Supervisory Interdisciplinary Engineer/Metallurgist
- Manage the functions of the Materials Laboratory including the direct supervision of metallurgists, materials engineers, fire and explosion technologists, and laboratory technicians. Plan, prioritize, and assign work to staff based on the difficulty of the assignment and the capability of the employee, schedules jobs and reviews completed work for technical accuracy and completeness. Advise the Office Director of workload.
- Review completed reports and other products for technical accuracy and completeness. May personally conduct complex investigations as need arises. Develop original proposals for out-of-agency investigations, recommends the laboratories and procedures to be used to obtain the required data, maintains the Board's control of such projects, analyzes the results, and prepares reports and recommendations based on the findings.
- Manage personnel functions within the Division. Determine the training needs for personnel and implements the annual training program. Develop performance standards and writes performance appraisals. Recruit/select personnel for vacancies. Effect major disciplinary actions, such as suspension and removal. Approve within-grade increases, overtime, and employee travel. Recommend awards or bonuses for subordinate staff. Recommend changes in position design and position classification.
- Act as consultant and provide technical advice to the Board Members, Office Directors, Division Chiefs, and field staff regarding material factors in transportation accidents and incidents and recommend appropriate courses of action. Participate in public hearings and depositions by publicly testifying as to the facts developed by the investigation. Act as an engineering member of the technical panel or as an expert advisor to the Board of Inquiry.
- Manage the Division's annual budget. Ensure that funds are obligated, allocated and expended in accordance with Board and Office of Research & Engineering policy and directives. Has ultimate responsibility for the purchase, operation, and maintenance of complex investigative tools. Prepare or oversee plans, specifications and procurement requests for new lab hardware and software.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- U.S. Citizenship
- Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service
- Resume and supporting documents (see "How to Apply" section.)
- Suitability for Federal employment
- Financial Interest in transportation enterprises will be evaluated on a case-by-case-basis.
- Bargaining Unit Position: NO
- Direct Deposit is required.
- A probationary period may be required.
- Status candidates must meet time-in-grade requirements (52 weeks at the next lower grade level) by the closing date of this announcement. Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.
- This position is being announced concurrently under Public (U.S Citizens) procedures under Vacancy Number RE-127222016-25-RR. To be considered under both Public (US Citizens) and Government-Wide procedures, you must apply to both announcements.
- Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
Qualifications
Specialized Experience Requirements
GS-15: You MUST have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service (experience may have been gained in the private sector). Specialized experience is defined as experience in planning, directing, and conducting complex materials and mechanical examinations, tests, and analyses of failed transportation components to determine the root cause of the failure; experience in cause and origin investigations of fires and explosions; knowledge of and experience in developing and overseeing mechanical and materials-based original proposals for third-party testing; developing new, novel, or unique test programs to obtain the required data.
For more information see the following Links: ; ;
NOTE: IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your resume must clearly show the specialized experience and competencies related to this position. Failure to demonstrate how you possess the education, specialized experience and/or competencies will result in an "Ineligible" rating.
Education
This position has a positive education requirement. Applicants must submit a copy of their college or university transcript(s) by the closing date of the announcement to verify qualifications. if selected, an official transcript will be required prior to appointment.
BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:
A. 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
B. 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:1. 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.2. 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.3. 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.4. 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.)
OR
Degree: metallurgy or metallurgical engineering that included at least 20 semester hours in metallurgical subjects.
OR
Combination of metallurgy or metallurgical engineering education and experience.
GENERAL EDUCATION: All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at an institution that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for it to be credited towards qualifications. For a list of schools that meet these criteria, see . Applications submitted without the required supporting documents will not be accepted. An unofficial transcript; statement from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official; or equivalent documentation is acceptable at the time of application. Education submitted must be appropriately accredited by an accredited body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. For additional information, refer to the U.S. Department of Education web site at:
FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit:
Additional information
- The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays and various benefits as well as work life amenities such as alternate work schedules, telework, flextime, fitness and transit benefits.
- Moving expenses associated with permanent change of station (PCS) ARE NOT authorized for this position.
- NTSB may authorize Recruitment Incentives currently offered by the Federal Government for highly qualified candidates who possess unique skills and abilities.
- If you left Federal Employment and received a buy out and you are selected for this position, you may be required to repay the full amount of the payment.
- Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA): To be eligible for a VEOA appointment under Merit Promotion procedures, you must be a preference eligible or a Veteran separated after 3 years or more of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions. For more information on VEOA please visit
- Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities: For more information on noncompetitive appointment authority eligibility requirements identified below please visit
- - Persons with Disabilities-Schedule A
- - Special Hiring Authorities for Veterans
- - Special Hiring Authority for Certain Military Spouses
- - Other Special Appointment Authorities
- Career Transition Assistance Programs: These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) meet the basic qualification standards (including minimum educational and experience requirements; (3) be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 90 and above on the rating criteria for this position; and, (4) submit the appropriate documentation ( to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information visit:
- Note: ICTAP eligibles must submit one of the following as proof of eligibility for the special selection priority: a separation notice; a "Notice of Personnel Action" (SF-50) documenting separation; an agency certification that you cannot be placed after injury compensation has been terminated; an OPM notification that your disability annuity has been terminated; OR a Military Department or National Guard Bureau notification that you are retired under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456.
- All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on OPM's web site at
- Telework may be authorized on a case-by-case basis.
- NTSB uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit .
- Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. .
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Conditions of Employment
- U.S. Citizenship
- Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service
- Resume and supporting documents (see "How to Apply" section.)
- Suitability for Federal employment
- Financial Interest in transportation enterprises will be evaluated on a case-by-case-basis.
- Bargaining Unit Position: NO
- Direct Deposit is required.
- A probationary period may be required.
- Status candidates must meet time-in-grade requirements (52 weeks at the next lower grade level) by the closing date of this announcement. Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.
- This position is being announced concurrently under Public (U.S Citizens) procedures under Vacancy Number RE-127222016-25-RR. To be considered under both Public (US Citizens) and Government-Wide procedures, you must apply to both announcements.
- Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
Qualifications
Specialized Experience Requirements
GS-15: You MUST have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service (experience may have been gained in the private sector). Specialized experience is defined as experience in planning, directing, and conducting complex materials and mechanical examinations, tests, and analyses of failed transportation components to determine the root cause of the failure; experience in cause and origin investigations of fires and explosions; knowledge of and experience in developing and overseeing mechanical and materials-based original proposals for third-party testing; developing new, novel, or unique test programs to obtain the required data.
For more information see the following Links: ; ;
NOTE: IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your resume must clearly show the specialized experience and competencies related to this position. Failure to demonstrate how you possess the education, specialized experience and/or competencies will result in an "Ineligible" rating.
Education
This position has a positive education requirement. Applicants must submit a copy of their college or university transcript(s) by the closing date of the announcement to verify qualifications. if selected, an official transcript will be required prior to appointment.
BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:
A. 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
B. 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:1. 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.2. 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.3. 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.4. 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.)
OR
Degree: metallurgy or metallurgical engineering that included at least 20 semester hours in metallurgical subjects.
OR
Combination of metallurgy or metallurgical engineering education and experience.
GENERAL EDUCATION: All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at an institution that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for it to be credited towards qualifications. For a list of schools that meet these criteria, see . Applications submitted without the required supporting documents will not be accepted. An unofficial transcript; statement from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official; or equivalent documentation is acceptable at the time of application. Education submitted must be appropriately accredited by an accredited body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. For additional information, refer to the U.S. Department of Education web site at:
FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit:
Additional information
- The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays and various benefits as well as work life amenities such as alternate work schedules, telework, flextime, fitness and transit benefits.
- Moving expenses associated with permanent change of station (PCS) ARE NOT authorized for this position.
- NTSB may authorize Recruitment Incentives currently offered by the Federal Government for highly qualified candidates who possess unique skills and abilities.
- If you left Federal Employment and received a buy out and you are selected for this position, you may be required to repay the full amount of the payment.
- Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA): To be eligible for a VEOA appointment under Merit Promotion procedures, you must be a preference eligible or a Veteran separated after 3 years or more of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions. For more information on VEOA please visit
- Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities: For more information on noncompetitive appointment authority eligibility requirements identified below please visit
- - Persons with Disabilities-Schedule A
- - Special Hiring Authorities for Veterans
- - Special Hiring Authority for Certain Military Spouses
- - Other Special Appointment Authorities
- Career Transition Assistance Programs: These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) meet the basic qualification standards (including minimum educational and experience requirements; (3) be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 90 and above on the rating criteria for this position; and, (4) submit the appropriate documentation ( to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information visit:
- Note: ICTAP eligibles must submit one of the following as proof of eligibility for the special selection priority: a separation notice; a "Notice of Personnel Action" (SF-50) documenting separation; an agency certification that you cannot be placed after injury compensation has been terminated; an OPM notification that your disability annuity has been terminated; OR a Military Department or National Guard Bureau notification that you are retired under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456.
- All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on OPM's web site at
- Telework may be authorized on a case-by-case basis.
- NTSB uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit .