Clarification from the agency

This job is open to Internal Employees (current FEMA employees on a career/career conditional appointment in a competitive service position); current FEMA employees who are DRRA Eligible; and FEMA Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP Eligibles) only.

All MWEOC staff have emergency assignments and are considered deployed in place. Exercises and activations are planned and unplanned, and may require long hours, nights, weekends and holidays.

All MWEOC employees are: (1) required to use a government-issued electronic device (to include cellular phones); (2) subject to recall during emergency situations; and (3) required to perform work in locations both above and below ground.

What will I do in this position if hired?

In this position, you will serve as a Plumber Leader responsible for leading others in making repairs on piping, supply, and disposal systems, as well as troubleshooting, installing, repairing and maintaining more complex plumbing equipment, fixtures, pipefitting, pumps and valves. Typical assignments include:

• Installing, maintaining, and repairing of all piping systems.
• Installing, maintaining, troubleshooting, and repairing of plumbing fixtures, faucets, tubs, showers, toilets, and other similar items.
• Installing, maintaining, troubleshooting, and repairing of a wide variety of pumps, valves, heat exchangers, expansion tanks, and other related equipment.

What else do I need to know?

At FEMA, our mission is to help people before, during and after disasters, and every employee at FEMA has a role in emergency management. Every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities, though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites. All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee's official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions.

Conditions of employment

To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo, successfully pass, and maintain a background investigation for Top Secret SCI clearance as a condition of placement into this position. This may include a credit check after initial job qualifications are determined, a review of financial issues, such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs (please visit: Mythbuster on Federal Hiring Policies for additional information). For more information on background investigations for Federal jobs please visit OPM Investigations.

Please ensure you meet the qualification requirements described below.

1. You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
2. You must successfully pass a background investigation.
3. Selective Service registration required.
4. Current federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements.
5. You must be able to obtain and maintain a Government credit card.
6. You must be able to deploy with little or no advance notice to anywhere in the United States and its territories for an extended period of time.
7. Please review the Additional Information section for additional key requirements.

Qualifications

The qualification requirements listed below must be met within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualification Standard. Although a specific length of time and experience is not required for most trade and labor occupations, you must meet any screen-out element listed, and show through experience and training that you possess the quality level of knowledge and skill necessary to perform the duties of the position at the level for which you are applying. Qualification requirements emphasis is on the quality of experience, not necessarily the length of time.

Working Conditions: The work is done inside and outside, and is usually dirty, dusty, and greasy. The plumbers are sometimes required to make repairs and installations outside in bad weather or in areas where bad smelling fumes are present. There is frequent exposure to the possibility of uncomfortable heat conditions. The pipefitters are frequently exposed to the possibility of strains, cuts, scrapes, bruises, burns, and infections. They are occasionally exposed to the possibility of broken bones.

Physical Effort: The pipefitters make repairs and installations from ladders, scaffolding, and platforms, and where the systems and equipment worked on are in hard-to-reach places. This requires the pipefitters to stand, stoop, bend, kneel, climb and work in tiring and uncomfortable positions. The pipefitters frequently handle, lift, carry, and set up parts and equipment that weigh up to 23 kilograms (50 pounds). Occasionally, the pipefitters may lift and carry items that weigh over 23 kilograms (50 pounds). Pre-employment physical is required.

Please read the following important information to ensure we have everything we need to consider your application:

• Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

• Limit your resume to no more than two pages. The USAJOBS database will not allow an applicant to submit an application that includes a resume over two pages.

• Your resume serves as the basis for experience related qualification determinations, and you must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable), as it relates to this job opportunity. Please use your own words, be clear, and specific when describing your work history. We cannot make assumptions regarding your experience.

Are you qualifying based on your work experience?

• Qualifications are based on your ability to demonstrate in your resume that you possess one year of the specialized experience for this announcement at a comparable scope and responsibility. To ensure all of the essential information is in your resume, we encourage you to use the USAJOBS online Resume Builder. If you choose to use your own resume, it must contain the following information organized by experience/position: (1) job title, (2) name of employer, (3) start and end dates of each period of employment (from MM/DD/YY to MM/DD/YY), (4) detailed description of duties performed, accomplishments, and related skills, and (5) hours worked per week (part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience). Federal experience/positions must also include the occupational series, grade level, and dates in which you held each grade level.

