Duties

Summary

This position is located in the National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service (NESDIS), Office of Satellite Products and Operations (OSPO), with two vacancies located in Suitland, MD.

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Responsibilities

Upon successful completion of the Recent Graduates Program and completion of their academic degree or Certificate program, individuals may be non-competitively converted to a Term position or permanent position in the Competitive Service.

NOAA is seeking bright, innovative, results-oriented individuals to join the Recent Graduates Program, which is an entry level program that targets individuals who have recently graduated from an accredited educational institution. Successful applicants will be placed in a dynamic-career development program. Throughout the program, you will participate in formal interactive training, job assignments and provided a mentor to develop competencies applicable to the target position.

This vacancy may be used to fill other Aerospace Engineer, ZP-0861-2 positions throughout NOAA. The position must be alike (e.g. within the same geographic locations, same grade/band and requires the same qualifications as indicated in this vacancy announcement).

*Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid. All travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting for duty in this position will be the sole responsibility of the selected employee.

*A one year trial period may be required.

*This position is not in the bargaining unit.

As an Aerospace Engineer you will perform the following duties:

• Monitor performance of spacecraft subsystems and maintain them such that the spacecraft perform nominally and science data customers receive valid science data, coordinate all spacecraft subsystem testing and calibration required to maintain data within required specifications, and analyze discrepancies to determine cause and fix action.
• Manage and maintain the spacecraft subsystem supporting environmental instruments providing data for the U.S. weather satellite system; and serve as primary point of contact on the environmental monitoring spacecraft subsystems.
• Provide technical direction to support contractors to accomplish tasks (e.g., special environmental measurement scheduling, spacecraft mass properties trending, configuration modifications, periodic reporting, ); and develop engineering procedures and operations crew training material regarding spacecraft subsystems and activities affecting them.
• Provide technical support in the design, construction and integration of satellite instrumentation; provide guidance on the development and feasibility of current and future technologies in areas infrared and microwave sensors; and manage programmatic and technical aspects of satellite systems studies.

These duties are described at the full performance level of the ZP-3, the 2 is developmental leading to such performance.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Up to 10% of domestic travel may be required.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
3 - If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you may be non-competitively promoted if you perform successfully and if recommended by management.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National to apply.
• Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
• Must be suitable for Federal employment.
• Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov)
• Must sign a Pathways Programs Participant Agreement.
• A minimum one year trial period will be required.

This position requires a Non-Sensitive Moderate Risk Security Clearance.

This position is being recruited with an opportunity for non-competitive conversion eligibility to a permanent OR term position upon completion of all Recent Graduate program requirements. Conversion is not mandatory nor guaranteed (see Other Information).

This position will be filled under the DOC Alternative Personnel System (CAPS). This system replaced the Federal GS pay plan and structure. Under CAPS, positions are classified by career, pay plan, and pay band.

The ZP-2 is equivalent to the GS-07/08/09/10. However, it's being advertised equivalent to the GS-09/10. This position will have promotion potential to the ZP-3.

The ZP-3 is equivalent to the GS-11/12.

* Applicants will be on a trial period for the duration of the appointment.

* Relocation/Moving expenses will not be authorized.

* Student Loan Repayment will not be authorized.

* This position is not in the bargaining unit.

College Transcript: Applicants must submit a copy of their college transcript that lists college courses, course title, and number of credit hours. If you have a future graduation date, you must provide a letter from the school registrars's office that includes the name of the student/applicant, the name of the school, and verification of your anticipated graduation date. The transcripts or letter must indicate that the degree has been conferred. You may submit an unofficial copy of the transcript at the initial phase of the application process, but an official certified copy must be received before you can report to duty.

Qualifying Education Institution: Any of the following educational institutions or curricula that have been accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy .

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: This position requires applicants to meet a Basic Education Requirement in addition to at least one year of specialized experience or a substitution of education for experience in order to be found minimally qualified. You MUST meet one of the following basic education 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

Superior Academic Achievement as demonstrated by a bachelor's degree in a related field from an accredited college or university with either:

a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 based on a 4.0 scale;

a 3.5 GPA based on a 4.0 scale for required courses completed in a major field of study during the last two years of undergraduate study;

class standing of upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision of the college;

membership in a national Scholastic Honor Society certified by the Association of College honor Societies, excluding freshman honor societies

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:

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

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.

