Join the team! This position is in the Division of Mechanical Engineering, Directorate for Laboratory Sciences, Office of Hazard Identification and Reduction. The Division is responsible for the mechanical, electrical, and thermal testing and evaluation of consumer productions that are under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

Duties

Serves as a mechanical engineer to evaluate various consumer products through physical testing and analysis.  The incumbent will design test fixtures and facilities for the evaluation of a wide variety of consumer products within Laboratory Sciences Mechanical (LSM) engineering division located in the Directorate for Laboratory Sciences (LS). This includes tasks that may be associated with combustion appliances and combustion gases such as camp and space heaters, portable generators, stoves, and carbon monoxide alarms; children’s products such as toys, cribs, and activity centers; recreational off-road vehicles (ROVs) and All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs); helmets and other consumer safety devices; pool drain equipment and circulation safety systems; and unique Product Safety Assessments (PSAs), etc. Duties also include the development of test programs for consumer products and new equipment; laboratory infrastructure upgrade, maintenance, and modification; preparing and executing project plans including resource estimation and other project management activities; Identifying and evaluating emerging hazards related to consumer products; designing and evaluating new test methods; and coordinating with standards development organizations to develop and maintain standards related to consumer products. Recommendations are prepared for the Division Director (DD) and Associate Executive Director (AED) of Laboratory Sciences for long range planning and budget projections to effectively utilize allocation of laboratory resources. LSM projects fall within the following areas:

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship Required.
• Background Investigation Required.
• Must meet education requirements.
• Must possess a valid State driver's license.

Qualifications

In addition to the mandatory education requirement, all applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the candidate with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:   GS-11: 1) performing routine engineering tests, evaluations and analyses, and developing reports based on findings; 2) designing and implementing engineering studies; and 3) applying knowledge of mechanical engineering principles, theories, and research to determine whether a consumer product is a hazard. Evidence of the above specialized experience must be supported by detailed documentation of duties performed in positions held.  Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific when describing your experience. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience or based on job titles alone.  If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. 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. Applicants must meet the qualifications for this position by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

Mandatory Education Requirement - All applicants must meet one of the following requirements to qualify:

Successful completion of a professional engineering degree from an accredited university or college.

OR

You must have a combination of college-level education or training, AND technical experience that furnished you with (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. Please review the OPM page on specifics about required curriculum and for more information on qualifications, please visit GS-0800: All professional Engineering Positions qualifications. Engineering Qualifications

In addition to meeting the basic education requirements indicated above, applicants must have specialized experience and/or directly related education in the amounts shown below:

GS-11: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related OR 1 year of specialized experience (as stated above) equivalent to a GS-9.

You MUST provide transcripts to support your educational claims. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable during the application process. Official transcripts will be required upon appointment.

All materials must be submitted by the closing date of this announcement.

All education claimed by applicants will be verified. 

Contacts

• Address CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION Consumer Product Safety Commission Office of Human Resources Management Room 523 4330 East West Highway Bethesda, Maryland 20814 United States
• Name: HR Specialist
• Phone: 301-504-7925
• Email: [email protected]