Experience requirements are described in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions, Technical and Medical Support positions to include the Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR) for the GS-0856, Electronics Technical Series. Due to the use of 120-day rosters, this period of experience may be completed within 120 days of the closing date of this announcement.
BASIC REQUIREMENT OR INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT:
This series covers technical positions supervising, leading, or performing work involving applying:
- knowledge of the techniques and theories characteristic of electronics, such as a knowledge of basic electricity and electronic theory, algebra, and elementary physics;
- knowledge of electronic equipment design, development, evaluation, testing, installation, and maintenance; and
- knowledge of the capabilities, limitations, operations, design, characteristics, and functional use of a variety of types and models of electronic equipment and systems related to, but less than, a full professional knowledge of electronic engineering.
Electronics technicians may have gained experience assisting in work situations including:
Maintenance - Developing maintenance standards and procedures for use by others. Analyzing repair practices and developing procedural instructions for use by others on methods and steps to repair equipment.
Installation - Planning and directing the installation of complex systems and associated facilities, particularly where there are site selection and construction problems, dealings with contractors and public utilities, and the possible need to modify equipment for novel site characteristics.
Fabrication - Designing and analyzing circuits, determining design feasibility, evaluating equipment performance under varying environmental conditions, and collecting performance data. Designing or modifying designs to achieve performance and cost objectives. Evaluating the adequacy of equipment for such purposes as repair, calibration, and testing.
Testing and Evaluation/Research and Development - Developing or evaluating new or modified electronic systems. Completing testing, evaluating data, and determining acceptability of equipment modifications, validity, test procedures and data, or legality of operation. Technicians support professional engineers in performing experiments, research, and developmental activities requiring an in-depth knowledge of technical engineering methods, applications, practices, and principles to work on concepts, prototypes, and experimental projects that are without precedent and support state-of-the-art research.
Sustainment - Developing, performing, evaluating, or modifying calibration and test equipment, systems, and procedures. Reporting, analyzing, and archiving test data. Performing complex calculations and manipulations of test data to improve performance of systems, instrumentation, measurement standards, techniques, and procedures.
Troubleshooting - Analyzing and diagnosing faults in the operational configuration of electronic systems and equipment. Interpreting circuit wiring, logic cable diagrams, drawings, specifications, and schematics of complete systems and equipment to understand the function and interconnections of the various assemblies and troubleshoot the system.
In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must have at least one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the next lower grade GS-09, or equivalent in other pay systems. Examples of specialized experience includes work as a technician, instructor, inspector, or mechanic (civilian or military) that showed progression in theoretical and practical knowledge of electronic theory, and of the characteristics, function, operation, and capabilities of a variety of types of electronic equipment. This experience must have included the use of schematic diagrams, a variety of test equipment, and the application of appropriate electronic formulas involved in such duties as testing, troubleshooting, modifying, designing, calibrating, installing, maintaining, repairing, constructing, developing, and instructing on electronic equipment, or similar functions. Another example is experience in developing policies, standards, and procedures for maintenance, installation, or similar functions, provided the work clearly shows that the applicant applied a specialized knowledge of the theories and principles of a variety of electronic systems or equipment. NOTE: Due to the use of 120-day rosters, this period of experience may be completed within 120 days of the closing date of this announcement.
FEDERAL TIME-IN-GRADE (TIG) REQUIREMENT FOR GENERAL SCHEDULE (GS) POSITIONS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-09 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-11 level. TIG applies if you are in a current GS position or held a GS position within the previous 52 weeks.
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:
- Practical knowledge of the methods and techniques of engineering:
- Knowledge of activities related to airborne electronic components, subsystems, and systems for detection, observation, measurements, automatic control, communication, or data processing, including instrumentation used in range testing systems and equipment.
- Knowledge of activities related to all airborne navigation equipment, including stellar, inertial, Doppler, radio, etc. including sensors and equipment for guidance and control of airborne vehicles.
- Knowledge of activities related to physical, tangible, and permanent components of computers or data processing systems.
- Knowledge of activities related to program usable on specific kinds of computers together with the documentation associated with computer programs.
- Knowledge of construction, application. properties, operation, and limitations of engineering systems, processes, structures, machinery, devices, and materials.
- Knowledge of electronics theory, circuit design, computer hardware and software, and the operating characteristics of equipment.
- Ability to apply general knowledge of electronics and to transfer experience and knowledge from one kind of equipment to another.
- Ability to interpret select, adapt, and apply many guidelines, precedents, and engineering principles and practices.
PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.
VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that 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 involves climbing, walking, bending, crawling. or stooping in such activities as inspections of systems or equipment, investigation of problems, assessment of a facility configuration, or indoor/outdoor local and remote test site visits.
WORK ENVIRONMENT: Work is performed in either an office setting or indoor laboratory test sites where there is adequate heating, lighting, and ventilation or is performed at indoor/outdoor local and remote test sites.