Mechanical Engineer

Summary

The position is located in the Architect of the Capitol (AOC), Utilities and Power Plant Operations. This is a unique opportunity to support the mission of the AOC and serve as a Mechanical Engineer who provides professional support for Steam and Chilled Water related engineering for the Capitol Power Plant (CPP) distribution system and plant buildings.

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Duties

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The Engineer will provide technical assistance to evaluate and recommend specifications, oversee and perform design services and perform construction inspections for various highly complex engineering projects with an emphasis on the mechanical infrastructure systems in the power plant and utility distribution system.

The distribution system distributes steam and chilled water from the CPP to the Government Printing Office (GPO), Union Station, Library of Congress and the Capitol Campus (House and Senate Office Buildings, the Capitol Building, the Capitol Visitor Center, U.S. Botanic Garden and the Supreme Court).

Major Duties:

Project Planning and Project Management

• Participates in construction and renovation projects with progressively more responsibility on a gradual basis from conception through completion as directed by CPP management. Establishes the scope of work, advising on the selection of consultants, coordinating consultants' efforts with AOC staff and resolving operational, design and construction problems.
• Provides technical expertise to evaluate and recommend specifications and proposals for various Utility Distribution Systems (UDS) and plant engineering projects.
• Applies mechanical engineering knowledge and techniques to observe, examine, measure, analyze, map and describe mechanical engineering applications and problems.
• Performs mechanical engineering planning and design by determining systems requirements, surveying the construction site, preparing designs, specifications and estimates.
• Conducts practical research applying theoretical knowledge of the fields of mechanical engineering to actual problems of maintenance and construction. Follows agency engineering policies, standards and criteria concerning the application of theories of mechanical engineering mechanics including pressure, flow, energy, distribution of stresses resulting from load and strength of materials.
• Develops and coordinates programs for the planning, design, construction and maintenance of facilities with which mechanical engineering are concerned. Studies problems inherent in maintaining and renovating tunnels and buildings of historic significance under the CPP jurisdiction.

Contractor Oversight

• Serves as Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR). Prior to project performance, reviews plans, specifications and cost estimates for technical adequacy. During project performance, assists contractors in interpreting technical requirements; recommends changes in contract terms to the Contracting Officer; monitors and evaluates contractor performance; reviews contractor invoices; recommends corrective actions; and inspects and accepts contract deliverables. Assesses compliance with technical documents during the course of facility construction. Ensures conformance to plans, specifications, codes, standards, engineering best practices and customer requirements. Investigates and reports on matters of concern with contractors which may lead to formal claims by the contractor.
• Works with design consultants, project managers, construction contractors and Jurisdiction officials to resolves problems or conflicts impeding progress. Works with Contracting Officer to negotiate contract specification and design changes with Jurisdiction representatives, consultants and contractors. Investigates requests for contract change orders. Considers work site conditions, field measurements and computations and local labor rates.
• Computes periodic payments to contractors based on review of contractors' cost breakdowns, progress data, materials and equipment used and survey reports. Coordinates with District of Columbia government and Federal agencies, e.g., OSHA, EPA, to ensure that construction operations are in compliance with safety and environmental regulations and standards.

Technical Advice and Guidance

• Provides guidance, technical advice and consultation to lower-grade employees and specialists within the CPP in the performance of related assignments. Contributes to the resolution of technical difficulties that are amenable to changes in approach, criteria or requirements. Conducts studies to develop criteria for situations encountered during field inspections.
• Facilitates the resolution of project related issues and concerns that arise at the CPP Management level. Acts as the CPP's focal point for scope, schedule and budget concerns. Provides timely and accurate responses to CPP Management questions. Helps prioritize CPP's work and facilitates monthly meetings with CPP Management and other AOC organizations.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be able to pass a drug test.
• You must meet the definition of specialized experience.

Conditions of Employment

• You must be able to pass a drug screening.

*To be employed by the Architect of the Capitol in a paid position, an individual must meet one of the categories below:

• A citizen of the United States;
• A person who is lawfully admitted for permanent residence and is seeking citizenship as outlined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)(B);
• A person who is admitted as a refugee under 8 U.S.C. 1157 or is granted asylum under 8 U.S.C. 1158 and has filed a declaration of intention to become a lawful permanent resident and then a citizen when eligible;
• A person who owes allegiance to the United States (nationals of American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Northern Mariana Islands, and nationals who meet other requirements described in 8 U.S.C. 1408); or
• A person who is currently an officer or employee of the Government of the United States"

You must possess a bachelor's or higher degree in Engineering from an accredited college.

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 qualification 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.

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

Specialized experience for this position is defined as the following: (1) Providing technical expertise to evaluate and recommend specifications and proposals for various Utility Distribution Systems (UDS) and plant engineering projects; (2) Performing security infrastructure program management; (3) Evaluating studies, plans, design specifications and progress reports for architectural, engineering and construction processes and projects; (4) Performing project management and monitoring for new construction, renovations and improvements to facilities; and (5) Serving as Contracting Officer Technical Representative (COTR) or equivalent to ensure accurate and adequate oversight of contractor performance.

A Professional Engineer (PE) license is desired.

Education

Basic Requirements:

1. Degree in professional engineering

To be creditable, the curriculum must:

(1) be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) as a professional engineering curriculum; 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:

statics, dynamics;

strength of materials (stress-strain relationships);

fluid mechanics, hydraulics;

thermodynamics;

electrical fields and circuits;

nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and

any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.

OR

2. 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 professional 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:

(a) current registration as a professional engineer by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico;

(b) evidence of having successfully passed the Engineer-in-Training (EIT) examination or the written test required for professional registration;

(c) successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences that are fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of a professional engineering curriculum; or

(d) successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in engineering technology or in an appropriate professional field.

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

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.

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.

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.