Construction Analyst

About the role

This position is located in the Small Business Administration, Damage Verification Center.

This position conducts field examinations and performs a variety of duties directed at verifying cause, determining extent and estimating the repair/replacement cost of damage to personal, real, and business property, equipment and inventory resulting from a disaster declared by the President or the Administrator of the Small Business Administration.

What you will do

• This is a time limited appointment.
• This position is not expected to be full time year round.
• There will be times that you will be placed in NonPay Status.
• Additional information under Important Notes.As a/an Construction Analyst at the GS- 0828-7/9/11, some of your typical work assignments may include: Conduct technical damage assessments on residential, commercial, and industrial facilities to verify disaster damage using standard engineering and construction methods.
• Evaluate personal property claims and ownership documentation to determine eligibility, repair costs, and asset legitimacy via financial or insurance records.
• Analyze financial statements, tax returns, and accounting data to calculate inventory loss, depreciation allowances, and equipment salvage values.
• Review and defend technical estimation reports from third-party engineers, contractors, and adjusters to validate structural evaluation conclusions.
• Perform collaborative Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDAs) with FEMA and local officials to prepare reports justifying Presidential or SBA disaster declarations.
• IMPORTANT NOTES: The salary range above reflects the employee's base salary.
• Locality Pay will be added based on the location of the employee's residence.
• Your primary residence is considered your official duty station.
• TRAVEL STATEMENT- You may be required to travel to a disaster site during increased disaster activity for extended periods with little or no advanced notice.
• If so, you may encounter hazardous working and/or living conditions; i.e., no water or electricity and/or minimal lodging facilities.
• Travel expenses are compensated based on SBA policy and Federal regulations.
• This position works on an as needed basis.
• This means that employees are in a pay and duty status only when activated to respond to workload needs, especially in response to heightened disaster activity.
• When no longer needed, employees return to a non-pay status until the next event necessitates additional staff.
• However, depending on the workload and/or level of disaster activity, your work schedule may be changed to full-time.
• Subsequently, if the workload decreases, you may be placed in a NonPay Status.
• Mandatory Overtime: In order to respond quickly and efficiently to disaster survivors, substantial compensated overtime hours may be required while on assignment (up to seven days a week and twelve to fourteen hours a day).
• A valid driver's license may be required.

Education

APPLICANTS PLEASE NOTE: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement.) Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Verify School accreditation. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. If you do not meet the specialized experience requirements, you may also qualify with education.

You MUST submit transcripts (official or unofficial) with this application if you wish to qualify based on education.

If you are selected for this position and qualified based on education (i.e. basic education requirement and/or substitution of education), you will be required to provide an OFFICIAL transcript prior to your first day on duty.

GS-07: 1 full year (18 semester hours) of graduate-level education directly related to the position: architecture, engineering, building construction, or other fields related to the position. Education must be in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.

OR Superior academic achievement based on one of the following: (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society member. For a detailed description of Superior Academic Achievement, please visit the Superior Academic Achievement website. OR A combination of education and experience.

For example, 6 months of the specialized experience (50% of the experience requirement), and completion of 9+ semester hours or 13+ quarter hours of graduate-level education in a related field from an accredited institution (50% of the qualifying education) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position.

GS-09: 2 academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education directly related to the position (e.g., architecture, engineering, building construction). Education must be in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.

OR Master's degree (or equivalent graduate degree such as LL.B. or J.D. as specified in qualification standards or individual occupational requirements) directly related to the position: architecture, engineering, building construction, or other fields related to the position.

Education must be in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. OR A combination of education and experience.

For example, 1 full year (18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours) of graduate-level education (i.e. 50% of education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position.

GS-11: Successful completion of a Doctorate or equivalent graduate degree in architecture, engineering, building construction, or other fields related to the position from an accredited college or university, or 3 full years (54 semester hours or equivalent) of related progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.M., if related.

OR A combination of education and experience: For example, an applicant who has 1.5 full years of Ph.D. level education (i.e. 50% of education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position. *** If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education.

For further information, click on: Foreign Education.

How you will be evaluated

Applicants meeting basic eligibility requirements will be further evaluated based on additional assessments. One of these assessment is USA Hire. Based on your application and your responses to the application questionnaire, you may be presented with instructions on how to access the USA Hire system to complete the online assessments.

The online assessments must be completed within 48 hours following the close of this announcement. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation for the assessment should you have a disability covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Your USA Hire assessment results will be kept on record for one year and used toward future positions for which you might apply that require the same assessments.

The assessments relate to the following Competencies required to do the work of this position: Building and Construction Cost Estimation and Analysis Financial Analysis Decision Support Technical Competence In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process.

