General Engineer Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. IO-24-DH-12543940 Department Government Accountability Office
Salary $114,225.00 to $181,786.00 Grade 3 to 3
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 9/26/2024 Close Date 10/9/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Job Description (Please follow all instructions carefully)

Summary

The position is located in the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Infrastructure Operations (IO), Facility Management and Services (FMS). Facility Management and Services plays an integral role in the daily operation and maintenance of the GAO building, including mail operations. FMS provides centralized administrative support such as copying services and supplies, oversees lease agreements and building services at GAO field locations, and manages the Health and Safety program for GAO.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

United States Citizens

Duties

As a General Engineer, PT-0801-3 your typical work assignments may include the following:

  • Provides authoritative advisory service, guidance, direction and coordination on matters associated with engineering project scope, requirements, and funding.
  • Provides technical guidance for the design, operation or maintenance of GAO power generation or electric distribution components (e.g., switchboards, circuit breakers, protection deuces, electrical safety, power generation equipment). Develops methods, procedures, and specifications to be used for highly complex electrical systems. Reviews plans and designs prepared by professional engineers in architectural and engineering firm to determine their conformance with agency criteria and contract scope.
  • Serves as a subject matter expert and liaison providing specialized electrical engineering guidance on complex engineering and construction matters. Identifies and advises on both preventative and corrective actions.
  • Conducts quality checks on reports, request for proposals, calculations, drawings, and specifications for both architectural and engineering submissions as well as in-house internal reviews, to ensure accuracy. Develops comprehensive reports for field studies and building surveys as well as write position papers and deliver briefings on highly technical subjects for executive decision makers to make determinations.
  • Utilizes professional electrical engineering knowledge to improve the performance, efficiency, and reliability of GAO's electrical and utility systems and equipment and to improve the maintenance, repair, upgrade, and operational processes for these systems and equipment.
  • Monitors the status of construction projects for quality and timeliness of construction on contracts that involve technically complex electrical system aspects. Reviews electrical portions of construction and equipment installation to assess effectiveness of contractor field construction management.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

Must be a U.S. Citizen
Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
Suitability for Federal employment, as determined by a background investigation
Completion of a probationary period is required.
Completion of a financial disclosure statement is required.

This is a bargaining unit position.

You must meet the education and specialized experience by the closing date of this announcement to be considered.

Qualifications

You must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the NEXT LOWER BAND, PE-2A, CS-2, or GS-13 grade level in the Federal service.

Specialized experience is defined as experience:
  • Reviewing and preparing electrical systems design drawings, calculations, and specifications to accompany design models generated on electrical engineering design software (e.g., AutoCAD).
  • Recommending methods for the improvement of performance, efficiency, and reliability of electrical, utility systems and equipment.
  • Investigating or evaluating critical electrical issues in existing facilities involving reliability, performance, measurable efficiency, or the potential for modernization.
  • Developing innovative ideas, recommendations, and options for managing and resolving critical issues with power generation or electric distribution components such as switchgears, network protectors, and transformers.
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.

Education

Basic Requirements:
A. 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
B. 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.

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. Most foreign education is not accredited by an accrediting body that is recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov)

Additional information

Form I-9, Employment Verification and the Electronic Eligibility Verification Program - GAO participates in the Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). E-Verify helps employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers. If selected, the Form I-9 will be required at the time of in-processing. Click here for more information about E-Verify and to obtain a copy of the Form I-9.

Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/RegVer/wfRegistration.aspx).

Based on the staffing needs, additional selections may be made through this vacancy announcement.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION: GAO provides reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. To request accommodation, please email ReasonableAccommodations@gao.gov.The U.S. Government Accountability Office's policy is to provide equal employment opportunity for all regardless of race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office's policy is to provide equal employment opportunity for all regardless of race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

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.

A review of your résumé and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed in this announcement. You will be further evaluated based on your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying. Your responses must provide sufficient information to determine possession of experience and must be evidenced in your resume. Incomplete responses (e.g. see resume, or like), errors or omissions will affect your eligibility.

There is a severe shortage of candidates for this position. To expedite the hiring process, we have eliminated competitive rating and ranking, veterans' preference, and "rule of three" or category rating procedures.

To preview the assessment questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12543940

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:

  1. Your résumé showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed.
  2. Other supporting documents:
    • Cover Letter, optional
    • College Transcript(s)

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

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.

  • To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
  • Follow the prompts to select your résumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
  • After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
  • You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
  • To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
  • If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which is available from the Human Resources Office. Please contact LaDonna Daniels at danielslm@gao.gov to obtain an alternative application.

Agency contact information

LaDonna Daniels
Address
Government Accountability Office
Human Capital Office
441 G Street NW
Washington, DC 20548
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

After the closing date of this announcement, GAO's Human Capital Office will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications by reviewing your assessment questionnaire and resume to complete an analysis. Please be as complete and thorough as possible. If your application is rated "best-qualified," your name will be referred to the selecting official for consideration. At this point you may be contacted for an interview.

If you do not meet the key requirements, and/or basic qualifications or you fail to submit all required application materials, your application will not be considered.


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