Duties
This is a career ladder position requiring the incumbent to perform progressively more complex duties and responsibilities leading to the full performance level. Duties quoted at the GS-14 grade level.
Additionally, the selectee will perform technical architectural review and coordination of architectural drawings prepared by consultants under the AOC’s Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) architecture and engineering (A/E) contract managed by the agency’s Design and Program Delivery Division. Assignments include renovation, rehabilitation, and/or restoration of existing historic monumental public buildings and new construction of public or support structures under the jurisdiction of the AOC.
Major Duties:
Architectural Requirements, Specifications, and Facility Design Work
- As the project manager, 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.
- 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 architectural documentation (drawings, specifications, schedules, renderings, meeting minutes, reports, etc.) in accordance with the Agency's policies and procedures.
Project Management
Acts as a Project Manager and Architectural Task Leader on assigned in-house design projects (e.g., prepares scope and statement of work; coordinates and leads an integrated team of multiple engineering disciplines, building superintendent 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).
- Serves as Contracting Officer's Representative (e.g., performs contract administration activities for Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract and Architecture and Engineering (A/E) 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.
Architectural Advice and Guidance
- Consults with management and planning personnel to prepare requirements and criteria for projects for design, construction, or modification to facilities.
- Analyzes and defines requirements of multi-phase projects.
- Conducts reviews of contractor or consultant submissions that resolve highly complex technical difficulties and assist with issues involving historic preservation.
Review of Physical Security Infrastructure Projects
- Reviews the design and construction of highly sensitive physical security projects; Provides expert guidance on how to sensitively incorporate these interventions into existing historic fabric.
- Coordinates with a large number of diverse stakeholders to understand security risks and to develop creative solutions to them; Researches AOC records and provides authoritative direction on appropriate materials and aesthetics for proposed interventions.
Scope of Work Development
- Works closely with end-users, 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.
- Performs other related duties as assigned.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be able to pass a drug test.
- Your resume and question responses must demonstrate the job-related KSAs.
- You must meet the definition of specialized experience.
- You must meet the educational requirements for Architect
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.
For the GS-13:
Candidates for the GS-13 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower (GS-12) grade level in the Federal service.
Specialized experience for this position must demonstrate broad knowledge and experience with architecture, historic preservation, and/or engineering concepts, methods and procedures and at least 3 of the following:
- Performing design, technical reviews, and project management on building projects from planning and programming through construction, commissioning and project closeout.
- Providing design development and technical guidance for professional Architect/Engineer firms.
- Assessing compliance with construction standards, preparing full construction drawings and specifications, and preparing scope of work documents and statements of work.
- Serving as a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) or equivalent for construction projects.
For the GS-14:
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 allof the following:
- Comprehensive knowledge and experience with architecture, historic preservation, and/or engineering concepts, methods and procedures.
- Performing design, technical reviews, and project management on building projects from planning and programming through construction, commissioning and project closeout.
- Providing design development and technical guidance for professional Architect/Engineer firms.
- Assessing compliance with construction standards, preparing full construction drawings and specifications, and preparing scope of work documents and statements of work.
- Serving as a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) or equivalent for construction projects.
Education
In addition to meeting the specialized experience required for this position, applicants must possess the following:
Basic Education:
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) six 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:
(a) a thorough knowledge of the arts and sciences underlying professional architecture, and
(b) 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 related curriculum or experience as defined in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) General Schedule Qualification Standards.
For a detailed explanation of the related curriculum or experience, please visit the following website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/architecture-series-0808/
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.
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.
A variety of health insurance plans; retirement system with investment options; paid holidays; paid sick and annual (vacation) leave; life insurance; incentive systems; subsidized transportation; training and development opportunities, etc.
The Architect of the Capitol offers eligible employees opportunity to participate in the Student Loan Repayment Program.
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.