About This Position
This vacancy is to fill multiple General Engineer positions at the Department of Commerce, in the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), within the Export Administration (EA) in either of the these two offices: (1) Office of National Security Controls; or (2) Office of Nonproliferation and Foreign Policy Controls If interested, you are encouraged to apply!
Qualifications
Basic Requirement: 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
Specialized Experience Requirement:
In addition to the education requirement described above, applicants must also possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government.
To qualify at the GS-14 grade level, you must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as: Applying engineering experience to analyze policies associated with commodities or technologies relevant to one or more of the following areas: advanced computing; advanced engineering materials; advanced gas turbine engine technologies; advanced and network sensing and signature management; advanced manufacturing; artificial intelligence; biotechnologies; clean energy generation and storage; data privacy, data security, and cybersecurity; directed energy; highly automated, autonomous, uncrewed systems, and robotics; human-machine interfaces, hypersonics, integrated communication and network technologies, position, navigation, and timing (PNT) technologies; quantum information and enabling technologies; semiconductors and microelectronics; sensors, laser systems, optics, or space technologies and systems; Serving as a leading engineer coordinating and collaborating with engineering and program management personnel on complex, cross-disciplinary projects that integrate technologies across multiple commodities and engineering domains, ensuring technical alignment, resolving technical issues, and contributing to project outcomes that inform policy and program decisions; Preparing technical analyses, summaries, or reports and communicating technical information to leadership, internal stakeholders, external stakeholders, or other relevant audiences to explain engineering concepts, assessment results, and policy-related considerations. The specialized experience must be demonstrated in the resume.
Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=Occupational-Series Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service.
Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government. 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.
Major Duties
As a General Engineer, you will perform the following duties: Serves as an expert advisor providing leadership for extensive engineering efforts. Independently plans, analyzes, organizes, and administers development efforts that are broad in scope; assesses and demonstrates the effectiveness of new concepts and ideas and evaluates technological trends for application to assigned projects/programs, including architecture design, engineered Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems, model development, performance evaluation, and deployment; performs expert analyzation of the technical specifications of computing chips, advanced computers, encryption, cloud services, semiconductor manufacturing Equipment, sensors, laser systems, and optics systems. Conducts technical studies of commodities and technical data to assess potential for unwanted technology transfer and develops effective control techniques and strategies; monitors technology transfer developments and provides analyses and recommendations to maintain a sound technical foundation for export control systems.
Analyzes and processes export control license applications and commodity classification requests in accordance with the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) using electronic databases, and develops technical analysis in support of license review, jurisdiction determinations, and advisory opinions. Prepares technical analysis reports evaluating the strategic applications of commodities and technology and represents the Bureau and Department at interagency and policy meetings; provides expert technical and policy guidance to interagency groups and external stakeholders, resolves controversial interagency issues, coordinates expert meetings, develops agency guidelines, and maintains engagement with industry, international partners, and government counterparts.
This Job Opportunity Announcement may be used to fill other General Engineer GS-0801-14, full performance level, GS14, positions within the Department of Commerce in the same geographical location or local commuting area with the same qualifications and specialized experience.
Conditions of Employment
You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
This position requires a TOP SECRET/SCI CLEARANCE. Must be able to obtain and maintain the required clearance..
You must successfully pass a background investigation. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs. A probationary period may be required.
Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/). If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application. All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
Bargaining Unit Position: No Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE form 450): Yes Permanent Change of Duty Station (PCS) Expense: Will not be paid Education Requirement: Yes (See the Qualifications section of this announcement.) Drug Test Required: This position is subject to pre-employment drug testing and random drug testing thereafter. Pre-employment physical required: No
Education
There is position has a positive education requirement. See the Qualifications, section above, and the Required Documents section, below, regarding transcripts.
NOTE: Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree.
You MUST provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation when requested will result in lost consideration.
How You Will Be Evaluated
Under the provisions of the Direct-Hire Authority (DHA), rating, ranking and veterans' preference does not apply. While veterans' preference does not apply in DHA, preference eligibles are encouraged to submit their supporting documentation (DD-214 stating disposition of discharge or character of service, VA letter, SF-15, etc.).
You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement.
Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., two-page resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire and the result of the Structured Interview required for this position. Structured Interview: A structured interview is an assessment method designed to measure job-related competencies of candidates by systematically inquiring about their behavior in past experiences and/or their proposed behavior in hypothetical situations. Applicants who meet the qualification requirements, as defined in the job opportunity announcement, will be referred for selection consideration.
Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. The technical assessment will evaluate you on the following competencies; please do not provide a separate written response: Technical Competence (Engineering) Technical Creditability Strategic Thinking Planning and Evaluating Do NOT include the following types of information in your resume/application.
If any are included, you will be deemed INELIGIBLE for consideration. Classified or government sensitive information Social Security Number (SSN) Photos of yourself Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc. To preview the questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12968925
Additional Information
The following links provide information on various hiring authorities that do not fall under competitive examining procedures; however, they may enable you to apply through merit assignment procedures, or be eligible for a non-competitive appointment. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) ICTAP and CTAP Eligibles: CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be eligible if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a rating of 85 out of 100. Information about ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Career Transition Resources website at: Employee Guide to Career Transition Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees.
If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office. Reasonable Accommodations (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments.
Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments.
You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.
How to Apply
Your complete application, including required documents, must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. To apply on-line, you must complete and submit an application by accessing the USAJOBS website at http://www.usajobs.gov.
To begin, click the Apply button and follow the prompts to register/sign-in into your USAJOBS account, answer the questions, and submit all required documents. To return to your saved application, log in to your USAJOBS account at http://www.usajobs.gov and click on "Application Status." Click on the position title, and then select Apply to continue. For instructions on submitting your application in an alternate format, please contact the Agency Contact listed in this vacancy announcement.
Required Documents
A complete application consists of the following: Resume.
Your resume should list your educational and work experience including the dates (mm/dd/yy) of each employment along with the number of hours worked per week, if less than
40.
Your resume may be used to validate your responses to the qualifications/assessments.
Your resume should also indicate your citizenship and if you are registered with the Selective Service System if you are a male born after 12/31/59. Refer to the "How you will be Evaluated' section for types of information not to include in your resume/application. Education.
If this position requires proof of higher education, or you are substituting education for experience, you must submit an unofficial transcript or a list of courses that includes the following information: name of accredited institution, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. Please refer to http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/policy/ApplicationOfStds-04.asp for more information.
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) documentation, if applicable. CTAP or ICTAP applicant(s), MUST submit the following documents: A copy of your specific RIF notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; or a Certificate of Expected Separation (CES); or certification that you are in a surplus organization or occupation (this could be a position abolishment letter, a notice eligibility for discontinued service retirement, or similar notice); or notice of disability annuity termination; or certification from your former agency that it cannot place you after your recovery from a compensable injury; or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement; or a copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" documenting your RIF separation, noting your positions, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through RPL, etc; Any documentation from your agency that shows your latest performance appraisal rating; AND Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential. Are you a current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee?
Submit a 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; and Beginning and ending dates of appointment. You are not required to submit official documents at this time; copies are sufficient. Failure to provide such documents when requested may result in lost consideration.
Special Instructions for Foreign Education: See Note in Education Section for additional information.