• Are you a current or former FEMA Reservist/Disaster Assistance Employee (DAE)? To accurately credit your experience from intermittent positions and Reservist Deployments, you must list the dates (from MM/DD/YY to MM/DD/YY) of deployments that are relevant to your qualifying experience, along with the job title and specific duties you were responsible for during each deployment.

• Determining length of General or Specialized Experience is dependent on the above information. Failure to provide the above information in your resume may result in your application being found "not qualified."

• 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 provides valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

How you will be evaluated

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

We will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the minimum qualification requirements. If you meet the minimum qualifications, we will use your responses to the job questionnaire to place you in one of three categories based on your experience, education, and training. The competencies or knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform this job are:

SCREEN OUT FACTOR:

1. Ability to Lead or Supervise

JOB ELEMENTS

1. Knowledge of Equipment Assembly, Installation, Repair, etc.
2. Technical Practices (theoretical, precise, artistic)
3. Ability to Interpret Instructions, Specifications, etc. (includes blueprint reading)
4. Measurement and Layout
5. Ability to Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment
6. Trouble shooting

If you are best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview.

We recommend that you preview the online questions for this announcement before you start the application process. https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12974535

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not CTAP eligible. View information about CTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet eligibility criteria for CTAP; 2) be rated well-qualified for the position; and, 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP eligibility (see "Required Documents" section of this announcement).Well-Qualified is defined as those applicants whose experience clearly exceed the minimum qualification requirements for the position and demonstrates acceptable proficiency in all critical competencies, Selective Placement Factors and Quality Ranking Factors as determined by the job analysis.

Interview Requirement. Interviews may be required for this position. Failure to complete the interview may result in removed from further consideration.

Do not include photos, personally identifying information (PII) (including birthday and social security numbers), or personal information such as age, sex, medical history, etc. Resumes that include any of this information will be disqualified.

You must provide the following supporting documentation for your application package, including:

• Resume. Limit your resume to no more than two pages. The USAJOBS database will not allow an applicant to submit an application that includes a resume over two pages.
• Responses to the job questionnaire. You will be directed to the online job questionnaire during the application.
• Are you a current or former federal employee? Upload documentation that supports your eligibility. Award SF-50's do not include all the required information and will not be accepted.
  • Are you eligible for appointment based on current or previous competitive status eligibility? We need to verify your competitive status eligibility and qualifications at the next lower level. You may need to upload multiple SF-50's, one that shows your competitive eligibility and another for time in grade:
    • Competitive Eligibility: Submit an SF-50 that demonstrates your current or previous appointment to a permanent or conditional competitive service position, including your current or highest grade level, career or career conditional tenure and status in the competitive service, or proof of permanent appointment if applying based on an interchange agreement. We recommend submitting your last promotion SF-50, current SF-50, or within-grade increase SF-50.
  • Are you a current or former FEMA Stafford Act employee who is eligible for appointment based on the Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA)? You may be eligible if you have served as a FEMA Stafford Act employee for three or more years since August 1, 2014, without a break in service. Upload the following documents (you may be found ineligible if both documents are not uploaded):
    • DRRA Eligibility: Submit a copy of your "Notice of DRRA Eligibility" provided by OCHCO. If you believe that you may be eligible, but have not received your notice, please reach out to the HR Specialist listed in the announcement.
    • Reservist Stafford Act Employees will be required to submit a copy of their most recent SF-50 as well as a copy of the "DRRA Notice of Eligibility" issued by FEMA. Applicants who believe they are eligible, but have not received a "Notice of Eligibility," should contact the FEMA representative listed in the "Agency contact information" section of this announcement.
    • Experience at the next lower level: Submit a copy of your most recent (or highest grade) SF-50. We recommend submitting a promotion with an effective date more than one year (1) year old or Within-Grade-Increase at the highest grade held.

• Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP)? Upload the following:
  • Agency Notice
  • Most recent performance rating, and
  • Most recent SF-50, with your current position, grade level and duty location.

Other Supporting Documentation (submit if applicable to you)

• Are you a veteran? Submit Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 or other (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) and/or documentation of service-connected disability. If applying based on eligibility under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must submit certification from the Armed Forces that you will be discharged or released from active duty within 120 days from the date on the certification. Certifications must be on letterhead of the appropriate military branch and contain (1) the military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; and (2) the character of service (e.g. honorable, dishonorable, general etc.). View more veterans' information.
• Are you a current/former political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee? Submit copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:
  • Position title
  • Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee)
  • Agency
  • Beginning and ending dates of appointment

Next steps