Federal

General Engineer

Government Publishing Office ยท Legislative Branch
๐Ÿ“ District of Columbia, District of Columbia PG-14 $143,913 - $187,093/yr
Posted: Feb 25, 2026 Deadline: Mar 10, 2026 (Closed days left)

About This Position

GPO employees possess a diverse array of talent in many administrative fields and trades. We provide other agencies with innovative services for the printing, publishing, storage, and distribution of digital content. If you are an energetic, inventive individual looking for a challenging, yet rewarding career opportunity, GPO may be the place for you.

This position is located in Government Secure and Intelligent Documents, Government Publishing Office in Washington, District of Columbia.

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: 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.)

Note: An applicant who meets the basic requirements as specified in A or B above, except as noted under B.1., may qualify for positions in any branch of engineering unless selective factors indicate otherwise.

In addition to meeting the basic requirements, you must have at least one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the PG-13 grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience for this position includes: Designing and modifying equipment used in manufacturing operations for the purpose of improving efficiency and/or production Managing manufacturing or printing plant methodologies that include tracking costs, milestones, schedules, and/or resource requirements Utilizing problem-solving techniques to solve real time equipment and factory problems Utilizing multiple means of communication to distribute process improvements and agency viewpoints Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/general-engineering-series-0801/ 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. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement 03/10/2026 to be considered.

Major Duties

Resolving equipment and/or manufacturing process issued and generate a corrective action plan.

Serving as technical leader of a multi-disciplined, multi person project team to resolve production problems.

Designing mechanical modifications to Bindery and Press equipment to improve production capacity and throughput, and to decrease waste utilizing best practice methodologies.

Verifying if new product designs are producible, developing standard operating procedures for new equipment for the various processes in manufacturing and recommend effective changes.

Creating, designing, building, and installing systems to track and report factory metrics such as throughput, line balancing, equipment utilization and downtime, and product spoilage.

Education

ARE YOU QUALIFYING BASED ON EDUCATION or A COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE? For applicants qualifying on the basis of education: School transcript(s) - official or unofficial. A transcript or list of completed courses is required if you are claiming to qualify based on your education.

The information presented in the transcript must be verifiable; at the minimum the transcript or list of courses should contain the name of the institution, applicant's name, semester hours, and GPA. If you provided an unofficial transcript or list of completed courses at the time of application and you are selected you will be required to provide an official transcript prior to appointment.

You must submit a copy of your college transcript or an appropriate course listing. 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. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html.

All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. If selected, an official/sealed transcript will be required prior to appointment.

How You Will Be Evaluated

THIS IS A DIRECT HIRE ANNOUNCEMENT. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Direct Hire Authority, authorized by 5 United States Code (U.S.C.), Section 3304 and 5 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 337, Subpart B. Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to the Direct Hire process.

Your application will be considered based on education, training, and quality of your experience. For more information on Direct-Hire Authority visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/direct-hire-authority/ Your resume will be evaluated to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications required; and on the extent to which your application shows that you possess the competencies associated with this position. To determine if you are qualified for the job, a review of your resume and supporting documentation may be made and compared against your responses to the vacancy questionnaire.

You will receive a numeric rating based on your responses to the questionnaire.

Your rating is based on both your responses to the questionnaire and information stated in your application. Please make sure that your self-ratings are supported by information in your application. The Human Capital Specialist may verify your qualifications and self-ratings during the application and selection process through quality review, interview questions, work samples, demonstrations, reference checks, and other means. Inflated qualifications may result in you being excluded from further consideration for this position.

You will be further evaluated on the following Competencies required for the position. Engineering and Technology Oral Communication Problem Solving We DO NOT require a separate narrative statement responding to the competencies, however your resume must CLEARLY show possession of these competencies. If you meet the qualifications stated above and you are among the top candidates your application may be referred to the Selecting Official for further review.

Additional Information

Employment of Relatives: Section 3110 of Title 5, U.S. Code, prohibits a Federal official from appointing, promoting, or advocating the appointment or promotion of a relative in the agency where the official is serving or exercises jurisdiction. In addition, Section 2302(b)(7) of Title 5, U.S.

