General Engineer

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. SEE EDUCATION SECTION FOR THE BASIC REQUIREMENT In addition to meeting the basic requirements as stated in the Education Section below, applicants must also meet the following additional qualification requirements. GS-12 Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-12 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-11 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience preparing cost estimates for assigned projects (such as escalation and inflation factors, description, and justifications); creating, managing, and scheduling facility construction or repair and service contracts; preparing documents for procurement, evaluate contractor proposals and working on projects for biocontainment facilities. GS-13 Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-13 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-12 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience providing, planning, and analyzing costs for infrastructure improvements, fiscal year project planning and budget projections; creating procurement documents and processes; evaluating construction or service contractor performance; and managing projects for biocontainment, biocontainment facilities, or laboratories. Physical Demands Physical activity includes entering confined spaces, climbing ladders, stooping, bending and lifting up to 50 pounds with appropriate help. Some work may involve wearing personal protective equipment, including a respirator (N-95 or PAPR) or fully encapsulated positive pressure suit while entering infectious disease laboratories or animal facilities areas. Travel is required to attend meetings and conference. Work Environment Work is performed in a variety of environments from typical offices to laboratories and biocontainment spaces. The work involves occasional exposure to potential biological hazards, chemical or process odors and fumes, electrical hazards, hot or cold environments, equipment noise, and heights. The incumbent is required to wear full face respirator when working in biological control areas; facial hair restrictions may be required in order to comply with proper operation of personal protective equipment. The health status of personnel is monitored periodically using biologic and serologic test and physical examinations. Restrictions against contact with birds and livestock outside the laboratory may apply after entering high security animal facilities that are working with disease agents foreign to the United States. To comply with USDA personnel security requirements and requirements of the Federal Select Agent Program (FSAP) for access to information and areas with Biological Select Agents and Toxins (BSAT), including Tier One Select Agents at NBAF, the incumbent must meet the following: Pre-employment and random testing of substances of abuse Participation in and adherence to the facility’s Occupational Health Program Participation in and adherence to the facility’s Personal Reliability Program The ability to obtain/maintain favorably adjudicated Background Investigations or Security clearances (required by USDA) The ability to obtain/maintain a favorable Security Risk Assessment (required by FSAP) This is a Public Trust Position and requires that the incumbent be a United States Citizen. As a condition of employment, the requirements listed above must be met. The mission of NBAF includes research, diagnosis and training for animal diseases foreign to the United States (U.S.) for the purpose of protecting American agriculture and domestic food sources from their potentially devastating effects. NBAF is vital to successfully protecting U.S. agriculture from the intentional or non-intentional introduction of foreign animal diseases such as Foot-and-Mouth disease. The position supports the biocontainment facilities and may require entry into biosafety level (BSL) 3, 3 enhanced, 3 Ag and BSL-4 labs. The incumbent must demonstrate the physical and psychological capability to conduct normal duties that are appropriate to their position. To prevent the transmission of disease out of biocontainment and retention of the position, the incumbent must meet the following medical standards in a pre-employment medical examination conducted after the receipt of a preliminary job offer and on a periodic basis: Ability to shower out of biocontainment one or more times per day Not have any skin condition which would prevent this Body piercings must be able to be removed prior to entry External medical assist devices must have the ability to be removed prior to entering or not impede the ability to enter biocontainment, and the individual must still be able to shower out safely without assistance Ability to follow instructions regarding decontamination from biocontainment Any medical condition which could create an unsafe environment for the individual or his/her co-workers, such as: insufficient control of a medical disorder which could result in sudden loss of consciousness; and inadequate vision and hearing required for safety in a laboratory environment. Medical confidentiality will be maintained by the examining physician and only fitness (or unfit) for duty determination will be indicated. The incumbent will also be required to pass periodic fitness for duty physicals. In addition, a medical clearance will be required in the event that it becomes necessary to enter an area where an air purifying respirator or other respiratory protection is required. Due to the contagious nature to livestock of Foot-and-Mouth disease, and other diseases under study at NBAF, biosafety protocols specify a personal quarantine for employees working on specific infectious agents in designated areas of NBAF. As a condition for employment, all personnel entering these areas at NBAF shall not be in contact with specific susceptible animals and their premises away from NBAF for a period of five days after leaving the area. Currently, restricted species are cattle, sheep, goats, deer, other ruminants, and swine. Contact with horses, birds (agricultural and pet birds) and rabbits are normally permitted, but restrictions may be placed on staff working with or near infectious agents affecting these species. Restricted livestock or other restricted animals may not be housed on the premises where the employee lives and where the quarantine cannot be enforced. Employees who violate this requirement may be removed from employment or subject to other disciplinary actions. 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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
This position is located within the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Plains Area (PA), at the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan, KS. In this position, you will provide support in the management of the NBAF systems, providing engineering expertise and maintaining the Building Information Management System including repair and construction contracts.