General Engineer

• Develops plans specifications and cost estimates for a variety of projects including the construction and modification of existing structures.
• Provides multi-professional engineering expertise for the operations maintenance and repair of buildings structures roads grounds railroads and utility systems.
• Functions as a Contracting Officers Representative (COR) managing and performing surveillance of service contracts.
• Prepares contract documents and performs related services such as writing scopes of work developing specifications evaluating bids and performing contractor selection and negotiation.
• Troubleshoots a variety of field problems by researching technical literature and meeting with maintenance supervisors equipment manufacturers and other experts.
• Utilizes professional engineering skills to formulate new projects and originate improved applications that guide and control Operations and Maintenance operations.
• Manages quality assurance and quality control programs for both contracted and in-house workforces.
• Conducts inspections of facilities and infrastructure to ensure adequacy feasibility of construction and conformance with policy.

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination as determined by a completed background investigation.
• This position requires the incumbent be able to obtain and maintain a determination of eligibility for a Secret security clearance or access for the duration of employment. A background investigation and credit check are required.
• The duties of this position require the incumbent to possess or obtain and maintain a valid state Drivers License in one of the 50 U.S. states or possessions to operate vehicles.
• This position has a Temporary Duty (TDY) or business travel requirement of 25% of the time.
• Appointment to this position is subject to a one year probationary period unless the appointee has previously met the requirements as described in 5 CFR Part 11. While probationary the incumbent can be terminated with limited appeal rights.

Who May Apply: US Citizens

In order to qualify you must meet the education and/or 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 General Engineer:

• A. Degree: Bachelors degree (or higher degree) in engineering. To be acceptable the program must: (1) lead to a bachelors 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 Boards 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 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 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:

For GS-11:

• Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes 1) assisting in the application of professional engineering concepts (civil mechanical electrical structural or architectural) to plan design or evaluate facility maintenance and repair projects; 2) assisting in the preparation of technical specifications scopes of work or cost estimates for service or construction contracts; and 3) troubleshooting routine operational and maintenance problems within facility infrastructure systems. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09); OR
• Education: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the position such as: Engineering; OR
• Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages.

For GS-12:

• Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes 1) applying professional engineering concepts (civil mechanical electrical structural or architectural) to plan design or maintain facilities and infrastructure; 2) preparing contract documents (such as scopes of work or estimates) and performing surveillance of service contracts; and 3) troubleshooting engineering field problems and recommending corrective actions for facility operations and maintenance. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-11).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.