About This Position
This position is part of the Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, Department of Energy. As a General Engineer, you will provide professional engineering expertise and support to Agency programs, projects or initiatives whose mission or responsibilities include designing, evaluating, developing, testing, modifying, installing, inspecting and or maintaining products and systems related to cybersecurity for critical infrastructure.
Qualifications
BASIC REQUIREMENT: You must meet both the Basic Requirement and the Specialized Experience to qualify for this series as described below. BASIC REQUIREMENT FOR 0801 SERIES: 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
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: 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)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. 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 REQUIREMENTS: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-14 in the Federal service.
Specialized experience for this position is defined as meeting ALL of the following Manage complex engineering programs and projects, develop strategic planning documents, ensuring alignment with goals, and driving innovative solutions for technology, energy, and environmental challenges. Provide authoritative technical expertise across multiple engineering domains to inform senior-level decisions on critical organizational priorities. Review engineering research and development projects, ensure performance, and address critical technical issues through expert analysis. "Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience.
Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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. Limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages. If more than two pages are submitted, only the first two pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility and qualifications.
Your full resume will be made available to the hiring manager if you are referred.
You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Major Duties
This is an Excepted Service position. This appointment will not confer Competitive Service career-conditional or career tenure status. This means that if you are selected, you would have to compete with other applicants in open competition to meet requirements for another Federal position, unless you meet the requirements for reinstatement.
Applicants who voluntarily convert from the competitive service, Senior Executive Service, or other pay systems to a non-time limited appointment under this excepted service authority are not afforded "fallback rights" to the pay system previously assigned prior to conversion. As a GS-15 General Engineer you will: Provide authoritative leadership for pioneering engineering research and development efforts that achieve new and innovative capabilities at the crossroads of cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, and national security. Serve as a recognized technical authority on operational technology systems in the energy sector, providing expert guidance to senior management within the agency on critical engineering issues.
Engage closely with the National Labs to integrate the latest state-of-the-art technology for agency projects, evaluating technical merits and mitigating risks. Lead and participate in broad program and project assessments, identifying deficiencies, recommending corrective actions, and negotiating solutions with diverse stakeholders
Education
This vacancy has a positive education requirement. In order to be rated as qualified, you must provide copies of your college transcripts. Failure to provide copies of your college transcripts may result in a rating of "Ineligible".
Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement, as demonstrated in your application and your responses to all assessments required for this position. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application or cheating on the assessment may result in removal from consideration. Responses to assessments must be prepared solely by the applicant.
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, CoPilot) to draft, edit, or generate responses is strictly prohibited and may result in removal from consideration. The Department of Energy, Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence uses an application tracking system to evaluate the responses you provide in the applicant assessment questionnaire to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications necessary for this position. Then, the HR Office and/or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will conduct a quality review of your application and supporting documentation to determine if your qualifications meet the criteria for referral to the selecting official.
This position is in the excepted service and is being filled in accordance with 50 U.S.C. 3024(v). All candidates that meet all of the minimum requirements of this position as stated in the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement will be referred to the selecting official. Shared Certificates: The Department of Energy shares lists of applicants among its internal Departmental Elements and organizations.
You may be referred for consideration to other DOE Hiring Managers throughout the Department for more than one position based on this application. By applying to this announcement, you understand your application materials may be shared with multiple Hiring Mangers throughout DOE. If additional positions are filled from this announcement conditions of employment may differ.
You will be notified if you are referred for additional positions.
You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date (03/13/2026) of this announcement. To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, clickhttps://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12895377.
Additional Information
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across DOE. For general information on government-wide Telework polices visit: www.telework.gov Hiring incentives may be authorized in accordance with agency policy and if funding is available. Equal employment opportunity policy.
Reasonable Accommodation Policy: https://www.energy.gov/hc/department-energy-reasonable-accommodation-program Veterans Information: https://www.energy.gov/careers/veterans-military-spouses Selective Service Registration: http://www.sss.gov/ The Fair Chance Act prohibits specific inquiries concerning an applicant's criminal or credit background unless the hiring agency has made a conditional offer of employment to the applicant. An applicant may submit a complaint to the agency within 30 calendar days of the date of alleged noncompliance by completing the Fair Chance Act Intake Form and submitting it to the Administrative Investigations Program at [email protected]. Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
How to Apply
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the announcement closing date to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: Read all instructions before you begin.
Click "Apply Online." Complete the application and attach all required documents. Submit by 11:59 PM ET on the 03/13/2026. Resume Tips: Max 2 pages and 5MB file size. PDF is recommended to preserve formatting; we also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, ODT, or Word (DOC/DOCX).
No PDF portfolios. Use clear fonts like Lato, Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open Sans, Source Sans Pro, Roboto, or Noto Sans. Set 0.5-inch margins. Use 14-point font for titles, 10-point for main text.
Managing Your Application: Update: Edit your application in USAJOBS before the closing date. Status: Log into USAJOBS to view your application status. Learn more here: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
Support: USAJOBS Help: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/ for login.gov or USAJOBS assistance. Application Issues: If you have difficulty applying online, contact the Agency Contact listed in this announcement during business hours. Take screenshots of any system errors.
To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To verify the status of your application, during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account; applications will appear on the Welcome screen.
The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each application status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you MUST provide a complete application package which includes: Your two (2) page RESUME showing all relevant work experience (paid and unpaid) including: duties performed; full name and address of the each employer; start and end dates (month/day/year); work schedule (part-time, full-time, number of hours if intermittent); salary; and any completed education and training (program title, subject area, number of hours completed, and completion date). Cover Letter, optional, expressing additional information not covered in your resume. Transcripts, if specific educational requirements are indicated in this job announcement.
Unofficial transcripts or any report listing institution, course title, credits earned (semester or quarter hour) and final grade is acceptable. It is your responsibility to provide adequate proof that you meet the educational requirements. Veterans' Preference documentation, if applicable, DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing type of discharge/character of service; current active duty members- certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions dated within 120 days; SF-15 Form and related documentation; VA letter.
For more information visit the USAJOBS Help Center & OPM CHCOC website for VOW information. Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program documentation, if applicable (e.g., Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.) For more information see the OPM Guide to Career Transition. Military Spouse, if applicable, Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders authorizing you to accompany the Military member to the new duty permanent station; OR verification of the member's 100% disability (VA Letter); and/or verification of the member's death while on active duty (DD-1300 and Death Certificate) AND verification of the marriage to the service member (i.e., a marriage license or other legal documentation verifying marriage).
For more information visit the USAJOBS Help Center. Incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted. Do not provide photos or list a Social Security Number or date of birth on any attachment.