ELECTRONICS ENGINEER

POSITION OVERVIEW

This position advertised has been exempted from the federal civilian hiring freeze.

Current FBI employees are ineligible to apply if serving under the same conditions as that for which is advertised, including:

• Appointing organization (FBI)
• Type of position (full-time, part-time, etc.)
• Same or higher grade
• Duty location (city or state)
• Type of appointment (permanent, temporary, etc.)

Job Opening: 63103
Opening Date: February 18, 2026
Closing Date: March 5, 2026 at 11:59 pm (ET)

Job Title Electronics Engineer- FE (official FBI title)

Full Performance Level GS--13

Division Laboratory Division (LD)

Unit Technical Exploitation Unit (TExU)

Location Huntsville, AL

Working Hours 8:00am-4:30pm (Flexible)

Job Type Full Time/Permanent

Who May Apply All U.S. Citizens

Number of Positions Available 1

Questions Email: Mary Arbelo at marbelo@fbi.gov

Salary $110,847.00--$144,102.00

To attract and retain highly qualified candidates, selectees may be eligible for a recruitment incentive of up to 20% or, for eligible current federal employees, a relocation incentive of up to 15%. Eligibility for a relocation incentive requires proof of a change in residence and an assignment at a worksite in a different geographic area greater than or equal to 50 miles from the prior worksite. Employees must sign a written service agreement completing a specified period of employment with the FBI at the new duty station. Recruitment and relocation incentives cannot be combined.

Additional selections may be made from this announcement to fill positions within the same division when the position includes substantially the same duties, responsibilities, and qualifications.

JOB SUMMARY

The FBI Laboratory Division (LD) The Technical Exploitation Unit (TExU) is responsible for the examination of unique electronic devices such as unmanned aerial systems that are recovered throughout the United States and globally. TEXU is currently seeking experienced Electronic Engineer-Forensic Examiners (EE-FEs) who possess expertise in novel and emerging electronic devices. This fast-paced job requires close attention to detail and adaptability while innovating solutions to technical limitations experienced during evidence examinations. #LI-FBI

KEY REQUIREMENTS

• Must be a U.S. citizen
• Must be able to obtain a Top Secret-SCI clearance
• Some travel may be required
• Selectee will be required to complete form FD-887, Request for Access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI)
• Candidates must have a minimum of three years' experience with electronics, embedded systems, and/or RF analysis.
• As a condition of employment, DNA samples are required from all FBI personnel who interact with evidence or federal DNA database samples in Laboratory Division (LD) space or whose work requires them to enter LD examination areas where evidence or DNA database samples are processed or examined as part of the quality control process to detect sample/evidence contamination, in accordance with the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA), 75 Federal Register (FR) 68932; 29 C.F.R. 1635.8(b)(6)
• Must successfully complete up to a two-year training program necessary for qualification as an FBI Forensic Examiner (FE). Must sign a Forensic Examiner Training Continued Service Agreement (FETCSA) to remain an FE for two years after the completion of training, with the understanding that failure to complete training may lead to termination or change to a similar position at a lower grade. Failure to fulfill the FETCSA will require reimbursement for the prorated expense of their training, unless a waiver is granted. Applicant is required to serve a two-year probationary period as a FE, beginning when he/she enters on duty as a FE trainee.
• Candidates who are hired for this position will not be eligible for promotion until they successfully complete their Forensic Examiner training.

ALL applicants must verify completion of the basic education requirement by submitting a copy of college transcripts by the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

Work performed in the office is mostly sedentary. Work in laboratories and classrooms may involve long periods of standing. Work at field sites may involve strenuous walking, stooping, bending, carrying of heavy instruments and samples, and extended periods of work in mobile laboratories. The work may involve frequent travel.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Work is performed in offices, laboratories, and classrooms. Another portion of the work is performed at the sites of investigations where there is potential for exposure to hazardous materials requiring protective measures including the wearing of laboratory protective garments.

MAJOR DUTIES:

• Serves as an Electronic Engineer Forensic Examiner and stays abreast of the latest research to determine best methods to examine evidence.
• Provides forensic analysis of electronic evidence in cases involving multiple submissions where inter-comparison of evidence is necessary and providing reports and testimony.
• Initiates and performs full range of technical procedures in a variety of settings, including examinations.
• Prepares and furnishes authoritative oral and written reports to FBI field investigators, U.S. Attorneys, state and local police and prosecutors as well as others within the law enforcement community.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EVALUATIONS

Please ensure that your specialized experience and requirements are clearly identifiable in your resume. Your application will be evaluated using the FBI's Candidate Rating Procedures. Your resume and supporting documents will be reviewed to verify that you meet the job qualifications listed in this announcement and will be compared against your responses to the online assessment questionnaire. Applicants must meet the qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

If you are found minimally qualified, your application will move forward to additional phases of the review process.

The five competencies will be used in a Structured Resume Review to objectively evaluate applicant resumes. Do not provide a separate narrative written statement. Rather you must describe in your resume how your past work experience demonstrates that you possess the competencies identified below. Your resume should demonstrate that you possess the following competencies.

