Electrical Engineer

Summary

This position is in the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO), Office of Design and Engineering (DE), Electrical Engineering Division (EE), which is the primary manager of U.S. diplomatic and consular properties overseas.

More information about OBO can be found in the following

More information about the office and division, where this position is located, can be found in the Other Information section of this announcement.

This job is open to

Duties

Collaborate with planning and design managers and OBO construction project executives on the planning, design, and construction of specific projects, ensuring that timely and accurate information is available to top management officials in OBO.

Provide professional advice on-site at various overseas posts to render technical assistance on engineering problems including new design work, redesign work, minor improvements, and analysis of a wide variety of malfunctioning equipment.

Serve as a Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), with responsibility for assisting the Contracting Officer in the administration of contracts for the design, construction, and testing of overseas facilities or support programs.

Travel to construction sites throughout the world, performing intermediate and final inspections of telecommunications, radio frequency and acoustical shielding, and sophisticated engineering capability or adequate construction capability.

Negotiate with the host countries to obtain commercial power and telecommunications services for new embassy compounds.

At the GS-13 level, the incumbent performs essentially the same duties as outlined above; however, the scope and complexity of assignments are of less responsibility and independence and receives closer than normal supervision.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

U.S. Citizenship is required.

Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.

Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.

Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit:

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the required qualification requirements, including education and any selective placement factors described below by the closing date of this announcement. If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript with your application.

Applicants MUST meet one of the following Basic Requirements, :

A. Bachelor’s or Higher Degree: The program must be (1) 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 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.

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 or higher 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.)

Notes:

1) Applicants who meets the Basic Requirements in A or B above, except as noted under B.1., may qualify for positions in any branch of engineering unless selective factors indicate otherwise;

2) Professional engineering experience required for grades GS-7 and above is defined as non-routine engineering work that required and was characterized by professional knowledge of engineering, professional ability to apply such knowledge to engineering

problems, and positive and continuing development of professional knowledge and ability;

3) To be considered, applicants MUST submit transcripts and copies of professional registration and/or licensure to verify Basic Requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

Applying for the GS-13:

IN ADDITION to the Basic Requirements above, you MUST also have 1 year of specialized experience that is related to the work of the position, is equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal service, and demonstrates the following:

Experience designing electrical distribution systems using traditional (utility, generators, etc.) and alternative (solar, battery energy storage systems, microgrid, etc.) sources, lighting, and/or telecommunications distribution systems.

Experience advising stakeholders on established electrical design criteria and specific design issues for diverse locations.

Applying for the GS-14:

IN ADDITION to the Basic Requirements above, you MUST also have 1 year of specialized experience that is related to the work of the position, is equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal service, and demonstrates the following:

Experience designing electrical distribution systems using traditional (utility, generators, etc.) and alternative (solar, battery energy storage systems, microgrid, etc.) sources, lighting, and/or telecommunications distribution systems.

Experience testing and troubleshooting electrical and/or telecommunications systems.

Experience advising stakeholders on established electrical design criteria and specific design issues for diverse locations.

Education

See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements, if applicable.

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. Click on the link for a list of recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials.

Additional information

For at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at or .

If eligible, telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval.

Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department for up to 240 days. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.

Office and Division Information (continued from Summary section):

The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) is the primary manager of U.S. diplomatic and consular properties overseas. OBO sets global priorities for the planning, acquisition, design, construction, operations, maintenance, and disposal of these properties. With an $85 billion portfolio and more than 280 locations worldwide, OBO’s secure, functional, and resilient facilities support U.S. foreign policy through advanced building technologies, sustainability, art, and culture.

To further its mission, the Office of Design and Engineering, Electrical Engineering Division, seeks to hire skilled electrical engineers. The Office of Design and Engineering provides design services that incorporate principles of physical and technical security, functional simplicity, spatial flexibility, and economic construction, while minimizing operation and maintenance costs. Our goal is to create facilities that reflect the values of the American people and meet the needs of diplomatic missions.

The Electrical Engineering Division serves U.S. citizens and diplomatic missions by delivering sustainable and resilient facilities. We engage with customers to provide innovative solutions for tomorrow’s challenges. As the hub of electrical engineering expertise, we embrace innovation and collaboration to support U.S. diplomatic missions worldwide.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Once the application process is complete, a review of your will be conducted and compared against your responses to the assessment questions to determine if you are qualified for this job. Note: Responses to questions that are not fully supported by the information in your resume may result in adjustments to your rating.

Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements, as described in the “Qualifications” section of this announcement, will be assigned to one of three quality categories:

Qualified - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate a basic level of the required competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) for the position.

Well Qualified - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate proficiency in some but not all of the required competencies (knowledge, skills, and abilities) for the position.

Highly Qualified - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must fully demonstrate proficiency in all of the required competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) for the position.

Highly Qualified applicants may be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies (knowledge, skills, and abilities) required for this position. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies:

Knowledge of electrical standards and codes in order to perform inspections.

Knowledge of design and construction codes and standards in order to effectively manage projects.

Ability to design and lay out electrical systems.

Ability to design and lay out telecommunications cabling systems.

Ability to communicate orally and in writing.

Veterans: Qualified veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% are listed in the Highly Qualified category,except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level, or higher. This position is considered scientific/professional. Other 10-point preference eligible and veterans with 5-point preference who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements are placed above non-preference eligible applicants within the category in which they qualify. View information on on OPM’s Fed Hire Vets website.

Agency and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP and ICTAP) Eligibles: If you have never been a Federal employee, you are not CTAP or ICTAP eligible. View information about on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. You must be rated in the Well-Qualified category for this position and submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this job announcement to receive consideration for selection priority.

You may for this vacancy.

Required Documents

All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to our automated system by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

1. Resume showing relevant work/volunteer experience, education and training. Include the start and end dates (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours per week worked/volunteered. Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must support your answers to the completed online assessment questions.

2. Transcripts, if applicable and you are qualifying based on education. See the Qualification and Education sections of this announcement for more information. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment. REMOVE IF NOT APPLICABLE FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENT AND ADJUST NUMBERING]

3. Other Qualification Documentation (e.g. certificates, certifications, etc.), if applicable. See the Qualification section of this announcement for more information.

4. Veterans' Preference Documentation, if applicable:

To claim 5-point preference, submit a copy of your DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty.

To claim 10-point preference, submit all required documentation outlined on the to support your claim (e.g., DD-214, official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs, etc.). If we cannot verify your 10-point preference claim, your application will be reviewed for 5-point preference.

To claim 10-point derived preference (i.e., spouses, widows, widowers or mothers of veterans), submit a completed and all required documentation listed on the SF-15 to support your claim.

To claim 0-point Sole Survivorship preference, submit a copy of your DD-214 or another form of official documentation showing that your discharge or release from active duty occurred on or after August 29, 2008 and was based on a sole survivorship discharge.

For all preference claims:

DD-214 Member 4 copies are preferred and must show the dates of service, type of discharge, and any qualifying service campaign medals.

If you are currently on active duty and applying based on eligibility under the, you must provide a certification on letterhead from your military branch which contains your military service dates, expected date of discharge or release, and the character of service to show that your military service was performed under honorable