This position is located in the Vehicle Recorder Division, Office of Research and Engineering. The incumbent serves as a Interdisciplinary Engineer/Computer Scientist whose primary duties are in the readout and analysis of various recording devices recovered from vehicles involved in incidents or accidents. This is a full-time position.

Duties

IDEAL CANDIDATE STATEMENT: The ideal candidate is an aerospace, computer, electronics, or mechanical engineer or computer scientist interested in improving safety of the traveling public in a meaningful way through the challenges of working in a laboratory extracting data from a variety of vehicle recorders and other devices, documenting the results, and occasionally launching to accident sites to handle critical on-scene recorder recoveries. As an Interdisciplinary Engineer / Computer Scientist (Recorder Specialist) RECENT GRADUATES, GS-0801/0830/0854/0855/0861/1550-7, you will perform the following major duties: Recover data from various recording devices (also known as "black boxes") recovered from vehicles involved in transportation accidents. Participates in technical meetings and conferences, through papers, speeches, and committee memberships. At the GS-9 grade level, in addition to the duties at the lower grade level, typical duties include: Perform vehicle recorder investigations as a Group Chairperson in a technically competent and thorough manner. Assist in developing and testing new methods and technologies for use in the laboratory. Provide engineering advice to other investigative staff to aid in the recovery, analysis, or interpretation of data with supervision and mentoring from more senior staff.

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship
• Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service
• Resume and supporting documents (see "How to Apply" section.)
• Suitability for Federal employment
• Financial Interest in transportation enterprises will be evaluated on a case by case basis
• Bargaining Unit Position: YES - Bargaining Unit represented by NTSB-AFGE Local 2211
• Direct Deposit is required.
• A Trial period may be required.
• You may be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450, upon entering the position and annually.
• Non-Veterans must have completed, within the previous 2 years, a qualifying degree.
• Veterans must have completed, within the previous 6 years, a qualifying degree.
• If selection is made below the full performance level, promotion up to the full performance level may be made without further competition. However, promotions are not automatic or guaranteed and will depend on the performance and supervisor approval.
• Appointees must sign a Participant Agreement that sets forth expectations of the Pathways Program.

Qualifications

To receive consideration for vacancies, applicants must submit complete applications prior to the established cut-off date(s). An initial cut-off will take place February 15, 2023 to begin initial applicant consideration. Applications received after the initial cut-off date will be considered upon receipt of the next cut-off date of March 7, 2023. Eligibility: To be eligible for the Pathways Recent Graduates Program, you must: Be a recent graduate who has completed, within the last two years, a qualifying associate, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution. A veteran unable to apply within two years of receiving their degree, due to military service obligations, have up to six years after degree completion to apply. For more information on the Pathways Recent Graduate Program, please see link: https://www.opm.gov/about-us/careers-at-opm/students-recent-graduates/ To qualify for this position, you must meet both the Educational Requirements and the Minimum Qualifications for the grade level you are applying for as described below. For the GS-7 grade level: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is applying industry-accepted principles, techniques and practices of engineering or computer science to conduct analyses of recorded data, audio, or video; and ability to extract recorded data. OR 1 year of graduate-level education OR Superior Academic Achievement OR A combination of both experience and education. For the GS-9 grade level: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level. Specialized Experience is experience applying industry accepted principles, techniques and practices of engineering or computer science to conduct complex analyses of recorded data, audio, or video; Demonstrates mastery of engineering theories and methods sufficient to develop new procedures to address complex investigation scenarios. OR 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree. OR A combination of both experience and education. For more information see links: General Engineering Series 0801 (opm.gov); Mechanical Engineering Series 0830 (opm.gov); Computer Engineering Series 0854 (opm.gov) ; Electronics Engineering Series 0855 (opm.gov) ; Aerospace Engineering Series 0861 (opm.gov) ; Computer Science Series 1550 (opm.gov) Superior Academic Achievement: In order to be eligible for the Superior Academic Achievement (SAA), you must meet the following criteria:1. Class Standing: Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses.2. Grade-point average (GPA): Applicants must have a grade-point average of:3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2years of the curriculum.3. Honor Society Membership: Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. NOTE: IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your resume must clearly show the specialized experience and competencies related to this position. Failure to demonstrate how you possess the education, specialized experience and/or competencies will result in an "Ineligible" rating. ** Applications will be accepted from persons currently pursuing an applicable degree. Applicants must complete qualifying degree requirements no later than June 30, 2024. If selected, applicants must provide documentation (Official Transcript) of completed degree requirements by July 31, 2024. ** Applicants must meet all qualification requirements before appointment in the position.

Education

A. EDUCATION: A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree in 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 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 and 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)1, 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)2 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.)

OR

Bachelor's degree in computer science or bachelor's degree with 30 semester hours in a combination of mathematics, statistics, and computer science. At least 15 of the 30 semester hours must have included any combination of statistics and mathematics that included differential and integral calculus.


GENERAL EDUCATION: All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at an institution that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for it to be credited towards qualifications. For a list of schools that meet these criteria, see https://www.ed.gov/accreditation?src=rn. Applications submitted without the required supporting documents will not be accepted. An unofficial transcript; statement from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official; or equivalent documentation is acceptable at the time of application. Education submitted must be appropriately accredited by an accredited body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. For additional information, refer to the U.S. Department of Education web site at: http://www.ed.gov

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Contacts

• Address Office of Research and Engineering 490 L'Enfant Plaza East SW Washington, DC 20594 US
• Name: Human Resources Division
• Email: [email protected]