Structural Engineer

Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from all U.S. Citizens. 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.

Project Technical Reviews (40%)

Performs Structural Task Leader quality assurance reviews of designs and studies prepared by contractors and in-house teams to ensure adherence to agency standards and sound engineering principles.

Supports Jurisdictions and Project Management in identifying structural objectives and requirements for inclusion in Statements of Work; reviews and comments on SOWs to ensure discipline-specific scope and key personnel qualifications are sufficiently identified.

Reviews and provides comments on structural design documents at milestones to identify deficiencies with respect to objectives, requirements, and agency compliance; identifies observable concerns in clarity, completeness, existing conditions, risks, coordination, regulatory compliance, best practices, construction feasibility (phasing/sequence), cost effectiveness, and operational performance.

Provides recommendations at the conclusion of design regarding readiness for bidding and construction.

Reviews A/E contractor’s proposed variances from agency standards and documents technical positions.

Provides support to resolve design or construction deficiencies, assisting in identification of options and assessing feasibility (constructability, cost, schedule, lifecycle, operations).

Conducts technical reviews of risk and reliability assessments, ensuring consistency with established criteria and professional practices; identifies omissions, discrepancies, and nonconformance and recommends corrective actions.

Technical Advice and Guidance (20%)

Assists with project administration and contributes to resolution of technical difficulties amenable to changes in approach and feasibility, risk mitigation, criteria, or requirements; conducts studies to develop criteria for situations encountered during field inspections.

Facilitates resolution of project issues at the Jurisdiction Superintendent level; provides technical guidance on scope, schedule, and budget concerns during programming; delivers timely responses to Jurisdiction representatives and Planning/Project Management divisions; helps prioritize Jurisdiction work.

Coordinates with external parties (e.g., utility companies, departments of transportation, transit authorities, code bodies, historic preservation authorities, and other entities) on projects on or adjacent to agency properties to provide technical representation to ensure structural considerations are addressed to protect government interests.

Structural Engineering Designs and Specifications (15%) 

Either individually or collaboratively as a project team member, provide supervised assistance to a senior structural engineer with the preparation of structural designs and specifications and performs construction observation to ensure design compliance for a variety of projects.

·        Participates with customers to develop project requirements and performance criteria.

·        Conducts site surveys and prepares as-built drawings of existing conditions in preparation for design.

·        Analyzes requirements and design criteria; develops cost estimates, validates requirements, and evaluates schedule feasibility.

Project Management (15%) 

Assists the Project Manager or performs project management duties on assigned projects. Integrates program administration responsibilities related to structural safety, special inspections, and permit/variance tracking into routine project controls. 

For contracted studies and designs:

·        Serves as Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) for assigned structural scope; performs contract administration activities for IDIQ A/E consulting services and specialized procurements.

·        Prepares Scopes of Work (SOWs), fee estimates, schedules, and solicitation documents prior to award.

·        Prepares responses to offeror questions, conducts proposal evaluations, and documents award recommendations.

 For in-house studies and designs:

·        Prepares scope/statement of work; coordinates an integrated team of discipline task leaders; coordinates with the Jurisdiction’s project coordinator and other stakeholders.

·        Manages schedule, budget, and quality; reports status to upper management and meets project requirements.

Program administration:

·        Assists with administration of structural safety and compliance programs.

Structural Engineering Studies (10%)

Provides supervised assistance to a senior structural engineer in the preparation of studies, technical reports, and bulletins that present a range of potential solutions for unique structural problems and challenges.

Completes investigations, field observations, and testing to support the analysis; serves as a technical resource in the execution of testing methods and procedures.

Recommends an optimal solution for specific conditions based on professional judgment and documented criteria.

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.

 “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.
 
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.  

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.

Specialized experience for the GS-12 is defined as having four out of the five of the following:

• Structural engineering experience of complex, monumental, historically significant and mission-critical buildings and building-supporting structures.
• Coordinating and providing oversight of project lifecycles, including planning, design, construction, commissioning and close-out.
• Developing project requirements and specifications for new construction, renovations, and improvements to facilities.
• Evaluating studies, plans, design specifications and progress reports for architectural, engineering and construction processes and projects.
• Serving as a Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) or equivalent for construction projects.

Specialized experience for the GS-13 is defined as having all of the following:

• Structural engineering experience of complex, monumental, historically significant and mission-critical buildings and building-supporting structures.
• Coordinating and providing oversight of project lifecycles, including planning, design, construction, commissioning and close-out.
• Developing project requirements and specifications for new construction, renovations, and improvements to facilities.
• Evaluating studies, plans, design specifications and progress reports for architectural, engineering and construction processes and projects.
• Serving as a Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) or equivalent for construction projects.

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:

• Design
• Financial Management
• Interpersonal Skills 
• Communicate Orally
• Problem Solving
• Project Management
• Communicate in Writing

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 not hiring you or disqualification for 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).

The Architect of the Capitol's job application process is designed to ensure that we only ask you for the information that is absolutely needed to evaluate your qualifications and eligibility for the position.

To apply for this position, you only need to submit online the following: a) your resume and 2) answer the online vacancy assessment questionnaire. The online questionnaire contains eligibility and screening questions and other relevant supplemental information. No additional documentation or attachment is required at the time of application. 

We ask that you prepare and submit a resume that best describes fully your background experience, skills, abilities, education, training and other relevant credentials. The resume should include dates of employment.

Nothing further is required until it is requested by the staff of the Human Capital Management Division. If additional documentation is required for a position, you will be asked to provide it during the selection process or upon selection. At that point, we may ask you to submit documentation to support statements made in your resume.

For example, we may ask you to provide documents such as college transcripts, copy of diploma or proof of Federal employment status. If the position requires a license or certification, we will ask candidate(s) to provide proof at the time of selection.

If you are claiming veterans' preference, we may ask you to submit proof of Veterans preference (DD-214, and, if claiming 10-point preference, the SF-15 plus proof required by that form).

If you fail to provide the required documents, we will withdraw a tentative job offer made and/or remove you from further consideration.

Next steps