Summary This position is with Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), Technical Support, Mechanical and Engineering Safety Division (M&ESD). MSHA works to prevent death, illness and injury from mining; promote safe and healthful workplaces for U.S. miners. MSHA carries out the provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine Act) as amended by the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER) Act of 2006. Responsibilities The responsibilities described apply to both the Physical Scientist and Mechanical Engineer position titles. Formulates and conducts complex investigations regarding issues on blasting safety and specialized projects related to mine and materials safety. Assists the Division's senior engineers in providing technical assistance to MSHA enforcement regarding regulatory questions and the investigation of accidents involving explosives. Evaluates data, prepares reports of findings, and makes recommendations upon completion of studies. Provides consultation and advice to MSHA officials and field personnel and other interested parties and customers concerning explosive properties, physical principles and behavioral characteristics associated with the function and use of various blasting methods and explosive systems. Provides evaluation of various approaches to the solution of problems and reviews technical data regarding issues and projects that involve explosives, blasting and safety concerns. Plans, organizes, and initiates work assignments to provide technical support for the safe use of explosives and related items in the mining industry. Responsible for technical assistance, accident investigations, and field evaluations with respect to blasting operations, explosive technology and mining related safety practices. Serves as a technical expert to explosives manufacturers and developers of blasting equipment to identify and solve complex technical problems related to health and safety features to minimize or eliminate potential in-service hazards. Provides independent review and analysis of technical data and approaches to the solution of issues and problems regarding blasting safety and investigations of materials involved in incidents or mine accidents. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications You must meet the Basic Requirements to qualify for Physical Scientist/Mechanical Engineer, as described below. Transcripts must be submitted to verify education requirements. Basic Requirement - Mechanical Engineer: 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), 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) 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.) Basic Requirement - Physical Scientist: A. 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. OR B. 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. In addition to the basic requirements as described above, your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience defined below. Be sure these @types of examples are evident in your resume. Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position successfully, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. GS-12: Must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, experience and skills to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience must include four of the following: Working knowledge of engineering and physical science concepts and methods used in contemporary mining and blasting technology coupled with practical experience in mining to serve in applying such knowledge to the issues and problems encountered in explosive and blasting safety. This is applicable to related explosive and blasting safety in other relevant areas (construction, demolition, explosive manufacturing, etc.) Experience in conceiving, planning, and implementing new or known solutions to engineering and scientific problems and safety issues, including the ability to evaluate third party testing procedures for applicability to regulatory compliance. Application of engineering and physical science concepts, related scientific fields, and mining practices, to utilize the appropriate scientific principles in performance of approval processing, field and laboratory investigations, and evaluations of explosives, blasting, or mining equipment. Provide engineering and scientific solutions to critical technical problems or questions related to safety and health features of varied and complex explosives and blasting systems and practices as they relate to mining equipment, methods, and regulatory issues. Experience in developing new or improved procedures, policies and testing requirements, training programs/materials, and professional and scientific papers, and to provide training on and present such information to varied stakeholders. Apply applicable regulations, standards, policies, related professional organizations' standards, and other applicable federal Agencies' standards to improve explosives and blasting safety in mining applications. There is no substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience at the GS-12 grade level. Education Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service. If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information. Additional Information Applicants must meet all legal and regulatory requirements. Reference the Required Documents section for additional requirements. The mission of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to protect the welfare of workers and job seekers, improve working conditions, expand high-quality employment opportunities, and assure work-related benefits and rights for all workers. Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES As a condition of employment, all personnel must undergo a background investigation for access to DOL facilities, systems, information and/or classified materials before they can enter on duty: BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION This position is inside the bargaining unit. If the duty location is within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the position will be included in the Local 12, AFGE bargaining unit. If the duty location is outside the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the position will be included in the NCFLL bargaining unit. This position is subject to the confidential financial disclosure requirements of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-521). Therefore, if selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) to determine if a conflict or an appearance of a conflict exists between your financial interest(s) and your prospective position with DOL. This information will be required annually. All MSHA employees and their spouses, and minor children are prohibited by regulation from having any interest, direct or indirect, in any mine or mining company that may be directly affected by the work of MSHA through its investigations, technical research, or other activities. These interests are prohibited under the Department of Labor's Supplemental Standards of Ethical Conduct Regulations at 5 CFR 5201.105. Certain MSHA employees are required to file a financial disclosure report. For questions, please contact Rhonda Dory at dory.rhonda.a@dol.gov or 972-850-4427. Based on agency needs, additional positions may be filled using this vacancy. The Department of Labor may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government to attract highly qualified candidates. Click for more information on Pay, Leave, and Workforce Flexibilities. The Fair Chance Act (FCA) prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOL employee has violated your rights under the FCA, you may file a complaint of the alleged violation following our agency's complaint process Guidelines for Reporting Violations of the Fair Chance Act. Note: The FCA does not apply to some positions specified under the Act, such as law enforcement or national security positions. All Department of Labor employees are subject to the provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Program under Executive Order 12564 and Public Law 100-71.
