This position is in Pittsburgh Safety and Health Technology Center and serves as Chief of the Ventilation Division. The Division provides expert engineering and technical support services in the field of mine ventilation, including methane and air contaminants control, and helps through field surveys and technical consultation to stakeholders in the evaluation and providing recommendations for improvement of mine ventilation systems. This position is OUTSIDE the bargaining unit.

Duties

Directs and participates in the Division's field, laboratory, and other activities including field investigations involving underground ventilation systems and equipment and development of ventilation systems for the mining industry. Keeps abreast of developments in methods and systems applicable to ventilating underground mines through training and contacts with the mining industry, manufacturers, and research organizations, and through attendance at conferences and seminars where Division related topics are discussed. Provides consulting and advisory services of a complex nature to MSHA, the mining and tunneling industries, universities, and other government agencies. Serves as a member on MSHA technical committees which review existing and/or develop new policies and standards related to the Division's work. Conducts talks and presentations before national or international audiences composed of recognized authorities in the Division's area of responsibility. Reviews drafts of technical papers, evaluates current and proposed research projects, and suggests area of research necessary to improve occupational safety and health in the nation's mining and tunneling industries. Produces technical and professional papers in his/her area of expertise which are used within MSHA as well as other government agencies, the mining industry, and professional organizations. Incumbent serves as Technical Support's representative in charge of ventilation activities and works with the Mine Emergency Operations Manager as a key-official on-site during rescue and recovery operations. Incumbent provides expert advice and counsel relative to mine ventilation in rescue and recovery operations and reviews the technical details of rescue and recovery plans, working with mining officials, enforcement, other government agencies, etc., to ensure the health and safety of rescue and/or recovery personnel. Responsible for the interpretation of investigations conducted in the Division and evaluating the usefulness of the information in solving problems at hand. The incumbent supervises and directs a group of engineers investigating ventilation systems and equipment related to the Division's area of responsibility as well as providing services to other safety and health organizations and the mining industry, including mine emergency operations. Evaluates subordinates' performance, approves appointments, promotions, awards, and disciplinary actions. Hears and resolves formal and informal complaints from employees. Effects disciplinary measures such as warnings, reprimands, and suspensions. Responsible for being knowledgeable about management's role and responsibilities in labor management relations. Instructs employees on safety requirements for job assignments, reviewing and reporting incidents in accordance with MSHA and Office of Employee's Compensation procedures, initiating corrective measures for any violations of OSHA standards, and periodically inspecting the workplace. Supports the Equal Opportunity Program in day-to-day activities.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Must be at least 16 years old.
• Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.
• Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Subject to financial disclosure requirements.
• Requires medical exam and must maintain physical requirements.
• Requires a supervisory probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Requires a valid driver's license.

Qualifications

In addition to the basic education requirement (see Education), applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-13, in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the candidate with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position being filled. Specialized experience for this position is defined as providing professional engineering and technical support services in the field of mine ventilation and the improvement of mine ventilation systems. Examples of specialized experience include: Demonstrated experience in applying analytical evaluation methods and techniques in developing new procedures and approaches to identify and resolve significant issues and problems of a unique nature; Working knowledge of ventilation engineering related to underground mine and plant ventilation, ventilation software, and gas detection methods; Experience providing significant and innovative recommendations for advancing programs and/or methods; Working experience conducting reviews of MSHA actions related to fatal accidents, accident investigations, and field investigations where mine ventilation is a factor; Demonstrated effective written and oral communication skills utilizing Microsoft Office Applications (excel; word; outlook; power point) and Adobe to draft, finalize and present reports and presentations; Experience utilizing various software and tools to design, model, simulate and visualize computer models of mine ventilation systems; and/or, Experience applying the requirements of the Mine Act; Title 30 of the Code of Federal Regulations; and MSHA's policies, procedures; guidelines; and standards relative to the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977. Applicants must meet 6 or the 7 bullets to meet the specialized experience.

Education

Basic Requirement or Individual Occupational Requirement:

A. Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by 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, 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 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 bachelor's 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.).

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Transcripts must be in English.

Contacts

• Address Mine Safety and Health Administration 200 Constitution Avenue NW Washington, DC 20210 US
• Name: Karen Goulet
• Phone: 214 909-8870
• Email: [email protected]