Engineering Technician
What you'd do
This position is located within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Field Organization, Plains Area (PA), National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF), Manhattan, KS. In this position, the incumbent will serve as the Engineering Technician responsible for the maintenance, repair, and replacement of all NBAF facilities and systems as well as associated documentation.
Major duties
Uses system elements and resources including operation and maintenance manuals, catalog data, parts lists, and modifications to design prints, scheduled and unscheduled maintenance records, replacement parts, and comparison labor and cost data. Supports the scheduling of PMs/work assignments based on knowledge of crew requirements and workload, as well as factors pertaining to the type of maintenance to be done on the equipment. Provides multi-disciplinary technical resource and project support for facility operations including maintenance, repair, and construction of NBAF infrastructure for architectural, civil, electrical, and mechanical components. Provides support in planning, design, construction, and maintenance of NBAF facilities and systems projects- large scale, complex HVAC operations involving automation control systems, piping systems, and electrical distribution systems. Utilizes engineering/project management computer programs to develop and/or review performance work statements, design drawings (AutoCAD and Revit), specifications (Specs Intact), cost estimates (RS Means, Costworks, Gordian), and project schedules. Contributes opinions, alternatives, and similar technical expertise regarding feasibility of approach, instrumentation, and procedural requirements for biological material transfer storage containers. Serves as a project manager and Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) for all assigned projects. Manages project integration, scope, cost, schedule, quality, resources, communications, risk, procurement, and stakeholders. Oversee projects throughout the entire project lifecycle including initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, controlling, and close-out. Serves as lead and coordinator of all activities related to biological material transfer storage containers.
What you need to qualify
Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Time in Grade: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet the time in grade requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. 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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. The specialized experience requirements for the Engineering Technician, GS-0802-12 is one year of specialized experience comparable to the GS-11, in the federal government, which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is described as experience providing, planning, or analyzing costs for infrastructure improvements, evaluations of contractor proposals and projected costs; developing project estimates or preparing documents for procurement; creating, managing, and scheduling construction or repairs or service contract performance; managing, planning or executing complex transfers of biological materials; and working on projects for biocontainment facilities and laboratories. To comply with USDA personnel security requirements and requirements of the Federal Select Agent Program (FSAP) for access to information and areas with Biological Select Agents and Toxins (BSAT), including Tier One Select Agents at NBAF, the incumbent must meet the following: Pre-employment and random testing of substances of abuse; Participation in and adherence to the facility's Occupational Health Program; Participation in and adherence to the facility's Personal Reliability Program; The ability to obtain/maintain favorably adjudicated Background Investigations or Security clearances (required by USDA); The ability to obtain/maintain a favorable Security Risk Assessment (required by FSAP). This is a Public Trust Position and requires that the incumbent be a United States Citizen. As a condition of employment, the requirements listed above must be met. The mission of NBAF includes research, diagnosis and training for animal diseases foreign to the United States (U.S.) for the purpose of protecting American agriculture and domestic food sources from their potentially devastating effects. NBAF is vital to successfully protecting U.S. agriculture from the intentional or non-intentional introduction of foreign animal diseases such as Foot-and-Mouth disease. The position supports the biocontainment facilities and may require entry into biosafety level (BSL) 3, 3 enhanced, 3 Ag and BSL-4 labs. The incumbent must demonstrate the physical and psychological capability to conduct normal duties that are appropriate to their position. To prevent the transmission of disease out of biocontainment and retention of the position, the incumbent must meet the following medical standards in a pre-employment medical examination conducted after the receipt of a preliminary job offer and on a periodic basis: Skill and ability to shower out of biocontainment one or more times per day; Not have any skin condition which would prevent this; Body piercings must be able to be removed prior to entry; External medical assist devices must have the ability to be removed prior to entering or not impede the ability to enter biocontainment, and the individual must still be able to shower out safely without assistance; Skill and ability to follow instructions regarding decontamination from biocontainment; Any medical condition which could create an unsafe environment for the individual or his/her co-workers, such as: insufficient control of a medical disorder which could result in sudden loss of consciousness; and inadequate vision and hearing required for safety in a laboratory environment. Medical confidentiality will be maintained by the examining physician and only fitness (or unfit) for duty determination will be indicated. The incumbent will also be required to pass periodic fitness for duty physicals. In addition, a medical clearance will be required in the event that it becomes necessary to enter an area where an air purifying respirator or other respiratory protection is required. A baseline blood sample may be required for employees entering and working in the biocontainment facilities. For the health and safety of the incumbent and to prevent the spread of disease, immunization against diseases being studied at NBAF which are transmissible to humans may be required where the vaccine has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for safety and effectiveness under the provision of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, as amended 21 USC 321-392. Where the vaccine has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for investigational purposes, the incumbent will be advised that such immunization is voluntary. Due to the contagious nature to livestock of Foot-and-Mouth disease, and other diseases under study at NBAF, biosafety protocols specify a personal quarantine for employees working on specific infectious agents in designated areas of NBAF. As a condition for employment, all personnel entering these areas at NBAF shall not be in contact with specific susceptible animals and their premises away from NBAF for a period of five (5) days after leaving the area. Currently, restricted species are cattle, sheep, goats, deer, other ruminants, and swine. Contact with horses, birds (agricultural and pet birds) and rabbits are normally permitted, but restrictions may be placed on staff working with or near infectious agents affecting these species. Restricted livestock or other restricted animals may not be housed on the premises where the employee lives and where the quarantine cannot be enforced. Employees who violate this requirement may be removed from employment or subject to other disciplinary actions.
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