Interdisciplinary Architect/General Engineer/Community Planner

About the role

This position is located in the Architect of the Capitol (AOC), Office of the Chief Engineer, Planning, Engineering and Architecture.

The selectee will serve as a General Engineer, Architect or Community Planner and perform program management and/or project identification and development, with emphasis on projects involving work derived from the facility condition assessment database and new or existing public space or facilities in the master plan.

What you will do

• This position may be filled at the GS-11 (senior), GS-12 (authorizing) or GS-13 (expert) level.
• If starting at the lower levels, progressively more complex and independent assignments will be given on a gradual basis leading to the full performance level.
• Duties quoted below are at the GS-13 level.
• Major Duties: Program / Project Development and Management Produces or oversees the production of a wide variety of facilities planning products and services in the support of activities for the Architect of the Capitol.
• Products and services include, but are not limited to, Area Development Plans, Capital Improvements Plan project development, Asset Evaluations, Facility Requirements, Project Charters, Special Studies, Project Documentation (AOC Form 1391), Site Planning, Energy and Sustainability project documentation, External Engagement, Storm water program management, Economic Analyses, Parametric Cost estimates and Business Case Analyses.
• Prepares the initial program, planning and documentation for a number of multi-million dollar renovation and new construction projects.
• Projects may include renovation, rehabilitation, alteration and new construction of public space, buildings and infrastructure systems.
• Programs may include storm water management, project identification management and other planning-related programs to aid in the development of criteria for improved project development.
• Leverages in-house technical expertise and management capabilities of other division and jurisdiction personnel.
• Integrates diverse elements at each level and develops recommendations that can be implemented.
• The selectee needs to have a working knowledge of the AOC Preservation Policy and Sustainability policy and be able to recommend improvements and efficiencies to current status quo project planning.
• Plans various complex project development functions with project teams and makes decisions affecting areas of responsibility that are precedent setting.
• Identifies and ensures proper resource availability for internal agency professionals as well as contractor organizations.
• Serves as a professional specialist and a key source of information for assigned areas of accountability.
• Evaluates and monitors projects from other agencies that are adjacent to the Capitol complex and may impact implementation of Architect of the Capitol projects.
• Collaborates with professionals from area planning agencies including but not limited to National Capital Planning Commission, District of Columbia Office of Planning, District Department of Transportation, National Park Service and Smithsonian Institution to ensure external projects do not conflict with the planning of internal projects.
• Technical Advice and Guidance Provides assistance on project administration.
• Contributes to the resolution of technical difficulties that are amenable to changes in approach, criteria or requirements.
• Conducts studies to develop criteria for more in-depth planning initiatives and other situations encountered during field inspections.
• Facilitates the resolution of project or program related issues and concerns that arise at the Division Director, Jurisdiction Executive, Executive Directors Project Coordinator, Assistant Executive Directors and Executive Director- levels.
• Provides leadership of the project scope, schedule and budget concerns in the programming and study phases.
• Consultant / Contractor Oversight Provides technical design and management guidance to professional Architect/Engineers (A/E) Firms.
• Serves as the Contracting Officers Representative (COTR) for review and compliance with the Architect-Engineer contract specifications.
• Monitors A/E contractors for effectiveness in meeting contractual, functional and technical requirements.
• Recommends action in cases of programming and planning deficiencies.
• Reviews functional and technical aspects of project planning in detail.
• Ensures that applicable codes, standards and criteria are met.
• Recommends use of resources and efforts related to the implementation of projects; and exercises specified contracting officer authority for execution and administration of person and professional services contracts.
• Independently supervises indefinite delivery contracts for planning/programming, studies and designs when needed.
• Business Improvement Participants in the AOC efforts to continuously improve business practices and customer satisfaction.
• Provides professional planning, architectural or engineering expertise in evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of plans and recommends improvements.
• This involves life-cycle phases of the project, such as planning and programming through the conceptual design stage, the construction document stage and the construction, equipment installation, commissioning and post occupancy evaluation phases.
• Identifies areas for improvement, studies processes, recommends changes, studies impact and develops a plan for implementation.

