Summary In this position you will work as a member of the Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center (MWEOC), Facilities Management Division, Maintenance Branch, HVAC team. The ideal candidate will have expertise in network infrastructure and integration of software and hardware components related to Building Automation Systems or Security and Access Control Systems. Duties All MWEOC staff have emergency assignments and are considered deployed in place. Exercises and activations are planned and unplanned, and may require long hours, nights, weekends and holidays.
All MWEOC employees are: (1) required to use a government-issued electronic device (to include cellular phones); (2) subject to recall during emergency situations; and (3) required to perform work in locations both above and below ground.
What will I do in this position if hired?
In this position, you will serve as an Electronics Technician, responsible for performing testing, maintenance and installation of electronic systems such as SCADA monitoring systems, building management systems, fire alarm systems, security systems, access control systems, camera and lighting systems. Typical assignments include:
- Performing installation, repair, modifications, maintenance, and programing of digital and analog electronic systems (i.e., Tridium based Plant Jace Controllers, Alerton and Honeywell Variable Air Volume (VAV) controllers and input/output controllers, Flow Meters, Valve Actuators, Pressure Gauges, Differential Pressure Sensors, and Relays for controlling and monitoring Building Management System Platforms. Or (2) Locking systems, Electronic Strikes, Magnetic Locks, Card Readers, Motions Sensors, Balanced Magnetic Switches, site surveillance Cameras, including fixed, PTZ and thermal for controlling and monitoring our facility's Security and Access Control Systems).
- Performing programming tasks for related systems and hardware in specialty areas (e.g. building automation, security systems and infrastructure support systems, computer equipment, systems software and system programming).
- Monitoring system performance, daily operator activity and alarms.
- Reviewing and providing technical guidance for contractors performing installation projects for the MWEOC facility and assisting with Contracting Officer's Representative related duties.
- Developing and preparing original working sketches and alternative layouts to determine final arrangement and design configurations for component installation, support systems and related equipment for systems with specifications that cannot be obtained from traditional sources.
What else do I need to know?
At FEMA, our mission is to help people before, during and after disasters, and every employee at FEMA has a role in emergency management. Every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities, though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites. All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee's official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions.
Promotion Potential: Future promotions will be dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the continuing need for an employee assigned to the higher level, and administrative approval.
Qualifications
Electronics technicians may have gained experience assisting in work situations including:
Maintenance - Developing maintenance standards and procedures for use by others. Analyzing repair practices and developing procedural instructions for use by others on methods and steps to repair equipment.
Installation - Planning and directing the installation of complex systems and associated facilities, particularly where there are site selection and construction problems, dealings with contractors and public utilities, and the possible need to modify equipment for novel site characteristics.
Fabrication - Designing and analyzing circuits, determining design feasibility, evaluating equipment performance under varying environmental conditions, and collecting performance data. Designing or modifying designs to achieve performance and cost objectives. Evaluating the adequacy of equipment for such purposes as repair, calibration, and testing.
Testing and Evaluation/Research and Development - Developing or evaluating new or modified electronic systems. Completing testing, evaluating data, and determining acceptability of equipment modifications, validity, test procedures and data, or legality of operation. Technicians support professional engineers in performing experiments, research, and developmental activities requiring an in-depth knowledge of technical engineering methods, applications, practices, and principles to work on concepts, prototypes, and experimental projects that are without precedent and support state-of-the-art research.
Sustainment - Developing, performing, evaluating, or modifying calibration and test equipment, systems, and procedures. Reporting, analyzing, and archiving test data. Performing complex calculations and manipulations of test data to improve performance of systems, instrumentation, measurement standards, techniques, and procedures.
Troubleshooting - Analyzing and diagnosing faults in the operational configuration of electronic systems and equipment. Interpreting circuit wiring, logic cable diagrams, drawings, specifications, and schematics of complete systems and equipment to understand the function and interconnections of the various assemblies and troubleshoot the system.
