Electronics Engineer

Summary Position is an Electronics Engineer (Specialist) within the Operations Engineering Support Group, Support Center B. The mission includes operational support of the National Airspace System (NAS). Duties Performs multiple, varying, and complex assignments and plans the implementation of projects/programs under limited direction of a manager, project/program manager, or more experienced engineer. Applies experience and advanced knowledge of electronics engineering principles, theories, and concepts to accomplish assignments and to develop plans and techniques to improve programs and policies. Typical assignments include: Â

Provides engineering support for operations and maintenance, analyzing NAS performance trends and formulates recommended solutions, provides installation support to engineers/specialists assigned to the project, and the establishment/upgrade of facilities and systems in the NAS.Â

Incumbent applies professional knowledge, practices, principles, theories, concepts, techniques and abilities, for the electronic engineering discipline, dealing in particular with engineering analysis for surveillance radar/automation and weather systems. As a technical engineer within their specialty area, incumbent may represent Technical Operations at various service and national level meetings on these matters. As a team member, provides guidance and advice to solve complex technical problems relating to the operation design, or implementation of radar, weather and associated automation equipment and services. Provides engineering advice and proactive assistance required to resolve difficult and complex problems relating to FAA surveillance and automation systems. Under guidance with management, and more senior technical leads, supports briefing various service and national level meetings and industry experts on the impacts and benefits of radar/automation design system solutions. Performs detailed obstruction evaluations (OEs) for analysis of airspace matters.

Contacts are internal and external. May act as a key technical point of contact for assigned activities. Contributes to the preparation of management/technical reports or contractual documents, and may be called upon to communicate the overall results of a project or work activity.

Established policies/procedures provide guidance for most assignments, but allow considerable discretion to select the most appropriate approach or to recommend new approaches. Â

Provides guidance to lower-level staff to solve difficult technical issues. Resolves all but unique technical problems without the intervention of management or a more experienced engineer. Â

Work is reviewed periodically, typically at major milestones and at completion, for technical compliance and alignment with the requirements of the project or other work activity.

Work activities typically support and may be vital to the success of projects or activities of one or more organizational units, subdivisions, and LOB's/SO's.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: Successful completion of a full four-year professional engineering curriculum leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in engineering in an accredited college or university. To be acceptable the curriculum must: (1) be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the ABET as a professional engineering crriculum; 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); (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics; OR, ALTERNATIVE REQUIREMENTS: 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:

• Professional registration: Current registration as a professional engineer by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico;
• Written Test: Evidence of having successfully passed the Engineer-in-Training (EIT) examination, or the written test required for professional registration, which is administered by the Boards of Engineering Examiners 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 in engineering that included the courses specified in the basic requirements. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of a professional engineering curriculum 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.) Â

 In addition to the basic/alternative qualification requirements identified above, all applicants must demonstrate one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (FV-H or FG/GS-12). Specialized experience is experience which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position and that is typically in or directly related to work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience includes: Experience directly related to the engineering design, system performance, optimization, and installation experience with NAS radar/automation/weather systems and facilities. Current FAA employee: You MUST submit a copy of your most recent (non-award) SF-50 including Blocks 15, 17, 18, 19, 22, and 24 so it can be used to verify your position title, series, grade, tenure, and organization of record by the closing date of the announcement. Failure to provide the required documentation by the closing date of this announcement will result in non-consideration for this position.  Incomplete Applications: Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Your application/resume must have your official title, grade and series in your work history. Applicants should include examples of specialized experience in their work history. Qualifications must be met by the closing date of this vacancy announcement. Applicants may be asked to verify information on your application for employment with the FAA. Failure to submit all required documents by the closing date of the announcement will result in loss of consideration.  Applicants may be asked to verify information on your application for employment with the FAA. Education This position has a positive education requirement: Applicants must submit a copy of their college or university transcripts(s) and certificates by the closing date of announcement to verify qualifications. If selected, an official transcript will be required prior to appointment. You may upload these documents with your application in USAJOBS or fax it to fax number provided in the announcement (please include announcement number on each page).

