Electronics Engineer

Summary

This position is located with Bonneville Power Administration, in PSC Technical Services organization (JTT), Controls & Communications (JT), of Chief Information Office (J).

A successful candidate in the Electronics Engineer position will serve as an electronics engineer performing a wide range of professional engineering studies and assignments.

Duties

As an Electronics Engineer, you will:

• Independently perform atypical or highly difficult professional engineering studies and assignments within the subject-matter or functional area assigned.
• Determine the nature and extent of problems and the actions needed to resolve conflicting requirements and constraints.
• Develop or review designs, specifications, and cost estimates for control, protection, and telecommunications systems and facilities of the level of complexity and novelty.
• Plan and conduct assigned tests and energization of new protection, control, data acquisition, and communication equipment.
• Provide support for mission critical and mission essential transmission grid operations, 24x7, real-time control systems, data acquisition systems and Dispatcher decision-making support systems located at the system control centers.
• Resolve the many problems involved for a tailored combination of principles and practices of the functional or subject-matter area to which assigned.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answer to these questions is not scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration

When you apply you will be asked a series of questions to determine your eligibility for employment and your qualification for this position specifically. You must answer all of these questions completely and truthfully.

Key Requirements:

• You must be a United States Citizen.
• This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
• Males must abide by Selective Service registration requirements.
• You will be required to report in person to the official duty location.

Conditions of Employment:

• May be required to successfully complete a probationary period.
• A preliminary background check must be completed before a new employee can begin work. Current Federal employees or other individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check.

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENT:

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-

B. 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), or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. -OR-
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.-OR-
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.-OR-
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.)

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: GS-5: No specialized experience requirement at the GS-05 level. Applicants must meet the Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR) for the 0800 Series as described above.GS-07: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-05) in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: 1) applying basic engineering and mathematical formulas to perform standard computations and verify technical data; 2) supporting professional engineering projects by conducting routine literature and technical catalog searches to retrieve equipment details, standards, and data; AND 3) performing foundational engineering calculations, compiling data into visual formats (such as charts, tables, or graphs), and presenting summaries or research findings verbally and in writing to senior technical staff.

You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows:

• One year of graduate-level education, or superior academic achievement (S.A.A.) gained in a bachelor's degree curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled (based on class standing, grade-point average, or honor society membership). See the following link for more information: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=app -OR-
• Combination of education and experience as described above. Less than one year of specialized experience may be combined with completed graduate education.

GS-9: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-7 in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: 1) planning step-by-step work procedures and operational sequences to accomplish assigned engineering tasks; 2) performing standard engineering computations and analyzing basic technical data; AND 3) preparing technical documentation, such as preliminary engineering reports, charts, memoranda, or workflow procedures.

You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows:

• Two years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree, or master's, or equivalent graduate degree; your education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. -OR-
• Combination of education and experience as described above. Less than one year of specialized experience may be combined with graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level (i.e., credit hours beyond the first year of full-time study may be credited).

GS-11: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-9 in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: 1) applying standard engineering principles, practices, and established criteria to assist in the modification, testing, and troubleshooting of electronic protection, control, data acquisition, or communications equipment, or electronic components and circuitry; 2) assisting in the technical review of manufacturers' specifications, schematics, engineering drawings, and test data; AND 3) performing routine project support tasks, such as gathering field site data, preparing basic engineering documentation, and identifying maintenance and troubleshooting tasks.

You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows:

• Three years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree, or Ph.D., or equivalent doctoral degree; your education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. -OR-
• Combination of education and experience as described above. Less than one year of specialized experience may be combined with graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level (i.e., credit hours beyond the first two years of full-time study may be credited).

"Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

This vacancy has a positive education requirement. Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. See Department of Education Accreditation Search to verify school accreditation.

Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website.DO NOT email or mail in any of your application documents. Documents will not be accepted outside of the online application system.

In order to be rated as qualified, you must provide copies of your college transcripts. Failure to provide copies of your college transcripts may result in a rating of "Ineligible".

If substituting education for specialized experience you must submit proof of your qualifying education. Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. See Department of Education Accreditation Search to verify school accreditation.

Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website.DO NOT email or mail in any of your application documents. Documents will not be accepted outside of the online application system.

Failure to provide college transcripts may result in a rating of 'Ineligible'.

Additional information

• The salary is based on a Special Rate Table, Number 0754: https://apps.opm.gov/SpecialRates/
• This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across DOE