Equipment Specialist (Electronic)

About the role

The Library of Congress shares its vast collections of books, manuscripts, photographs, maps, audiovisual materials, and priceless artifacts to cultivate curiosity and spark imagination. We engage, inspire, and inform Congress and the American people with a universal and enduring source of knowledge and creativity.

We seek highly talented professionals to join a vibrant and collaborative community. Your work here will have lasting impact on the Library and its users well into the future.

What you will do

• This position serves as the National Library Equipment Repair Officer (ERO) within the Equipment and Infrastructure Section, Business Operations Division (BOD, National Library Service for the Blind/Print Disabled (NLS) in the Library Collections and Services Group (LCSG) at the Library of Congress (LOC).
• As the Equipment Specialist, you will: Direct a national repair program to maintain playback devices used in the NLS network, including volunteers, regional repair facilities, etc. Analyze data from network agencies to identify areas with device repair problems and makes recommendations to the Program Delivery Division on matters involving playback device production and reliability.
• Interpret NLS and quality assurance standards for network of repair agencies.
• Recommend policies and procedures and assists in implementing adequate delivery and quality assurance programs in each repair unit or repair facility.
• Organize, implement, and monitor such processes as the review of equipment functionality prior to assignment to patrons, warranty returns to the manufacturer of defective materials, and inspection of materials prior to release.
• Develop training materials and programs; coordinates the training of state and volunteer groups.
• Design and produce technical information manuals, videotape presentations, and circulars for use by these groups.
• Conduct workshops and training sessions to maintain a high level of effectiveness in the repair and maintenance of the national inventory of over 500,000 electronic playback devices.
• Coordinate the repairs made by firms under contract to the agency.
• Assure that playback equipment is furnished as expeditiously as possible to network personnel requiring them.
• Participate in declaring items that are no longer economically repairable as excess to the system, and recommends their disposal.
• Apply extensive knowledge of the equipment concerned, develops suggestions for alternate commercial uses of equipment, and/or recommends equipment modifications to facilitate commercial use.
• Provide advisory services related to equipment design, production, operational, and maintenance requirements with regard to new or significantly modified total equipment systems, groups of commodity classes, or subsystems.
• Through conferences, meetings, reports, travel and training, provide technical information along with continuing technical advice and assistance necessary to resolve problems and support assigned categories of equipment.
• Communicate extensively orally and in writing with a variety of internal personnel and numerous contractors and representatives of other organizations.
• Coordinate activities with other subordinate and higher-level organizations.
• Make recommendations to support management decisions related to improvement of processes such as Information Technology support, key personnel support, playback equipment utilization, maintenance requirements, publications, etc. Advise potential vendors regarding approval and validation procedures.
• Check whether vendors comply with ANSI and ISO 9000 requirements.
• Review vendor capabilities and past performance.
• Recommend a variety of sources of supply including procurement, cannibalization, in-house manufacture, etc. Work requires in-depth knowledge of the primary manufacturers of assigned components and parts.
• Identify problems and/or trends that exist regarding the acquisition of various parts and equipment and recommends improvements.
• Identifies and evaluates potential vendors, and conducts site surveys for procurement source approval.
• Gather information for contract preparation packages.
• Provide the technical equipment data required to assure that requisitions are filled with the exact item needed.
• Prepare statements of work, justifications for other than full and open competition, product specifications, and other technical documentation related to procurement actions.
• Fulfill agency Contract Officer Representative (COR) duties and actions involving contracts.
• Conduct/coordinate on a continuing basis, the evaluation of design, configuration, and engineering changes for major components of new/extensively modified equipment systems and/or commodity classes.
• Make technical recommendations regarding design, development and testing, and assures that maintainability and reliability requirements are incorporated.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• The position description number for this position is 013197.
• The salary range indicated reflects the locality pay adjustments for the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan area.
• The incumbent of this position will work a Flexitime work schedule.
• This is a non-supervisory, bargaining unit position.
• Relocation expenses will not be authorized for the person(s) selected under this vacancy announcement.