Competencies:

• Innovative Thinking
• Problem Solving/ Judgment
• Electronics Engineering
• Research (Data)
• Communication

Positive Education Requirement
This position has a specific education requirement; all applicants must verify completion of this basic educational requirement by submitting a copy of their college transcripts by the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

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 material (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 are 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:

Professional registration or licensure-- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), 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.

Written Test-- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination or any other written test required for professional registration by and engineering licensure board 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 that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A.

Related curriculum-- Successful completion of a curriculum lading 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).

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above requirements provided you can show foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States.

Specialized Experience (SE)

GS-13: Applicant must possess at least one (1) year of SE equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. SE is defined as follows:

• Experience developing advanced test and evaluation protocols.
• Experience in electronic device analysis and general knowledge of unmanned systems.
• Experience communicating verbally and in writing to prepare reports, provide testimony, and provide expert technical guidance/recommendations to the law enforcement community.

HOW TO APPLY

For detailed instructions related to applying, uploading documents, withdrawing an application or updating your application, please review instructions on . If applying online is a hardship, please use the contact information listed in the vacancy announcement prior to the closing date for assistance.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

To apply to this position, interested applicants must provide a complete application package by the closing date which includes:

Utilizing the Resume Builder, outline your relevant work experience and associated start and end dates. Uploaded resumes will not be reviewed or used for qualification purposes.

A complete assessment questionnaire

Other supporting documents (if applicable):

• College transcripts, if qualifying based on education or if there is a positive education requirement
• Notification of Personnel Action, SF-50; not applicable to current FBI employees
• Most recent Performance Appraisal; not applicable to current FBI employees
  Veterans: DD 214; Disabled Veterans: DD 214, SF-15, and VA letter dated 1991 or later
• Memorandum for Record (MFR): Work performed outside assigned duties (that would not normally be documented on an SF-50, i. e., back-up duties), has to be documented in detail by an immediate supervisor in order to receive full credit for amount of time worked in that position. If no documentation is furnished no credit will be given for time worked in that position. The following notations must be specified in the documentation:
  • Percent of time worked in the particular position (cannot conflict with main duties.
  • The month/year work began
    Frequency worked (i.e., daily, monthly, etc.)
  • Specific duties performed

Attach the Memorandum for Record to your application in the "Cover Letters and Attachments" section of My Career Tools on the Careers Home page. Please upload the attachment as type "Other."

While applicants might see these documents in their profile, HR Specialists may be unable to access them. Therefore, all applicants MUST upload another copy to ensure that staffing units can review the complete application.

Please note: Failure to provide the necessary and relevant information required by this vacancy announcement may disqualify you from consideration. Incomplete applications will not be supplemented with additional requests for information; your application will be evaluated solely on the information you submit. You must complete the application process and submit all required documents by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the announcement's closing date.

WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT

Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and determine your ranking. The Most Competitive candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. You will be notified of your status throughout the process.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• The FBI is in the Executive Branch of the federal government. It is one of the components of the Department of Justice (DOJ). The FBI is the principle investigative arm of the DOJ. All FBI positions are in the excepted service.
• Applicants must be U.S. citizens and consent to a complete background investigation, urinalysis, and polygraph. You must be suitable for Federal employment; as determined by a background investigation.
• Positions with fitness for duty requirements or those that require international travel may require proof of certain vaccinations.
• Management may select any grade for which this position has been announced.
• If you are selected, you will be required to serve a two-year probationary period. Probationary employees are precluded from being considered for all job opportunities until 12-months of their 24-month probationary period has concluded. Probationary Employees may be considered for competitive vacancies that are advertised within their respective division or field office after serving 90 days within the FBI.
• The probationary periods will be served concurrently.

Veterans' Preference

If you are entitled to veterans' preference, you should indicate the type of veterans' preference you are claiming on your resume and application. Your veterans' preference entitlement will be verified by the employing agency.

Nepotism

Nepotism is the act of favoring relatives in the hiring process and is prohibited by law. Public officials are prohibited from hiring or promoting relatives or relatives of officials in their chain of command, as well as actively or indirectly endorse a relative's appointment or promotion. During the hiring process, all selected candidates and FBI hiring managers will be required to certify they are not related to anyone involved in the hiring process.

Reasonable Accommodation

The FBI provides reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation during the application and/or hiring process, please contact the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity Affairs (OEEOA) Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Program by email at REASONABLE_ACCOMMODA@fbi.gov, phone at 202-324-2158, or fax at 202-324-3976. This email address is for reasonable accommodation requests only. Do not send applications or unrelated inquiries to this address, as they will not be considered.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The FBI is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for this vacancy. Unless explicitly authorized by law, selection will be made without regard to, and there will be no discrimination because of, color, race, religion, national origin, marital status, parental status, physical or mental disability, genetic information, age (40 or over), sex, pregnancy and related conditions, or on the basis of personal favoritism, or any other non-merit factors.

Benefits

The Bureau matches your dedication with a commitment to professional growth, a supportive work environment, and a robust benefits package that prioritizes you. As a member of our team, you'll enjoy comprehensive health and life insurance benefits, paid vacation, sick leave, and federal holidays. For more details about benefits available to all federal employees, visit the Office of Personnel Management's .