Electronics Technician (Infrared)

Full Job Description

This position is located within the Washington Office Fire and Aviation Management (WO-FAM) unit.

This position serves as an Electronics Technician providing technical subject matter expertise to the National Infrared Operations Program (NIROPS).

For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact Mark Hilton at mark.hilton@usda.gov.

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement.

For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Wildland Fire Schedule Qualification Standards.

Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide course descriptions as necessary.

Specialized Experience Requirement: GS-12: You must have one-year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 in the Federal service.

Specialized experience is defined as three or more of the following: Performed researched, developed, and designed electrical/electronic systems; and/or Designed and analyzed board- and integrated circuit-level analog, digital, and converter circuits for complex electronic systems; and/or Programed and interfaced microprocessor-based process control and programmable controller systems using assembly, ladder logic, or other high-level programming languages; and/or Installed, upgraded, maintained, and troubleshooted highly sophisticated systems and related electro-mechanical equipment.

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.

To receive consideration for this position, you must provide updated required documents and meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENT: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.

This requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Major Duties:

• Perform research, development, design, specification, maintenance, installation, project management and act as assistant/advisor on all electrical/electronic and associated infrared equipment used in the NIROPS program.
• Knowledge, experience and skill in the operation, specifications, theory, interface, applications, and growth aspects of electronic systems as they apply to infrared fire detection systems.
• Support the NIROPS program and be available and on call when requested.
• Coordinate and conduct NIROPS mission planning operations.
• Provide support onboard aircraft to monitor, acquire, pre-process and deliver imagery during NIROPS flight missions.
• Research technical specifications, equipment configuration, and installation plans to identify equipment and service requirements; and procures equipment and services.
• Maintain inventory control of equipment, parts and supplies.
• Provide advice and guidance to NIROPS staff, management officials, and users within the interagency fire program on the status, maintenance and operation of the infrared line-scanning equipment.
• Informed of existing equipment workload and operational adequacy, applicable developments in the industry, and proposed changes that may affect equipment requirements.
• Recommend studies of configuration changes when warranted.
• Review proposals from vendors with other technical and functional specialists and advise on the merits of proposals.