This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/611543200. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
The Engineering Technician (Electronics) position is located at Whipple Observatory (FLWO), Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO). The FLWO is a geographically isolated, technically specialized, and highly interactive scientific research environment with 24 hour operation; located on Mt. Hopkins within the Coronado National Forest in Amado, AZ, elevation of ~8600 feet. The FLWO hosts three, meter-class, telescopes and a number of specialized smaller telescopes.
08/19/2021 to 10/15/2021
$65,340 - $84,948 per year
GS 11
1 vacancy in the following location:
No
Occasional travel - Travel may be required to attend meetings, conferences, etc.
No
Permanent
Full-time
Competitive
11
No
No
21-52
611543200
Current or former competitive service federal employees.
Individuals eligible under a special authority not listed above, but defined in the federal hiring regulations.
This position is open to current and former Federal employees with permanent status or reinstatement eligibility. Individuals who are eligible for a special appointing authority may also apply; such as applicants with a disability, former Peace Corps volunteers, certain military spouses, veterans seeking a VRA/VEOA appointment, or veterans who have been separated from armed forces under honorable conditions after 3 years or more of continuous active service.
1. Operates, tests, and maintains the electrical and electro-mechanical systems of the FLWO’s meter-class and smaller telescopes, their scientific instruments, and related infrastructure. This includes, but is not limited to, electro-mechanical systems related to telescope dome enclosures and drives, instrument auto-fill LN2 dewar systems, microwave dishes, network equipment, instrument data collection systems, and moderate and high dispersion spectrographs; and encompasses the following responsibilities:
a. Monitors telescope observers’ reports, and inspects and tests systems to ensure they are operating normally so as to minimize data loss and/or downtime.
b. Troubleshoots failures in electronic equipment, telescope mechanical systems and computers, and repairs or replaces failed components as needed. Examples include electronics that are comprised of digital and analog circuits from low noise amplifiers to high power servo amplifiers, motion control devices, stepper motors, and servomotor systems.
c. Manages dewars to ensure they maintain vacuum and remain at operating cryogenic temperatures at all times. Ensures the availability of sufficient LN2 on site, and fills smaller instrument dewars from larger tanks.
d. Organizes and maintains an up-to-date system of documentation for instrument and telescope systems and related maintenance procedures. Documents new procedures as they are implemented.
e. Maintains, cleans, and mounts delicate optical components such as filters, CCD cameras, and spectrographs. This may require disassembly and assembly of complex, delicate instrument components.
2. Procures and/or builds and maintains the test and support equipment used in the maintenance and operation of instruments and telescopes.
3. Manages an electronics shop at the telescope site. Ensures that all Smithsonian Institution/FLWO safety practices and procedures are followed. Identifies requirements, procures, and maintains an inventory of required tooling and spare parts in order to diagnose and correct instrument/telescope performance anomalies quickly so as to prevent and/or minimize lost observing time.
4. Conducts regularly scheduled instrument changeovers at FLWO telescopes and participates in the annual removal and re-installation of mirrors for re-aluminization. Changeovers require using lifting and moving equipment to remove and replace heavy instruments containing delicate optical systems, and evaluating post-changeover instrument performance to ensure that all systems are operating without faults or data losses. Participates in post-aluminization collimation of the telescope(s).
5. Provides instructions and training to visiting astronomers and students on the use of FLWO telescopes and instruments. Regularly interacts with scientists to obtain their assessment of the quality of the scientific data collected with the telescopes and corrects any conditions that may have led to data of unacceptable quality.
Must have a valid State driver's license. You may be required to provide a copy of your driver's license if contacted for an interview.
Physical Conditions: Incumbent must be physically able to lift equipment or parts weighing up to 40 pounds independently, and to assist others in moving moderately heavy objects greater than 40 pounds.
Working Conditions: Duties at the Ridge telescopes and on other areas of the mountain are recurring. The environment can be extreme, and range from dry heat to bitter cold. Travel to the Ridge or higher over a mountain road can be hazardous, and involve exposure to snow and rain, lightning, and flash floods.
Position requires work to be performed on Mt. Hopkins at an elevation of ~8000 feet.
