This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/651278000. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Purpose of the position: Provide support to the engineering and scientific staff in the conduct of x-ray and solar optics research and development. This position is in Cambridge, MA
04/27/2022 to 06/17/2022
$61,268 - $79,650 per year
IS 09
1 vacancy in the following location:
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Not required
No
Permanent - Indefinite Trust Appointment. This is not a Federal position.
Full-time - Full Time
Competitive
09
No
No
22-48
651278000
This position requires access to export-controlled work. The candidate must be a U.S. person (citizen, permanent resident, approved asylee or refugee) or be a national of a country eligible to be approved on an export license.
Duties may include but are not limited to:
1. Design and assemble hardware. Prepare experimental procedures. Perform experiment setup, data acquisition, and evaluation.
2. Design and Assembly Ground Support Equipment (GSE) required to perform the alignment and bonding of optical assemblies.
3. Align and bond Prototype and Flight mirror assemblies. Test and calibrate optics. Perform laboratory measurements of optical alignment. This includes operating laser alignment equipment, standard electronic measurement tools, and other general and specialized laboratory equipment.
4. Support the assembly of precision optical systems. Develop computer programs to organize and plot raw data. Perform elementary statistical data analysis, reduction, plotting, archiving, and logging.
5. Design vacuum GSE and test ports for environmental testing of scientific instruments.
6. Supply complete documentation on the mechanical parts and assemblies of the project instrument Write assembly procedures and environmental test procedures.
7. Procure and track all items for fabrication and hardware to complete the scientific instrument.
For the latest information on the COVID-19 vaccination requirements and its impact on your application, click on Smithsonian Institution’s Frequently Asked Questions.
BASIC REQUIREMENTS:
(A) 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: (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 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.
In addition to the Basic Requirements, applicants must meet one of the following requirements:
One year of professional experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to grade 7 level work in the Federal service within or closely related to the position being filled. Specialized experience would typically include include the ability to design parts using a 3D cad tool such as Solidworks, ability to fabricate and assemble moderately complex designs as well as engage in technical problem solving either in the field or as part of a design team.
This position has a mandatory education requirement; you must furnish a copy of your transcript of college work completed (unofficial copy is acceptable) or a copy of your degree certificate. Non-submission may result in you being rated ineligible for the position.
Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Basic qualification requirements can be found at https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/SEC-IV/A/GS-PROF.asp and https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/SEC-IV/B/GS0800/0800.htm.
Important Note: Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire or other assessment tool for consistency. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Your resume should provide detailed information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.
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:
1. Professonal Knowledge & skill in applying the theories, principles, and concepts of fundamental mechanical engineering disciplines, as well as knowledge of applied mathematics.
2. Ability to perform experimental research and engineering experiments.
3. Elementary knowledge of optics.
4. Ability and skill to apply modern computer techniques to solve engineering problems and mathematical analysis of systems using various operating systems and programing languages such as PYTHON or MATLAB.
5. Knowledge of laboratory equipment and operating techniques.
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 must 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:
You will receive an e-mail to acknowledge that your application has been received. Please be aware that the confirmation e-mail could reside in your "junk" or "bulk" mail folder depending on your filters. 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 must 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:
You will receive an e-mail to acknowledge that your application has been received. Please be aware that the confirmation e-mail could reside in your "junk" or "bulk" mail folder depending on your filters. 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/651278000. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory is part of what is arguably the largest and most diverse astrophysical institution in the world, where the staff carries out broad programs of research in astronomy, astrophysics and earth and space sciences.