Current Federal employees must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent grade band in the Federal service. The qualification requirements listed below must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
To qualify for this position at the GS-10 level, you must possess one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal government, which has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Experience may be obtained in the federal government, a state or local government, or private sector, and must demonstrate the following:
- Servicing, maintaining and repairing of analog and digital electronic systems (i.e., Supervisory Control & Data Acquisition Systems (SCADA), or HMI/OMI interfaces, or Building Automation Systems Controls, or Fire Alarm Systems, or Security & Access Control Systems, or program zone controllers, or relays and locking systems) AND,
- Preparing and developing sketches and layouts for component installations to meet Industrial and Site-Specific Standards for system and component commissioning AND,
- Developing specifications for the modification, testing or repairing of new and existing equipment.
To qualify for this position at the GS-11 level, you must possess one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-10 level in the Federal government, which has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Experience may be obtained in the federal government, a state or local government, or private sector, and must demonstrate the following:
- Servicing, maintaining and repairing of analog and digital electronic systems (i.e., Supervisory Control & Data Acquisition Systems (SCADA), or HMI/OMI interfaces, or Building Automation Systems Controls, or Fire Alarm Systems, or Security & Access Control Systems, or program zone controllers, or relays and locking systems) AND,
- Preparing and developing sketches and layouts for component installations to meet Industrial and Site-Specific Standards for system and component commissioning AND,
- Developing specifications for the modification, testing or repairing of new and existing equipment.
Please read the following important information to ensure we have everything we need to consider your application:
- Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.
- Please limit your resume to two pages. The USAJOBS database will not allow an applicant to submit an application that includes a resume over two pages.
- Your resume serves as the basis for experience related qualification determinations, and you must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable), as it relates to this job opportunity. Please use your own words, be clear, and specific when describing your work history. We cannot make assumptions regarding your experience.
Are you qualifying based on your work experience?
- Qualifications are based on your ability to demonstrate in your resume that you possess one year of the specialized experience for this announcement at a comparable scope and responsibility. To ensure all of the essential information is in your resume, we encourage you to use the USAJOBS online Resume Builder. If you choose to use your own resume, it must contain the following information organized by experience/position: (1) job title, (2) name of employer, (3) start and end dates of each period of employment (from MM/DD/YY to MM/DD/YY), (4) detailed description of duties performed, accomplishments, and related skills, and (5) hours worked per week (part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience). Federal experience/positions must also include the grade level, occupational series and dates in which you held each grade level.
- Are you a current or former FEMA Reservist/DAE employee? To accurately credit your experience from intermittent positions and Reservist Deployments, you must list the dates (from MM/DD/YY to MM/DD/YY) of deployments that are relevant to your qualifying experience, along with the job title and specific duties you were responsible for during each deployment.
- Determining length of General or Specialized Experience is dependent on the above information. Failure to provide the above information in your resume may result in your application being found "not qualified."
- 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 provides valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
- For additional information on crediting experience and/or education, please reference the OPM General Schedule Qualification Standards
Education No Educational Substitution: There is no educational substitution for this position, and you must meet the qualifications listed in the "
qualifications" section of this announcement.
Requirements
To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo, successfully pass, and maintain a background investigation for a Top-Secret/SCI clearance as a condition of placement into this position. This may include a credit check after initial job qualifications are determined, a review of financial issues, such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs (please visit: Mythbuster on Federal Hiring Policies for additional information). For more information on background investigations for Federal jobs please visit What are background checks and security clearances.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.
Please ensure you meet the qualification requirements described below.
Key Requirements:
- You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
- You must successfully pass a background investigation.
- Selective Service registration required.
- Current federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements.
- You must be able to obtain and maintain a Government credit card.
- You must be able to deploy with little or no advance notice to anywhere in the United States and its territories for an extended period of time.
- Please review the Additional Information section for additional key requirements.
How you will be evaluated We will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. If you meet the basic qualifications, your experience, education and training will be rated using a Subject Matter Expert - Structured Resume Review that is based on the following competencies needed to perform this job:
- Communication
- Customer Service
- Representing the Agency
- Teamwork & Collaboration
- Technical Proficiency
Human Resources Specialists and Subject Matter Experts will review your two-page resume (starting with your work experience) to determine your qualifications for the position based on the required competencies and specialized experience statements. In describing your experience, be clear and specific and include start and end dates for each position. We may not make assumptions regarding your experience.
