Duties

Summary

The ideal candidate will have apprentice (WG-08) or journeyman (WG-10) level skills in commercial and industrial electrical work and skills in high voltage (12 kilovolt) electrical work. This position starts at a salary of $26.27 (WG-08) and $29.23 (WG-10) with promotion potential to $30.73 (WG-11). Apply for this exciting opportunity to become a member of the Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center, Electric team within FEMA.

View common definitions of terms found in this announcement.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is calling on those who want to help protect American interests and secure our Nation. DHS Components work collectively to prevent terrorism; secure borders and our transportation systems; protect the President and other dignitaries; enforce and administer immigration laws; safeguard cyberspace; and ensure resilience to disasters. We achieve these vital missions through a diverse workforce spanning hundreds of occupations. Make an impact; join DHS.

When disaster strikes, America looks to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Now FEMA looks to you. Join our team and use your talent to support Americans in their times of greatest need. FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages Federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. We foster innovation, reward performance and creativity, and provide challenges on a routine basis with a well-skilled, knowledgeable, high performance workforce. Please visit www.fema.gov for additional information.

In this position, you will serve primarily as an electrician for installation, maintenance, and repair work. In addition, you will undergo training and perform certain high voltage (12 kilovolt) system maintenance and repairs with more senior personnel. Typical assignments include:

• Troubleshooting and repair of electrical wiring systems and associated fixtures, controls, equipment in industrial, commercial office, and residential buildings. Traces and repairs hard to locate defects or problems. Repairs or replaces a variety of electrical equipment including light fixtures
• Reading building plans, blueprints, wiring diagrams, engineering drawings, and electrical maintenance and repair manuals to install electrical lines, circuits, systems, equipment and controls.
• Installs various types of conduit with associated couplings, connectors, and straps, to include electrical metallic tubing (EMT), rigid, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), liquid tight flexible conduit, and wire mold. Pulls and terminates wire in all of the above. Wires and installs services distribution panels and disconnects, transformers, switches and receptacles.
• Interpret and apply the National Electrical Code, local codes, building plans, and use formulas to calculate common properties i.e. ohms law.

Promotion Potential: Future promotions will be dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the continuing need for an employee assigned to the higher level, and administrative approval.

All MWEOC staff have emergency assignments and are considered deployed in place. Exercises and activations are planned and unplanned, and may require long hours, nights, weekends and holidays.

All MWEOC employees are: (1) required to use a government-issued electronic device (to include cellular phones); (2) subject to recall during emergency situations; and (3) required to perform work in locations both above and below ground.

EMERGENCY ASSIGNMENT: Every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities, though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites. All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee's official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - This position may require minimal non-emergency travel up to 5%.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
11

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• You must successfully pass a background investigation.
• Selective Service registration required.
• You must be able to obtain and maintain a Government credit card.
• Please review "Other Information" section for additional key requirements.

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, successfully pass, and maintain a background investigation for Top Secret as a condition of placement into this position. This may include a credit check after initial job qualifications are determined, a review of financial issues, such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs (please visit: Mythbuster on Federal Hiring Policies for additional information). For more information on background investigations for Federal jobs please visit OPM Investigations .

Please ensure you meet the qualification requirements described below.

Qualifications

The qualification requirements listed below must be met within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualification Standard . Although a specific length of time and experience is not required for most trade and labor occupations, you must meet any screen-out element listed, and show through experience and training that you possess the quality level of knowledge and skill necessary to perform the duties of the position at the level for which you are applying. Qualification requirements emphasis is on the quality of experience, not necessarily the length of time.

Working Conditions: Works indoors and outdoors. Exposed to danger from explosions of equipment and cables in manholes and vaults, as well as danger from high voltage electrical shock, burns, broken bones, cuts, and bruises. Exposed to heat and noise when working in substations or power-generating facilities, to extremes of weather when working outdoors, and to unpleasant odors and wet slippery surfaces when working in manholes. Subject to electrical burns while working around high voltage electrical lines, broken bones from falls from poles, and strains from awkward work positions. Exposed to chemicals such as insulating oil from transformers and oil switches.

Physical Effort: Frequently performs moderately heavy lifting, pulling, and carrying of equipment and material weighing up to 40 pounds and occasionally, lifts or pulls heavy cables and equipment weighing more than 50 pounds with the help of weight handling equipment or with assistance from other workers. Work requires crouching, standing, kneeling, and stooping while installing, repairing, or testing electrical equipment in confined spaces such as enclosed switch gear, manholes, or in structures such as overhead bus and conduit assemblies.

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.

