SAFETY ENGINEER Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. OSCC-2025-244 Department Architect of the Capitol
Salary $120,479.00 to $156,755.00 Grade 13 to 13
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 5/1/2025 Close Date 5/16/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

The position is located in the Architect of the Capitol (AOC), Office of Safety and Code Compliance (SCC), Safety Division. We are seeking a Safety Engineer with advanced knowledge in safety engineering and a demonstrated ability to integrate risk-based decision-making across complex construction, renovation, and operational environmental within a historic and high-profile Capitol Campus. If you are passionate about safety culture, we invite you to apply and make a lasting impact at the AOC.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from all USA Citizens Note: Please be advised that federal retired annuitant candidates may only be considered as a temporary employee if the role can be filled in that capacity.

Duties

To succeed in this role, candidates must possess expertise in applying Health and Safety Management Systems aligned with ISO 45001, ANSI Z10 and/or OSHA Safety and Health Program Management frameworks, with a strong command of the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) methodology. Mastery of root cause analysis (RCA), Prevention through Design (PtD)and other systems safety tools is essential to support incident investigations and driving preventive and corrective actions.

A strong candidate will also possess a deep knowledge of the applicable requirements for permit required confined spaces (PRCS), fall protection, electrical safety (NFPA 70E), hazardous energy control (LOTO), arc flash risk, and grounding systems, particularly in aging or mission-critical infrastructure.

Applicants should demonstrate experience reviewing building plans and construction activities to ensure safety compliance, particularly in settings where preserving historic architecture intersects with modern safety demands.

The skills and experience must be reflected in your work history.

Tour of duty for this position is: Monday - Friday (8:00 am - 4:30 pm) Hours may change due to Operational Needs of Management.

Major Duties

Safety Engineering, Systems Integration, and Risk Management (33%)

Reviews and approves building plans, blueprints, specifications, and other technical data for construction, renovation, and maintenance projects, including those involving historically significant buildings.

Ensures compliance with safety regulations and standards, while preserving the historic and architectural integrity of the facilities. Addresses the unique security requirements of the Capitol campus throughout all phases of the project, from design to completion.

Acts as a technical expert in safety engineering, advising on the limitations and applications of safety concepts for the Capitol Complex. Resolves critical safety issues using advanced engineering approaches.

Health and Safety Management Systems (HSMS) and Policy Leadership

Assists and advances the AOC Safety and Health Management System (S&HMS), ensuring alignment with recognized standards such as ISO 45001, ANSI Z10, and OSHA Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines. Applies the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) methodology to continuously improve the system, focusing on refining processes, integrating feedback, and making data-driven adjustments to enhance safety performance and compliance.

Develops policies, procedures, and technical guidance documents, ensuring alignment with safety engineering principles, human factors considerations, and S&HMS frameworks, while utilizing PDCA to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of these documents.

Collaborates with SCC leadership to promote a risk-based, data-driven decision-making approach to safety, integrating PDCA as part of the decision-making process to drive improvements in organizational planning, design, and operational safety processes.

Contractor Oversight

Develops specifications and scopes-of-work for contractors.

Monitors contractor performance and deliverables.

Examines contractor submissions and ensures compliance with health and safety standards.

Serves as a Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR) on assigned projects.

Hazard Information Training and Dissemination

Designs and delivers safety leadership development initiatives and AOC’s workforce training on systems safety, human factors, and hazard recognition, empowering employees to actively contribute to safety improvement efforts.

Systems Thinking, Human Factors, and Workplace Safety Culture

Conducts safety surveys and investigations, including occupational safety and health complaints related to construction and operational activities. Investigates accidents, determines root causes, and develops corrective actions to prevent recurrence, ensuring findings are shared across relevant jurisdictions and safety stakeholders.

Works with Agency’s Leaders and Jurisdiction Safety Specialists (JSSs), to implement control and remedial measures for hazardous conditions and equipment, by applying systems thinking principles to understand and optimize the complex interactions among people, processes, technology, and the built environment, identifying systemic risks and interdependencies

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen.
  • 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.

Requirements:

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 http://www.opm.gov/qualifications.
 
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. 
 
Candidates for the GS-13 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower (GS-12) grade level in the Federal service or private sector. 
 