Code, makes it a "prohibited personnel practice" for a person in authority to "appoint, employ, promote, advance, or advocate for the appointment, employment, promotion, or advancement of a relative." For further information visit: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/5/3110 and https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/5/2302 Separated Employees: If you have separated from Federal Government employment, you may obtain a copy of your SF-50 via: National Personnel Records Center, Annex, 1411 Boulder Boulevard, Valmeyer, IL, 62295; or visit the National Archives Website. Work Life Balance: The GPO offers Transit subsidy for commuters using public transportation (Metro Bus/Rail, MARC, VRE, etc.). Top Secret: To ensure the accomplishment of its mission, the GPO requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy; this position requires a Top Secret.

To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully completed a background investigation for a Top Secret clearance. This review could include financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs; this security process may take between 6 weeks to 12 months. GPO will conduct an interim security clearance, pending the completion of the full investigative requirements for the final Top Secret clearance.

The interim security clearance will be granted based on the favorable completion of preliminary checks that are accomplished as part of the security clearance process. The Agency may rescind the tentative offer if the candidate is unable to obtain an interim clearance. A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments and the candidate is unable to obtain an interim clearance.

The selectee will work shift

  1. Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement.

How to Apply

Click the Apply Online button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account. To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes: 1.

Complete resume with relevant experience where you worked, job title, duties and accomplishments, employer's name and address, supervisor's name and phone number, starting and end dates (Mo/Yr), hours per week and salary. If you are a current or previous federal employee, provide your pay plan, series and grade level (e.g. PG-0201-09).

2.

Complete assessment questionnaire. For a quick preview of the assessment questionnaire click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12894033 3. Supporting documentation Failure to submit a complete application package will result in an ineligible rating and loss of consideration.

Your complete application (resume, assessment questionnaire, and all supporting documents) must be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) on Close Date. Applications received after Close Date may result in an ineligible rating and loss of consideration. If more than one resume is received, only the last resume received and processed will be reviewed.

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO DOCUMENT IN YOUR APPLICATION PACKAGE EVIDENCE THAT SUPPORTS YOUR ELIGIBILITY AND QUALIFICATION CLAIMS. You are required to upload the applicable documents with your application package. These documents will assist the staffing specialist in determining your eligibility and qualifications.

It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that all information in their resume and documents are legible and accurate. HC will not modify answers/documents submitted by an applicant. Do not email or send hard copy resumes/applications to the Contact Information or Agency Information listed in this vacancy announcement.

All resumes/applications received at the addresses listed in the Contact Information or Agency Information will be destroyed and will not be considered for this vacancy announcement. Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Capital Office. Some supplemental documents contain personal information such as SSN and DOB and some documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you.

You may sanitize these documents to remove said personal information before you submit your application.

You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

Required Documents

The following documents are required and must be provided with your application: A COMPLETE RESUME IS REQUIRED.

Your resume must show relevant experience (cover letter optional) where you worked, job title, duties and accomplishments, employer's name and address, supervisor's name and phone number, starting and end dates (Mo/Yr), hours per week & salary. If you are a current Federal employee or previous Federal employee, provide your pay plan, series and grade level i.e. PG-0201-09.

Note: Only the last resume received will be reviewed. Do NOT include photographs (or links to social media such as LinkedIn), inappropriate material, inappropriate content, nor personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number, etc., on your resume. To assist you in sending in a complete resume, please review Resume Tips PROOF OF ENROLLMENT - For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent.

An official transcript will be required if you are selected. A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency.

Click here for Foreign Education Credentialing instructions. DOES THIS POSITION REQUIRE A LICENSE OR CERTIFICATE?

You must submit a copy of your license or certificate in your application package. SUBMISSION OF ANY REQUIRED DOCUMENTS. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you will not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the salary for the General Engineer position at Government Publishing Office?
The salary range for this position is $143,913 - $187,093/yr. This is a PG-14 position on the General Schedule pay scale. Actual pay may vary based on locality adjustments.
Where is the General Engineer job located?
This position is located in District of Columbia, District of Columbia. This is an on-site position.
What qualifications do I need?
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 engine...
How do I apply for this position?
Apply through USAJobs.gov by clicking the 'Apply on USAJobs' button. You'll need a USAJobs account, a federal-style resume, and supporting documents. The deadline is Mar 10, 2026.
Is a security clearance required?
Yes, a Top Secret clearance is required.
What does PG-14 mean?
PG-14 refers to the General Schedule grade level. Higher grades require more experience and offer higher pay. Visit our GS Pay Scale page for full salary tables by grade and locality.
What benefits do federal employees receive?
Federal employees receive comprehensive benefits including health insurance (FEHB), retirement through FERS, Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) with government matching, paid annual and sick leave, paid parental leave, life insurance, and student loan repayment programs.