Engineer/Scientist

Job summary

You will serve as the MK41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) Principal for Safety in the Systems Safety Engineering Division, Electromagnetic & Sensor Systems Department of NAVSURFWARCENDLD. This position is part of the Warfare Centers Personnel Demonstration Project. The ND-5 pay band encompasses positions equivalent to GS-14 and GS-15.

Major duties

You will perform and oversee systems safety engineering on the MK41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) including missile integration, launcher control systems, interfaces with combat systems, and all supporting elements You will ensure compliance with applicable VLS standards, instructions, guidance, and policies. You will leverage expertise in systems engineering and the MK41 VLS to provide technical systems safety engineering advice to top-level Navy management, technical personnel, external DoD agencies, private industry, and academia. You will act as a consultant to technical experts, offering insights on VLS safety matters where differing opinions exist and ensuring advice is directly relevant to the VLS. You will ensure the VLS-related system safety program adheres to System Safety Engineering Division processes, methodologies, and technical standards. You will consistently apply technical rigor across all aspects of the VLS program. You will lead development and technical reviews of VLS safety program artifacts (e.g., hazard analyses, safety assessments, test plans), providing targeted technical direction to a team of VLS system safety professionals. You will foster collaboration with MK41 VLS technical authorities to provide focused systems engineering expertise that supports B70 processes, methodologies, and analyses relevant to the VLS. You will provide senior-level technical expertise and guidance on MK41 VLS safety to various Safety Review Boards and program Certification Panels. You will employ subject matter expertise in systems engineering and the MK41 VLS to train, advise, and mentor system safety practitioners in applying system safety principles to the VLS. You will prepare and deliver briefings conveying complex safety information to diverse stakeholders, ranging from senior leadership (06/Flag/SES level) and program managers to engineers and safety personnel.

Qualification

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-04 pay band (GS-12/13 equivalency) in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience must demonstrate the following: as a professional engineer or scientist executing systems engineering activities related to Naval Weapons Systems. Demonstrated direct experience on system safety techniques, theories, and principles, including hazard analysis, risk assessment, and the development of mitigation strategies in compliance with MIL-STD-882E. Examples of qualifying experience may include: Planning, leading, and executing system safety analyses. Leading risk assessments of potential hazards, including the development and implementation of risk mitigation strategies. Expert level knowledge in MIL-STD-882E and its application to complex weapons systems like the MK 41 VLS, including experience with hazard tracking systems and risk management methodologies. Developing and presenting safety briefings to senior leadership (06/Flag/SES level), clearly articulating safety risks, mitigation strategies, and recommendations. 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 All Professional Engineering Positions, 0800 General Physical Science Series, 1301 Operations Research Series, 1515 Mathematics Series, 1520 Computer Science Series, 1550 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 the following positive education qualifications requirements of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Standards Manual: For the 0801 Professional Engineering Series: 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 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. 2. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 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. 3. 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. 4. 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.) For the 1301 Professional Physical Science Series: Degree: physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics. OR Combination of education and experience -- education equivalent to one of the majors shown in A above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education For the 1515 Professional Operations Research Series: Degree: in operations research; or at least 24 semester hours in a combination of operations research, mathematics, probability, statistics, mathematical logic, science, or subject-matter courses requiring substantial competence in college-level mathematics or statistics. At least 3 of the 24 semester hours must have been in calculus. For the 1520 Professional Mathematics Series: Degree: mathematics; or the equivalent of a major that included at least 24 semester hours in mathematics. OR Combination of education and experience -- courses equivalent to a major in mathematics (including at least 24 semester hours in mathematics), as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. For the 1550 Professional Computer Science Series: Degree: computer science; or bachelor's degree with 30 semester hours in a combination of mathematics, statistics, and computer science. At least 15 of the 30 semester hours must have included any combination of statistics and mathematics that included differential and integral calculus. All academic degrees and course work must be from accredited or pre-accredited institutions.

Evaluations

In order to qualify for this position, your resume must provide sufficient experience and/or education, knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are being considered. Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific when describing your experience. When the application process is complete, we will review your resume to ensure you meet the hiring eligibility and qualification requirements listed in this announcement. You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume and application package, along with your supporting documentation to determine your ability to demonstrate the following competencies: Safety Engineering Problem Solving Engineering Project Management Customer Service Partnering Oral Communication This recruitment will utilize the following technical assessment tools: a Structured Resume Review and a Structured Interview. You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation. If after reviewing your resume and supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and/or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities or you may be found ineligible/not qualified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment. All eligibility, qualifications, and time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.