Requirements
Conditions of employment
Key Requirements:
- Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
- Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
- Selectee may be subject to serving a one-year probationary period.
- More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.
- Selectee must provide a valid state driver's license & safe driving record.
- Selectee subject to successful completion of a pre-employment medical exam.
Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position?
- You will be required to operate a government-owned or -leased vehicle in the performance of your official duties. Applicants for this position must meet the following requirements: (1) possess a valid State license, and (2) possess a safe driving record. If selected, you will be required to provide proof of a valid State license & a copy of your driving record.
- Taking and passing a pre-employment medical examination at Federal expense is required due to the physical demands of this job.
- Condition of Employment: NRC Senior Reactor Operation License within 1-year of hire.
- This position is subject to both pre-employment and random drug testing as a condition of employment. Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test is received.
- Because this position requires travel for official business, the selectee will be required to apply for a charge card within 30 calendar days of appointment. Individuals who have delinquent account balances from a previous Government charge card will be required to satisfy their existing obligation before a new card can be issued.
- A background investigation will be required for this position. Continued employment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
- Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system.
Qualifications
Definitions:
EXPERIENCE: One year of work experience is twelve months working full-time (at least 35-40 hours per week). Part-time experience can be pro-rated (i.e., a year at 20 hours per week is credited as 6 months of experience). If your position consisted of mixed duties, experience credit is given for the percentage of time that you spent on qualifying duties (i.e., if you held a position for 2 years, full-time, consisting of 25% personnel work and 75% budget work, and then applied for a budget position you could calculate your experience as follows: 2 yrs = 24 months. 24 months x 75% [percentage of time spent on budget duties] = 18 months of qualifying experience.)
UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: A year of undergraduate education is 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours or the equivalent of college study. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent was a prerequisite.
GRADUATE EDUCATION: In the absence of specific graduate program information, a year of graduate education is 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours of graduate level college course work, or the number of credit hours the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full time study. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university.
BASIC REQUIREMENTS:
A. Degree in 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), 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) examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
3. 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.
4. 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.)
For GS-11:
In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must meet A., B., or C., below to qualify for the GS-11 level:
A. At least 1-year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level as described in the qualifications section of the vacancy announcement.
Examples of experience may include supervising or direct operation and/or maintenance of research, commercial, or military nuclear reactors plants; assisting in the development of criticality safety technical reviews; assisting in technical oversight for engineering activities associated with TRIGA reactor nuclear systems/facilities; or identifying, planning, and coordinating efforts to ensure effective criticality safety is achieved and maintained.
**OR
B. 3 years of progressively higher-level directly related graduate education leading to a Ph.D.
**OR
C. A combination of graduate level education as described in above, beyond the first two years of progressive graduate study, and appropriate professional experience that together meet the qualification requirements for this position.
For GS-12:
In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must have one year of appropriate professional experience that is equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal service.
Examples of experience may include licensure as a Senior Reactor Operator at a similar reactor facility; qualification at a military reactor as Senior-in-Rate or higher, Nuclear Power Training Unit or Nuclear Power School Instructor; performance at a military reactor as Leading Petty Officer or higher; or
evaluating engineering instructions to resolve deficiencies and increase efficiencies for the overhaul and repair of nuclear reactor plant systems and components; performing independent evaluation and analyses on contractor or licensee safety reports.
You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the announcement.
Education
- 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 completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit:https://www.usgs.gov/human-capital/how-foreign-education-evaluated-federal-jobs
Additional information
Other Information:
- This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies in the advertised office or other U.S. Geological Survey offices in the local commuting area.
- Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.
- Identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for and performance of higher-level duties.
- Under Executive Order 11935, only United States citizens and nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swains Island) may compete for civil service jobs. Agencies are permitted to hire non-citizens only in very limited circumstances where there are no qualified citizens available for the position.
- USGS employees are subject to Title 43, USC Section 31(a) and may not: (a) have any personal, private, direct or indirect interest in lands or mineral wealth of lands under survey; (b) have any substantial personal, private, direct or indirect interests in any private mining or mineral enterprise doing business with the United States; or (c) execute surveys or examinations for private parties or corporations.
- The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.
- DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify.
- As part of the application process, a series of four short essay questions will be included. Applicants must certify that their own words were used to answer the questions.
- Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies within the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s), including within the same metro/commuting area. Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration.
Agency Benefits:
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
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.
--Basis of Rating: Category rating will be used in the ranking and selection process for this position. The quality categories are (Best Qualified and Well Qualified). Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents) and the result of the assessment(s) required for this position. Veterans' preference rules for category rating will be applied.
--Structured Resume Assessment: If you meet the eligibility and basic qualification requirements for this position, subject-matter-experts (SMEs) will perform a structured review of your resume to evaluate your knowledge, skills, abilities, and competences as they directly relate to the duties of this position. SMEs will review ONLY two (2) pages of your resume.
The assessments will evaluate you on the following general/technical competencies required to perform the job; please do not provide a separate written response:
- Reactor Knowledge
- Problem Solving
- Shipping of Hazardous Materials
- Customer Service
- External Communication
- Operations Experience
--NOTE: If it is determined that you have rated yourself higher than is supported in your description of experience and/or education as described in your resume/application, or that your resume or application is incomplete, you may be rated ineligible, not qualified, or your score may be lowered.
--Resume Length: Please limit your resume to no more than 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications
To preview the announcement questionnaire, click here:
https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12889240
Required Documents
Required documents may be: (1) uploaded directly from your desktop; or (2) uploaded directly from your USAJOBS stored attachments.
Resume
--Resumes are required and will be limited to no more than 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications. You are highly encouraged to use USAJOBS Resume Builder to ensure all required information is included in your Resume. If you use your own resume, curriculum vitae, or other written form, then you must describe your job-related qualifications, including: beginning and ending dates for paid and non-paid work experience; hours worked per week; month and year of employment for each job title listed; annual salary; and description of job duties. Include name and address of employer; supervisor name; and telephone number. Additional information on what to include can be found here.
Supporting documents
--Upload any supporting documents identified in the Key Requirements section or included below as it applies to your eligibility. Supporting documents may be: (1) uploaded directly from your desktop; or (2) uploaded directly from your USAJOBS stored attachments
Transcripts
--This position requires specific educational course work to qualify. You are required to provide all unofficial transcripts (undergraduate, graduate, etc.), which includes semester hours earned and grade received, by the closing date of this announcement or you will be disqualified from further consideration. Please ensure that all documentation is legible.
Veterans' Preference Eligibles
--If you are claiming veterans' preference you must provide a legible copy of your DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, member 4 copy or any official documentation or statement from the Armed Forces that confirms your dates of service and that your separation, discharge, or release from active duty was under honorable conditions (i.e., Honorable or General Discharge). Note: If you have more than one DD-214 for multiple periods of active duty, submit a copy for each period of service.
--If you are currently on active military duty, you must provide documentation (e.g., campaign document, award citation, etc.), that verifies entitlement to veterans' preference and that your character of military service is honorable.
--If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, in addition to the documents specified above, you must also submit documentation that supports your claim, e.g., an official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs (dated 1991 or later) or from a branch of the Armed Forces certifying the existence of a service-connected disability, or the award of the Purple Heart, etc. The overall rating must be identified on your certification letter or separation orders. Documentation must be received by the closing date shown in this vacancy announcement. If you fail to submit any of the required documentation, you will not be granted veterans' preference.
Additional information on veterans' preference can be found in the VetGuide.
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) & Inter-agency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) Eligibles
--If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, the Servicing Human Resources Office must receive proof by the closing date of this announcement that you meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330 Subpart F for CTAP and 5 CFR 330 Subpart G for ICTAP or you will not receive priority consideration. This includes:
- copy of the agency notice;
- your most recent Performance Rating; and
- your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location.
If you are a CTAP or ICTAP eligible, you will be considered well qualified if you earn a minimum score of 85 (prior to the assignment of veteran's preference points). For more information on CTAP/ICTAP please click here.
If you are applying for this position based on eligibility under a special appointing authority, you must submit proof that supports your claim by the closing date of the announcement. If you fail to submit proof, you will not receive consideration under the special appointing authority. Below is a list of the most common authorities and the documentation requirements. If you're eligible for an authority not listed, you are responsible for submitting documentation that's appropriate for that specific authority. Additional information for all the authorities below can be found on
USAJobs Hiring Paths page.
Continued below in "How To Apply"
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.