Summary
This position is located in the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS). OPS works to achieve this mission through inspection, investigation and enforcement activities as well as other types of oversight and guidance. The Director and the Accident Investigation Division (AID) play an important role in evaluating pipeline and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) accidents/incidents and sharing lessons learned to continuously improve safety.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
Applications will be accepted from any U.S. citizen.
Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position. The 'Rule of Three', Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy.
This is a bargaining unit position, represented by local 7777.
Duties
At the full performance level of this position, your duties will include, but not be limited to, the following:
- Accident and Incident Investigations - Conduct and oversee the investigation of pipeline related failure and safety investigations. May serve as a primary OPS Investigator on federally regulated pipeline failure investigations, coordinate with National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) representatives during investigations and follow-up, coordinate with Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) relative to pipeline investigations, serve as the Federal OPS Coordinator on state regulated pipeline failure investigations.
- Failure Analysis and Sharing Lessons Learned - Ensure OPS collects the data, technical reports and information needed to conduct thorough and comprehensive failure analysis. Coordinate with subject matter experts, internal and external, to evaluate all available information from single events or aggregated events to identify and share lessons learned, identify emerging safety trends, and recommend actions to prevent and mitigate future events. Work in close coordination with other OPS staff to achieve safety goals/objectives through inspection, investigation and enforcement activities.
- Field Operations Support - Identify potential areas for improvement and recommends needed changes in strategy. Assure his/her assignments are conducted consistent with PHMSA and OPS goals, policies, and strategies.
- Special Projects - Produce written briefings, speeches, reports, studies, and other documents concerning OPS initiatives and special projects. Participate on internal, intermodal, inter-agency and inter-national working groups. Represent OPS internally and externally.
- External Affairs - Provide information to stakeholder groups and the public on OPS missions, goals, and services. Work to enhance public understanding and the positive image of OPS programs. Inform the AID Director of media interest and events that impact OPS policies and objectives.
- Congressional Affairs - Consistent with PHMSA policy and the Departmental Congressional strategy, support PHMSA communications with state and federal lawmakers.
This position is perfect for an experienced Engineer or Physical Scientist who is looking for challenging assignments investigating pipeline incidents. As an Accident Investigator, you will conduct, coordinate, manage and report comprehensive investigations of critical and nationally and regionally significant pipeline accidents and safety concerns. This position will coordinate with other federal and state agencies, industry, the public regarding investigations, accident trends and lessons learned from investigations.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. citizen & meet specialized experience to qualify
- Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date
- Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
- Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
- SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
- RESIDENCY: You must live within a 60 miles radius of a top 200 domestic airport as ranked by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics and can be found at Airport Rankings 2022 | Bureau of Transportation Statistics (https://www.bts.gov).
- DRUG TESTING: Tentatively selected candidates are required to undergo urinalysis in accordance with DOT 3910.1D entitled "Drug and Alcohol-Free Departmental Workplace", which includes testing for marijuana. Marijuana is legal in some states, however it’s still illegal at the federal level. Therefore, if selected for the position you will be required to submit to a pre-employment/pre-appointment drug test, you will also be subject to Random Drug Testing. Failure or refusal to take a drug test may result in disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service.
- REMOTE WORK: This position may be eligible for remote work, which does not require reporting to the agency worksite location on a regular basis. If selected for a remote work location, you will be required to sign a remote work agreement detailing agency remote work policy requirements, working conditions, and expectations for the position.
- PROBATIONARY PERIOD: Applicants may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).
Qualifications
Please note: This is an interdisciplinary position, which means that the duties and responsibilities of the position relate to both the 1301 (Physical Sciences) and 0801 (General Engineer) fields. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of this position, a person with the education and experience in either the 1301 or the 0801 field may be considered equally well qualified to do the work.
To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the education and specialized experience requirements for AT LEAST ONE OF THE SERIES AND provide a copy of transcripts for verification for the grade in which you want to be considered.
To qualify for the GS-12 on Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-11 it must include:
- Experience in engineering or physical science disciplines concerning the design, construction, operation, maintenance and repair, integrity management, and failure analysis of gas and liquid pipelines.
- Experience in conducting and/or participating in investigations or projects to improve transportation safety.
To qualify for the GS-13 on Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-12 it must include:
- Experience in engineering or physical science disciplines concerning the design, construction, operation, maintenance and repair, integrity management, and failure analysis of gas and liquid pipelines.
- Experience in conducting and/or participating in investigations or project to improve transportation safety.
