Qualifications
BASIC REQUIREMENTS
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 (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)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.
2. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 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).
QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE FG-5 level you must meet Basic Requirements as stated above.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE FG-7 level in addition to the above Basic Requirements you must have 1 year of graduate-level education or superior academic achievement or at least 1-year (52 weeks) of Specialized Experience* equivalent to the FG-5 grade level. Specialized Experience may include but not limited to: application of basic engineering theories, concepts, and principles, assisting higher-graded engineers in analyzing engineering technical system requirements; research technical reports to obtain information relating to projects; and applying basic formulas to routine calculations; prepare graphs, curves, and tables for review.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE FG-9 level in addition to the above Basic Requirements you must have 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree; or at least 1-year (52 weeks) of Specialized Experience* equivalent to the FG-7 grade level. Specialized Experience may include but not limited to: providing basic engineering studies; designing and developing improvement(s) where required; applying knowledge of various engineering disciplines to complete or participate in special projects; and performing various duties while working with other senior engineers.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE FG-11 level in addition to the above Basic Requirements you must have 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or at least 1-year (52 weeks) of Specialized Experience* equivalent to the FG-9 grade level. Specialized Experience may include but not limited to: assisting with engineering maintenance and operations programs; providing professional consultative engineering advice to management or customers; and preparation of project plans, specifications to include labor hour estimates, tasks, & milestones for systems maintenance or repair projects.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE FG-12 level in addition to the above Basic Requirements you must demonstrate in your application you possess at least 1-year (52 weeks) of Specialized Experience* equivalent to the FG-11 grade level. Specialized Experience may include but not limited to: assembling and reviewing acquisition packages, requests for proposals, bids, or quotations by checking documents for errors; utilizing design software, instruments or tools to review project designs and to gathered data to assist experienced engineer in recommending improvements to the design or operation of NAS equipment, facilities, systems.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE FG-13 level in addition to the above Basic Requirements you must demonstrate in your application you possess at least 1-year (52 weeks) of Specialized Experience* equivalent to the FG-12 grade level. Specialized Experience may include but are not limited to: experience analyzing statistical data and production specifications to be used in the determination of standards and the establishing of quality and reliability objectives of finished products; and conducting noise abatement studies.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE FG-14 level in addition to the Basic Requirements you must demonstrate in your application you possess at least 1-year (52 weeks) of Specialized Experience* equivalent to the FG-13 grade level. Specialized Experience may include but are not limited to: experience providing national level engineering support for National Airspace Systems communications equipment, navigation and/or surveillance systems; developing test strategies and requirements, interpreting test requirements, and preparation of operational test plans and procedures.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE FG/GS-15 level in addition to the Basic Requirements you must demonstrate in your application you possess at least 1-year (52 weeks) of Specialized Experience* equivalent to the FG-14 grade level. Specialist Experience may include but are not limited to: manage, coordinate, direct, and oversee critical operational and integration systems engineering efforts to establish, maintain, and/or improve information systems, networks, and their hardware and software applications; and conduct and advise on testing operations for acceptance and operation of complete systems and equipment.
*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 are typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.