Interdisciplinary Physical Scientist - General Engineer

Summary

This position is being filled under the memorandum from the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (USD(P&R)) "Expansion of Direct Hire Authority for Certain Personnel of the Department of Defense," dated August 12,2024. This position is part of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

Duties

• As a Interdisciplinary Physical Scientist - General Engineer at the GS-0801/1301-14 some of your typical work assignments may include: Leading complex, offensive research and development (R&D) programs to advance scientific theories, experiments, and technology trends in Hard and Deeply Buried Targets (HDBT) defeat and Hard Target Development (HTD). Managing and coordinating joint-agency program portfolios with the military Services, Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and other DoD/interagency partners to align offensive capabilities, eliminate duplication of effort, and ensure deliverables meet military and policy requirements. Evaluating and identifying emerging technologies and strategic opportunities to design new conventional and functional target defeat capabilities, including assessing the physical construction, testing, and operational maintenance of newly developed systems. Assessing operational warfighter requirements for Command, Control, Computing, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Targeting (C5ISRT) and adversary HDBT facilities to guide offensive program development. Representing the Agency on national and international committees and board panels focused on developing strategies to hold adversary HDBTs and Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence (C4I) infrastructure at risk. Serving as an Agency Subject Matter Expert (SME) on Innovations Product Teams (IPTs) to prepare and deliver technical briefings, program updates, and strategic recommendations on conventional and functional defeat concepts to military flag officers and senior civilian executives.

Qualifications

You may qualify at the GS-14, if you fulfill the following qualifications: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service as listed below: Characterizing physical, mechanical, chemical, and electrical industrial processes to identify system vulnerabilities and design offensive R&D defeat concepts against Hardened Deeply Buried Targets (HDBTs); Managing research and development (R&D) projects to resolve technical vulnerabilities in target defeat, utilizing conventional and functional defeat methodologies; Executing R&D test and evaluation plans, to include managing experimental trials, modeling and simulation efforts, or prototyping to validate and transition offensive conventional and functional defeat technologies to operational programs, and; Formulating execution plans for multi-project offensive R&D portfolios, including managing project finances to meet agency obligation and expenditure benchmarks. (Experience must be clearly demonstrated in your resume) 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. In addition to meeting qualifications, your application package must reflect the applicable experience to meet the Individual Occupational Requirements for the 0801/1301, series as listed below: A. For Engineering series 0801 - 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. B. For Engineering series 0801 - 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.) C. For Physical Scientist series 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. (Must provide transcripts) D. For Physical Scientist series 1301 - 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. (Must provide transcripts and experience clearly demonstrated in resume)

Education

Substitution of education may not be used in lieu of specialized experience for this grade level. TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED: All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement. GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours that your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study. FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that 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: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Grade: GS 14. . Telework eligible. Apply by 2026-11-16 on USAJOBS.