General Engineer/Physical Scientist

Summary This is a Direct Hire Public Notice. Please read this Public Notice in its entirety prior to submitting your application for consideration. This position is located in the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), Office of Satellite & Product Operations (OSPO), with two vacancies in Wallops Island, VA. Responsibilities As a General Engineer/Physical Scientist, you will perform the following duties: Applies expert-level knowledge in the development and implementation of complex satellite/ground system programs and construction management theories, principles, and practices. Forms and coordinates diverse cross-functional teams to provide comprehensive solutions to identified problems-team disciplines include; architects, scientists/engineers, operation personnel, resource managers, budget technicians, and other field personnel etc. Manages program/project objectives, including the annual budget, teams annual activities, and setting operations schedule Conducts project analysis (satellite data/frequency interference) to determine projects impact on public safety, natural/environmentally sensitive locations, mission readiness, and operations during weather conditions. Note: The duties are at the full ZP-4 performance level and the ZP-3 is the developmental grade level leading to such performance. Requirements Conditions of Employment This position will be filled under the DOC Alternative Personnel Systems (CAPS). This system replace the Federal GS pay plan and structure. Under CAPS, positions are classified by career, pay plan, and pay band. The ZP-3 is equivalent to the GS-11/12. The ZP-4 is equivalent to the GS-13/14. Salary for ZP-3: $72,553 to $113,047 Salary for ZP-4: $103,409 to $158,860 A one year probationary period may be required. Payment of relocation expenses is not authorized. Payment of relocation/recruitment incentives may be authorized. This position is not in in the bargaining unit. This position requires the submission of a Financial Disclosure Form, OGE-450. Key Requirements: Applicants must be U.S. Citizens. More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information. Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (ww.sss.gov) Selectee must provide a valid state drivers license & safe driving record. Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system. A background investigation will be required for this position. Continued employment will be subject to the applicants successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination. CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: This position requires the operation of a Federal motor vehicle. This position requires the submission of a Financial Disclosure Form, OGE-450. Travel up to 10%. Required to obtain and maintain COR Level II within 24 months. Employee provides support to antennas/satellite equipment and periodically drives to distant facilities. Qualifications 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 Managements website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy. BASIC REQUIREMENTS: This position has a positive Education Requirement in addition to at least one year of Specialized Experience OR substitution of education for experience OR combination (if applicable) in order to be found minimally qualified. Transcripts must be submitted with your application package. You MUST meet the following requirements: To qualify for the 0801 series: Degree: 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 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) 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 Boards 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 bachelors 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 bachelors 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. To qualify for the 1301 series: Degree: physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics. OR Combination of education and experience: education equivalent to one of the majors shown above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education. AND SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: 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. To qualify at the ZP-3 (GS-11/12) grade level: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the basic requirements above, applicants must also possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZP-2 (GS-09) in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following: Participating in complex satellite or ground system projects which could include: performing installation, operations, design, engineering/science, maintenance, and sustainment tasks; Assisting in applying scientific or engineering data analysis and requirements for satellite or ground systems; and Assisting in determining project testing and operational requirements for satellite or ground systems. OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree OR Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; OR COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A combination of education and experience. Note: Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-11. To qualify at the ZP-4 (GS-13/14) grade level: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the basic requirements above applicants must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZP-3 (GS-12) in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following: Assisting leadership with complex satellite/ground system projects which could include: performing installation, operations, design, engineering/science, maintenance, or sustainment tasks; Completing proper documentation for procurement of systems or specialized equipment related to satellite/grounds systems or various facilities; and Working with internal and external stakeholders, and management to perform engineering or science calculations, incorporating and making necessary recommendations for overall program or project operations or objectives. Education College Transcript: If you are qualifying based on education, submit a copy of your college transcript that lists college courses detailing each course by the number and department (i.e., Bio 101, Math 210, etc.), course title, number of credit hours and grade earned. You must submit evidence that any education completed in a foreign institution is equivalent to U.S. education standards with your resume. You may submit an unofficial copy of the transcript at the initial phase of the application process. If course content cannot be easily identified from the title of the course as listed on your transcript, you must submit an official course description from the college/university that reflects the content at the time the course was taken. Note: Your college transcript is used to verify successful completion of degree, or college course work. An official college transcript will be required before you can report to duty. Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities 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. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Educations website. 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 by the closing date of the announcement will result in lost consideration. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated visit: OPM Foreign Education Evaluation. Additional Information 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 CTAP and ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Managements Career Transition Resources website at: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. CTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents: A copy of your specific RIF notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; 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); A copy of your SF-50 “Notification of Personnel Action”, noting current position, grade level, and duty location; A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential. ICTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents: A copy of your RIF separation notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; notice of disability annuity termination; 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; 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.; A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential. NOAA uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify. The Department of the Commerce (DOC) places a high value on diversity of experience and cultural perspectives and encourages applications from all interested eligible candidates. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) are fundamental principles that guide the Department and allow us to successfully achieve our mission. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.