Skip to main content

This job has expired

General Engineer/Operations Research Analyst (Interdisciplinary)

Employer
USAJobs
Location
Arlington, Virginia
Closing date
May 1, 2019
TRAVEL REQUIRED:

25% or less - Position requires occasional travel up to 25% of time.


RELOCATION AUTHORIZED:
Relocation expenses reimbursed No


KEY REQUIREMENTS:
Help
  • You must possess U.S. Citizenship or be a U.S. National.
  • You must have reached the minimum age (18) at the time of application.
  • You must complete a favorable Background Investigation (BI).
  • Selective Service registration is required.
  • See additional "Conditions of Employment" and "Other Information" section
  • Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.

    Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.

    Conditions of Employment:

    • Must be able to obtain and maintain a DHS Acquisition COTR (Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative) Level I Certification within 18 months of appointment to this position.
    • Position will require physical access to security technology in an airport industrial environment containing a baggage handling conveyance system.  Must be able to climb ladders and wear personal protective equipment such as safety shoes and hard hat.
    • Must be able to stand for extended periods of time while observing screening activities. 
    • Must be able to lift 40 lb test articles. 
    • Position may require stooping, kneeling, and crawling to observe testing procedures.

    To qualify for the SV-I Pay Band (equivalent to GS-13), you must have one year of specialized experience at the SV-H or GS-12 in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience is defined as:

    • Applying engineering, or operations research, or mathematical knowledge and techniques to solve problems related to operational testing and evaluation and modeling and simulation; and
    • Identifying, recommending, and implementing strategies for technology testing in either laboratory or operational environments; and
    • Conducting studies to evaluate security technologies, processes, and policies for developing test methodologies for assessing system effectiveness and suitability.

    To qualify for the SV-J Pay Band (equivalent to GS-14), you must have one year of specialized experience at the SV-I or GS-13 in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience is defined as:

    • Applying engineering, operations research or mathematical knowledge and techniques to solve problems related to operational testing and evaluation, modeling and simulation; and
    • Planning, coordinating, and conducting projects and studies; and
    • Experience providing advice, guidance, and presenting briefings of analysis.

    Note: Credit for experience is given based on a 40-hour workweek. Part-time experience is credited on a part-time ratio, i.e., working 20 hours per week for two months equals one month of experience. No additional credit is given for overtime. 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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

    National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

    The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

    You must meet the qualification requirements for this position no later than the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

    Salary range listed includes Locality Pay of 29.32%.

    Basic Requirements for all Operations Research Positions:

    Basic Education Requirements: This position requires a degree in Operations Research; or at least 24 semester hours in a combination of operations research, mathematics, probability, statistics, mathematical logic, science, or subject-matter courses requiring substantial competence in college-level mathematics or statistics. At least 3 semester hours of the 24 semester hours must have been in calculus. You MUST provide transcript(s) or documentation with your application to verify that you meet the above basic requirements. 

    Basic Requirements for all Engineer Positions (must meet A or B):

    A. Bachelor's or higher 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 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: Current registration as a professional engineer 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 Engineer-in-Training (EIT) examination, or the written test required for professional registration, which is administered by the Boards of Engineering Examiners in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. Applicants who have passed the EIT examination and have completed all the requirements for either (a) a bachelor's degree in engineering technology (BET) from an accredited college of university that included 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences, or (b) a BET from a program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) may be rated eligible for certain engineering positions at GS-5. Eligibility is limited to positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of the engineering technology program. Applicants for positions that involve highly technical research, development, or similar functions requiring an advanced level of competence in basic science must meet the basic requirements in paragraph A. Because of the diversity in kind and quality of BET programs, graduates of other BET programs are required to complete at least 1 year of additional education or highly technical work experience of such nature as to provide reasonable assurance of the possession of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for professional engineering competence. The adequacy of this background must be demonstrated by passing the EIT examination.

    3. Specified academic courses: Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and in engineering that included the courses specified in the basic requirements. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of a professional engineering curriculum as described in paragraph A. 

    4. Related curriculum: Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in engineering technology or in an appropriate professional field, e.g., 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. (The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.)

    NOTE: You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your education claims. Refer to the Required Documents section of his announcement for details. All materials must be submitted by the vacancy announcement closing date. 

    Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are qualifying by education and/or you have education completed in a foreign college/university described above, it is your responsibility to provide transcripts and/or proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study. For instructions on where to upload these documents, see the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

    Eligibility to apply for other Federal positions: TSA is an Excepted Service agency exempt from most of Title 5 United States Code, including regulations which apply to displaced Federal employees (CTAP/ICTAP) of other agencies, and employment with TSA does not confer "Competitive Status" that generally results from selection and service in Competitive Service agencies.  The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has established an Interchange Agreement, which allows most permanent TSA employees to apply and be considered for vacancies in Competitive Service agencies.  Information from OPM on this or other Interchange Agreements is available at: http://www.opm.gov .

    To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy.  To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully pass a background investigation as a condition of placement into this position.  

    DHS uses E-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify including your rights and responsibilities.

    If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment.

    TSA employees who are absent for the purpose of performing military duty may apply for any vacancies announced in their absence.

    It is the policy of the Government not to deny employment simply because an individual has been unemployed or has had financial difficulties that have arisen through no fault of the individual.  Information about an individual’s employment experience will be used only to determine the person’s qualifications and to assess his or her relative level of knowledge, skills, and abilities.  Although an individual’s personal conduct may be relevant in any employment decision, including conduct during periods of unemployment or evidence of dishonesty in handling financial matters, financial difficulty that has arisen through no fault of the individual will generally not itself be the basis of an unfavorable suitability or fitness determination. For more information, click here .

    Payment of relocation expenses (Permanent Change of Station) is not authorized.

    More than one position may be filled from this announcement.

    If you are entering TSA employment on an appointment without time limitations, you must serve a basic trial period unless you have already met the requirement.

    TSA policy requires verification of Selective Service registration for male applicants born after 12/31/59. For more information click here .

    View common definitions of terms found in this announcement.

    Veterans and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the documentation that is required, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.

    Read more

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

    You will be evaluated based on a comparison of the position requirements against the quality and extent of the experience and/or related education as reflected in your resume and supporting documentation.  You are encouraged to ensure work experiences clearly show possession of the competencies required for this position.  We will compare your resume and supporting documentation to your responses on the assessment questionnaire. If, after reviewing your resume and any supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your category placement may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job.

    Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Grouping procedures.  Under Category Grouping, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories:

    Best-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate high proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all Selective Placement Factors (SPF) as determined by the job analysis.

    Well-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrates acceptable proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all SPFs as determined by the job analysis.

    Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate basic proficiency in most of the critical competencies, including all SPFs as determined by the job analysis.

    If you are best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview.

    Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies that are relevant to the duties of this position and must be fully supported by information in your resume:

    • Knowledge of the principles, concepts, theories of a broad range of general engineer fields to solve complex engineering or technical problems related to operational test and evaluation and modeling and simulation.
    • Knowledge of rigorous methods of scientific inquiry and analysis to solve complex technical problems related to operational test and evaluation and modeling and simulation.
    • Ability to identify, develop, recommend, and implement strategies for technology or procedural testing in either laboratory or operational environments.
    • Ability to conduct studies to evaluate security technologies, processes, and policies; and to review, analyze and assess data obtained from various testing programs and other data sources to evaluate system effectiveness and suitability.
    • Ability to derive evaluation criteria in developing overall test methodologies.

    To preview questions please click here.

    Read more Security clearance Secret

    Drug test required No


    Get job alerts

    Create a job alert and receive personalized job recommendations straight to your inbox.

    Create alert