This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) solicitation utilizing the DHA for Certain Personnel of the DoD Workforce to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service. About the Position: You will serve as senior construction specialist at the Resident Office, advising and coordinating field staff and contractors through planning operations, controlling quality of construction, gathering data for estimates, progress reporting, safety, and labor relations.

Duties

Coordinate field staff, contractors, and subcontractors through participation in planning operations, assuring adherence to policies and project criteria such as scheduling and budget constraints. Confer with contractors on work schedules, submission of shop drawings, materials, and/or questions arising during construction. Assist in negotiations for approval of acceptance of recommendations relating to changes in plans, schedules, substitution of materials construction requirements, etc. Direct the enforcement of contract provisions and the provisions of plans and specifications covering all assigned projects under construction. Relay information to Resident Engineer by reviewing reports and gathering data for reports concerning progress, construction delays, claims, accidents, injuries, etc.

Requirements

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• Appointment to this position is subject to a one-year probationary period unless the appointee has previously met the requirements as described in 5 CFR Part 315.
• This position requires pre-employment financial disclosure and annually thereafter in accordance with DoD Directive 5500-7-R.
• Project assignments may vary in length and location from the Area Office thus requiring Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves through Management Directed Reassignment.
• All Army personnel will comply with safety regulations, occupational safety and health standards, and other safety directives and orders.
• Appointment to this position is subject to a one-year probationary period unless the appointee has previously met the requirements as described in 5 CFR Part 315.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Basic Requirement for Civil Engineer/Mechanical Engineer/Electrical Engineer: A. Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree (or higher 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 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, or 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 A above. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program. 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 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. Basic Requirement for Architect: A. Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in architecture or in a related field that included 60 semester hours of course work in architecture or related disciplines of which at least (1) 30 semester hours were in architectural design, and (2) 6 semester hours were in each of the following: structural technology, properties of materials and methods of construction, and environmental control systems. OR B. Combination of Education and Experience: College-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the arts and sciences underlying professional architecture, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the architectural principles, methods, and techniques and their applications to the design and construction or improvement of buildings. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by at least one of the following: (1) Related Curriculum - Degree in architectural engineering provided the completed course work in architectural engineering provided knowledge, skills, and abilities substantially equivalent to those provided in the courses specified in statement A above, or (2) Experience: 1 year of experience in an architect's office or in architectural work for each year short of graduation from a program of study in architecture. In the absence of any college courses, 5 years of such experience is required. This experience must have demonstrated that you have acquired a thorough knowledge of the fundamental principles and theories of professional architecture. In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: GS-12 Specialized Experience: I have at least one year of specialized experience which includes: 1) maintaining liaison between contractor(s), main office, customers, and/or headquarters to ensure quality control of construction projects; 2) interpreting construction plans and/or specification to identify if changes are required due to conflicting field conditions; 3) inspecting construction projects; 4) overseeing contractors' to assure quality control operations to produce work in conformance with plans and specification; AND 5) preparing correspondence and/or reports relative to approval, contrast changes, payment estimates, modifications, etc. to customers and/or other agencies. This definition of specialized experience is typical work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-11). Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job/grade level, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted. In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below under "Education" Heading

Education

GS-07:
Specialized Experience: I have at least one year of specialized experience which includes: 1) assists in communications between contractor(s), main office, customers, and/or headquarters with quality control of construction projects; 2) assisting with the inspection of construction projects; AND 3) preparing correspondence and/or reports relative to approval, contrast changes, payment estimates, modifications, etc. for higher level review. This definition of specialized experience is typical work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-05).

OR

Education: One full year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: structural technology, properties of materials and methods of construction, and environmental control systems.

OR

Superior Academic Achievement. In order to be creditable under this provision, Superior Academic Achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled, such as that identified in Education above. Superior Academic Achievement is based on:
(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; OR
(2) Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) - Applicants must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on your 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 (b) 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 2 years of the curriculum.; OR
(3) Honor Society Membership - Applicants may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achshonor.org/).

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then
divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages.

GS-09:
Specialized Experience: I have at least one year of specialized experience which includes: 1) participating in communications between contractor(s), main office, customers, and/or headquarters to assist with quality control of construction projects; 2) assisting with the inspection of construction projects; AND 3) preparing correspondence and/or reports relative to approval, contrast changes, payment estimates, modifications, etc. for higher level review. This definition of specialized experience is typical work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-07).

OR

Two years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience:A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages.

GS-11:
Specialized Experience: I have at least one year of specialized experience which includes: 1) maintaining liaison between contractor(s), main office, customers, and/or headquarters to ensure quality control of construction projects; 2) interpreting construction plans and/or specification to identify if changes are required due to conflicting field conditions; 3) inspecting construction projects AND 4) preparing correspondence and/or reports relative to approval, contrast changes, payment estimates, modifications, etc. to customers and/or other agencies. This definition of specialized experience is typical work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09).

OR

Three years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in a field directly related to the duties of the position.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience:A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages.


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://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/

Contacts

• Address RD-W2SD03 US ARMY ENGINEER DISTRICT-NORFOLK DO NOT MAIL Norfolk, VA 23510 US
• Name: Army Applicant Help Desk