Duties

Summary

This opportunity is also open to Status eligibles under Announcement 20-HUD-2143. Please refer to that announcement for details on open period, eligibility, and how to apply.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

As an Architect, you will:

• Serve as the preeminent federal authority on architectural standards for housing accessibility.
• Develop new architectural design approaches and standards under federal law, including Sections 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Architectural Barriers Act, and regulations and architectural standards promulgated under the authorities of these Acts.
• Formulate dimensional and other physical standards for accessibility by applying a mastery of architectural design principles and a sophisticated understanding of how persons with mobility, hearing, vision, cognitive, and other physical or mental impairments interact with the built residential environment, with and without the use of medical equipment and assistive technology.
• Serve as the national authority on technical standards for the architectural design and construction, renovation, remediation, adaptability and retrofit of multifamily housing and other residential facilities specialized for the delivery of services to persons with mobility, hearing, vision, cognitive, and other physical or mental impairments.
• Manage projects involving the application of federal accessibility standards in multifamily housing and other residential facilities through the collaboration with persons and teams representing widely diverse backgrounds, multidisciplinary interests, and often conflicting points of view, including architects, engineers, builders, developers, code officials, facility managers, attorneys, advocates and senior leadership of federal, state, and local agencies.
• Manage major projects involving large numbers of developments requiring architectural assessments at all stages of construction and post-occupancy use, including assessment of architectural plans, on-the-ground construction phase activities and post-occupancy retrofit options for the purpose of determining/achieving compliance with accessible design and construction requirements, utilizing a cross-disciplinary team of in-house and/or contracted accessible design specialists, architects, engineers, etc.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - 1 to 5 nights per month.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
15

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying.
• Please refer to "Conditions of Employment."

The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service . One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your resume.

This position is located in the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO). FHEO's mission is to create equal housing opportunities for all persons living in America by administering laws that prohibit discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, and familial status.

The official duty station for this position will be in Washington, DC. Failure to report to duty at this location may be grounds for a disciplinary action, including removal.

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Specialized Experience: For the GS-15, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes:

-Knowledge of architectural accessibility standards, including the American National Standards Institute A117.1 standards for buildings and facilities; Uniform Federal Accessibility Standard; Fair Housing Act Accessibility Guidelines; Americans with Disabilities Act and Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Standards. AND
-Experience leading an organization or team determining compliance on technical standards for the architectural design and construction, renovation, remediation, adaptability and retrofit of facilities that render services to persons with disabilities. AND
-Provided direction on architectural matters to Senior leaders regarding disability accessibility issues.

Education

The education generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Basic Requirements:

1.Degree: architecture; or related field that included 60 semester hours of course work in architecture or related disciplines of which at least (1) 30 semester hours were in architectural design, and (2) 6 semester hours were in each of the following: structural technology, properties of materials and methods of construction, and environmental control systems.
OR
2.Combination of education and experience -- college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the arts and sciences underlying professional architecture, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the architectural principles, methods, and techniques and their applications to the design and construction or improvement of buildings. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by at least one of the following:1.Related Curriculum: Degree in architectural engineering may be accepted as satisfying in full the basic requirements, provided the completed course work in architectural engineering provided knowledge, skills, and abilities substantially equivalent to those provided in the courses specified in paragraph A. The curriculum for a degree in either architecture or architectural engineering covers function, esthetics, site, structure, economics, mechanical-electrical, and other engineering problems related to the design and construction of buildings primarily (but not exclusively) intended to house human activities. The courses required for a degree in architecture generally place emphasis upon planning, esthetics, and materials and methods of construction, while the courses for an architectural engineering degree place equal or greater weight on the technical engineering aspects such as structural systems, mechanical systems, and the properties of materials. Because of this difference in emphasis, persons with degrees in architecture may have a preference for work assignments that offer greater opportunities for them to express their artistic and creative abilities. As a result, they may be more concerned with planning and design aspects of architecture, and persons with degrees in architectural engineering may be more engaged in aspects emphasizing technical engineering considerations.
2.Experience: An applicant lacking a degree in architecture must have had l year of experience in an architect's office or in architectural work for each year short of graduation from a program of study in architecture. In the absence of college courses, 5 years of such experience is required. This experience must have demonstrated that the applicant has acquired a thorough knowledge of the fundamental principles and theories of professional architecture.

Additional information

- We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
- Relocation expenses will not be paid.
- This is a non-bargaining unit position.
- This position is Exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
- Recruitment incentive may be offered.
- HUD offers alternative and flexible work schedules.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
- A one year probationary period may be required.
- Must successfully complete a background investigation.
- Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency
- If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
- Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
- Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
- Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
- Public Trust - Background Investigation will be required.

HUD employees are subject to a number of government-wide and HUD specific ethics laws and regulations, including restrictions on outside employment. To review applicable ethics rules, please visit https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/general_counsel/ethics

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Your application includes your résumé, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a "not qualified" determination.

Rating: Your application will be evaluated in the following areas: Technical, Communication, and Leadership. Category rating will be used to rank and select eligible candidates. If qualified, you will be assigned to one of three quality level categories: Best Qualified, Better Qualified, and Qualified (Good) depending on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, and training related to this position. Your rating may be lowered if your responses to the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.

Veterans' preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Preference-eligibles will be listed at the top of their assigned category and considered before non-preference-eligibles in that category.

Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview.

If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP )) you must be assigned the middle category or better to be rated as "well qualified" to receive special selection priority.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

A complete application includes 1. A resume, 2. Vacancy question responses, and 3. Submission of any required documents. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).

All applicants are required to submit a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.) To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your résumé. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your résumé to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view résumé tips .

VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: If you are claiming veterans preference, please see applicant guide for required documentation In order to be considered for veterans preference, you must submit all required documentation as outlined in the applicant guide .

CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP) OR INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP) DOCUMENTATION: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP/ICTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents.

EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION: For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected.

A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page.

If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.

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.