Announcement Type
TARP - Direct-Hire Authority (DHA)
Position Type
Permanent
USACE Organization
North Atlantic Division (NAD) - New England District
Locations (City, State)
Chicopee, MA
Position Overview/Duties
This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) solicitation using the DHA for Certain Personnel of the DoD, Section 9905 to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service.
As a Project Engineer, you will be responsible for the quality assurance and construction management of military, civil works, and environmental projects. Working under the general direction of the Resident Engineer, you will have a high level of independence in planning and executing projects, resolving technical challenges, and ensuring work conforms to contract requirements.
Your Responsibilities Will Include
Quality Assurance: Implementing the government's Quality Assurance (QA) program, conducting QA/QC coordination meetings, and assessing contractor performance through daily field surveillance. Y ou will review contractor submittals, shop drawings, and quality control plans to ensure compliance with contract documents.
Construction Management: Performing contract administration in accordance with USACE policies. You will assist in preparing Project Management Plans (PMPs), determine the need for contract modifications, prepare cost estimates, and participate in negotiations. You will also review and approve contractor payment requests.
Field Engineering: Applying your knowledge of construction practices to assess the quality of work, investigate on-site problems, and develop solutions. You will make immediate field decisions to clarify contract requirements and ensure projects proceed without delay.
Safety Oversight: Maintaining continual surveillance over construction operations to ensure a safe work environment for all contractor and government personnel, in accordance with the USACE Safety and Health Requirements Manual (EM 385-1-1).
Minimum Education Requirement
All Professional Engineering Positions, 08XX
- 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:
- 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.
- Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 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.
- 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.
- 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.)
Note: An applicant who meets the basic requirements as specified in A or B above, except as noted under B.1., may qualify for positions in any branch of engineering unless selective factors indicate otherwise.
Additional information can be found here: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/general-engineering-series-0801/
Architecture Series, 0808
- Degree: architecture; or related field that included 60 semester hours of course work in architecture or related disciplines of which at least (1) 30 semester hours were in architectural design, and (2) 6 semester hours were in each of the following: structural technology, properties of materials and methods of construction, and environmental control systems.
- or-
- Combination of education and experience -- college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the arts and sciences underlying professional architecture, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the architectural principles, methods, and techniques and their applications to the design and construction or improvement of buildings. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by at least one of the following:
- Related Curriculum: Degree in architectural engineering may be accepted as satisfying in full the basic requirements, provided the completed course work in architectural engineering provided knowledge, skills, and abilities substantially equivalent to those provided in the courses specified in paragraph A. The curriculum for a degree in either architecture or architectural engineering covers function, esthetics, site, structure, economics, mechanical-electrical, and other engineering problems related to the design and construction of buildings primarily (but not exclusively) intended to house human activities. The courses required for a degree in architecture generally place emphasis upon planning, esthetics, and materials and methods of construction, while the courses for an architectural engineering degree place equal or greater weight on the technical engineering aspects such as structural systems, mechanical systems, and the properties of materials. Because of this difference in emphasis, persons with degrees in architecture may have a preference for work assignments that offer greater opportunities for them to express their artistic and creative abilities. As a result, they may be more concerned with planning and design aspects of architecture, and persons with degrees in architectural engineering may be more engaged in aspects emphasizing technical engineering considerations.
- Experience: An applicant lacking a degree in architecture must have had 1 year of experience in an architect's office or in architectural work for each year short of graduation from a program of study in architecture. In the absence of college courses, 5 years of such experience is required. This experience must have demonstrated that the applicant has acquired a thorough knowledge of the fundamental principles and theories of professional architecture.
Minimum Experience Requirement
Minimum Experience Requirement:
In addition to the education requirements above, you must also meet the experience requirements listed below.
GS-11: One year of specialized experience includes meeting ANY TWO OF THE FOLLOWING: 1) Prepare a variety of data and/or construction daily reports on financial and schedule status; 2) maintain continual surveillance to prevent any potential hazardous conditions at the construction project sites; 3) manage all phases of the construction process including final completion and/or turnover of projects to the customer; or 4) Assist in the review contractor submittals including shop drawings, samples, and/or data for compliance with contract documents.This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09).
GS-12: One year of specialized experience includes meeting ANY TWO OF THE FOLLOWING: 1) Review contractor submittals including shop drawings, samples, data for compliance with contract documents; 2) resolve controversial problems to ensure that schedule, budget, environmental regulations and management objectives are met; 3) review construction drawing and specifications for adequacy of design in order to recommend necessary changes or improvements; or 4) lead and instruct lower grade engineers or technicians of the organization in the execution of construction activities assigned to the resident office. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-11).
Other Conditions And Requirements
- Applications must be submitted after 12:01 AM (EST) of the posted Job Posting Open Date and before 11:45 PM (EST) of the posted Job Posting Close Date to receive consideration.
- All positions require the applicant to be a citizen of the United States.
- Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, are required to register for Selective Service prior to appointment.
- A trial or probationary period may be required.
- Direct deposit of pay is required.
- Hiring incentives such as a recruitment/relocation bonus, service credit for leave, and student loan repayment may be authorized (subject to available budget).
- Relocation (PCS) expenses may be authorized (subject to available budget) if the selecting official determines the relocation is in the best interests of the government.
- Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
- Must be able to obtain and maintain a valid state driver's license within 30 days of employment.
- Must have or be able to obtain certification as a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) within 24 months of employment.
- Travel up to 25% of the time to work at construction locations may be required.
- This position may require completion of HTRW (Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste) training and enrollment in a medical surveillance program.
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is required to be worn when at a construction site.
- The incumbent is required to file an OGE Form 450, Financial Disclosure Report upon entering on duty in this position and annually thereafter.
- Multiple selections can be made from this announcement.
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor
To learn more, please visit the Office of Equal Opportunity (https://www.eeoc.gov/federal-sector/federal-employees-job-applicants).
Qualifications - Candidates will be evaluated in accordance with OPM General Schedule (GS) Qualification Standards or Federal Wage System (FWS) Qualifications and Job Elements
GS Standards: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/
Reasonable Accommodation
Reasonable accommodation is available to qualified employees with disabilities. You can request a reasonable accommodation at any time during the application process, hiring process or while on the job. Requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
