Electrical Engineer Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. OCE-2025-377 Department Architect of the Capitol
Salary $84,601.00 to $156,755.00 Grade 11 to 13
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 8/27/2025 Close Date 9/12/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

This position is located in the Architect of the Capitol (AOC), Office of the Chief Engineer (OCE). The selected individual will serve as an Electrical Engineer providing experience in the design, installation, maintenance and repair of electrical and electronic systems for the AOC.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from all U. S. Citizens. Please be advised that federal retired annuitant candidates may only be considered as a temporary employee if the role can be filled in that capacity.

Duties

The incumbent is a key member of a team of electrical engineers that performs calculations, development and design work, provides advice and guidance to project teams and facility managers, reviews and develops engineering studies, and acts as a project manager.

The duties are listed at a GS-13 level:

Duties:

Development and Design Work (35%)

Designs or oversees the development of unique or leading-edge technology or large scale/high value electrical system designs including power (15kV, 4160V, 277/480V and120/208V), lighting, grounding, lightning protection, emergency power, generators, uninterruptible power supplies, power monitoring, control systems, underground utility infrastructures, fiber optic and ethernet networks, RF systems, antennas, and other systems to support U.S. Congressional activities.

For in-house Design and Construction, develop concepts, perform design calculations and analyses, prepare final working drawings (CAD), specifications, procures engineering products and performs construction supervision, and coordination as required on each assigned project. This includes the ability to prepare CAD documents in AutoCAD. 

As a task leader, reviews, oversees and directs the activities of associate architects and engineers for accuracy, technical competence and for fulfillment of required project objectives, as well as to ensure compliance with applicable national and local codes, Architect of the Capitol (AOC) Design Standards, industry standard design and construction criteria.

Advice and Guidance (20%)

Acts as an expert consultant on the most challenging problems in electrical and electronic engineering for the AOC.

Consults with management and planning personnel in preparing requirements and criteria for complex or high value projects for construction or modification of facilities, systems and equipment. 

Prepares, revises and maintains criteria (AOC Design Standards and A/E Design Manual) of electrical systems and equipment. 

Engineering Studies (15%)

Reviews, advises on, and conducts complex analysis and development studies in support of major organization programs, including analysis of novel, unprecedented, or controversial problems. 

Completing lighting surveys and producing reports to analyze existing conditions and recommended changes to bring the system into compliance with AOC and industry standards.

Completing field investigations, schematic designs, and rough order of magnitude cost estimates to develop a design statement of work or to inform an in-house design on the recommended project approach and requirements.

Project Management (10%)

Works with the project team to determine project needs, goals and develop plans for accomplishing projects. Develops project scope of works (A/E task orders), prepares A/E fee estimates and assist in A/E contract negotiations.

Maintains familiarity with various types of requisition methods, such as, Invitation for Bid (IFB), Request For Proposal (RFP), GSA Schedule or Sole Source procurement. Assists with contract solicitation document preparation, holds pre-bid conferences, evaluates and provides technical analysis of proposals and bid documents.

Serves as a Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) for design on electrical projects.

Provides progress reports regularly through project management software and other reports.  

Serves as technical expert regarding deviations from pre-approved schedule, budget and scope of work and serves as an authority and advisor to management, contractors and superintendent's office on project management activities in assigned area of responsibility. 

Problem Resolution (10%)

Conduct complex investigations, analyses, research and tests to solve controversial problems raised by various clients, national events, and new technology. 

Conduct investigation into switchgear or network outages to determine cause of outage and provide recommended changes to prevent issue from reoccurring.

Coordinating with other disciplines to devise creative solutions for providing power to areas with historic preservation requirements.

Monitoring, Testing and Commissioning (5%)

Serves as a technical electrical engineering specialist in the test, checkout, and readiness of systems or equipment that involve new concepts and new and varied problems to be solved.   

Monitors and records all aspects of electrical distribution systems by working with electricians using portable metering devices, as well as the agency’s power monitoring system.

Maintains Knowledge of Technical Developments in Electrical/Electronic Engineering (5%)

Maintains current knowledge of the electrical/electronic engineering field of specialty and applies specialized technical knowledge to recommend far-reaching improvements to all aspects of electrical engineering systems. 

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen.
  • Your resume and question responses must demonstrate the job-related KSAs.
  • You must meet the definition of specialized experience.
  • You must be able to pass a drug test.

Management may select at any grade level for this position.

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 classification 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.
 
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 is defined as having experience:

(1) Providing expert advice regarding electrical and electronic aspects of design, operation, and mechanical systems and equipment; (2) Providing project management control (ex., scheduling, resources, trades) within the electrical discipline; (3) Serving as a Contracting Officer Technical Representative (COTR) or equivalent on assigned construction and consultant contracts; and (4) Serving as a professional electrical engineer to facilitate power quality studies, capacity studies, remediation, UPS and emergency power strategy, short circuit and load coordination studies and control system strategies.


Candidates for the GS-12 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower GS-11 grade level in the Federal service. 

(1) Providing advice regarding electrical and electronic aspects of design, operation, and mechanical systems and equipment; (2) Providing project management control (ex., scheduling, resources, trades) within the electrical discipline; (3) Serving as a Contracting Officer Technical Representative (COTR) or equivalent on assigned construction and consultant contracts; and (4) Serving as a professional electrical engineer to facilitate power quality studies, capacity studies, remediation, UPS and emergency power strategy, short circuit and load coordination studies and control system strategies.

Candidates for the GS-11 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower GS-09 grade level in the Federal service. 

(1) Providing advice regarding electrical and electronic aspects of design, operation, and mechanical systems and equipment; (2) Providing project management control (ex., scheduling, resources, trades) within the electrical discipline; (3) Serving as a Contracting Officer Technical Representative (COTR) or equivalent on assigned construction and consultant contracts; and (4) Serving as a professional electrical engineer to facilitate power quality studies, capacity studies, remediation, UPS and emergency power strategy, short circuit and load coordination studies and control system strategies.

Education

 All Candidates must meet the following educational requirements:

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

  1. 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)1, or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.
  2. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 examination or any other written test required for professional

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.

Additional information

Welcome Veterans. The Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) gives veterans' preference rights in the legislative branch to certain veterans as applied by the Congressional Accountability Act. Veterans' preference is applied on this vacancy announcement. If you are a veteran and have been separated under honorable conditions, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility; SF-15, if applicable; and Department of Veterans Affairs documentation of disability, if applicable. For more information, please visit OPM vet guide

If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System.  If you are exempt from registration under Selective Service Law, you must provide appropriate proof of exemption. Please visit the Selective Service System website for more information.

DRUG TESTING: The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is a Drug Free Workplace. As part of the AOC’s suitability assessment, a candidate tentatively selected for a position who is not currently an AOC employee is required to submit to screening for illegal drug use. Satisfactory completion of a drug test is a condition of employment with the Agency. A candidate must test negative prior to being eligible for appointment into a position. We will schedule, provide and cover the cost for the drug test.
 
The selectee(s) under the vacancy announcement for this position is subject to a criminal record check by the U.S. Capitol Police and satisfactory adjudication to be eligible for employment at the Architect of the Capitol.
 
The Architect of the Capitol is an E-VERIFY Participant. E-VERIFY is an Internet-based system that compares information from an employee's Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration records to confirm employment authorization in the United States. If you are selected for this position, the documentation that you present for purposes of completing the DHS Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-VERIFY" electronic system. For more information on E-Verify, please visit http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/gc_1185221678150.shtm

The Architect of the Capitol is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information and/or disability.

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
 
Moving expenses are not authorized.
 
Relocation expenses are not authorized.
 
Probationary Period - A newly appointed selectee is subject to the completion of a one-year trial/probationary period, regardless of whether or not a trial/probationary period has been completed previously with the Architect of the Capitol or another Federal agency.

