General Engineer

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a United States Citizen.
• This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
• See “Other Information” section regarding Selective Service requirements

Basic Requirements

Degree: professional 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.

Click here for information on alternate methods of qualifying without a professional degree in engineering.

For combination of education and experience, click here.

Qualifications
You must meet all the qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the announcement. You may review the qualification requirements here.

Specialized Experience RequirementsA qualified candidate’s online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as:GS-13: performing work characterized by many, varied complex features due to the breadth, diversity, or intensity of assignments; adapting, modifying or making compromises with standard guides, precedents, methods and techniques; planning and conducting work for which precedent data, criteria, methods, or techniques are significantly inadequate, are controversial or contain critical gaps; developing new features, in addition to improving, extending, or validating currently known precedents, data, methods, or techniques; and/or performing staff advisory, consulting, and reviewing services for an engineering organization.

Your application and resume should demonstrate that you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). Do not provide a separate narrative written statement. Rather, you must describe in your application how your past work experience demonstrates that you possess the KSAs identified below. Cite specific examples of employment or experience contained in your resume and describe how this experience has prepared you to successfully perform the duties of this position. DO NOT write “see resume” in your application!

1. Thorough and comprehensive knowledge of power transmission system engineering concepts, principles and practices to be able to serve as an expert on all aspect of operations, maintenance and project management activities.
2. Through and comprehensive knowledge of the policies, laws, regulations, procedures, and methods applicable to Western’s electrical operations, maintenance, construction, and engineering programs.
3. Thorough and comprehensive knowledge of the policies, laws, regulations, procedures, and methods applicable to Western’s electrical operations, maintenance, construction, and engineering programs.

“Experience” refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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.

CTAP/ICTAP candidates: To be considered “well qualified” you must meet all of the requirements as described in this section.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

This vacancy specifically states that certain educational requirements must be met (also known as a “positive educational requirement”), you must provide transcripts supporting any education claims in your application. Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website.

Additional information

• More than one selection may be made from this vacancy announcement.
• Some positions may require completion of a probationary period of up to 1 (one) year.
• All males born after December 31, 1959 must abide by laws regarding Selective Service registration. To learn more about this law, visit the Selective Service web page, Who Must Register. If you are not registered and don’t have an approved exemption, you will not be eligible for employment with the Federal government.
• If selected for this position, your appointment is contingent upon completion of OF-306, Declaration for Federal Employment, during the pre-employment process.
• If selected, you will be required to complete a questionnaire and are subject to a criminal background check to determine suitability for Federal employment before appointment.
• The selectee for this position may be eligible to receive a recruitment or relocation incentive. You will need to sign an employment agreement to be eligible for this incentive.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

The Department of Energy uses an application tracking system to evaluate the responses you provide in the applicant assessment questionnaire to place you into an initial quality category via OPM’s Category Rating procedures. Then, the HR Office and/or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will conduct a quality review of your application and supporting documentation to ensure you have been placed into the appropriate quality category.

Your application is rated based on the extent and quality of your experience, education (when applicable), and training as described in your resume and applicant assessment. Your credentials are measured against the established duties of the position at the grade level(s) being advertised.

The quality categories are usually defined as “Best Qualified”, “Well Qualified”, and “Qualified”, although they may differ slightly based on individual agency policy.

If you are eligible for career transition assistance plans such as ICTAP or CTAP, you must meet the definition of “well qualified” which is defined as having a score of 85 or better.

If you are a Veteran Preference eligible candidate, you will be listed at the top of whichever quality category your rating places you in. CP/CPS veterans are placed at the top of the highest category for all positions except professional and scientific positions at GS-9 and higher.

If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses you provided in your online questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated ‘ineligible’, ‘not qualified’, or your score may be adjusted accordingly.

Required Documents