Summary

This position is located in the Architect of the Capitol (AOC), Office of the Chief Engineer (OCE). The selected individual will serve as an Electrical Engineer providing experience in the design, installation, maintenance and repair of electrical and electronic systems for the AOC.

Duties

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The incumbent is a key member of a team of electrical engineers that performs calculations, development and design work, provides advice and guidance to project teams and facility managers, reviews and develops engineering studies, and acts as a project manager.

The duties are listed at a GS-13 level:

Duties:

Development and Design Work (35%)

Designs or oversees the development of unique or leading-edge technology or large scale/high value electrical system designs including power (15kV, 4160V, 277/480V and120/208V), lighting, grounding, lightning protection, emergency power, generators, uninterruptible power supplies, power monitoring, control systems, underground utility infrastructures, fiber optic and ethernet networks, RF systems, antennas, and other systems to support U.S. Congressional activities.

For in-house Design and Construction, develop concepts, perform design calculations and analyses, prepare final working drawings (CAD), specifications, procures engineering products and performs construction supervision, and coordination as required on each assigned project. This includes the ability to prepare CAD documents in AutoCAD.

As a task leader, reviews, oversees and directs the activities of associate architects and engineers for accuracy, technical competence and for fulfillment of required project objectives, as well as to ensure compliance with applicable national and local codes, Architect of the Capitol (AOC) Design Standards, industry standard design and construction criteria.

Advice and Guidance (20%)

Acts as an expert consultant on the most challenging problems in electrical and electronic engineering for the AOC.

Consults with management and planning personnel in preparing requirements and criteria for complex or high value projects for construction or modification of facilities, systems and equipment.

Prepares, revises and maintains criteria (AOC Design Standards and A/E Design Manual) of electrical systems and equipment.

Engineering Studies (15%)

Reviews, advises on, and conducts complex analysis and development studies in support of major organization programs, including analysis of novel, unprecedented, or controversial problems.

Completing lighting surveys and producing reports to analyze existing conditions and recommended changes to bring the system into compliance with AOC and industry standards.

Completing field investigations, schematic designs, and rough order of magnitude cost estimates to develop a design statement of work or to inform an in-house design on the recommended project approach and requirements.

Project Management (10%)

Works with the project team to determine project needs, goals and develop plans for accomplishing projects. Develops project scope of works (A/E task orders), prepares A/E fee estimates and assist in A/E contract negotiations.

Maintains familiarity with various types of requisition methods, such as, Invitation for Bid (IFB), Request For Proposal (RFP), GSA Schedule or Sole Source procurement. Assists with contract solicitation document preparation, holds pre-bid conferences, evaluates and provides technical analysis of proposals and bid documents.

Serves as a Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) for design on electrical projects.

Provides progress reports regularly through project management software and other reports.

Serves as technical expert regarding deviations from pre-approved schedule, budget and scope of work and serves as an authority and advisor to management, contractors and superintendent's office on project management activities in assigned area of responsibility.

Problem Resolution (10%)

Conduct complex investigations, analyses, research and tests to solve controversial problems raised by various clients, national events, and new technology.

Conduct investigation into switchgear or network outages to determine cause of outage and provide recommended changes to prevent issue from reoccurring.

Coordinating with other disciplines to devise creative solutions for providing power to areas with historic preservation requirements.

Monitoring, Testing and Commissioning (5%)

Serves as a technical electrical engineering specialist in the test, checkout, and readiness of systems or equipment that involve new concepts and new and varied problems to be solved.

Monitors and records all aspects of electrical distribution systems by working with electricians using portable metering devices, as well as the agency's power monitoring system.

Maintains Knowledge of Technical Developments in Electrical/Electronic Engineering (5%)

Maintains current knowledge of the electrical/electronic engineering field of specialty and applies specialized technical knowledge to recommend far-reaching improvements to all aspects of electrical engineering systems.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Your resume and question responses must demonstrate the job-related KSAs.
• You must meet the definition of specialized experience.
• You must be able to pass a drug test.

Management may select at any grade level for this position.

Qualifications

You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on the OPM web site at OPM classification standards

Specialized experience: is experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.

