Electrical Engineer

Full Job Description

The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo.

This position is located in the Engineering and Design Division (EDD) within the Office of Planning, Design and Construction (OPDC).

OPDC is responsible for the Smithsonian's physical infrastructure, which comprises over 700 buildings, other structures and leased spaces many which are designated as historic.

Basic Qualifications: (You must submit unofficial school transcripts) 1. Degree: professional engineering.

To be acceptable, the curriculum must: (1) be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) as a professional engineering curriculum; 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 2.

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 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: 1.

Professional registration -- Current registration as a professional engineer by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. 2. Written Test -- 3. Specified academic courses. 4.

Related curriculum In addition to the basic qualification requirement above: GS-12 Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system.

For this position specialized experience is defined as participating in the planning and design of electrical engineering systems of building projects such as: residential housing, office, retail and other similar commercial type buildings.

This includes power distribution, arc flash calculations, protective selective coordination, load calculations, emergency power, and short circuit analysis, defining scope of work and managing the work of the project teams and contracted building design professionals.

GS-13 Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system.

For this position specialized experience is defined as leading the planning and design of engineering systems of building projects such as laboratories, hospitals, museums, and similar complex building types.

This includes power distribution, arc flash calculations, protective selective coordination, load calculations, emergency power, and short circuit analysis, defining scope of work and managing the work of the project teams and contracted building design professionals.

Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages and should clearly demonstrate how your experience aligns with the responsibilities and specialized experience required for this position.

Do not copy language directly from the vacancy announcement, as you will be deemed ineligible for consideration. Instead, provide detailed, descriptive information about your actual experience.

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, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.

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

Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience.

Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.

Important Note: Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire or other assessment tool for consistency.

If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience.

Your resume should provide sufficient information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed. Major Duties:

The Electrical Engineer serves as Design Manager in the OPDC, EDD, planning, leading and controlling designated design projects and has an overall responsibility for design project development, implementation and evaluation.

In this position you will: Serve as an electrical engineering consultant for the design and construction of new buildings or renovation of existing facilities.

Administer A/E contracts as required for the successful completion of projects and is responsible for review and approval of all A/E payment requests and deliverables.

Function as the building plan reviewer or examiner, evaluating construction documents and corresponding specifications.

Assure that the work is appropriate with respect to functionality, maintainability, durability, cost, and aesthetics.

Prepare correspondence, studies, technical reports, design analyses, specifications, and similar materials associated with the work assignments.

Participate in conferences with institution staff and management, A/E personnel, client representatives, suppliers, contractors, and others.

Develop original designs and prepares the associated sketches, drawings, design analyses, specifications for the electrical features of design work accomplished in-house.