- Experience in risk management, pipeline integrity management, and management systems principles and practices as they relate to protection of physical facilities and structures with critical environmental and safety impact.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:
- Accident Investigation: Knowledge of guidelines, regulations, and procedures associated with an accident investigation including preservation of accident scene, root cause analysis, and evidence detection and handling.
- Compliance Inspection: Knowledge of the guidelines, regulations, and procedures associated with compliance inquiries.
- Technical Competence: Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on-the-job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues.
- General Engineering/Physical Scientist: Knowledge of the concepts, principles, and theories of engineering and/or physical science and their practical applications.
- Technical Problem Solving: Troubleshoots, diagnoses, analyzes, and identifies system malfunctions to determine the source and cause of the problem.
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
For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4
All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Education
PLEASE NOTE: All applicants must meet the education and experience requirements of at least one of the series AND the specialized experience of this vacancy in order to qualify.
In addition to the specialized experience requirements, applicants must fully meet the basic qualifications criteria of at least one of the following series.
TO QUALIFY FOR THE 1301 SERIES (Physical Science), you must meet at least one of the following criteria:
- A. Degree: physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics.
OR
- B. Combination of education and experience -- education equivalent to one of the majors shown in A above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
TO QUALIFY FOR THE 0801 SERIES (General Engineer), you must meet the following criteria:
All applicants must meet the education requirements under A or B to qualify for applying to an engineering position.
- A. Successful completion of a degree in engineering that: (1) has at least one program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET); or (2) that included 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; (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials; 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 or training: college level education, training and/or technical experience that has 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).
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.
3. Specified academic courses - Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences which included the courses as specified in Paragraph A above.
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 had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. There should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering type experience. This must be clearly described in your resume.
For more specifics, please see the OPM qualifications standard for GS-800: All Professional Engineering Positions qualifications at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/files/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf
Benefits
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.
Review our 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.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
For this announcement, all applicants will be reviewed to determine if they meet the basic qualifications for this position, specifically the educational and specialized experience requirements.
Applicants will not be rated or ranked. Veteran's Preference does NOT apply.
All applications that are verified to meet the basic qualifications will be referred to the selecting official.
DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. All answers provided in the on-line process must be substantiated by a resume. If, upon review, it is determined that your resume and/or supporting documents do not support your answer choices, your application may be removed from consideration.
Ultimately, the Automated Staffing Office is responsible for determining an applicant's eligibility. Please ensure that your resume provide enough detail to support your answers to the Vacancy Specific Questions. You may preview questions for this vacancy.
Required Documents
A USA Jobs built resume is required to apply
ALL Applicants must provide a resume that fully supports the required specialized experience and was created within USA Jobs Resume Builder and respond to the vacancy questions by the closing date of the vacancy. Formatted resumes can be uploaded when you arrive at the DOT application system. For assistance with the resume builder, please visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/account/documents/resume/build/
The following is a list of documents that are only required based on the type of position and consideration for which you are applying.
RESUME - Needs to be created within USA Jobs Resume Builder. It must show relevant experience, education and fully support the required specialized experience.
TRANSCRIPTS - Transcripts are REQUIRED as there is a stated education requirement for both series. The transcripts need not be official, but must show that you meet the stated education requirements, including specific major or class requirements. Provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
- If you have previously held a government position in the same series as this position, you may be able to provide an SF-50 showing that you have already qualified and worked in the federal service in this series.
NON COMPETITIVE APPLICANTS: If requesting concurrent consideration for Non-competitive (NC) appointment eligibility, you must provide the appropriate SPECIAL APPOINTING AUTHORITY DOCUMENTS, such as PCS orders (military spouse) describing move & marriage certificate; letter from VA or DD214 describing 100% disability of spouse; letter from State Vocational Office certifying disability (schedule A), etc. For more information, visit military spouse NC appointments or Persons with Disabilities NC appointments.
Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USA Jobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system. You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
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.
How to Apply
You must submit a complete application package (including resume, vacancy questions and supporting documents) no later than 11:59 pm (EST) on the closing date of the announcement.
- To begin, click the "Apply Online" button on the job announcement posting.
- Follow the directions to register, submit all required documents and complete the assessment questionnaire.
- You may review your saved application(s) at https://my.usajobs.gov.
If you are having difficulty applying online, please contact the DOT Automated Staffing Office via email at: Transjobs@dot.gov
Next steps
You may check your application status by logging into USAJobs.com (Select "My USAJobs" and click "Applications". Within two weeks of the closing date, a Human Resources Specialist will evaluate your application. Qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager. Appropriate veteran's preference will be applied. If you are selected for an interview, the hiring agency will contact you directly. Once the position is filled, we will notify all applicants of their final status.
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