Clarification from the agency

This is a "Direct Hire" solicitation. Veterans’ Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to positions filled under this. The Smithsonian will continue to make employment offers to qualified candidates with veterans preference whenever possible. This position is open to all U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals. Foreign nationals or legal permanent residents are not eligible for consideration. Excepted Service employees may also apply to this announcement.

The General Engineer provides support to the Contracting Officer Technical Representatives (COTRs) in the Asset Management Division. 

In this position, you will:

• Assist program manager in the oversight, coordination, and management of all aspects of the Central managed Maintenance Repair program.
• Develop scopes of work and cost estimates, reviews plans for projects.
• Coordinate flow of communications containing technical information to appropriate Smithsonian Institution personnel.
• Review blueprints, construction proposals, designs, studies, sequence of operations, and other engineering documents.

Conditions of employment

• Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation.
• May need to complete a Probationary Period.
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer.
• Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.

Conditions of Employment

More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions on OPM website.

Qualifications

You must meet these Basic Education Requirements: (You must submit a copy of your transcript)

1. 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:
2. 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.
3. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 examination or any other written test required for professional 1 For more information about EI and EIT registration requirements, please visit the National Society of Professional Engineers website at: http://www.nspe.org. 2 The FE examination is not administered by the U. S. Office of Personnel Management. For more information, please visit: http://www.nspe.org/Licensure/HowtoGetLicensed/index.html. 2 registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
4. Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.
5. Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor’s degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.)

In addition to the Basic Requirements above you must have the following:

Specialized Experience: 

GS-12: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal service or comparable pay band system related to the work of this position.  For this position specialized experience is defined as: supporting renovation projects which includes answering technical questions, advising on contract issues, and drafting scopes of work; participating as part of a  team which develops technical guidance for the repair, renovations and modernization of Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing systems (MEP); and diagnosing system deficiencies and recommending engineering solutions to renovation project leaders.

GS-13: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal service or comparable pay band system related to the work of this position.  For this position specialized experience is defined as: leading renovation projects which include facilitating the review of project requirements, answering technical questions, advising on contract issues, and developing scopes of work; overseeing a project team providing technical guidance for the repair, renovations and modernization of Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing systems (MEP); and diagnosing system deficiencies and recommending engineering solutions for museum stakeholders, contractors, and senior management.

Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to the duties this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.

For a full explanation of this option please see the Qualification Standards. Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are qualifying by education and/or you have education completed in a foreign college/university described above, it is your responsibility to provide transcripts and proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study. For instructions on where to fax these documents, see the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages and should clearly demonstrate how your experience aligns with the responsibilities and specialized experience required for this position. Do not copy language directly from the vacancy announcement, as you will be deemed ineligible for consideration. Instead, provide detailed, descriptive information about your actual experience.

How you will be evaluated

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

The applications that meet the basic education requirements will be evaluated further against the specialized experience requirement described above.

Applicants who have not submitted a resume in the USAjobs system will not be considered for this position.  

Your resume should provide sufficient information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.

Your application package should include the following documents:

• Resume - Your resume can be uploaded and attached to your application or created using the USA Jobs on-line resume builder. Ensure your resume contains the job title (including the occupational series and grade if it is Federal), job-related qualifications, starting and ending dates (month and year), hours worked per week, and salary for each employment period. It is your responsibility to ensure all information is submitted. Failure to include this information may result in disqualification for the position.

  For assistance with creating a resume, please click here.
• Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages and should clearly demonstrate how your experience aligns with the responsibilities and specialized experience required for this position.
• Proof of Veteran's Preference - DD214 (Member 4 Copy), if you are a veteran. Additionally, applicants claiming 10-point preference must complete Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, as well as additional documentation required by the SF-15, such as a VA letter.
• Unofficial school transcripts, if the position has an education requirement or if you are using education to qualify. If selected for the position, you must provide an official transcript before appointment.
• Proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study, if applicable.

Next steps