Requirements

• A citizen of the United States; A person who is lawfully admitted for permanent residence and is seeking citizenship as outlined in 8 U.S.C.
• 1324b(a)(3)(B); A person who is admitted as a refugee under 8 U.S.C.
• 1157 or is granted asylum under 8 U.S.C.
• 1158 and has filed a declaration of intention to become a lawful permanent resident and then a citizen when eligible; A person who owes allegiance to the United States (nationals of American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Northern Mariana Islands, and nationals who meet other requirements described in 8 U.S.C.
• 1408); or A person who is currently an officer or employee of the Government of the United States.

Education

This position is interdisciplinary, one of the following education requirements must be met. For Engineers: 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: A thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and 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: (a) current registration as a professional engineer by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico; (b) evidence of having successfully passed the Engineer-in-Training (EIT) examination or the written test required for professional registration; (c) successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences that are fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of a professional engineering curriculum; or (d) successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in engineering technology or in an appropriate professional field For Architects: A.

Bachelor's Degree in architecture; or related field that included 60 semester hours of course work in architecture or related disciplines of which at least (1) 30 semester hours were in architectural design, and (2) 6 semester hours were in each of the following: structural technology, properties of materials and methods of construction, and environmental control systems. -OR- B.

Combination of education and experience -- college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the arts and sciences underlying professional architecture, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the architectural principles, methods, and techniques and their applications to the design and construction or improvement of buildings.

The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by at least one of the following: Related Curriculum: Degree in architectural engineering may be accepted. Experience: An applicant lacking a degree in architecture must have had l year of experience in an architect's office or in architectural work for each year short of graduation from a program of study in architecture.

In the absence of college courses, 5 years of such experience is required. This experience must have demonstrated that the applicant has acquired a thorough knowledge of the fundamental principles and theories of professional architecture. For Community Planners: A.

Degree: community planning; or related field such as urban affairs, architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, sociology, geography, economics, political science, or public administration that included at least 12 semester hours in the planning process, socioeconomic and physical elements of planning, urban and regional economic analysis, and development finance.

Note: Applicants with degrees in related fields, such as those listed above, who do not have the 12 semester hours of specified course work must have had at least 1 year of work experience in community planning acquired under the supervision and guidance of a community planner. -OR- B.

Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in one of the above disciplines, or a combination of related courses totaling at least 24 semester hours in any combination of the above disciplines of which at least 12 semester hours were in the planning process, and socioeconomic and physical elements of planning, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Education completed outside of the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment.

Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part of foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree.

You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing if selected.

How you will be evaluated

Review your resume and responses carefully. Your eligibility for consideration and qualifications for the position will be determined based upon a review of your detailed resume and your responses to job specific self-assessment questions.

Your resume will be evaluated based on evidence of your ability to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) for this position, possession of any specialized experience, and how well your background and experience relates to the self-assessment questions in the job announcement.

The self-assessment questions relate to the following knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies: 1.

Technical knowledge of the theories, principles, practices and specialties in the architectural/engineering or community planning field sufficient to to serve as the Project Programming Manager for any assigned project from the planning/programming stage through the design, construction, equipment installation stages, checkout and commissioning stage or other project completion milestones.

2. Skill in applying theories, concepts and principles practiced in program and project development/management sufficient to provide decisive interpretations of guidelines and practices used in the design and construction of new public realm strategies or facilities or the repair, restoration and alteration of public realm or existing facilities. 3.

Knowledge of project development core competencies to deliver high quality projects on time and within budget. These include, but are not limited to: contract development and management, change management/integration, scope management, time/schedule management, cost management, quality management, risk management and communication management. 4.

Ability to collaborate with specialists in multiple fields 5. Skill in technical writing. Your responses to the self assessment questions serve as the basis for your initial rating.

You will receive a numerical score based on your responses to these questions. Next, your responses will be evaluated by a Human Resources Specialist and/or a subject matter expert against the information provided in your resume and optional cover letter. Your resume must support your answers to the self assessment questions.

Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for not hiring you or disqualification for further consideration.

Please note that a complete application is required for consideration.