One of the required assessments for this position is an online assessment that measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Your application will be evaluated under the Category Rating method based on your assessments. You will receive a score based on the responses to the assessment questions.

If, after reviewing your resume and or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience your score can and will be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities. If you meet basic requirements for the position, your application will be evaluated and placed into one of three categories: 1.

Best-Qualified: highly proficient with an overall comprehensive level of knowledge, skills and abilities related to the job based on a complete review of experience, education, and training as described in an applicant's responses to the assessment questions and resume. 2.

Well-Qualified: competent in the position with an overall accomplished level of knowledge, skills, and abilities related to the job based on a complete review of experience, training, and education as applicable, as described in an applicant's responses to the assessment questions and resume. 3.

Qualified: an overall basic level of knowledge, skills, and abilities related to the job based on a complete review of experience, education, and training, as described in an applicant's responses to the assessment questions and resume.

Candidates eligible for veterans' preference will be placed ahead of other candidates in the appropriate category for which they have been rated. Additionally, preference eligibles who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent and who meet Minimum Qualification Requirements will automatically be placed in the Best Qualified Category.

Documents you must provide

• Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date/time of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position.
• Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents.
• Uploading documents to USAJobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system.
• You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.
• Your Resume must not include photographs.
• Resume length may not exceed 2 pages and must contain the following information: Name, address, telephone number, email address; Job Title (if Federal Service, provide series and grade; if not in GS plan, provide GS equivalent grade); If qualifying based on related unpaid (e.g. volunteer service) experience, you must provide hours worked per week and beginning/ending dates (mm/dd/yyyy to mm/dd/yyyy); If other than full time you must provide hours worked per week.
• PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC.
• WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.
• Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination.
• You must address the specific specialized experience required for each grade level of this position on your resume or application or you will be rated "Ineligible" for that grade level.
• Should you submit multiple resumes, only the latest uploaded resume will be reviewed.
• In addition to the online application (resume and responses to the occupational questionnaire), you are required to submit the following forms, if applicable.
• It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure all documents are legible: If you are using education as a substitution for experience (the announcement will state whether this is allowed), or if there is an educational requirement for this position, you must submit a copy of your transcripts (unofficial or official) that clearly describes your qualifying education.
• If selected, official transcripts will be required; If you are claiming Veteran status, you must submit a copy of all required documents to support your claim (e.g.: DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing type of discharge/character of service; Current Active Duty members must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions dated within 120 days; SF-15 Form and related documentation; VA disability letter)--see VetGuide; Veterans who are still in the service may be granted tentative preference on the basis of information contained in their applications, but they must produce a DD-214 (showing the character of service) or other proof of service to receive consideration for veterans' preference.
• For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit FedsHireVets.gov.
• CTAP/ICTAP/RPL Applicants: Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (if applicable), your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330, and your most recent performance appraisal.

What to expect next

SUITABILITY, CLEARANCE & REQUIREMENTS: A background investigation may be required for all new hires. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background investigation and favorable adjudication.

Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period (depending on type of appointment authority) during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.

In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: - your performance and conduct; - the needs and interests of the agency; - whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and - whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of this period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Consistent with work requirements and current SBA Policy, and all applicable provisions of the collective bargaining agreement with AFGE the SBA offers employees opportunities to perform work at an alternative location (e.g. home).

Additional vacancies may be filled from this vacancy announcement if additional vacancies occur within 180 days of the date the certificates were issued. SBA uses e-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities

Additional information

Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application.

Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis.

If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments.

You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement.

To determine if you need a Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: *** Career and InterAgency Career Transition Assistance Programs: Are programs that applies 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.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) is a program that helps "surplus" or "displaced" federal employees improve their chances of finding a new job in their current agency (intra-agency, i.e. SBA employees only).

Inter-Agency Career Transition Assistance (ICTAP) is a program that helps "surplus" or "displaced" federal employees improve their chances of finding a new job at another agency (inter-agency; i.e. not applying to their current or former agency). You are eligible for CTAP/ICTAP if: 1.

You are a current federal employee who meets the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee meaning you have received official notice that your job is no longer needed or that you will lose your job by Reduction-in-Force (RIF). 2. Your agency, or the agency to which you are applying, is accepting applications from within or outside of the permanent workforce.

3. The position to which you are applying MUST BE in the Local Commuting Area of the position of record from which you are being displaced. 4.

You meet the qualifications and other requirements of the job for which you are applying. This includes being rated as well-qualified for the position (score of 85 or better based on your responses to the competencies and associated questions listed within the assessment).

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. For additional information visit ***