Senior General Engineer

The New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) Division provides national and international leadership in planning, developing, initiating, and conducting new and innovative consumer information programs. The primary objective of the Division is to develop and coordinate the dissemination of consumer information on various aspects of motor vehicle and occupant protection systems that may induce market forces to enhance crash protection to adult and child occupants and vulnerable road users.

Major duties

As a Senior General Engineer, you will:

• Advise the NCAP Division Chief and the Director of the Office of Crashworthiness Standards in planning and formulating vehicle crashworthiness programs to achieve agency objectives and stays abreast of today's fast-paced technological innovation and advancements.
• Attend national and international safety conferences to present papers related to vehicle crashworthiness technologies and innovation in the consumer information vehicle safety field.
• Develop and recommend the rationale and approach for testing passenger motor vehicles and emerging crashworthiness safety systems to assess vehicle systems performance, repeatability of those systems, test devices, and test procedures.
• Ensures that the tests are conducted timely and test results are accurate and presented in a fashion that will be beneficial and helpful to consumers in their vehicle purchasing.
• Perform analysis and evaluation of program and equipment costs on all aspects of the NCAP crashworthiness program including the financial operations and financial impact of crashworthiness performance verification testing.

The Ideal Candidate Statement: This position is perfect for innovative, process driven, detail oriented, and seasoned professionals seeking a position that will provide an opportunity to utilize strong leadership skills and technical expertise in the area of vehicle safety testing within a great Federal agency whose focus involves public safety. We are seeking highly qualified individuals who are willing to meet the fast-paced challenges of public service while supporting our mission to reduce the number of fatalities and injuries resulting from motor vehicle crashes. NHTSA desires someone who is a highly motivated self-starter who can effectively communicate both within the agency and with external stakeholders. Exhibiting a strong interest and ability to develop highly capable staff engineers that can execute testing programs in NCAP and communicate the results to the public, will be key to the success of the chosen candidate.

Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must (1) meet the Education Requirement for the series, (2) provide a copy of transcripts for verification, AND (3) meet either the education or experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration.

To qualify for the GS-15 on Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-14 it must include:

• Experience in planning, implementing, and managing a series of vehicle crashworthiness testing programs to develop and improve laboratory test procedures, test data collection, and information dissemination.
• Experience in leading teams and working collaboratively to develop novel solutions to complex issues related to vehicle testing and crashworthiness.
• Experience in evaluating, interpreting test results, and effectively communicating the results to the public, and effectively engage with stakeholders on technical matters related to the testing program.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

Program Management Expertise: Demonstrated ability to plan, implement, and manage a series of vehicle crashworthiness testing programs to develop and improve laboratory test procedures, test data collection, and information dissemination.

Engineering Knowledge and Technical Expertise: Demonstrated knowledge, and experience related to crashworthiness technologies, crash testing, test procedure development, occupant protection, crash test dummies, and marketing of consumer information.

Communication: Demonstrated ability to understand complex technical ideas and express views through effective writing, and presentation skills while influencing, motivating, and leading others in a variety of situations.

Team Leadership: Demonstrated ability to lead and innovate. Able to lead a multi-disciplinary team. Ability to articulate goals and objectives, practicing integrity in the execution of duties and guiding teams to successful completion of testing initiatives.

For all types of consideration, 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 can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience

For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/frequently-asked-questions/employment-faq/federal-hiring/how-do-i-apply-for-federal-jobs/

All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

MANDATORY EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:

A. DEGREE: ENGINEERING --To be acceptable, the program must:

1. lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by 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.

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)1 , 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.

1. 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, and Puerto Rico.

1. 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 the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.

1. 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).

All applicants must meet the education requirements under A or B to qualify for applying to an engineering position. Transcripts are required for this position.

Requirements

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance the organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.

GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel. A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.

BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: A background security investigation is required for all selected individuals. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of the security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.

PROBATIONARY PERIOD: You must complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).

TIME-IN-GRADE: Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade in the competitive or excepted service in the executive branch to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions contained in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.