Candidates for the GS-13 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower GS-12 grade level in the Federal service.

Specialized experience for this position is defined as having experience:

(1) Providing expert advice regarding electrical and electronic aspects of design, operation, and mechanical systems and equipment; (2) Providing project management control (ex., scheduling, resources, trades) within the electrical discipline; (3) Serving as a Contracting Officer Technical Representative (COTR) or equivalent on assigned construction and consultant contracts; and (4) Serving as a professional electrical engineer to facilitate power quality studies, capacity studies, remediation, UPS and emergency power strategy, short circuit and load coordination studies and control system strategies.

Candidates for the GS-12 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower GS-11 grade level in the Federal service.

(1) Providing advice regarding electrical and electronic aspects of design, operation, and mechanical systems and equipment; (2) Providing project management control (ex., scheduling, resources, trades) within the electrical discipline; (3) Serving as a Contracting Officer Technical Representative (COTR) or equivalent on assigned construction and consultant contracts; and (4) Serving as a professional electrical engineer to facilitate power quality studies, capacity studies, remediation, UPS and emergency power strategy, short circuit and load coordination studies and control system strategies.

Candidates for the GS-11 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower GS-09 grade level in the Federal service.

(1) Providing advice regarding electrical and electronic aspects of design, operation, and mechanical systems and equipment; (2) Providing project management control (ex., scheduling, resources, trades) within the electrical discipline; (3) Serving as a Contracting Officer Technical Representative (COTR) or equivalent on assigned construction and consultant contracts; and (4) Serving as a professional electrical engineer to facilitate power quality studies, capacity studies, remediation, UPS and emergency power strategy, short circuit and load coordination studies and control system strategies.

Education

All Candidates must meet the following educational 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

1. 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)2 examination or any other written test required for professional

Special Instructions for Foreign Education:

Education completed outside of the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment.

Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part of foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree.

You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing if selected.

Additional information

Welcome Veterans. The Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) gives veterans' preference rights in the legislative branch to certain veterans as applied by the Congressional Accountability Act. Veterans' preference is applied on this vacancy announcement. If you are a veteran and have been separated under honorable conditions, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility; SF-15, if applicable; and Department of Veterans Affairs documentation of disability, if applicable. For more information, please visit OPM vet guide

If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System. If you are exempt from registration under Selective Service Law, you must provide appropriate proof of exemption. Please visit the Selective Service System website for more information.

DRUG TESTING: The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is a Drug Free Workplace. As part of the AOC's suitability assessment, a candidate tentatively selected for a position who is not currently an AOC employee is required to submit to screening for illegal drug use. Satisfactory completion of a drug test is a condition of employment with the Agency. A candidate must test negative prior to being eligible for appointment into a position. We will schedule, provide and cover the cost for the drug test.

The selectee(s) under the vacancy announcement for this position is subject to a criminal record check by the U.S. Capitol Police and satisfactory adjudication to be eligible for employment at the Architect of the Capitol.

The Architect of the Capitol is an E-VERIFY Participant. E-VERIFY is an Internet-based system that compares information from an employee's Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration records to confirm employment authorization in the United States. If you are selected for this position, the documentation that you present for purposes of completing the DHS Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-VERIFY" electronic system. For more information on E-Verify, please visit http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/gc_1185221678150.shtm

The Architect of the Capitol is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information and/or disability.

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Moving expenses are not authorized.

Relocation expenses are not authorized.

Probationary Period - A newly appointed selectee is subject to the completion of a one-year trial/probationary period, regardless of whether or not a trial/probationary period has been completed previously with the Architect of the Capitol or another Federal agency.

This vacancy announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies in any of the jurisdictions of the Architect of the Capitol.

All application materials become the property of the Architect of the Capitol.

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

A variety of health insurance plans; retirement system with investment options; paid holidays; paid sick and annual (vacation) leave; life insurance; incentive systems; subsidized transportation; training and development opportunities, etc.

The Architect of the Capitol offers eligible employees opportunity to participate in the Student Loan Repayment Program.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.