(Please review the “Required Documents” section of this job announcement to see what must be included in a complete application). You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Documents you must provide

• The Architect of the Capitol's job application process is designed to ensure that we only ask you for the information that is absolutely needed to evaluate your qualifications and eligibility for the position.
• To apply for this position, you only need to submit online the following: a) your resume and 2) answer the online vacancy assessment questionnaire.
• The online questionnaire contains eligibility and screening questions and other relevant supplemental information.
• No additional documentation or attachment is required at the time of application.
• We ask that you prepare and submit a resume that best describes fully your background experience, skills, abilities, education, training and other relevant credentials.
• The resume should include dates of employment.
• Nothing further is required until it is requested by the staff of the Human Capital Management Division.
• If additional documentation is required for a position, you will be asked to provide it during the selection process or upon selection.
• At that point, we may ask you to submit documentation to support statements made in your resume.
• For example, we may ask you to provide documents such as college transcripts, copy of diploma or proof of Federal employment status.
• If the position requires a license or certification, we will ask candidate(s) to provide proof at the time of selection.
• If you are claiming veterans' preference, we may ask you to submit proof of Veterans preference (DD-214, and, if claiming 10-point preference, the SF-15 plus proof required by that form).
• If you fail to provide the required documents, we will withdraw a tentative job offer made and/or remove you from further consideration.

Benefits

A variety of health insurance plans; retirement system with investment options; paid holidays; paid sick and annual (vacation) leave; life insurance; incentive systems; subsidized transportation; training and development opportunities, etc. Selected applicant(s) may be eligible to earn a higher annual leave accrual rate credit towards annual leave accrual based on prior non-Federal or uniformed service work experience.

The amount of service credit will be based on specialized experience or qualifying experience that is provided on the applicant profile submitted. As such, if you are a new employee to the Federal Government or a rehire, it is important that you provide a work history that lists all directly related positions held, and it must include the dates of employment (month/day/year).

The Architect of the Capitol offers eligible employees opportunity to participate in the Student Loan Repayment Program.

What to expect next

You will receive a notice generated by the USAJobs System when you have successfully submitted your application. We will review your application and transcript(s) (if you are qualifying based on education) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. You can check the status of your application by logging into ***

You may also sign up to receive automatic emails anytime the status of your application has changed by logging into your USAJobs Account, editing your profile and changing the ‘Notification Settings' to indicate that you want to be notified by email when the status changes.

Information regarding the status of your application should be updated in the system within 2 weeks after the closing date of this job announcement.

Additional information

Welcome Veterans. The Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) gives veterans' preference rights in the legislative branch to certain veterans as applied by the Congressional Accountability Act. Veterans' preference is applied on this vacancy announcement.

If you are a veteran and have been separated under honorable conditions, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility; SF-15, if applicable; and Department of Veterans Affairs documentation of disability, if applicable.

For more information, please visit OPM vet guide If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System. If you are exempt from registration under Selective Service Law, you must provide appropriate proof of exemption. Please visit the Selective Service System website for more information.

DRUG TESTING: The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is a Drug Free Workplace. As part of the AOC's suitability assessment, a candidate tentatively selected for a position who is not currently an AOC employee is required to submit to screening for illegal drug use. Satisfactory completion of a drug test is a condition of employment with the Agency.

A candidate must test negative prior to being eligible for appointment into a position. We will schedule, provide, and cover the cost for the drug test. The selectee(s) under the vacancy announcement for this position is subject to a criminal record check by the U.S. Capitol Police and satisfactory adjudication to be eligible for employment at the Architect of the Capitol.

The Architect of the Capitol is an E-VERIFY Participant. E-VERIFY is an Internet-based system that compares information from an employee's Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration records to confirm employment authorization in the United States.

If you are selected for this position, the documentation that you present for purposes of completing the DHS Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-VERIFY" electronic system.

For more information on E-Verify, please visit *** The Architect of the Capitol is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, genetic information, sexual orientation and/or disability.

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 notify the agency. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis.

Moving expenses are not authorized. Relocation expenses are not authorized. Probationary Period-A newly appointed selectee is subject to the completion of a one-year trial/probationary period, regardless of whether or not a trial/probationary period has been completed previously with the Architect of the Capitol or another Federal agency.

This vacancy announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies in any of the jurisdictions of the Architect of the Capitol. All application materials become the property of the Architect of the Capitol. Note: Please be advised that federal retired annuitant candidates may only be considered as a temporary employee if the role can be filled in that capacity.