ENGINEER/SCIENTIST

Duties
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• You will be responsible and accountable for the transition of advanced Transition for Tactical Oceanography (TACO) concepts and tools to the Fleet.
• You will serve as the government technical authority for tactical and operational capability development for the Naval Undersea Warfare Center's Tactical Oceanography Center of Excellence.
• You will be responsible for the integration of tactical oceanographic prototypes into Capability Development (CAPDEV) and Tactical Development (TACDEV) efforts.
• You will conduct systems analysis in support of Undersea Warfare Development Center (UWDC) Tactical Analysis Group products and the Sonar Tactical Oceanographic Reference Manual, and the transition of material and non-material solutions to the Fleet.
• You will work directly with UWDC, the Submarine Force designated lead for TACO, to transition prototype tools and analysis products that improve lethality and safety of submarine missions
• You will influence the objectives and outcomes of research and development programs executed by TACO undersea warfare enterprise and translate those results into practical measures that can be implemented with existing submarine lineups.
• You will lead a diverse technical workforce in efforts to operationalize oceanographic concepts.
• You will operate with autonomy and act as an objective evaluator on the technical readiness level of TACO tools and concepts.
• You will make recommendations to UWDC on candidates for technology transition.
• You will vet research and development products and technology for operational utility and direct frequent interaction with collaborating Commands and technical collaborators.
• You will facilitate outcome-driven interactions between technical workforce and collaborating Fleet Commands by communicating to convey Tactical Oceanography concepts to submarine crews and submarine force leadership.
• You will act as principal liaison between technical and warfighting communities to facilitate adoption of tactical oceanography concepts into Submarine Force doctrine, training, and tactics.
• You will identify operational capability gaps in in tactical oceanography, communicate them to technical community, and develop strategies to address gaps with research and development investments.
• You will collect and communicate objective quality evidence to key leadership that a TACO technical product/concept can or cannot fill a capability gap in the submarine force.
• You will provide authoritative advice to the highest levels of management on emerging tactical oceanography technologies and concepts and present updates of research and development to key Fleet stakeholders.
• You will develop and present persuasive and technically reliable written and oral arguments to gain acceptance of new TACO technologies and concepts by key Fleet stakeholders.

Requirements
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Conditions 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 Top Secret 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.
• 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.
• You will be required to complete ethics orientation within three months of appointment and submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450, within 30 days of appointment.
• This is a bargaining unit position.

Qualifications

This is an interdisciplinary position and may be filled by a General Engineer (0801-series), a Physicist (1310-series), an Oceanographer (1360-series), or a General Mathematical Scientist (1501-series) depending upon the qualifications of the candidate. Applicants in positions with occupational series other than those listed (0801, 1310, 1360 and 1501) may apply; however, you must apply directly to the series listed in this vacancy that is most applicable to your qualifications.

In addition to the Basic Requirements for this position, your resume must also demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the ND-4 pay band (GS-12 and GS-13 equivalency) in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience must demonstrate the following: As a professional engineer, oceanographer, or scientist applying a wide range of science and engineering principles to undersea warfare applications. Qualified candidates should possess (1) knowledge of the Warfare Center organization, its missions, programs, and its scientific and engineering processes; (2) experience in the development, testing, and training of the Fleet's tactical oceanography products and tactics; (3) the ability to manage multiple engineering and scientific projects simultaneously, solve problems, and multi-task; (4) the ability to research engineering and/or scientific questions, analyze data, and prepare summaries of central issues for executive review; (5) demonstrated interpersonal skills with a proven ability to foster teamwork.

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

Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR):
All Professional Engineering Positions, 08XX
Physics Series, 1310
Oceanography Series, 1360
General Mathematics and Statistics Series, 1501

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 at least one of the following positive education qualifications requirements of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Standards Manual:

• Professional Engineering Series (08XX) - Degree: A professional engineering degree from an ABET-accredited college or university; OR a degree with curriculum in differential and integral calculus, with additional courses 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
• Professional Engineering Series (08XX) - Substitution of Education/Experience: A combination of education and 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: (a) professional registration, (b) evidence of successfully passing the Engineer-in-Training (EIT) examination; (c) 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 above; or (d) successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in engineering technology or in an appropriate professional field, e.g., physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a degree in engineering provided that it included at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. (Note to Applicants: Please see the Qualifications & Education sections of this announcement for a link to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Individual Occupational Requirements. OPM guidance indicates that there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience. This training plan or experience must be well documented and provided at time of application.); OR
• 1310-Physics Series: A degree in physics; or related degree that included at least 24 semester hours in physics; or a combination of education and experience -- courses equivalent to a major in physics totaling at least 24 semester hours, plus appropriate experience or additional education; OR
• 1360-Oceanography Series: A degree with major study of at least 24 semester hours in oceanography or a related discipline such as physics, meteorology, geophysics, mathematics, chemistry, engineering, geology, or biology, plus 20 additional semester hours in any combination of oceanography, physics, geophysics, chemistry, mathematics, meteorology, computer science, and engineering sciences; or a combination of education and experience -- coursework as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education; OR
• 1501-General Mathematics and Statistics Series: A degree in mathematics, statistics, or actuarial science. The degree must be in a major field of study (at least at the baccalaureate level) that is appropriate for the position; or a combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major field of study as shown above, plus additional education or appropriate experience.

Additional information

The Secretary of Defense has ordered a department-wide hiring freeze subject to certain limited exceptions. This position is subject to the DoD hiring freeze. Offers of employment related to this vacancy announcement will not be executed until the position has an approved exemption.

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.

During the application process you will have the ability to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions in the local commuting area. Depending on the hiring organization and the position being filled, job requirements (e.g., security clearance, travel, drug testing, financial disclosure filing, bargaining unit status, etc.) may vary. Other hiring managers filling similar positions may offer relocation expense reimbursement and/or may offer recruitment incentives for new employees, depending on funding availability and in accordance with policy. If you opt-in and are referred on a certificate, your resume will be available to other hiring managers for 180-days from the date the job announcement closes. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

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.