veterans. The Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) gives veterans' preference rights in the legislative branch to certain veterans as applied by the Congressional Accountability Act. Veterans' preference is applied on this vacancy announcement. If you are a veteran and have been separated under honorable conditions, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility; SF-15, if applicable; and Department of Veterans Affairs documentation of disability, if applicable. For more information, please visit OPM vet guide

If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System.  If you are exempt from registration under Selective Service Law, you must provide appropriate proof of exemption. Please visit the Selective Service System website for more information.

DRUG TESTING: The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is a Drug Free Workplace. As part of the AOC’s suitability assessment, a candidate tentatively selected for a position who is not currently an AOC employee is required to submit to screening for illegal drug use. Satisfactory completion of a drug test is a condition of employment with the Agency. A candidate must test negative prior to being eligible for appointment into a position. We will schedule, provide, and cover the cost for the drug test.
 
The selectee(s) under the vacancy announcement for this position is subject to a criminal record check by the U.S. Capitol Police and satisfactory adjudication to be eligible for employment at the Architect of the Capitol.
 
The Architect of the Capitol is an E-VERIFY Participant. E-VERIFY is an Internet-based system that compares information from an employee's Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration records to confirm employment authorization in the United States. If you are selected for this position, the documentation that you present for purposes of completing the DHS Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-VERIFY" electronic system. For more information on E-Verify, please visit http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/gc_1185221678150.shtm

The Architect of the Capitol is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, and/or disability.

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis.
 
Moving expenses are not authorized.
 
Relocation expenses are not authorized.
 
Probationary Period-A newly appointed selectee is subject to the completion of a one-year trial/probationary period, regardless of whether or not a trial/probationary period has been completed previously with the Architect of the Capitol or another Federal agency.

This vacancy announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies in any of the jurisdictions of the Architect of the Capitol.

All application materials become the property of the Architect of the Capitol.

Note:  Please be advised that federal retired annuitant candidates may only be considered as a temporary employee if the role can be filled in that capacity.

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.

Review your resume and responses carefully. Your eligibility for consideration and qualifications for the position will be determined based upon a review of your detailed resume and your responses to job specific self-assessment questions.

Your resume will be evaluated based on evidence of your ability to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) for this position, possession of any specialized experience, and how well your background and experience relates to the self-assessment questions in the job announcement.  The self-assessment questions relate to the following knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies:

  1. Skill in managing projects.
  2. Comprehensive knowledge of COR (Contracting Officer's Representative) or COTR (Contracting Officer's Technical Representative) roles and responsibilities.
  3. Ability to identify problems, generate alternatives and make recommendations for solutions.
  4. Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

Your responses to the self assessment questions serve as the basis for your initial rating. You will receive a numerical score based on your responses to these questions.  Next, your responses will be evaluated by a Human Resources Specialist and/or a subject matter expert against the information provided in your resume and optional cover letter. Your resume must support your answers to the self assessment questions.  Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for not hiring you or disqualification for further consideration. 

Please note that a complete application is required for consideration. (Please review the “Required Documents” section of this job announcement to see what must be included in a complete application).


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