ENGINEER/SCIENTIST

Summary

You will serve as an Engineer/Scientist in the Re-entry Systems Office; Strategic & Computing Systems Department of NAVSURFWARCENDLD. This position is located at U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington, DC.

This position is part of the Warfare Centers Personnel Demonstration Project. ND-05 is equivalent to GS-14/15.

Learn more about this agency This job is open to

• Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
  
  

Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.

• Federal employees - Competitive service
  
  

Current or former competitive service federal employees.

• Individuals with disabilities
• Land & base management
  
  

Certain current or former term or temporary federal employees of a land or base management agency.

• Military spouses
• Special authorities
  
  

Individuals eligible under a special authority not listed above, but defined in the federal hiring regulations.

• Veterans
  
  

Clarification from the agency

Current permanent employees, DoD Military Spouse Preference (MSP) eligibles, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Preference eligibles and DoD Retained Grade Preference eligibles, and VEOA eligibles.

Duties

• You will provide aerodynamic and flight mechanics expertise to Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM), Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS), and other potential future strategic and/or conventional Reentry Systems.
• You will lead aerodynamic, trajectory, fuzing, pre- and post-flight analysis efforts across all reentry programs, including deployed and experimental concepts.
• You will anticipate future needs or trends in flight mechanics analysis programs and investigate the application of new technology or approaches to overcome current limitations or find solutions to difficult and continuing problems.
• You will interface with program sponsors, technical staff, other government organizations, and contractors in order to coordinate solutions to meet reentry system requirements.
• You will provide sponsors, NSWCDD technical staff and program leadership with technical advice in the specialized area of flight mechanics capabilities and performance.
• You will investigate performance and applicability of advanced hypersonic concepts for possible reentry systems utilization.
• You will apply statistical methods for the analysis of the effects of atmospheric ice/liquid water content and dust clouds on ballistic reentry body thermal protection systems.
• You will plan and coordinate special projects designed to facilitate the full use of and enhance the training and development of interns, rotation assignees and junior engineers and scientists.
• You will serve as a mentor and coach in the development of junior employees.
• You will identify collaborative analysis opportunities and propose, plan, and coordinate collaborative analysis work efforts.
  
  

RequirementsConditions of Employment

• Must be a US Citizen.
• Must be determined suitable for federal employment.
• Must participate in the direct deposit pay program.
• New employees to the Department of the Navy will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov
• Within the Department of Defense (DoD), the appointment of retired military members within 180 days immediately following retirement date to a civilian position is subject to the provisions of 5 United States Code 3326.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
• This position is covered under the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA). Certification in the Acquisition Functional Area and category assigned to the position is required within established category timeframes.
• FOR THE 1550 SERIES: This position is designated as a Cyber IT/Cybersecurity Workforce position. You must obtain and maintain the credentials as described in SECNAV M-5239.2 for framework role 0801, level Advanced within 12 months of appointment.
• Successful completion of a pre-employment drug test (including marijuana) is required. A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if you fail to report to the drug test appointment or fail the test. You will be subject to random testing.
• This position may require travel from normal duty station to CONUS and OCONUS and may include remote or isolated sites. You must be able to travel on military and commercial aircraft for extended periods of time.
  
  

Qualifications

Your resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the ND-04 (GS-12/13 equivalent) pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector as a professional engineer or scientist coordinating or conducting research, development, test & evaluation, modeling & simulation, integration, or in-service engineering of ballistic missile systems or missile re-entry systems.

Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website:

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=List-by-Occupational-Series AND https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/files/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf

all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf (opm.gov)

General Physical Science Series, 1301 (opm.gov)

Operations Research Series 1515 (opm.gov)

Mathematics Series 1520 (opm.gov)

Computer Science Series 1550 (opm.gov)

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (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.

Education

Applicants must meet the following basic education requirements of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Standards Manual:

FOR THE 0801 - General Engineering Series

• Successful completion of a professional engineering degree. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree (or higher) 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. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position.
  
  

OR

• 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 more information about EI and EIT registration requirements, please visit the National Society of Professional Engineers website at: http://www.nspe.org
  
  

OR

• 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 The FE examination is not administered by the U. S. Office of Personnel Management. For more information, please visit: http://www.nspe.org/Licensure/HowtoGetLicensed/index.html.
  
  

OR

• Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and in engineering that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A (above). The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A (above)
  
  

OR

• 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 one 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.
  
  

FOR THE 1301 - Physical Science Series: A degree in physical science, engineering, or mathematics that includes 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics; or, a combination of education and experience in one of the above majors that includes at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

FOR THE 1515 - Operations Research Series: A degree in operations research; or related degree that included at least 24 semester hours in a combination of operations research, mathematics, probability, statistics, mathematical logic, science, or subject-matter courses requiring substantial competence in college-level mathematics or statistics, and at least 3 of the 24 semester hours were in calculus.

FOR THE 1520 - Mathematics Series: A degree in mathematics or the equivalent of a major that included at least 24 semester hours in mathematics; or, a combination of education and experience demonstrated by courses equivalent to a major in mathematics (including at least 24 semester hours in mathematics, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

FOR THE 1550 - Computer Science Series: A degree in computer science or degree with 30 semester hours in a combination of mathematics, statistics, and computer science. At least 15 of the 30 semester hours were in a combination of statistics and mathematics that included differential and integral calculus.

Additional information

This position is covered by the Department of Defense Priority Placement Program.

Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement.

A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments.

Federal annuitant information: The selection of an annuitant is subject to the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy policy on the employment of annuitants. Policy information may be found at: http://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/Documents/CivilianJobs/FedCivAnnuitants.pdf

ICTAP Applicants: To be considered well-qualified and exercise selection priority as an ICTAP candidate, displaced Federal employees must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a rating in the highly qualified category (score 85) or higher. ICTAP candidates must provide copies of all of the following documentation at the time of application: 1) agency notice; 2) most recent performance appraisal; and 3) most recent SF-50 or notification of personnel action that includes position, grade level, and duty location. Applicants who do not provide this documentation will not receive consideration as an ICTAP candidate. For more information about ICTAP eligibility please review the following link: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/career-transition/

Military Spouse Preference applicants will be placed at the highest grade for which they have applied and are determined Best Qualified (BQ). A BQ military spouse possesses knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies comparable to others who meet the competitive referral criteria for the specific position.

PPP applicants will be placed at the FPL, if determined Well Qualified (WQ). To receive priority consideration, the FPL must be the same grade level or equivalent of the retained grade or the grade held immediately prior to separation.

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.Review our benefits

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.