Specialized experience for this position includes:


(1) Serving as a safety engineering point of contact for all safety engineering related issues for a large design and construction office;

(2) Interpreting and applying occupational safety and health standards (Electrical safety (NFPA 70/70-E), control of hazardous energy, confined space, machine guarding, welding, cutting, and brazing, incident investigation, radio frequency) regulations, practices and policies;

(3) Directing an organization's Safety and Health Engineering programs and related projects; and

(4) Representing an organization on matters related to safety compliance before federal, state, and industry authorities.

Education

Basic Requirements:

Degree: professional engineering. To be acceptable, the curriculum must: (1) be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) as a professional engineering curriculum; 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-------------------------

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 professional 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:

-Professional registration

-Written Test

-Specified academic courses

-Related curriculum

For additional information on General Schedule Qualifications Standards for professional engineering positions, please visit:

http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800/

Additional information

Applicants must be a United States Citizen.

This is an Excepted Service Position in the Architect of the Capitol, a Legislative Branch agency of the Federal government. The position does not require or confer civil service Competitive Status.

If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System.
If you are exempt from registration under Selective Service Law, you must provide appropriate proof of exemption. Please visit the Selective Service System website for more information.

DRUG TESTING: The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is a Drug Free Workplace. As part of the AOC’s suitability assessment, a candidate tentatively selected for a position is required to submit to screening for illegal drug use. Satisfactory completion of a drug test is a condition of employment with the Agency. A candidate must test negative prior to being eligible for appointment into a position. We will schedule, provide, and cover the cost for the drug test.

Background Investigation - The selectee(s) under the vacancy announcement for this position is subject to a criminal record check by the U.S. Capitol Police and satisfactory adjudication to be eligible for employment at the Architect of the Capitol.

The Architect of the Capitol is an E-VERIFY Participant. E-VERIFY is an Internet-based system that compares information from an employee's Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration records to confirm employment authorization in the United States. If you are selected for this position, the documentation that you present for purposes of completing the DHS Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-VERIFY" electronic system. Federal Law requires DHS to use the E-VERIFY system to verify the employment eligibility of all new hires, and obligates the new hire to take affirmative steps to resolve any discrepancies identified by the system as a condition of continued employment.
For more information on E-Verify, please visit http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/gc_1185221678150.shtm

The Architect of the Capitol is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, genetic information and/or disability.

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis.

Moving expenses are not authorized.

Relocation expenses are not authorized.

Probationary Period- Selectee(s) is subject to the completion of a one-year trial/probationary period, regardless of whether or not a trial/probationary period has been completed previously with the Architect of the Capitol or another Federal agency.

All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice.

Relocation Expenses are not authorized and will not be paid.
This vacancy announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies in any of the jurisdictions of the Architect of the Capitol.

All application materials become the property of the Architect of the Capitol.

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.

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. Responses to job questions that are not fully supported by the information in your application package may result in adjustments to your rating. A Human Resources Representative will validate the qualifications of those candidates eligible to be referred to the hiring official.

FORMS RECEIVED BY FAX, EMAIL OR U.S. POSTAL SERVICE DELIVERY WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. 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.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CLOSES AT 11:59 PM EST (EASTERN STANDARD TIME) ON THE CLOSING DATE.

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:

1) Technical knowledge of professional safety engineering concepts, principles, and practices.

2) Program Management - Knowledge of engineering design techniques, construction materials and methods, program management concepts and quality control.

3) Technical knowledge of the Safety and Occupational Health field sufficient to make recommendations or develop safety and occupational health policies or programs.

4) 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, or your score may be adjusted or lowered accordingly which may affect your overall final rating.  Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for not hiring you or for changing your scored responses to questions you’ve answered, which may affect your overall final score.   
 
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. If you experience difficulties with the application process or do not have access to a computer, please contact the HR Specialist listed as the point of contact before the closing date of this job announcement.

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 setting up an account or for general help using USAJobs, go to USAJobs Help Page.

Once you have gathered all of the required information and are ready to begin the application process, click the "APPLY ONLINE" button at the right side of the page. You will then be directed away from USAJobs to the Department of Commerce application site for USPTO.

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.

Agency contact information

Paulette Dixon-Ellis
Phone
000-000-0000
Fax
000-000-0000
Email
Paulette.Dixon-Ellis@aoc.gov
Address
Architect of the Capitol
United States Capitol
Washington, District of Columbia 20515
United States

Next steps

You will receive a notice generated by the USAJobs System when you have successfully submitted your application. After all application packages have been received, 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 2 weeks after the closing date of this job announcement.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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