Electrical Engineer

Summary

This position is located in the Fire Research Laboratory (FRL) within the Office of Science and Technology (OST). The incumbent serves as the lead technical expert practitioner concerning the evaluation of products, equipment and components having electrical or electronic functions and mechanical features with regard to failure modes resulting in fire causation.

Duties

• The major duties of the Electrical Engineer position include, but are not limited to, the following: Performs forensic electrical engineering examinations/testing/analyses with minimal technical guidance. Uses appropriate laboratory techniques to determine fire/explosion related failure modes of various electrical, electronic, and electro-mechanical devices and systems. Draws conclusions based on fully documented examination of the evidence/scenes and interpretation of scientific results, and prepares laboratory reports. Works with senior engineers to evaluate new technology/equipment and scientific techniques for adoption by Laboratory Services. Provides expert witness testimony on the basis of scientific conclusions.

Qualifications

To qualify for the Electrical Engineer position [at the GS-14 grade level, you must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Basic 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.) AND Minimum QualificationsTo qualify for this position at the GS-14 grade level, candidates must also have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-13) by the closing date of this announcement. Specialized experience is demonstrated experience, which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. Experience must be in the normal line of progression or must be related to the work of the position advertised and must be reflected in resume.Specialized experience must include all of: Performing a mastery of the principles, theories and practices of electrical or electronic engineering; AND Applying in-depth knowledge of relevant laws, regulations and guidelines pertaining to fire, explosions, and forensic evidence, and an understanding of how that evidence applies to the laws on explosives, bombings, arson and other programs that are enforced by the Bureau; AND Examining building electrical systems and electrical, electronic, electro-mechanical equipment to interpret damage from fires or explosions; AND Developing and modifying examinations, testing, and research protocols, interpreting analytical results, and producing scientifically supported conclusions; AND Preparing comprehensive laboratory reports based on documented examinations, tests, and detailed analysis and interpretation of evidentiary materials; AND Providing expert witness testimony and advising attorneys on evidentiary value and approaches for presenting scientific results; AND Providing technical advisory support to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies on electrical engineering methodology; AND Providing training on forensic electrical engineering to investigators, attorneys, scientists, and laboratory personnel. Your resume must support your responses to the application questionnaire and the qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating. See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume. After you submit this application, you will receive an e-mail informing you that a USA Hire assessment is required of you. You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement (11/09/2026) to complete the assessment as this assessment is part of your application.

Education

See "Basic Requirements" in the "Qualifications" section. Education must be reviewed and certified by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, in order for it to be creditable towards your qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from accredited institution. If you are using education to qualify for this position, or education is required: You must submit a transcript, which may be unofficial, as long as it contains a full listing of courses, credit earned, grade and grade-point-average, subject area, degree(s) earned, and dates of award. Your transcript must come from a nationally accredited educational institution recognized by the Department of Education. Please do not submit electronic transcripts with documentation security protection. These may prevent our application system from accepting and processing the document. If submitting a foreign transcript, you must have the transcript reviewed by an approved foreign education review organization recognized by the Department of Education. Your transcript must also be in English or have an English translation included. FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website. If you are qualifying on foreign education, you MUST submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

Requirements

The requirements listed below must be met by the closing date of the announcement. Must be U.S. Citizen or National Selective Service registration is required for males born on, or after, December 31st 1959. Those not registered should have an approved exemption on file. May be required to serve a one-year probationary period. Pass drug screening and subject to random drug test. Suitable for Federal employment determined by background investigation. You must meet all applicable time-in-grade requirements by the closing of this announcement. Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office by providing a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment: Position title; Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee); Agency; and Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

Grade: GS 14. . Telework eligible. Apply by 2026-11-09 on USAJOBS.