Duties

Summary

This position is located in the United States Department of Labor (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Directorate of Standards and Guidance (DSG). DSG is responsible for developing workplace safety standards, regulations, and guidance documents as well as standards to protect employees from exposure to toxic and carcinogenic substances, harmful physical agents, biological hazards and other health hazards

- This position is inside the Bargaining Unit.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

Major duties for this position include but are not limited to, the following:

• Assists in development of criteria for assuring compliance with safety standards and for assuring uniform application of safety and general industry standards. Reviews and evaluates national consensus standards and other Federal agency standards to ensure that they provide the greatest protection for employees.
• Serves as a project team member for safety standards and guidance development and modificationw within the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the broad areas of maritime, agricultural, fire protection, hazardous waste operations, flammable liquids, explosives, fall protection, confined spaces, process safety, mechanical and electrical hazards, personal protective equipment, and related general industry operations.
• Serves as a project team member in the preparation of new and the revision of existing standards and guidance documents for general industry; as technical conditions change and old standards become obsolete, analyzes the most complex and unique new technologies, work processes, and working conditions and recommends additions, deletions, and modifications to safety standards and guidance.
• Assists with field studies and research activities; researches and reviews technical literature, including research reports, symposium papers, trade books, laboratory reports, and working papers.
• Reviews and evaluates national consensus standards and other Federal agency standards to ensure that they provide the greatest protection for employees.
• Develops criteria for assuring compliance with safety standards and for assuring uniform application of safety and general industry standards.
• Studies proposed major abatement plans and agreements that involve complex and unique safety engineering issues involving the control of hazards, the progress of their implementation for adequacy of technical solutions to compliance problems, and the effective establishment of schedules.
• Researches and provides information on new safety engineering methods or approaches for conducting investigations and studies for use in updating OSHA field operations directives; provide technical review of directives, reports, and other National Office publications that relate to general industry safety engineering problems.
• Participates in field studies and research activities; researches and reviews technical literature, including research reports, symposium papers, trade books, laboratory reports, and working papers.
• Responds to requests for technical information from OSHA personnel regarding unusual engineering safety problems not covered in standard procedures or readily available references; selects applicable data from computerized data files, professional journals, and technical reports.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Minimal travel may be required.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
12 - There is no obligation to provide future promotions to you if you are selected. Promotions are dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the need for an employee promoted to the higher level, and supervisory approval.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Appointment to this position may require a background investigation.
• Requires a probationary period if requirement has not been met.
• U.S. Citizenship.and Must be at least 16 years of age.
• Must be able to obtain/maintain a Public Trust-Nonsensitive clearance.
• Subject to pre-employment and random drug tests.

Applicants must meet all legal and regulatory requirements. Reference the "Required Documents" section for additional requirements.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by 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)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.)

In addition to meeting the basic education requirement, applicants must also meet the following Specialized Experience:

To qualify for the GS-11 position:

Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-09 . Specialized experience is defined as experience providing technical advice in assessing workplace safety hazards; writing documents or responses to inquiries in the field of occupational safety (such as maritime, agriculture, fire, hazardous waste, flammable liquids, explosives, fall protection, confined spaces, process safety, mechanical and electrical); and researching and providing responses to requests for information on occupational safety issues.

OR

3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.

OR

A Combination of Education and Experience.

To qualify for the GS-12 position:

Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-11. Specialized experience is defined as experience providing technical advice in assessing workplace safety hazards; writing documents or responses to inquiries in the field of occupational safety (such as maritime, agriculture, fire, hazardous waste, flammable liquids, explosives, fall protection, confined spaces, process safety, mechanical and electrical); researching and providing responses to requests for information on occupational safety issues, providing analyses and evaluations of engineering safety issues, and providing technical guidance, assistance, and advice to the industry on safety programs and special problems involving diverse high-hazard and high-safety-risk operations.

Education

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum course work requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Additional information

DOL seeks to attract and retain a high performing and diverse workforce in which employees' differences are respected and valued to better meet the varying needs of the diverse customers we serve. DOL fosters a diverse and inclusive work environment that promotes collaboration, flexibility and fairness so that all individuals are able to participate and contribute to their full potential.

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION , ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION , FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

Additional vacancies may be filled using this announcement, if authorized.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be evaluated against the evaluation factors below and will be placed into a category based on your vacancy question responses.

Categories

Category A (Best Qualified) - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and has successful experience in the same or similar job that has demonstrated superior proficiency in applying critical competencies required by this position to work of increased levels of difficulty and complexity.

Category B (Well Qualified) - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and demonstrates satisfactory proficiency in the critical competencies required by this position.

Category C (Qualified) - Meets the specialized experience described in the minimum qualifications requirements section of this announcement and demonstrates proficiency in the basic competencies.

Evaluation Factors (Competencies) - All qualified applicants will be evaluated on the following key competencies:

Writing: Recognizes or uses correct English grammar, punctuation, and spelling; communicates Information (for example, facts, ideas, or messages) in a succinct and organized manner; produces written Information, which may include technical material,that Is appropriate for the Intended audience.

Technical Competence: Uses knowledge that ls acquired through formal training or extensive on-the-job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues.

Problem Solving: Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.

Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

The information you provide may be verified by a review of your work experience and/or education, by checking references and through other means (ex. interview). The examining Human Resources Office (HRO) makes the final determination concerning applicant ratings. Your resume MUST provide sufficient information to substantiate your responses to the vacancy questions. If not, the HRO may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the level of competency indicated by the content of your resume. Your evaluation may also include a review by a Human Resources Specialist or panel and may include other assessments (ex. interview, panel review, written test, writing sample, etc.)

INFORMATION FOR ICTAP/CTAP ELIGIBLES ONLY: If you are eligible for special priority selection under ICTAP/CTAP, you must be well-qualified for the position to receive consideration. ICTAP/CTAP eligibles who are placed into Category B or higher will be considered "well-qualified".

Click Application of Veterans Preference for Category Rating Jobs for more information.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
Yes

Required Documents

The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date. You are not required to submit a document if it does not apply to you. Warning: If you submit a document using the same document title, the 2nd submission will OVERWRITE the 1st submission. Also, do not upload password protected documents.

- Veterans Documents (if applicable): To be considered as a 5-point preference eligible, you must submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, DD214. Your DD-214 must show the type of discharge and dates of active duty. To claim 10-point preference, you must submit a copy of your DD214; an Application for 10-point Veteran's Preference, SF15; and the proof of entitlement of this preference which is normally an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability. (For active duty service members expecting honorable or general discharge or release within 120 days, click Active Duty ). Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran's preference. For more information, go to: http://www.fedshirevets.gov/hire/hrp/vetguide/index.aspx

- A writing sample is required during application submission (such as an academic research, policy or decision paper, etc).

- Displaced Employee Placement Documents - Only required if requesting priority consideration under CTAP or ICTAP eligibility.

- Cover Letters are not mandatory and will not be used to verify experience, but may be submitted

- Unofficial Transcript(s) (in English) - submit if using education as a basis for qualifying for this position. If so, you must submit all applicable academic transcripts demonstrating that you meet the qualifying educational requirements (ex. BA/BS, MA, JD, PHD, etc). If specific course work is required to qualify, you must supply transcripts from each academic institution in which the required courses were taken in order to receive credit.

You may upload your transcript(s) as one document (3 MB size limit). If over 3 MB, please submit via fax feature.

OFFICIAL Transcripts MUST BE RECEIVED prior to selection and report date. Reference the "Education Section" for College Transcript and Evaluation of Foreign Education.

Applicants selected for employment who are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship , and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.