Duties

The primary duties of the engineer in the Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance fall into the following three overall categories :

Compliance Test Program

Investigations

Support of other Agency offices

In addition, you will also be responsible for performing numerous tasks associated with, and in support of these categories, in order to effectively enforce your assigned FMVSSs, including:

• Write and maintain detailed test procedures.
• Assure the program target test dates are met, test reports are timely, accurate, and in the proper format, and that all elements of the test program are of sufficient quality to be used for compliance investigations .
• Present investigation plans that are tailored to test failures or other indications of noncompliance.
• Provide technical and administrative support to facilitate the contracting and execution of complex engineering programs at contract test laboratories.
• Conduct relevant engineering analyses, using computer tools, film analysis, statistical methods, and other analytical tools deemed useful for the particular investigation.
• Make presentations to upper management, presenting all of the assembled data and making recommendations about how to proceed.
• Act as Enforcement's representative on teams that conduct research and/or rulemaking to amend existing standards and promulgate new FMVSS and Regulations.

The ideal candidate for this position is highly self-motivated, possesses sound engineering judgment, demonstrated knowledge and expertise in engineering, and significant expertise working in a testing environment, preferably in the automotive field or field of child passenger safety. The candidate should be capable of working cooperatively with other divisions within NHTSA and with organizations within the motor vehicle industry to accomplish the agency's goal of improved safety. The candidate should be detail oriented, well organized, and have strong writing skills. As part of their daily responsibilities, the candidate should be willing to complete intensive paperwork, occasionally handle stressful situations involving highly visible matters with significant public interest, and manage conflict situations tactfully.

PLEASE NOTE: Applicants may have to provide a writing sample, they've authored. Applicants may be asked to respond to one or more questions in writing during the interview.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen & meet specialized experience to qualify
• Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date
• Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
• Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

• SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
• PROBATIONARY PERIOD: Applicants may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).

Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the mandatory education requirements and specialized experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration.

To qualify for the GS-11, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equal or equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the following:

• Experience planning, initiating, and working on mechanical, electrical, and/or engineering programs.
• Experience conducting reviews, examinations, and testing of motor vehicles and equipment or other complex mechanical systems, and the evaluation and reporting of test results.

To qualify for the GS-11 on Education alone, you must have:

• Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree
• 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree
• A LL.M., if related

You can also qualify based on a combination of higher level graduate education and experience. This must be fully supported by your resume and transcripts, provided with your application.

To qualify for the GS-12, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equal or equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the following:

• Experience planning, initiating, and working on mechanical, electrical, and/or engineering programs.
• Experience conducting reviews, examinations and testing of motor vehicles and equipment or other complex mechanical systems, and the evaluation and reporting of test results.
• Experience writing and editing engineering test reports and test procedures.
• Experience conducting investigations, performing root cause analysis, and using various problem solving techniques.

You cannot qualify on education at this level, you must have experience.

To qualify for the GS-13, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equal or equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the following:

• Experience planning, initiating, and working on mechanical, electrical, and/or engineering programs related directly to the motor vehicle or motor vehicle equipment industries.
• Experience conducting reviews, examinations, and testing of motor vehicles and equipment, and the evaluation and reporting of test results, including experience writing and editing engineering test reports and test procedures.
• Experience conducting investigations including performing root cause analysis in the motor vehicle or motor vehicle equipment industries, and using various problem-solving techniques.
• Experience providing cradle-to-grave contractual support to enable execution of technical programs.

You cannot qualify on education at this level, you must have experience.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

Demonstrated knowledge and experience conducting reviews, examinations of testing of motor vehicles and equipment: or the testing of other complex electrical/mechanical systems and the evaluation and reporting of test results.

Ability to plan implement, manage and report on engineering test programs.

Ability to express technical ideas orally and in writing, including the ability to write and edit engineering test reports and test procedures.

Ability to set priorities, establish and meet deadlines

Knowledge of motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment with a special emphasis on Federal standards regulating motor vehicle seat belts and door locks.

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.

For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4

Students enrolled in a qualifying degree program can apply if the anticipated graduation date is within six months of closing date of the announcement. Graduation transcript must be received before start date.

Other applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

MANDATORY EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

All applicants must meet one of the following requirements to qualify for consideration for an engineering position:

A. Successful completion of a degree in engineering that: (1) has at least one program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET); or (2) that included differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced that first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials; (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials; 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 or training: college level education, training and/or technical experience that has 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), or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE).
2. Written Test - Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) 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 which included the courses as specified in Paragraph A above.
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 had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. There should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering type experience. This must be clearly described in your resume.

For more specifics, please see the OPM qualifications standard for GS-800: All Professional Engineering Positions qualifications at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/files/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf

Additional information

PLEASE NOTE:

• This is nota Bargaining unit position.

COVID VACCINATION: As required by Executive Order 14043 , Federal employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 regardless of the employee's duty location or work arrangement (e.g., telework, remote work, etc.), subject to such exceptions as required by law. If selected, you will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination by November 22, 2021 or before appointment or onboarding with the agency, if after November 22. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request of the agency a legally required exception from this requirement.

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.