Job summary

About the Position: Serves as technical expert for Mechanical Engineering activities. Responsible for mechanical design and construction activities of hydraulic steel structures and hydraulic power systems, which involves the construction of Civil works projects including levee and dam construction. NOTE: Recruitment incentives, including student loan repayment, may be offered to highly qualified candidates.

Major duties

Serves as a regional subject matter expert for mechanical engineering activities for Civil Works projects under the Mechanical Design Section of the Sacramento District Office. Plans, designs and coordinates the mechanical aspects of hydraulic steel structures and hydraulic power systems for Civil Works projects. Applies advanced concepts, principles and practices of mechanical engineering to develop technical criteria. Interprets policies and regulations, and resolves controversial technical design issues. Performs special studies of mechanical materials, devices and methods. Technical Expert in Mechanical Design and Construction for Civil Works projects within the Sacramento District and in support of other Districts. Designs, analyzes and reviews sophisticated, unique, controversial and technically challenging mechanical engineering design features of proposed Civil Works projects. Serves as a consultant and technical expert in mechanical design for Civil Works projects.

Qualification

First Cutoff Date: June 20, 2024 Additional Cutoff Dates: End of every month if necessary Final Closing Date: June 5, 2025 Applicants will be referred periodically throughout the open period. Final application disposition will be completed once all positions have been filled or the announcement reaches the end of the open period as stated above. Applications will expire 90 days after submission. To remain eligible for consideration, reapplying is required every 90 days. Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the education AND experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Basic Requirement for Engineer: A. Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (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), 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. 2. 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, or Puerto Rico. 3. 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 A above. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program. 4. 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 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. In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes serving as a technical expert in advanced concepts, principles and practices of mechanical design of machinery for the majority of the following: gates (dam crest/miter/lift/emergency), filling/emptying systems, emergency bulkheads, cranes, hydraulic steel structures, hydraulic power systems, pumps, piping turbines and controls; reviewing and resolving conflict in technical criteria; and/or applying advanced scientific and engineering concepts to solve problems and perform technical reviews. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-12). Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted. Selective Placement Factor: This position requires the possession of a current Professional Engineer (PE) registration issued by any State in the United States, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico.

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Evaluations

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation. Basis for Rating: Direct Hire Authority (DHA) for Certain Personnel of the DoD Workforce is open to all U.S. Citizens. The category rating, veterans preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy.