Mechanical Engineer

As a Mechanical Engineer you will perform the following duties:

• Synthesize mechanical engineering principles to develop and improve equipment used for marine research and environmental observations for the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL). Streamline the design of prototypes and manufacturable packages used in environmental observing systems. Study design approaches including load criteria and pressure ratings to identify practical engineering solutions.
• Standardize mechanical engineering work for oceanographic observing systems marine instrumentation moorings and buoy systems within the office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR). Supervise design structural analysis and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to evaluate equipment for harsh marine environments. Troubleshoot field equipment to produce reliable and maintainable mechanical assemblies.
• Sustain field operations and oceanographic research cruises to support the assembly and recovery of marine systems. Oversee the inspection and evaluation of engineering systems during remote operations. Specify design alternatives while coordinating with vessel operators and field teams.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

• This position requires the operation of a Federal motor vehicle. Secures and maintains a valid state drivers license to operate government and commercial vehicles for instrument deployment.

This position will be filled under the DOC Alternative Personnel System (CAPS). Under CAPS positions are classified by career pay plan and pay band. The ZP-3 is equivalent to the GS-11/12.

Key Requirements:

• Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
• Suitable for Federal employment as determined by background investigation.
• More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Additional Information.
• Must be registered for Selective Service if applicable ()
• Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
• If you are a Federal employee applying for a promotion (under merit promotion procedures) you must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

Additional Considerations:

• Three year probationary period may be required.*
• Payment of relocation expenses (PCS) is not authorized.
• This position requires a Low Risk Security Clearance.
• Background investigation will be required. Continued employment is subject to applicants successful completion of security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position for those required to serve a 1-year probationary period we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public determining if your employment advances the public interest we may consider:

• Your performance and conduct;
• Needs and interests of the agency;
• Whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• Whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of then Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification in writing that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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.

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: 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 0830 series:
EDUCATION:

A. Degree: Engineering: To be acceptable the curriculum must: (1) lead to a bachelors 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 professional 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 and 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 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.
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 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.)

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 or GS-11 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 or GS-09 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following:

• Supporting the design development testing or maintenance of observing systems or testing equipment used in laboratory field or ocean environments; and
• Applying mechanical engineering principles to develop and improve equipment used for scientific research.