This vacancy announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies in any of the jurisdictions of the Architect of the Capitol.

All application materials become the property of the Architect of the Capitol.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Review your resume and responses carefully. Your eligibility for consideration and qualifications for the position will be determined based upon a review of your detailed resume and your responses to job specific self-assessment questions.

Your resume will be evaluated based on evidence of your ability to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) for this position, possession of any specialized experience, and how well your background and experience relates to the self-assessment questions in the job announcement.  The self-assessment questions relate to the following knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies:

KSA (1) Design and Development

KSA (2) Project Management and Construction Activities

KSA (3) Contractor Oversight

KSA (4) Technical Advice and Guidance

Your responses to the self-assessment questions serve as the basis for your initial rating. You will receive a numerical score based on your responses to these questions.  Next, your responses will be evaluated by a Human Resources Specialist and/or a subject matter expert against the information provided in your resume and optional cover letter. Your resume must support your answers to the self-assessment questions.  Falsifying your background, education and/or experience is cause for non-selection or disqualification from further consideration. 

Please note that a complete application is required for consideration. (Please review the “Required Documents” section of this job announcement to see what must be included in a complete application).


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

The Architect of the Capitol's (AOC) job application process is designed to ensure you only provide information necessary to evaluate your qualifications and eligibility for the position vacancy.

To apply for this position, you only need to submit: a) your resume and b) answers to the online vacancy assessment questionnaire. The online questionnaire contains eligibility and screening questions and other relevant information. No additional documentation or attachments are required at the time of application.

Your resume should list your education, training and work experience including job titles, employment dates, duties and accomplishments.

Nothing further is required until it is requested by AOC’s Human Capital Management Division. If additional documentation is required for the position, you will be asked to provide it during the interview or selection process. At that time, you may be asked to submit documentation to support statements made in your resume.

For example, you may be asked to provide a copy of your diploma, college transcripts, or proof of Federal employment status. If the position requires licensure or certification, you will be asked to provide proof at the time of selection.

If Veterans’ preference is claimed, you will be asked to submit proof (DD-214, and, if claiming a 10-point preference, a SF-15 and the proof required by that form).

Failure to provide the required documents will end further consideration and/or result in the withdrawal of any tentative job offers.

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 apply online. FORMS RECEIVED BY FAX, EMAIL OR U.S. POSTAL SERVICE DELIVERY WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

If you are a new user to the USAJOBS Site and have never registered for an account; you will first need to create an account profile with your basic contact information and a resume to begin applying.  You must be a registered USAJOBS user AND you must be signed-in to your account in order to apply for this position.  For help with setting up an account or for general assistance in using USAJOBS, go to USAJOBS Help Page.
 
NEED HELP?
If you experience any difficulties with the application site, help is available!  If you have problems completing your on-line application, contact the Monster Hiring Management Help Desk at 1-866-656-6831 or by e-mail at MGSHELP@monster.com. The help desk is available Monday - Friday 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time.  You may call and leave a voice mail message at all other times. 

All required supporting documents will be collected electronically via the USAJOBS “Saved Documents” feature.

If you are unable to apply on-line, you may visit our Employment Center for technical assistance in entering your application. The Employment Center is located at 441 Second & D Streets S.W., Washington, D.C., Room H2-178, and is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. You may call 202.226.7000 for directions.

Agency contact information

Nyika Humphries
Address
Architect of the Capitol
United States Capitol
Washington, District of Columbia 20515
United States

Next steps

You will receive a notice generated by the USAJOBS System when you have successfully submitted your application. We will review your application and transcript(s) (if you are qualifying based on education) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements.

You can check the status of your application by logging into http://www.usajobs.gov. You may also sign up to receive automatic emails anytime the status of your application has changed by logging into your USAJOBS Account, editing your profile and changing the ‘Notification Settings’ to indicate that you want to be notified by email when the status changes. Information regarding the status of your application should be updated in the system within two (2) weeks after the closing date of this job announcement.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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