NOTE: Qualifications are based on breadth/level of experience. In addition to describing duties performed, applicants must provide exact dates of each period of employment (from MM/YY to MM/YY) and the number of hours worked per week if part time. As qualification determinations cannot be made when resumes do not include the required information, failure to provide this information may result in disqualification. Applicants are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to develop their federal resume. For a brief video on How to Create a Federal Resume, click here .

Current or former FEMA Reservists/DAE employees: To accurately credit your experience for these intermittent positions, make sure to list the dates (from MM/YY to MM/YY) of each deployment, along with the job title and specific duties you were responsible for during each deployment. Failure to provide this information may result in disqualification.

Education

Additional information

• This position has been identified as a Testing Designated Position (TDP) because of its security, public health, and/or public safety sensitivity, you are subject to random drug testing under FEMA's Drug-Free Workplace Plan (DWP). Refusal to be tested will result in disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service.
  
• 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.
• 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.
• This announcement may be used to fill one or more vacancies.
• A one year probationary period is required for new Federal competitive service employees and new supervisors and managers.
• If selected for this position, and you have not previously completed these requirements, you are subject to (1) completion of a 2 day onboarding program at your primary duty location; and, (2) completion of a subsequent, multiple day orientation program within 90-120 days of hire, at a location to be determined. Travel associated with the orientation portion of this requirement may be at FEMA's expense.
• The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR § 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR § 315.707. Veterans , Peace Corps / VISTA volunteers , 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 required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.
• Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.
• MEDICAL EXAMINATION: All selectees are required to pass a pre-employment medical examination provided at government expense.
• You are required at the WG-10 Level to obtain, possess, and maintain a valid journeyman level electrical license in their state of residence, or in the State of Virginia if selected for this position.
• This is a Bargaining Unit position.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

We will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the minimum qualification requirements. If you meet the minimum qualifications, we will use your responses to the job questionnaire to place you in one of three categories based on your experience, education, and training. The competencies or knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform this job are:

SCREEN OUT FACTOR:

Ability to do the work of the position without more than normal supervision.

JOB ELEMENTS

Knowledge of Electrical Equipment.

Theory of Instruments (Electrical, Electronic) Used in Shop and Trade Practices.

Technical Practices (theoretical, precise, artistic)

Ability to Use Electrical Drawings.

Ability to Use and Maintain Hand Tools (Electrical Work).

Trouble shooting (electrical).

If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be placed in one of the following 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), and appropriate Quality Ranking Factors (QRF) 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 SPF's and appropriate QRFs 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 and appropriate QRFs 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.

Veterans: Qualified veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% are listed in the best-qualified category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level, or higher. This position is not considered scientific/professional. Other 10-point preference eligibles and veterans with 5-point preference who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements are placed above non-preference eligibles within the category in which they qualify. View information on veterans' preference .

Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP/CTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not ICTAP/CTAP eligible. View information about ICTAP/CTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet eligibility criteria for CTAP or ICTAP; 2) be rated well-qualified for the position; and, 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility (see "Required Documents" section of this announcement). Well-Qualified is defined as those applicants whose experience clearly exceed the minimum qualification requirements for the position and demonstrates acceptable proficiency in all critical competencies, Selective Placement Factors and Quality Ranking Factors as determined by the job analysis

Interview Requirement. Interviews may be required for this position. Failure to complete the interview may result in removed from further consideration.


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Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Top Secret

Drug test required
Yes

Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk

Trust determination process
National security

Required Documents

Your resume.

Your responses to the job questionnaire - You will be directed to the online job questionnaire once you begin the application process for this position.

Are you a veteran? Submit Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) or notice form. Those applying for 10-Point preference may fill out the SF-15 and/or provide documentation that demonstrates preference eligibility. If applying based on eligibility under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must submit certification from the Armed Forces that you will be discharged or released from active duty within 120 days from the date on the certification. This must indicate your dates of service, your rank, and confirm that you will be separated under honorable conditions. View more veterans' information .

Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)? Submit:

• a copy of your agency notice,
• a copy of your most recent performance rating, and
• a copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, noting your current position, grade level, and duty location.

Are you a current or former federal employee? Submit a copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action that demonstrates your eligibility for consideration, e.g., length of time you have been in your current grade; your highest grade held; your current promotion potential and proof of permanent appointment if applying based on an interchange agreement. Examples of appropriate SF-50s include promotions, within-grade increases and accessions. (see Note 1).

Are you a current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee? Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:

• Position Title
• Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee)
• Agency
• Beginning and ending dates of appointment

Note 1: Examples of applicable SF-50's for submission include appointment, promotion, and with-in-grade/range increases - award SF-50's will not be accepted.

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.