Clarification from the agency

The Public, Military Spouses, and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) eligibles.

Per Presidential Memorandum (PM) entitled "Hiring Freeze." dated January 20, 2025 the federal government is ordered to freeze on the hiring of Federal civilian employees, to be applied throughout the executive branch.

As a Mechanical Engineer, you will:

• Meets with representatives of other BPA organizations, other government agencies, or private industry to coordinate work and provide technical guidance concerning assigned projects or requirements.
• Serves in a project role as design team lead.
• Prepares design drawings as needed.
• Monitors the progress of the overall design of assigned projects.
• Analyzes and designs mechanical systems for facilities.
• Prepares or assures the preparation of preliminary design studies, design memoranda, final design calculations and plans, technical specification provisions and labor and materials estimates for above features.
• Coordinates the design of mechanical equipment and/or systems with features designed by others to ensure the equipment conforms to related design plans.
• Coordinates mechanical design to ensure conformance to all institutional regulations to provide working, safe structures and systems that are compatible to the surrounding environment.
• Reviews and checks designs prepared by other engineers and technicians to ensure mechanical integrity and conformance to BPA requirements.
• Investigates and reports mechanical failures and recommends design changes if required.
• Works with manufacturers, BPA, and other contractor resources for the design, test, and integration of new and/or experimental equipment and systems that extend the technology of the industry.
• Evaluates manufacturers' specifications and drawings for novel and somewhat controversial devices or components proposed for addition to or removal from an acceptable or standard parts list.
• Writes the general specifications or standards if needed.
• Conducts studies to determine if general specifications or standards for such devices or components are needed in order to provide guidance to manufacturers in preparing their data packages for submission to the BPA for approval.
• Reviews or develops installation instructions for systems which include a number of physically separate and technologically different components and for which installation has not been made in a similar environment previously.
• Reviews project plans and specifications prior to contract advertisement to determine practicability from a construction standpoint, whether physical obstructions or other construction difficulties have been anticipated, and whether materials selected are readily available.
• Attends pre-bid and bid opening conferences to discuss principal construction features and requirements, in terms of methods and equipment.
• Maintains, revises, reviews, and coordinates standards and criteria used in the design of transmission facilities.
• Assists in field checking of completed construction projects with BPA construction representatives to verify acceptance of work.
• Observes and investigates construction at all stages to identify problems, take timely action to change designs, or recommend changes to designers to solve problems that arise.

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by a background investigation.
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary period.
• This position does not support remote work. You will be required to report physically to the official reporting worksite as specified by the supervisor, but no less than 3 days per pay period
• After employment, this position may be subject to periodic physical examinations, as prescribed by competent medical authority and at BPA expense, if exposed to health hazards.
• The salary is based on a Special Rate Table, Number {0754}: https://apps.opm.gov/SpecialRates/
• A preliminary background check must be completed before a new employee can begin work. Current Federal employees or other individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check.
• This position requires a valid driver's license as a condition of employment.

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENT:
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), or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. -OR-
2. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) 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.-OR-
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 A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.-OR-
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.)

For more information on how to meet the Basic Requirements please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/files/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level [GS-11] in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as expertise in advanced mechanical engineering theories, principles, concepts, standards, and methods in the areas of: 1) Design, analysis, or maintenance of facility systems (e.g., HVAC, plumbing, generators, and control systems); 2) Reviewing plans, specifications, or cost estimates on technical projects for accuracy and ensuring goals are met on all project engineering matters related to facility utilities and related systems; and 3) Ensuring compliance with international codes and standards of mechanical equipment and systems for building facilities.

There is no substitution of education for experience at the GS-12 grade level.

"Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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.

Physical Demands: The work is normally sedentary. However, there may be regular and recurring site visits during which there is a considerable amount of walking, stooping, bending and climbing.

Work Environment: Work is usually performed in an office setting. However, there may be regular and recurring exposure to moderate discomforts and unpleasantness adverse weather conditions at sites.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

How you will be evaluated

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

The Department of Energy uses an application tracking system to evaluate the responses you provide in the applicant assessment questionnaire to place you into an initial quality category via OPM's Category Rating procedures. These categories are "Best Qualified", "Well Qualified", and "Qualified. Then, the HR Office and/or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will conduct a quality review of your application and supporting documentation to ensure you have been placed into the appropriate quality category.

Your application is rated based on the extent and quality of your experience, education (when applicable), and training as described in your resume and applicant assessment. Your credentials are measured against the established duties of the position at the grade level(s) being advertised.

If you are eligible for career transition assistance plans such as ICTAP or CTAP, you must meet the definition of "well qualified" which is defined as scoring in the Well Qualified category (or higher).

If you are a Veteran Preference eligible candidate, you will be listed at the top of whichever quality category your rating places you in. CP/CPS veterans are placed at the top of the highest category for all positions except professional and scientific positions at GS-9 and higher.

If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses you provided in your online questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly

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

Once the application process is complete, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications. If you are minimally qualified for this job, your responses to the self-assessment questions (True/False, Yes/ No, Multiple Choice questions) will be evaluated and you will be placed into one of three pre-defined quality categories under Category Rating procedures. These categories are "Best Qualified", "Well Qualified", and "Qualified. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

• General Engineering
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Partnering
• Problem Solving
• Writing