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.

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.

Note: An applicant who meets the basic requirements as specified 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.

AND

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government.

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.

To qualify at the ZP-02 level or GS-07/09:

Specialized Experience: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicant must also possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZP-01 or GS-05 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following:

• Assisting in monitoring performance of spacecraft subsystems and subsystems supporting environmental instruments; and
• Assisting in calibrating and testing spacecraft subsystems.

OR

Substitution of Education:

OR

Combination of education and experience: A combination of education and experience as described above.

Note: Only graduate education in excess of two years is qualifying for combination.

To qualify at the ZP-3 or GS-11:
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicant must also possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZP-2 or equivalent to GS-9 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following:

• Monitoring performance of spacecraft subsystems and maintaining them to ensure valid science data is received by customers;
• Maintaining spacecraft subsystem supporting the environmental instruments providing data for the
  weather satellite system;
• Conducting spacecraft subsystem testing and calibration to maintain science data within specifications, and analyzing discrepancies/anomalies to determine cause and corrective action; and
• Providing technical support in the design, construction and integration of satellite instrumentation
  systems.

Education

Additional information

PROGRAM COMPLETION AND CONVERSION: Upon completion of the minimum 1-year career development program, Program participants may, at agency discretion, be non-competitively converted without a break in service, to a career or career conditional appointment. There is no guarantee for conversion.

To be eligible for conversion, Recent Graduates must:
• Successfully complete the developmental minimum one year period indentified.
• Demonstrate successful job performance.
• Meet the Office of Personnel Management's qualifications for the position to which the Recent Graduate will be converted.
• Complete 40 hours of formal interactive training within developmental period.
• Sign a Pathways Programs Participant Agreement upon appointment.
• Meet established goals outlined in the Recent Graduate's Individual Development Plan (IDP).
• Recommended by supervisor/manager for conversion to permanent OR term position.
NOAA participates in e-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Your resume, supporting documents and responses to the online questionnaire will be reviewed to determine if you meet eligibility and minimum qualification requirements. Veterans' preference applies to all selections made under the Pathways authority in accordance with CFR, Part 302.
To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

• Resume showing relevant experience; cover letter optional Your resume must indicate your citizenship and if you are registered for Selective Service if you are a male born after 12/31/59. Your resume must include information about your paid and nonpaid work experience related to this position including: job title, duration of employment (mm/dd/yy - mm/dd/yy), hours per week, duties and accomplishments, salary, and your education. For work in the Federal service, please include the grade level for the position/s. Your resume may be used to validate your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire.
• If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and you are claiming 5-points veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your Member 4 DD-214 stating disposition of discharge or character of service or other valid proof of eligibility (i.e., statement of service that shows service dates AND character of service). If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit an SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" plus the proof required by that form. For more information on veterans' preference see http://www.opm.gov/staffingPortal/Vetguide.asp#VeteransEmploymentAct1998 .
• Active Duty Service Members You must submit a statement of discharge/certification of release or an official written document from the armed forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions no later than 120 days from the date the announcement closes. Enlisted Record Briefs and military identification do NOT qualify as official documentation. If the appropriate information is not submitted to confirm the discharge status, dates of service, etc., you will not be considered for this job opportunity under Veteran Preference procedures. To gain access to your DD-214 online please visit http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records
• Education This position requires proof of higher education, you must submit an unofficial transcript or a letter from your college or university with your graduation date. NOTE: Students who anticipate graduating within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement may apply with submitted unofficial transcripts and enrollment verification. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities: Must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website. You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation by the closing date of the announcement will result in lost consideration.
• Superior Academic Achievement If claiming Superior Academic Achievement, you must submit a letter from the university/college with your class standing. It must be on the university/college letterhead OR a letter from the Scholastic Honor Society as proof of eligibility.
• Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) if applicable (see other information).

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.