General Engineer

Job Details

Qualifications & Requirements

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must (1) meet the Education Requirement for the series, (2) provide a copy of transcripts for verification, AND (3) meet either the education or specialized experience requirements for the grade at which you are requesting consideration. To qualify for the GS-09 on Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-07 it must include: Experience applying general engineering principles and practices and analyzing facts, conditions, and data to draw conclusions and make recommendations and communicating findings both orally and in writing technical reports or memoranda. To qualify for the GS-09 on Education alone, you must have: 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or have been awarded a master's or equivalent graduate degree. You can also qualify based on a combination of graduate education and experience. This must be fully supported by your resume and transcripts, provided with your application. To qualify for the GS-11 on Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-09 it must include: Experience applying engineering principles, knowledge, and practices to complete assigned project tasks. To qualify for the GS-11 on Education alone, you must have: 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. You can also qualify based on a combination of higher-level graduate education and experience. This must be fully supported by your resume and transcripts, provided with your application. To qualify for the GS-12 on Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-11 it must include: Experience applying engineering principles, knowledge, and practices to manage project tasks. You cannot qualify on education at the GS-12 level; you must have experience. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas: General Engineering - Knowledge of the concepts, principles, and theories of engineering and their practical applications. Written Communication - Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience. Teamwork - Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals. Planning & Evaluating - Organizes work, sets priorities, and determines resource requirements; determines short- or long-term goals and strategies to achieve them; coordinates with other organizations or parts of the organization to accomplish goals; monitors progress and evaluates outcomes. Project Management - Knowledge of the principles, methods, or tools for developing, scheduling, coordinating, and managing projects and resources, including monitoring and inspecting costs, work, and contractor performance. For all types of consideration, 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 For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/frequently-asked-questions/employment-faq/federal-hiring/how-do-i-apply-for-federal-jobs/ Students enrolled in a qualifying degree program can apply if the anticipated graduation date is within six months of closing date of the announcement. Graduation transcript must be received before start date. Other applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Position Overview

The Volpe Center seeks two General Engineers to advance national transportation safety and innovation across high-impact domains. Joining dynamic teams, candidates will drive commercial supersonic flight through sonic boom measurement, modeling, and community test planning, or accelerate U.S. rail modernization through data analytics, safety evaluations, and applying advanced technology to engineering testing and infrastructure assessments.

Duties

• As a General Engineer, you will: Perform preliminary engineering assessments, data gathering, design studies, and feasibility analyses to evaluate and improve the safety, performance, and capacity of transportation systems. Assess new technologies, equipment, and systems to determine their technical feasibility, operational applicability, cost-effectiveness, and impact on system upgrades. Participate in and conduct analytical and experimental field tests, site visits, and inspections of transportation infrastructure and installed equipment. Organize, write, review, and edit detailed technical reports, design specifications, and preliminary designs outlining methods, findings, and conclusions. Develop, assess and exercise algorithms and models. The ideal candidate holds an engineering degree and thrives on solving complex transportation challenges through data-driven analysis, modeling, and rigorous technical oversight. The candidate is passionate about applying safety-first principles and advanced engineering methodologies to modernize critical infrastructure; whether shaping the future of supersonic flight through noise and test evaluations or advancing rail network safety through in-depth evaluations and advancing rail network safety through in-depth evaluations, the practical application of technology, engineering testing and modeling, and infrastructure assessments.