Requirements

• Conditions of Employment Library of Congress employees are prohibited from using illegal drugs, including marijuana.
• The Library is part of the Federal Government and abides by federal law, so regardless of individual state or District of Columbia laws, marijuana use is illegal, considered criminal activity, and can affect your employment at the Library.
• In addition, past or current drug use and activities (e.g., selling or distributing) may deem you ineligible for employment.

How you will be evaluated

The Library of Congress evaluates applicants through an applicant questionnaire and a structured interview. Applicants may also be screened for some jobs through licensing, certification, and/or education requirements, a narrative/application review, and/or a preliminary telephone interview.

The knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that are marked with a double asterisk (**) in the vacancy announcement and the applicant questionnaire are considered the most critical for a position.

To be considered for final selection, applicants must demonstrate fully acceptable experience in these designated KSAs in the narrative/application review, preliminary telephone and/or full structured interview.

The various assessment tools listed above are designed to verify or explore applicants' experience, knowledge, and training directly related to the job in order to identify the best qualified applicants for selection. You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Documents you must provide

• Current or former federal employees must submit their most recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50 or equivalent).
• Applicants with disabilities may be considered under special hiring procedures and must submit an appropriate certificate of eligibility when applying for this position.
• The proof or disability/certification may be issued by the State Vocational Rehabilitation Office, Disability Services or Career Services office of the applicant's college or university, or the Department of Veterans Affairs.
• The letter must verify that the applicant has a severe disability and must be dated within three years of the date of the application.
• The program does not accept certification from health care providers.
• For more information contact the Library's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity at *** or email ***.
• FAILURE TO SUBMIT YOUR CERTIFICATION WILL CAUSE YOUR APPLICATION TO NOT BE CONSIDERED UNDER THE SELECTIVE PLACEMENT PROGRAM.

What to expect next

Please review our evaluation process under Evaluation. You may check the status of your application for this position at any time by logging onto the USAJOBS "My USAJOBS" tab and clicking on "My Applications." You will receive final notification via e-mail when the vacancy has been filled.

Additional information

Although it is the Library's policy to afford the maximum pay benefit to employees when setting rates of pay, a new appointee who has had no previous Federal service will generally be paid at step one of the grade. The Library of Congress is an equal opportunity employer.

Applicants must submit a complete application package that is received by the closing date of this announcement.

Appointment/retention is subject to a favorable evaluation of an appropriate personnel security/suitability investigation. For more information, please see: Vetting Process This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please email ***.

The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Applicants with disabilities may be considered under special hiring procedures and must submit an appropriate certificate of eligibility when applying for this position.

The proof or disability/certification may be issued by the State Vocational Rehabilitation Office, Disability Services or Career Services office of the applicant's college or university, or the Department of Veterans Affairs. The letter must verify that the applicant has a severe disability and must be dated within three years of the date of the application.

Certification from health care providers are not accepted. For more information contact the Library's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity at *** or email ***.

FAILURE TO SUBMIT YOUR CERTIFICATION WILL CAUSE YOUR APPLICATION TO NOT BE CONSIDERED UNDER THE SELECTIVE PLACEMENT PROGRAM.

The Library of Congress is the national library of the United States and is part of the Legislative Branch of the Federal government. As such, all positions are in the excepted service. The Library reserves the right to fill a lesser or greater number of vacancies indicated during the life of this vacancy announcement.

Initial permanent appointments to the Library of Congress require completion of a one-year probationary period. Probationary periods served at other Federal agencies do not count toward this requirement. The Library of Congress may offer repayment for all or part of federally insured student loans.

However, not all service units within the Library of Congress participates in the repayment of federally insured student loans. Therefore, determination to repay a federally insured student loan is subject to approval by the appropriate service unit. A “Not to Exceed" (NTE) status is used to identify an appointment with a specific ending date.

However, the Library has the right to separate a NTE employee at any time due to either performance issues or budget constraints. Are you a veteran? Please indicate the type of veterans' preference you are claiming in your application materials and/or applicant profile and provide the appropriate supporting documentation to validate your claim.

Those applying for 5-point preference must submit Member Copy 4 of your DD 214. Those applying for 10-point preference must fill out an SF-15 (click here for the form) and provide the required documentation listed on the back of the form. If required supporting documentation is not attached, Veterans' Preference will not be considered in the application process.