General Engineer - DIRECT HIRE

Clarification from the agency

Open to current and former Federal employees with competitive status, VEOA Applicants, AND All U.S. Citizens.

As a General Engineer, you will:

• Initiate, plan, and manage complex technical engineering programs designed to determine the validity of  manufacturers’ certification to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, assuring target test dates are met, test reports are timely, accurate, and in the proper format, and that all elements of the test program are of sufficient quality to be used for compliance investigations.
• Conduct extensive investigations to determine whether a noncompliance exists. This will involve analyzing technical motor vehicle equipment test data, reviewing certifications, making recommendations, creating detailed documentation, and providing through written account of the investigation.
• Provide technical and administrative support to facilitate the contracting and execution of complex engineering programs at contract test laboratories, including writing test reports.
• Create complex test procedures to fully evaluate and assess whether motor vehicle equipment is sufficiently robust to comply with all applicable requirements.
• Make presentations to upper management, presenting all the assembled data and making recommendations about how to proceed.
• Act as Enforcement's representative on teams that conduct research and/or rulemaking to amend existing standards and promulgate new FMVSS and Regulations.

The ideal candidate for this position is highly self-motivated, possesses sound engineering judgement, has demonstrated knowledge and expertise in engineering, and has significant expertise working in a testing environment, preferably in the automotive field. The candidate should be capable of working cooperatively with other divisions within NHTSA and with organizations within the motor vehicle industry to accomplish the agency's goal of improved safety. The candidate should be detail oriented, well organized, and have strong verbal and writing skills. As part of their daily responsibilities, the candidate should be willing to complete intensive paperwork, occasionally handle stressful situations involving highly visible matters with significant public interest, and manage conflict situations tactfully. Furthermore, the candidate should have the ability to manage their own workload of multiple projects, conduct safety investigations, set priorities, meet deadlines, communicate complex technical concepts verbally and in writing.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S.Citizen and eligible for consideration.
• You must meet specialized experience to qualify.
• Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
• Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.
• Direct Hire Authority/SME will be used to fill this position.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance the organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

• SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
• GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel.  A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
• WRITING SAMPLE: Applicants may need to provide a writing sample they have authored. Applicants may be asked to respond to one or more questions in writing during the interview.
  
• BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: You will be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding. DEU REQUIREMENTS: Applicants selected under delegated examining procedures may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).
• PROBATIONARY PERIOD: You must complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).

Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the mandatory education and specialized experience requirements for the grade at which you are requesting consideration.

To qualify for the Grade 12, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-11 it must include:

• Experience planning, initiating, and working on mechanical, electrical, and/or engineering programs.
• Experience conducting reviews, examinations and testing of motor vehicles and equipment or other mechanical systems, and evaluating and reporting of test results, including writing and editing engineering test reports and test procedures.
• Experience conducting investigations, performing root cause analysis, and using problem-solving techniques.

To qualify for the Grade 13, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-12, it must include:

• Experience planning, initiating, and working on mechanical, electrical, and/or engineering programs, including providing full lifecycle contractual support to enable execution of technical programs/projects.
• Experience conducting reviews, examinations, and testing of motor vehicles or motor vehicle equipment, and evaluating and reporting of test results, including writing and editing engineering test reports and test procedures.
• Experience using problem-solving techniques to conduct investigations of motor vehicles or motor vehicle equipment, including performing root cause analysis of a system, product, or process which failed to meet the established criteria.

To qualify for the Grade 14, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-13, it must include:

• Experience applying engineering principles, contracting oversight, and project management concepts to plan, implement, manage and report on testing of and investigations into Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) related to motor vehicle equipment, and a demonstrated ability to set priorities, establish and meet deadlines.
• Experience applying technical safety statutes, and authorities in a testing and/or enforcement role and developing test procedures to evaluate performance against standards, analyze and present technical information supporting standards enforcement while exhibiting professionalism and sound judgment.
• Experience communicating technical ideas orally and in writing, including the ability to write and edit technical documents in an effective, clear, and concise manner, and performing oral presentations to audiences of technical and non-technical backgrounds.

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:

• Testing Knowledge- Demonstrated knowledge and experience conducting reviews, examinations or testing of motor vehicles and equipment: or the testing of other complex electrical/mechanical systems and the evaluation and reporting of test results.
• Test Program Management- Ability to plan, implement, manage and report on engineering test programs.
• Communications- Ability to express technical ideas orally and in writing, including the ability to write and edit engineering test reports and test procedures.
• Prioritization and Time Management- Ability to set priorities, establish and meet deadlines.
• Vehicle Knowledge- Knowledge of motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment with a special emphasis on Federal standards.

For all types of consideration, 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.

For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link:  https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4

All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

How you will be evaluated

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

For this announcement, applications will be reviewed to determine if the applicant meets the basic qualifications for this position. The applications of individuals who meet the basic qualifications will be assessed to validate that the applicant possesses the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) at the level of proficiency needed to perform the job successfully. Applicants who are found to possess the necessary KSAs to perform the job may be referred to the selecting official for further consideration.

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

RESUME: In accordance with the OPM memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, resumes with a maximum of two (2) pages in length will be accepted as part of your application.  These should be legible and in a readable font size. A determination of your eligibility and/or qualifications will be based only on those two (2) pages. 

Your resume MUST contain specific information that can be used to make a qualification determination, including employment beginning and ending dates for each position, whether employment is Full-time or Part-time, or average number of hours worked per week,  and position titles.  If the position is/was in the Federal government, you will need to provide the position series and grade level.  The resume should show relevant experience and education, as well as support the required specialized experience.

PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS/INCENTIVE AWARDS: If applicable, performance appraisals and/or Incentive award documentation may be submitted and forwarded to the selecting official in consideration of your application. To receive credit, submit a recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable (do not submit a performance plan) and/or incentive award documentation dated within the last 18 months (i.e. performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increases, etc.).

DISPLACED EMPLOYEES: If requesting consideration under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency CTAP program (ICTAP), you must meet the standards for this vacancy and provide all of the following documents:  

• your most recent performance appraisal,
• the proof of eligibility letter from the Agency, and
• your most current SF-50, displaying current series and grade.

Qualified CTAP/ICTAP candidates receive priority and will be referred to the hiring manager.

For more information, please review the OPM Employee's Guide to Career Transition.

Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USA Jobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system.  You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.

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