To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/09/2025.
Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-08. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade.
Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.
You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:
Individual Occupational Requirements
Series Definition:
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.
Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 or equivalent and above):Some examples of qualifying specialized experience include:
- 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.
- 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.
AND;
In addition to the individual occupational requirement above, you must meet the specialized experience and/or education as described below:
- Specialized Experience GS-09: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-08 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. To be minimally qualified for this position at the GS-09 level, you must meet 3 of the 5 experiences listed below
- Practical knowledge of specialized methods, techniques, and principles of electronics, mechanics, pneumatics, electromechanical devices, hydraulics, thermodynamics, optics, physics, and computer science.
- Communication skills as applicable to working with a wide variety of people in diverse situations.
- Completes preventive maintenance, installation, evaluation, troubleshooting, repair, calibration, testing and modification of subsystems as well as integrated systems.
- Troubleshoots equipment problems and takes corrective actions to restore devices to fully operational levels.
- Provides comprehensive technical support for automated equipment systems such as automatic packaging systems, tote conveyor systems, and drug-dispensing machines.
OR
- Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have two full years of graduate education or a master's degree meets the requirements for GS-9. Education must be directly related to the work of the position. OR,
- Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the graduate level.
Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website:
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=Group-Standards
Individual Occupational Requirement:
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/electronics-technical-series-0856/
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
- Computers and Electronics
- Electronics Engineering
- Problem Solving
- Technical Competence
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; religions; 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.
Note:
A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.
Physical Requirements: Work involves various situations requiring bench and/or field work that requires sitting, walking, standing, bending, lifting, pushing, etc. Handles devices weighing up to 40 pounds and is sometimes called upon to handle objects weighing in excess of 40 pounds with the assistance of equipment or other personnel. Work requires frequent inspections of equipment and systems, which may involve considerable walking, bending, stooping, crawling, climbing, reaching, and other physical movements. Often works in areas that require special safety precautions to avoid injury to self or others (e.g., lock-out, tag-out (LOTO), Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), etc.).
For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.