Qualifying experience for GS-11 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-9 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience that includes microcontrollers, DC and AC motors and motor control systems, programmable logic controllers, and electronic detectors such as CCD's.
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.
Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.
This position does not have an education qualification requirement.
Conditions of Employment
You must be fully vaccinated for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized or FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine.
OR
Have an approved Reasonable Accommodation granting an exemption from vaccine requirements. Please see additional information regarding reasonable accommodations below.
Additional Vacancy Language Regarding COVID-19
The Smithsonian Institution has a mandate requiring all employees (federal and trust), affiliated staff (including volunteers, interns, and fellows), and the contractors who work with us to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 regardless of the employee’s duty location or work arrangement (e.g., onsite, telework, remote work, etc.), subject to such exceptions as required by law. If selected, you will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination by November 22, 2021 or before appointment or onboarding with the Smithsonian Institution, if after November 22. The Smithsonian Institution will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required exemption from this requirement. This requirement applies to employees, affiliated staff, contractors who are working on-site, and those teleworking in whole or in part. Limited exemptions to the Smithsonian Institution’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate will be considered on a case-by-case basis for selected candidates who inform the Smithsonian that they cannot be vaccinated because of a disability, including certain medical conditions the Center for Disease Control (CDC) considers contraindications to the vaccine, or because of a sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance. Additional information and instructions regarding Smithsonian’s COVID-19 mandate will be provided at the time of selection.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your application will be evaluated first for the basic qualifications described above. The applications that meet the basic qualifications will be evaluated further against the following criteria:
BASIS OF RATING: Once the announcement closes, your application will be automatically evaluated and rated by the system and a Human Resources Specialist. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your application and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the occupational questionnaire. The numeric rating you receive is based on your responses to the questionnaire. The score is a measure of the degree to which your background matches the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of this position. If, after the Human Resources Specialist reviews your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that the score you have received is not a true reflection of your qualifications and/or experience, your score can and will be adjusted to more accurately reflect the information you provided that support your abilities. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Your resume should provide detailed information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.
Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA): If you are applying for a VEOA appointment, you must be a veteran and must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed 3 or more years of active service. ("Active Service" under this law means active duty in a uniformed service and includes full-time training duty, annual training duty, full-time National Guard duty, and attendance, while in the active service, at a school designated as a service school by law or by the Secretary concerned.) A veteran who is released under honorable conditions shortly before completing a 3-year tour is also eligible.
Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities: The following links contain information on the eligibility requirements to be considered under a noncompetitive appointing authority:
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
Your application package should include the following documents:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Click on the "Apply Online" button on the upper right side of the page.
Please Note:
At the end of the application process you will be able to create and save a PDF file that contains your responses to the assessment questions. You may save this file as initial receipt of your application. After the job announcement closes, you will receive an email from the Smithsonian with confirmation of receipt. The Smithsonian receives many applications for each job. Each application is reviewed carefully which may take a few weeks. We will send you an e-mail to update you as we go through phases of the application review process. You may also check your application status by logging into www.usajobs.gov and selecting the tab "My USAJOBS;" e-mailing vacancy.info@si.edu; or by contacting the Office of Human Resources Representative listed.
Additional Information:
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Your application package should include the following documents:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Click on the "Apply Online" button on the upper right side of the page.
Please Note:
At the end of the application process you will be able to create and save a PDF file that contains your responses to the assessment questions. You may save this file as initial receipt of your application. After the job announcement closes, you will receive an email from the Smithsonian with confirmation of receipt. The Smithsonian receives many applications for each job. Each application is reviewed carefully which may take a few weeks. We will send you an e-mail to update you as we go through phases of the application review process. You may also check your application status by logging into www.usajobs.gov and selecting the tab "My USAJOBS;" e-mailing vacancy.info@si.edu; or by contacting the Office of Human Resources Representative listed.
Additional Information:
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/611543200. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
The Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory (FLWO) is the largest field installation of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) outside Cambridge, MA. Since October 1968, the FLWO has been used as the site for experiments requiring extremely dark skies, dry climate, and good "optical seeing".