Chemical Engineer

Full Job Description

This position is part of the, Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.

The incumbent will be responsible for organizing, managing, and coordinating the investigation and analysis of major incidents involving the accidental release of a regulated substance or other extremely hazardous substance into the ambient air from a stationary source and writing, developing, and presenting reports with safety recommendations.

Applicants must carefully review the information in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section for important information and instructions pertaining to the multi-hurdle assessment process for this position.

Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered. Basic Requirement for Engineers: (NOTE: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.

Failure to submit transcripts will result in an ineligible rating.) 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 different 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.

Please visit ABET's website Home - ABET for more information on engineering programs that have received accreditation. 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 a 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.

For more information about EI and EIT registration requirements, please visit the National Society of Professional Engineers website at National Society of Professional Engineers National Society of Professional Engineers | 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.

The FE examination is not administered by the U. S. Office of Personnel Management. For more information, please visit: How To Get Licensed 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, 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.) Note: An applicant who meets the basic requirements as specified in A or B above, except as noted under B.1., may qualify for positions in any branch of engineering unless selective factors indicate otherwise.

In addition to meeting one of the Basic Requirements above, applicants must meet the following Minimum Qualification requirement in order to be considered for this position: At the GS-11, you must meet one of the following qualifications: A.

One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level.

Specialized experience is that which has equipped the applicant with the competencies to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled.

Specialized experience for this position includes. 1. Assists in implementing capital projects using corporate and/or industry standards, 2.

Analyzed engineering/scientific data to identify issues for program/project improvement and conducted troubleshooting and optimization activities, 3.Participated as a member of an investigation team, such as a Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) team, and 4.

Conducts routine to advance inspections of facilities, components, and operations, sometimes requiring unique inspection methods or techniques ( MUST HAVE 2 OR MORE IN RESUME TO BE QUALIFIED) OR B.

Three (3) years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to A Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree if related to Chemical Engineer; OR C.

A Combination of education and experience as listed above. Combination of experience and education: The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level.

Only graduate-level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be combined with experience.

Education: One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study.

If that number cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered an academic year of graduate study.

At the GS-12, you must meet the following qualifications: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level.

Specialized experience is that which has equipped the applicant with the competencies to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled.

Specialized experience for this position includes 1.

Analyzed engineering/scientific data to identify issues for program/project improvement and conducted troubleshooting and optimization activities, 2.Served on an investigation team, such as a Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) or process upset investigation team, 3.

Performs audits of Safety Management Systems (SMS) plans, and 4.

Participated as a subject matter expert to support the implementation of Mechanical Integrity Management Program corrective action items.

(MUST HAVE 2 OR MORE IN RESUME TO BE QUALIFIED) 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).

You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Major Duties:

Serves as a Chemical Engineer for the U.S. Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board.

Assists in the assessment of incident sites, determining the scope of the investigation, and works with local jurisdictional officials to secure the scene and to assure that evidence is not jeopardized.

Reviews all drafts of the final report for technical accuracy, ensuring applicable safety issues are identified and addressed.

Manages resources and expenditures related to the investigation in accordance with applicable Board orders, directives, and policies.

Performs Root Cause Analysis of accidental release/loss of containment events to determine the primary cause and contributing factors.