Fire Protection Engineer

Summary

This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) solicitation utilizing the DHA for Certain Personnel in the DoD Workforce to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service.

About the Position: Developmental position at the GS-11 or GS-12 grade level. Serves as a Fire Protection Engineer, APG , DPW, Engineering Division, Design Branch. Job is based at APG and reviews and assesses Facilities and Infrastructure at APG and Adelphi, MD.

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Duties

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• At the full performance level, you will perform the following duties. Duties for the developmental position are performed under close supervision.
• Responsible for and the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) for all stages of the Project from initiation to completion.
• Project Manager (design team leader) to direct all fire protection and life safety for a diverse portfolio of projects, including Sustainment, Restoration and Modernization of Army Family Housing and Military Facilities.
• Prepare comprehensive contract packages, conduct site visits, refine project scopes with customers and ensure strict adherence to schedules and financial limitations.
• Serve as lead technical expert to provide engineering advice to the installation managers and contractors while guiding your team in the complex design of systems such as fire alarms, suppression, life safety plans and mass notification.
• Develop and author comprehensive specification packages for various construction projects to ensure delivery is on schedule, meets all specification requirements and complies with the current fire codes and technical criteria.
• Prepare scopes of work and be prepared to present and defend findings and recommendations under critical or controversial circumstances.
• Lead meetings to align stakeholders on project design, funding, and priorities based on your expert review of designs and on-site inspections.
• Act as a Contracting Officers' Representative to ensure all fire projects are in compliance with the Federal Acquisition Regulations and the Army Contracting Command Policy.
• Review and assess facilities and infrastructure for Fire Safety at Aberdeen Proving Ground and Adelphi Maryland.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• Must possess Professional Engineering (PE) License in fire protection engineering or be able to obtain PE license in fire protection engineering within two years.
• Occasional TDY Travel may be required. Position will require periodic travel to APG Adelphi, MD.
• Required to submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450, (5 CPR Part 2634, Subpart I Confidential Financial Disclosure Reports) upon entering the position and annually.
• Obtain and maintain a secret security clearance for the duration of employment.
• Lift 15 lbs. by self.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens

In order to qualify, you must meet the Education and Experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Basic Requirement for Fire Protection Engineer:

A. Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (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. You MUST provide transcripts.

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. 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. You MUST provide transcripts.

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, or 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 A above. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program. You MUST provide transcripts.

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 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. You MUST provide transcripts.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE for the GS-11 level: One year of specialized experience which includes:1) Experience practicing fire protection engineering using scientific disciplines such as civil, mechanical, electrical engineering or architectural design, 2. Experience assessing and predicting fire hazards and risks, 3. Experience preventing, detecting, controlling, and suppressing fire events, and 4. Experience practicing fire code policy, e.g. NFPA and UPC. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the Federal service (GS-09).

OR

EDUCATION: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as Engineering fields.

OR

COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE for the GS-12 level : One year of specialized experience that includes: 1. Experience as a project manager/engineer applying engineering and architectural concepts sufficient to research, analyze, interpret, evaluate, and carry out difficult but conventional projects related to fire protection; 2. Experience in preparing construction specifications in accordance with fire code policy, e.g. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and Unified Facility Criteria (UPC), and 3. Experience preparing, providing, and evaluating conventional plans, design specifications, and related documentation. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service GS-11.

For the GS-12 level you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone-no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the 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. For further information, visit: You MUST provide transcripts.

Additional information

• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
• You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
• This position requires a 1 year probationary period during which the agency evaluates your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In making this determination, the agency may consider your performance and conduct; agency needs and interests; whether your continued employment supports organizational or Government goals; and whether it promotes the efficiency of the Federal service. Continued employment requires written certification that it advances the public interest.
• Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
• This position requires you to submit a Public Financial Disclosure Report (OGE 278) or a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE450) upon entry, and annually thereafter.
• Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
• If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
• This is a Construction, Engineering and Infrastructure Career Field position..
• If selected at less than the full performance level (GS-12), promotion to the full performance level is subject to meeting regulatory requirements, training, and performance. Promotion is at management's discretion.
• Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement. GS-11 level salary is: 85,447 to $111,087. GS-12 salary is $102,415 to 133,142.
• When you perform a Civilian Permanent Change of Station (PCS) with the government, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers the majority of your entitlements to be taxable. Visit for more information.
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS) allowances may be authorized, subject to the provisions of the Joint Travel Regulations and an agency determination that a PCS move is in the Government Interest.
• The following special programs/incentives MAY be offered if it is appropriate to the position being filled and in the best interest of the government:
  • Recruitment Incentives
  • Relocation Incentives
  • Student Loan Repayment
  • Salary negotiations for those candidates who are new to Federal service may be authorized.
  • Credit for prior non-federal work experience and certain military service for determining annual leave accrual rate may be authorized.

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.

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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.

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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.