DOE offers you the chance to be part of the clean energy revolution and make a difference in the fight against the climate crisis. Join the DOE Clean Energy Corps!
This is a Term position not to exceed 24 months but may be extended up to 4 years depending on agency needs.
If selected, you will be assigned to one of the following offices within the National Energy Technology Laboratory: Resource Sustainability or Energy Delivery & Security.
Resource Sustainability: The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provides new authorities under Section 136 of the Clean Air Act to tackle methane emissions from the oil and natural gas sector through the creation of the Methane Emissions Reduction Program (MERP). This program will help reduce emissions of methane and other greenhouse gas (GHGs) from the oil and gas sector and will have the co-benefit of reducing non-GHG emissions. In keeping with the Administration's Justice40 Initiative, the program will also reduce emissions from oil and natural gas infrastructure in or near overburdened communities. Through the Methane Emissions Reduction Program, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), DOE's Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are partnering to provide up to $1.36 billion in financial and technical assistance through an interagency agreement to improve methane monitoring and reduce methane and other greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and natural gas sector.
Energy Delivery & Security: The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), is a United States federal statute enacted by the 117th United States Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden on November 15, 2021. The BIL provides approximately $1.1 trillion of key investments needed to improve and rebuild our nation's infrastructure. Under the BIL, the Department of Energy will administer more than $62 billion for investments in energy infrastructure that can support a pathway to a clean, yet resilient and equitable, energy future. This includes $14 billion in financial assistance to States, Indian Tribes, utilities, and other entities who provide products and services for enhancing the reliability, resilience, and efficiency of the electric grid. As part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Grid Deployment Office and the National Energy Technology Laboratory are administering a $10.5 billion Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program to enhance grid flexibility and improve the resilience of the power system against growing threats of extreme weather and climate change. These programs will accelerate the deployment of transformative projects that will help to ensure the reliability of the power sector's infrastructure, so all American communities have access to affordable, reliable, clean electricity anytime, anywhere.
As an Interdisciplinary General Engineer/Physical Scientist you may:
- Serve as a Departmental contact with outside individuals and organizations for matters pertaining to the assigned programs/project.
- Evaluate scientific and engineering programs/project needs and prepares documentation (i.e., budget, procurement, SOWs, etc.) to support those needs.
- Conduct in-depth analysis of technical science and engineering issues, requirements and development efforts to resolve major conflicts, unique issues and to address scientific and engineering uncertainties.
- Evaluate the value and applicability of new or improved technology, strategies, trends, or applications; investigates, predicts, and anticipates issues and conditions extending beyond a single specialty science or engineering area affecting known standards, approaches, precedents, or concepts.
- Develop or collaborate in the formulation of new standards, applications, concepts, or theories changing existing knowledge and extending an understanding of phenomena.
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS GS-07: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-05 in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as:
- Applying principles, theories, practices, and techniques in engineering or a physical science; AND
- Assisting with gathering and analyzing information concerning environmental or science impacts.
OR: EDUCATION: 1 year of graduate-level education
OR: SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: Based on a Bachelor's degree that is demonstrated through class standing (upper 1/3 of class); grade point average (3.0/4.0 overall or 3.5/4.0 in major), or election to membership in a qualifying national scholastic honor society.
OR: COMBINATION: You may qualify on a combination of education and experience, the total percentage of experience at the required grade level compared to the specialized experience requirement, as well as the percentage of completed education compared to the educational requirement must equal at least 100 percent. The first 18 semester hours (27 quarter hours) may be combined to be considered for qualifying education.
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS GS-09: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-07 in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as:
- Applying principles, theories, practices, and techniques in engineering or a physical science; AND
- Gathering and analyzing information concerning environmental or scientific impacts; AND
- Analyzing environmental or scientific information and preparing or reviewing reports.
OR: 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree.
OR: You may qualify on a combination of education and experience, the total percentage of experience at the required grade level compared to the specialized experience requirement, as well as the percentage of completed education compared to the educational requirement must equal at least 100 percent. Only graduate level education in excess of the first 18 semester hours (27 quarter hours) may be combined to be considered for qualifying education.
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS GS-11: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-09 in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as:
- Researching scientific data and making recommendations for efficiencies; AND
- Performing projects using standard techniques and models related to engineering, environmental, and/or scientific processes; AND
- Analyzing engineering, environmental, and/or scientific information and preparing or reviewing reports.
OR: 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.
OR: You may qualify on a combination of education and experience, the total percentage of experience at the required grade level compared to the specialized experience requirement, as well as the percentage of completed education compared to the educational requirement must equal at least 100 percent. Only graduate level education more than 36 semester hours (54 quarter hours), may be used to combine education and experience.
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS GS-12: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-11 in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as:
- Researching and interpreting program related laws, regulations, guidelines, and procedures related to engineering, environmental, and/or scientific regulations and compliance, AND
- Preparing or reviewing technical reports as it relates to engineering, environmental, and/or scientific issues; AND
- Monitoring implementation and providing recommendations on programs/projects.
NOTE: There is no substitution of education for specialized experience at the GS-12 level.
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS GS-13: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-12 in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as:
- Researching and interpreting program related laws, regulations, guidelines, and procedures related to engineering, environmental, and/or scientific regulations and compliance, AND
- Preparing or reviewing technical reports as it relates to engineering, environmental, and/or scientific issues; AND
- Monitoring implementation and providing recommendations on programs/projects; AND
- Applying analytical techniques for assessing the effectiveness or efficiency of engineering or scientific operations or work processes.
NOTE: There is no substitution of education for specialized experience at the GS-13 level.
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"Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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.
OPM Qualification Standards for the GS-801/1301series can be found at the following website: General Engineering Series 801, General Physical Science Series 1301
CTAP/ICTAP candidates: To be considered "well qualified" you must meet all of the requirements as described in this section.
You must meet the qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
You must meet the Basic Education Requirement listed below and the "Specialized Experience" to qualify for this series as described below.
Basic Requirement for Physical Scientist (1301):
- 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.
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Basic Requirement for General Engineer (801):
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.)
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This vacancy has a positive education requirement. Failure to provide copies of your college transcripts may result in a rating of "Ineligible". Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website.