National Park Service
Civil Engineer (Direct Hire Authority)_
National Park Service, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, United States, 37738
Summary This position is a Term appointment in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in the Facility Management Division. This is a term position (more than 1 year) with an initial appointment to last at least 13 months but may be extended up to a total of 10-years. Term positions do not convey permanent status in the Federal service. Open to the first 100 applicants or until 09/06/2024 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration. Responsibilities Major Duties: Performs engineering analyses and develops designs for a variety of projects to construct, expand, rehabilitate and/or repurpose existing and/or new structures and facilities to include bridges, roads, buildings, culverts, water and wastewater systems, and other public works systems. Prepares and reviews technical documentation such as technical memorandums and reports, engineering study analyses and results, operating procedures, emergency action plans and exercises, specifications, solicitation packages, and construction cost estimates. Develops, monitors, and manages project plans by coordinating and communicating with other groups and offices; managing changes with external stakeholders and regulatory authorities; identifying and addressing issues prior to adverse impacts to the schedule and budget; and participating on and/or leading in-person technical teams. Uses computer assisted design and drafting (CADD) systems for design, drafting, and preparation of contract documents. Serve as a Contracting Officer Representative (COR) overseeing the execution of construction and design contracts. Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship required. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males. Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program. You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You must also submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. You may be required to complete training and operate a four-wheel drive vehicle. You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided. You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work. If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period. You will be required to complete a one-year trial period. You may be required to travel overnight away from home. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes. You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority. Qualifications Condition of Employment: Must be able to obtain and maintain a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) (Level 1) certification within one year of Entrance on Duty. All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-09/06/2024-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount qualified specialized experience. To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level, you must possess of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: Basic Requirement: Most possess this in addition to the additional experience below to qualify for the position. (A) A degree in 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. (MUST SUBMIT TRANSCRIPTS) -OR- Combination of education and experience -- college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and 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 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.) (MUST SUBMIT TRANSCRIPTS) In addition to the above, applicants must also possess the following: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least next lower grade level (GS-11). Examples of specialized experience include: Professional engineering experience in developing designs, studies, cost estimate, specifications and modifications for engineering projects (bridges, roads, buildings, culverts, water and wastewater systems, and other public works systems); performing field work including site investigations, data gathering, and inspections issuing corrective action for observed deficiencies, conducting surveillance activities and administering construction contracts; formulating and tracking budgets; and coordinating projects or agreements with external groups such as Federal and state agencies or private organizations. You must include hours worked per week. Volunteer Experience: 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. Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies. Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(2) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of their most recent Performance Rating, and a copy of their most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP/ICTAP eligible. If you are selected for Federal employment, you will be required to fill out a Declaration of Federal Employment, OF-306, prior to being appointed to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. Failing to answer all questions truthfully and completely or providing false statements on your application may be grounds for not hiring you, or for firing you after you begin work. Also, you may be punished by fine or imprisonment (U.S. Code, Title 18, section 1001). Education To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. Additional Information This notice is being issued to recruit personnel to occupations for which a severe shortage of candidates exists and/or a critical hiring need has been identified. To assist in filling these positions, OPM has granted agencies "Direct Hire Authority". A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR 575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive. A Relocation Incentive May Be Authorized for a Federal employee when the employee must move, as directed by the National Park Service (NPS) either through a management directed reassignment or selection for employment, to a different location at least 50 miles away from the one where his/her position of record held at time of selection is currently located, due to a need of the NPS. A relocation incentive is not the same as a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move and, as such, may be granted in conjunction with one another This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. Physical Demands: The work is typically performed in an office setting with no special physical demands. However, work may also be performed in the field which involves periods of walking, bending, climbing, or driving motor vehicles to worksites. The work may also involve some overnight travel for training, meetings, and site visits. Working Conditions: The work is usually performed in an office setting. However, work time may also be spent periodically visiting field sites. Field site visits are typically performed in either an outdoor setting subject to weather changes, diverse terrain, and safety hazards associated with working around complex features and/or construction, or an industrial setting subject to noise, fumes, and moving machinery. Both settings may require the use of personal protective equipment. Safety precautions and protocols are observed at all times and the incumbent complies with safety instructions and regulations and ensures individual and others' safety by promptly reporting unsafe acts, unsafe conditions, and accidents to the supervisor. The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.