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Summary As a general engineer you will join a Volpe team comprised of transportation professionals and you will lead or work on various transportation-related projects. You will be given a wide range of tasks and assignments utilizing your engineering and project management skills for the development, evaluation, and operation of transportation systems. This Direct Hire Public Notice will be used to build a list/inventory of applicants that may be referred as vacancies become available. Responsibilities As a General Engineer, you will: Perform duties involving basic principles of engineering and will work as a member or leader of a project team in one of Volpe’s engineering organizations. Project work varies by division, please visit the following site to learn more about our four technical areas: Air Traffic Systems and Operations - https://www.volpe.dot.gov/our-work/air-traffic-systems-and-operations Infrastructure Systems and Technology - https://www.volpe.dot.gov/our-work/infrastructure-systems-and-technology Policy, Planning, and Environment - https://www.volpe.dot.gov/our-work/policy-planning-and-environment Safety Management and Human Factors - https://www.volpe.dot.gov/our-work/safety-management-and-human-factors. Complexity of duties increases with experience and grade level. Major duties may include: Research, interpretation, design, testing, and analysis of transportation products, infrastructure, vehicles, structures, and systems. Extracting and processing data using a variety of equipment, instruments, computer software/ hardware, laboratory tests, mathematics, elementary algebra and geometry, basic statistics, and standard formulas of engineering-specific disciplines. Applying life-cycle project management skills to develop and manage the operation, scope, schedule, budget, and quality of assigned projects and deliverables. Articulating information through methods such as: fact sheets, technical reports, design documentation, discussions, meetings, and briefings or presentations to the project team as well as internal and external stakeholders including Volpe Center management, sponsor representatives, and representatives of other government agencies/industrial groups. Traveling to field sites for testing or assignments and performing other related duties, as appropriate. Areas of work may involve: connected and automated vehicle research, hardware/software/network architectures for transportation and safety systems, software development for cybersecurity/building policies, aviation or maritime systems engineering, applied mechanics, finite element analysis techniques, energy use reduction, fire safety/code compliance, occupational safety, transportation infrastructure improvements, automobile/rail crash-worthiness tests and simulation, or highway/transportation engineering (design, construction, materials, survey and mapping, and asset management). The ideal candidate for this position holds a degree in professional engineering and has a desire to manage complex transportation-related projects. Preferred engineering fields include: general, civil, mechanical, environmental, computer, software, electronics, electrical, systems, architectural, geomatics, construction/industrial, and engineering management. As a federal partner in advancing U.S. DOT initiatives, the Volpe Center draws on its multimodal, multidisciplinary expertise to support U.S. DOT’s priorities: Safety, Infrastructure, Innovation and Accountability. You must have superb analytical, communications, leadership, and problem-solving skills and be able to excel in a fast-paced environment. Volpe is committed to fostering an all-inclusive diverse workforce where employees feel valued for their unique backgrounds and qualities and have a sense of belonging and engagement in helping to advance transportation for the public good. PLEASE NOTE: This announcement establishes an open continuous (6 months) vacancy announcement. Given our continuing need for top professionals in this field, we will review applications on an as needed basis. Duty locations will vary. The difference in salary is determined by the locality pay in each location. Salaries for all areas are available on the OPM website at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2024/general-schedule/. 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: Varies by position and is determined by the hiring agency. If selected, a one-year or two-year probationary period may be required. POSITION SENSITIVITY AN RISK: Varies by position and will be based on the position to which appointed. SECURITY CLEARANCE: Varies by position. If applicable, you must be able to obtain and maintain the appropriate security clearance of the position to which appointed. BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: You may be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: Varies by position. If applicable, the applicant selected is required to submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) within 30 days of appointment and annually thereafter. Note: GS-13 and GS-14 hires will be required to submit an Annual Financial Disclosure Statement. PCS/RELOCATION/RECRUITMENT: Permanent Change of Station (PCS), Relocation, and Recruitment Incentive authorization varies by position/selection. GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: Travel will vary by position. If the position requires travel, a government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only. DRUG TEST: Varies by position. Some positions have been determined to be a critical safety/security position as defined in the Department of Transportation (DOT) Order, DOT 3910.1D entitled "Drug and Alcohol-Free Departmental Workplace." Therefore, if selected for a position that requires drug testing, you will be required to submit to a pre employment/pre-appointment drug test, you will also be subject to Random Drug Testing. REMOTE WORK: This position may be eligible for remote work, which does not require reporting to the agency worksite location on a regular basis. If selected for a remote work location, you will be required to sign a remote work agreement detailing agency remote work policy requirements, working conditions, and expectations for the position. Qualifications To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must (1) meet the Education Requirement for the series, (2) provide a copy of transcripts for verification, AND (3) meet either the education or experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration. To qualify for the GS-11 on Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-09 it must include: Applying engineering principles, knowledge, and practices to complete assigned project tasks. To qualify for the GS-11 on Education alone, you must have: 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. 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 on Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-11 it must include: Applying engineering principles, knowledge, and practices to manage project tasks. You cannot qualify on education at the GS-12 level; you must have experience. To qualify for the GS-13, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-12, it must include: Designing, implementing and managing engineering projects or significant tasks of major engineering projects. To qualify for the GS-14, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-13, it must include: Identifying and developing new business opportunities for an organization that provides technical services. Designing, implementing, and managing major engineering projects. 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: Knowledge of the concepts, principles, and theories of engineering and their practical applications. Knowledge of the principles, methods, or tools for developing, scheduling, coordinating, and managing projects and resources, including monitoring and inspecting costs, work, and contractor performance. Ability to understand and interpret written material, including technical material, rules, regulations, instructions, reports, charts, graphs, or tables; applies what is learned from written material to specific situations. Skilled in making clear and convincing oral presentations. Listens effectively; clarifies information as needed. Ability to use imagination to develop new insights into situations and applies new solutions to problems; designs new methods where established methods and procedures are not suitable or are unavailable. 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 All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Education MANDATORY EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: A. 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) 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). Additional Information This is a Direct Hire Public Notice for General Engineer positions and applicants may be referred as vacancies become available. This vacancy may be used by any DOT agency to fill similar positions within 90 days. Volpe is committed to fostering an all-inclusive diverse workforce where employees feel valued for their unique backgrounds and qualities and have a sense of belonging and engagement in helping to advance transportation for the public good. PLEASE NOTE: Current Volpe employees with duty stations other than Cambridge, MA may apply for this position and may remain in their current duty station, if selected. Salary will be adjusted in accordance with the locality pay of the specific area. Salaries for areas are available on the OPM website: General Schedule (opm.gov) The agency has the option of extending a term appointment up to the 4-year limit. This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. Qualified CTAP/ICTAP candidates receive priority and will be referred to the hiring manager.