About the Position: Serve as Mechanical Engineering Specialist in the Technical Design Section with responsibility for the development of design, plans and specifications for complex mechanical systems, equipment and features of large civil works construction projects such as multi-purpose dams and river navigation structures.

Duties

Develops and coordinates design, contract plans and specifications, and design computations for complex mechanical systems and features or navigation locks and dams and flood control reservoirs. Prepares design studies, assessments, contract drawings, analysis, documentation reports, design calculations, technical specification provisions and labor and material estimates for mechanical engineering projects and equipment. Makes economic and design studies in connection with design and arrangement of all mechanical features of navigation and flood control structures, local protection work and other projects. Visits projects to render advice, discuss methods and outline instructions as to the requirements needed to meet the intent of the design and performance. Analyzes mechanical problems arising during construction/modification of projects, checks operation requirements to assure intent of design is met and makes preliminary inspection of mechanical installations. Investigates mechanical equipment heating including air conditioning systems upon request to determine reason or cause for malfunctioning of equipment or systems and recommends solution to problems. Conducts investigations for the improvement and efficiency of such features as gate hoisting machinery, filling and emptying valves, and gate operating machinery on navigation locks and dams and flood control reservoirs.

Requirements

• 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 has a Temporary Duty (TDY) or business travel requirement of 10% of the time.
• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• May be selected at any grade level with non-competitive promotion potential to target grade. Non-competitive promotion potential to the target grade based on time-in-grade requirements and demonstrated ability to perform the higher graded duties.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities. Current Department of Army Civilian EmployeesCurrent Department of Defense (DOD) Civilian Employee (non-Army)Interagency Career Transition Assistance PlanLand Management Workforce Flexibility ActMilitary Spouses, under Executive Order (E.O.) 13473Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician EligiblePriority Placement Program, DoD Military Spouse Preference (MSP) EligiblePriority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability RetirementPriority Placement Program, DoD Retained Grade Preference EligibleRe-employed AnnuitantReinstatementVeterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA) In order to qualify, you must meet the basic education requirement and specialized 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. In addition to meeting the basic education requirement listed in the education section to qualify for this position, you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: FOR GS-11: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes the understanding of advanced mechanical engineering principles in developing design plans and specifications; assist in developing designs of mechanical systems and features of civil works construction projects; and utilizing various forms of computer design software to accomplish assigned tasks. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09). OR Education: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as mechanical engineering. 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) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages. FOR GS-12: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes: applying advanced mechanical engineering principles to develop design plans and specifications for mechanical equipment and features of large civil works construction projects such as multi-purpose dams and river navigation structures; providing technical support and guidance to lower grade engineers; and drafting detailed technical correspondence. This definition of specialized experience is typical of 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 the grade (12) you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted. You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas: Communications and MediaDesignLeadershipMechanical Engineering Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent. To be referred, applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade and specialized experience requirements within 30 calendar days after the closing date of the announcement.

Education

Basic Requirement for Mechanical Engineer:
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
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.

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Contacts

• Address RE-W2SM04 US ARMY ENGINEER DISTRICT-PITTSBURGH DO NOT MAIL Pittsburgh, PA 15222 US
• Name: Army Applicant Help Desk