Summary
This position is located in the Architect of the Capitol, Office of the Chief Engineer, Energy and Design Services Division, Fire Protection and Mechanical Engineering Branch. The selectee will be responsible for carrying out projects involving the design, installation, replacement, modernization, inspection and testing of central heating, cooling, and plumbing systems.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
See Requirements section of this announcement for information on who may apply.
Duties
** Duties quoted at the GS-12 grade level. This is a career ladder position requiring the incumbent to perform progressively more complex duties and responsibilities leading to the full performance level.
The individual selected for this position will perform the following:
Design and Development
- Directs leading-edge design for a variety of mechanical systems focused on heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, plumbing, energy and water conservation, Building Automation System (BAS) and indoor air quality (IAQ).
- Ensures adherence to design schedules, material deliveries and construction schedules and reviews job progress and conformance to specifications.
- Coordinate and serves as a design expert for project managers and others to analyze design requirements where there are conflicting and inadequate guidelines and ensures that all technical areas are covered
- Assists with the development design concepts, calculations, field reviews, preparation of final drawings and performs construction oversight and coordination as required on each assigned project.
- Conducts research to develop improved designs of mechanical equipment and systems.
- Coordinates with building superintendents and their staff to schedule construction projects.
- Participates in commissioning reviews for building systems and equipment, from those associated with small in-house designs, to large projects which have assigned commissioning agents.
- Prepares Statements of Work (SOW) for a wide range of engineering projects, either in the form of an invitation for bid or a purchase requisition. Determines the requirements for equipment to be procured through the bidding process, obtains pricing and submittal data and determines the successful bidder based on the technical adequacy of the submission.
- Determines proper HVAC performance of a completed project, as required during the investigative portion of a project or, as assigned.
- Prepares, revises and maintains Computer Aided Design (CAD) graphic data for use in mechanical equipment and systems design.
- Coordinates with other building system disciplines, such as electrical, fire protection, and structural.
Technical Advice and Guidance
- Collaborates with management and planning personnel, and other building systems disciplines in preparing requirements and criteria for complex or high value projects concerning a variety of HVAC and plumbing engineering, automatic controls and energy conservation issues in sizes and complexity from small up to major.
- Serves as a mentor and provides guidance to entry-level engineers.
- Performs complex calculations and designs and specifications or directs and advises other engineers and technicians in the design and specification of individual systems, components and details in HVAC and plumbing engineering.
- Serves as a staff expert for energy and water conservation, HVAC, direct digital controls and plumbing projects of major size and complexity.
- Participates in planning conferences with project engineers to provide necessary information pertaining to HVAC and plumbing.
- Reviews or directs the review of the mechanical features of scopes of work, plans, specifications and analyses of design, as submitted by contracted and/or in-house engineers for technical competency and approves such plans, specifications and analyses where the authority is The Fire Protection and Mechanical Engineering Branch.
- Responds to request for information from contractors.
Contractor Oversight for Projects
- Serves as a Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR), guiding and evaluating contractor efforts and assessing technical performance in relation to the established schedules and resources allotted.
- Reviews plans, specifications and cost estimates for adequacy.
- Reports progress and/or problems. Directs necessary changes, resolves controversial problems, ensures conformance to plans and specifications.
- Evaluates the compliance of contractor proposals with contract plans and specifications.
- Monitors contract specifications for progress and technical requirements.
- Assists in generating project bulletins and evaluating change orders.
Project Management
- Serves as the technical authority (Project Manager and/or Task Leader) for HVAC, plumbing, Direct Digital Control (DDC) controls and conservation projects of major size and complexity.
- Reviews or directs the review of the mechanical features of plans, specifications and analyses of design.
Report and Documentation
- Gathers information and formulates mechanical engineering reports relating to significant issues and presents or explains the agency decisions in terms of policies and priorities.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be able to pass a drug test.
- Your resume and question responses must demonstrate the job-related KSAs.
- You must meet the definition of specialized experience.
- You must meet education requirements for Engineers.
To be employed by the Architect of the Capitol in a paid position, an individual must meet one of the categories below:
- A citizen of the United States;
- A person who is lawfully admitted for permanent residence and is seeking citizenship as outlined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)(B);
- A person who is admitted as a refugee under 8 U.S.C. 1157 or is granted asylum under 8 U.S.C. 1158 and has filed a declaration of intention to become a lawful permanent resident and then a citizen when eligible;
- A person who owes allegiance to the United States (nationals of American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Northern Mariana Islands, and nationals who meet other requirements described in 8 U.S.C. 1408); or
- A person who is currently an officer or employee of the Government of the United States.
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 qualification 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.
For the GS-11:
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.
Specialized experience for the GS-11 position must demonstrate the following:
- Supporting project managers and assisting in the design of mechanical engineering projects focused on heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, plumbing, energy and water conservation, Building Automation System (BAS), and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) for buildings and facilities.
- Preparing design documents and providing technical advice on the design, installation, testing, acquisition and evaluation efforts for mechanical systems and equipment for buildings and facilities.
- Serving as a Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR) or equivalent for mechanical engineering projects.
--OR--
3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree: Major study in architecture, engineering, building construction, or other fields related to the position.
--OR--
Combination of specialized experience and education.
For the GS-12:
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.
Specialized experience for the GS-12 position includes the following:
- Designing and/or leading mechanical engineering projects focused on heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, plumbing, energy and water conservation, Building Automation System (BAS), and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) for buildings and facilities.
- Planning design work, developing requirements and providing technical advice on the design, installation, testing, acquisition and evaluation efforts for mechanical systems and equipment for buildings and facilities.
- Serving as a Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR) or equivalent and/or performing contract/construction administration to ensure adequate oversight of contractor performance for mechanical engineering projects.
Education
In addition to meeting the specialized experience requirements, applicants must have the following:
Basic Requirements for all grade levels:
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:
- A thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and
- 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: (a) current registration as a professional engineer by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico; (b) evidence of having successfully passed the Engineer-in-Training (EIT) examination or the written test required for professional registration; (c) successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences that are fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of a professional engineering curriculum; or (d) successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in engineering technology or in an appropriate professional field.
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.
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.
Selected applicant(s) may be eligible to earn a higher annual leave accrual rate credit towards annual leave accrual based on prior non-Federal or uniformed service work experience. The amount of service credit will be based on specialized experience or qualifying experience that is provided on the applicant profile submitted. As such, if you are a new employee to the Federal Government or a rehire, it is important that you provide a work history that lists all directly related positions held, and it must include the dates of employment (month/day/year).
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:
- Engineering (mechanical, plumbing, energy, etc.) project management
- Mechanical systems/equipment design
- Contract Management
- Oral Communication
- Written Communication
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.
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.
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