Failure to do so will result in loss of consideration.

Schools must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation may be verified at the following website: www.ed.gov/accreditation.

Foreign education must be evaluated by a private professional organization specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials or an accredited U.S. educational institution in terms of equivalence to a degree acquired at an American college or university. A copy of the evaluation results must be included, otherwise your foreign education will not be considered.

Requirements

We are not accepting applications from noncitizens. How you will be evaluated

IMPORTANT: Applicants may be rated on the extent and quality of experience, education, and training relevant to the duties of the position(s). All answers provided in the on-line process must be substantiated. Ensure that your application package/resume supports your responses.How to apply Additional documents to supplement your application (i.e., transcripts, SF-50, or veteran's documents) may be uploaded in USAJOBS or faxed to (206) 231-4150 on or before the closing date of this announcement. Include your name & the announcement number on each of your faxed pages. For guidance on how to create a federal resume, visit http://www.archives.gov/careers/jobs/forms/resume-guide.pdf Failure to submit all required documents by the closing date will result in a finding of ineligible. We are not responsible for incomplete, illegible or missing documents. Please DO NOT email your application documents. Hard copy applications will not be accepted Applicants may be required to complete one or multiple assessments as part of the evaluation process. This assessment aims to evaluate the competencies and qualifications essential for the position.

You must apply online to receive consideration. Your application must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the Close Date for it to be accepted. If you are applying for positions associated with FAA registers, your application must be submitted at the time a referral list is created in order to receive consideration for positions associated with a register.

RESUMES ARE LIMITED TO TWO PAGES. IN DESCRIBING YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE AND/OR EDUCATION, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC AND INCLUDE INFORMATION AS IT RELATES TO THE QUALIFICATIONS AND SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS POSITION.

Please ensure EACH work history includes ALL of the following information:

Job Title (include series and grade if Federal Job)

• Relevant work experience: should align to the Job Announcement and address all required qualifications and include job title, employer name, start/end dates, number of hours worked per week.
• Education, certification or licensure: If required, education should include school/institution name, completion date, degree type and GPA.

Determining length of General or Specialized Experience is dependent on the above information and failure to provide ALL of this information may result in a finding of ineligible.

You may upload completed documents to your USAJOBS Account. This will provide you the opportunity to utilize the uploaded information again when applying for future vacancies. Other information We may use this vacancy to fill other similar vacant positions. Position may be subject to a background investigation. A one-year probationary period may be required.

The person selected for this position may be required to file a financial disclosure statement within 30 days of entry on duty. FAA policy limits certain outside employment and financial investments in aviation-related companies. www.faa.gov/jobs/workinghere/financial-disclosure-requirements

As a part of the Federal-Wide Hiring Reform Initiative (streamlining the hiring process), the FAA is committed to eliminating the use of the Knowledge, Skills and Ability (KSA) narratives from the application in the hiring process for all announcements. Therefore, as an applicant for this announcement, you are NOT required to provide a narrative response in the text box listed below each KSA. In lieu of providing a KSA narrative response in the text box listed below each KSA in your work history, please include information that provides specific examples of how you meet the response level or answer you choose for each KSA. Your work history examples should be specific and clearly reflect the highest level of ability. Your KSA answers will be evaluated further to validate whether the level that you selected is appropriate. Your answers may be adjusted by a Human Resources Specialist as appropriate. Eligible applicants meeting the minimum qualification requirements and selective factor(s), if applicable, may be further evaluated on the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) listed in the announcement. Based on this evaluation, applicants will be placed in one of the following categories: score order, category grouping, or priority grouping and referred to the selecting official for consideration. If the Agency decides to interview any qualified employee on the selection list, then all on the list who are qualified must be interviewed. Security Requirement: Moderate Risk (5): This position requires completion & favorable adjudication of a Moderate Risk Background Investigation (Tier 2) background investigation prior to appointment, unless waiver is obtained  Links to Important Information: Locality Pay, COLA