Based on the review of your resume for the specialized experience required for this position, you may be referred to hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview.
CTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet eligibility criteria for CTAP; 2) be rated well-qualified for the position; and, 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP eligibility (see "Required Documents" section of this announcement). Well-Qualified is defined as those applicants who are rated with a minimum score of 80.00 for this position.
Are you qualifying under Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP/CTAP) Eligibles? If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not ICTAP/CTAP eligible. View information about ICTAP/CTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement. Well-Qualified is defined as those applicants who are rated with a minimum score of 80.00 for this position.
Due weight will be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards in merit promotion selection decisions in accordance with 5 CFR 335.103(b)(3).
Are you qualifying under Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA)? To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, the veteran must 1) be a preference eligible; or 2) be a veteran separated after 3 or more years of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement. (Note: Veteran's preference does not apply under Merit Promotion procedures. View VEOA information on Feds Hire Vets.)
Benefits
DHS offers competitive salaries and an attractive benefits package, including health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance; retirement plan; Thrift Savings Plan [similar to a 401(k)]; Flexible Spending Account; Employee Assistance Program; personal leave days; and paid federal holidays.
Other benefits may include flexible work schedules; tuition reimbursement; transportation subsidies; uniform allowance; health and wellness programs; and fitness centers. DHS is committed to employee development and offers a variety of employee training and developmental opportunities. For more information, go to the DHS Careers website and select "Benefits." Disabled veteran leave will be available to any federal employee hired on or after November 5, 2016, who is a veteran with a service- connected disability rating of 30 percent or more. How to apply Due weight will be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards in merit promotion selection decisions in accordance with 5 CFR 335.103(b)(3).
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above by 11:59pm (EST) on the closing date of the announcement.
- To begin, click the "Apply Online" button on the job announcement posting.
- Follow the directions to register or login if you have an existing account.
- Submit all required documents and complete the basic eligibility questions.
- Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
- Upon completion of your application, you will receive an acknowledgement email.
Applications and supporting documentation will not be accepted by mail or email. All application materials, including transcripts, must be in English. It is your responsibility to verify that any information entered or uploaded is received and is accurate. Determining your eligibility and qualifications is dependent on the supporting documentation and information provided, which may impact your referral for further consideration. If a document is not legible, Human Resources will not be able to view it in your application.
After FEMA completes its hiring, the resumes of the remaining candidates referred for selection consideration may be shared with other DHS Components. During the application process, you may choose to opt-in if you would like your name, application material, and assessment results to be shared. There is no guarantee of further consideration, and you can continue to explore other job opportunity announcements
Interview Requirement: Interviews may be required for this position. Failure to complete the interview may result in removal from further consideration.
Incentives may be offered depending on funding availability, the difficulty of positions to fill, and qualifications of applicants.
Only resumes up to a total of two pages will be accepted. Applicants with resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration.
If you have questions about this announcement or the application process, please contact the Human Resources Specialist listed in the Agency Contact Information prior to the close of the announcement.
An employee, job applicant, or an individual acting on behalf of the employee, may request a Reasonable Accommodation by emailing fema-reasonable-accommodation@fema.dhs.gov with "time sensitive" in the subject line.
To review the common definitions of terms found in this announcement, please visit the DHS Common Definitions page.
To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.
To view the announcement status or your application status: Review your job status on your Application Dashboard. Your application dashboard is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. Other information
- If selected for this position, you will be required to attend a three-week, in-person training course in Emmitsburg, Maryland within six months of onboarding. FEMA will cover all travel expenses. Failure to participate may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.
- If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment.
- The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Homeland Security and its Components from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to FEMA-Misconduct@fema.dhs.gov.
- DHS uses E-verify, an internet based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.
- The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR § 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR § 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps/VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.
- A one-year probationary period is required for new Federal competitive service employees and new supervisors and managers.
- Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.
- During the application process you will have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.
- This is a Non-Bargaining Unit position.
- This position has been identified as a Testing Designated Position (TDP) because of its security, public health, and/or public safety sensitivity, you are subject to random drug testing under FEMA's Drug-Free Workplace Plan (DWP). Refusal to be tested will result in disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service.
