PDF versionJob Summary
This position is located in the Department of Labor (DOL), Mines Safety and Health Administration,Tech Support, Mine Waste & Geo Engineering Divisionin South Park, PA.- This position is inside the bargaining unit. - Additional selections may be made from the job announcement. - Selection can be made from any advertised grade(s). - No PCS or Relocation incentives
Major Duties
GS-07- The incumbent is responsible for evaluating safety problems in the mining industry that are of a civil engineering nature with an emphasis on mine waste disposal and dam safety issues. 1. Review engineering plans for dams and other mine waste disposal facilities. The plans may be for the correcting of deficiencies at existing dams or waste disposal structures, for the construction of new sites, or for the modification and expansion of existing sites. 2. Evaluate problems in geotechnical engineering. 3. Analyze structural engineering problems related to the safety of mine structures such as preparation and processing plants, storage facilities, and bulkheads. 4. Analyze safety problems related to mining operations. 5. Conduct field and accident investigations. In situations where these existing conditions are found to be deficient or where construction techniques are inadequate, make recommendations on corrective actions that should be pursued. 6. Develop and deliver technical training on topics related to the Division's mission. 7. Keep abreast of developments in the fields of dam safety, structural mechanics, soil mechanics, rock mechanics, hydrology, hydraulics, and mining technology. 8. Assist senior engineers during litigation proceedings and in preparation for expert witness testimony.
GS-09 – The incumbent is responsible for evaluating safety problems in the mining industry that are of a civil engineering nature with an emphasis on mine waste disposal and dam safety issues. 1. Review engineering plans for dams and other mine waste disposal facilities. 2. Evaluate problems in geotechnical engineering such as soil or rock slope stability, rockfalls, foundations, and retaining walls. 3. Analyze structural engineering problems related to the safety of mine structures. 4. Analyze safety problems related to mining operations such as haul roads, subsidence, or mining near bodies of water. 5. Conduct field and accident investigations in areas of Division responsibility to make observations and collect data that will allow an assessment of conditions or the cause of an accident to be determined. 6. Develop and deliver technical training on topics related to the Division’s mission. 7. Keep abreast of developments in the fields of dam safety, structural mechanics, soil mechanics, rock mechanics, hydrology, hydraulics, and mining technology. 8. Assist senior engineers during litigation proceedings and in preparation for expert witness testimony.
GS-11- The incumbent is responsible for evaluating safety problems in the mining industry that are of a civil engineering nature with an emphasis on mine waste disposal and dam safety issues. 1. Review engineering plans for dams and other mine waste disposal facilities. 2. Evaluate problems in geotechnical engineering such as soil or rock slope stability, rockfalls, foundations, and retaining walls. 3. Analyze structural engineering problems related to the safety of mine structures such as preparation and processing plants, storage facilities, and bulkheads. 4. Analyze safety problems related to mining operations such as haul roads, subsidence, or mining near bodies of water. 5. Conduct field and accident investigations in areas of Division responsibility to make observations and collect data that will allow an assessment of conditions or the cause of an accident to be determined. 6. Develop and deliver technical training on topics related to the Division’s mission. 7. Keep abreast of developments in the fields of dam safety, structural mechanics, soil mechanics, rock mechanics, hydrology, hydraulics, and mining technology. 8. Assist senior engineers during litigation proceedings and in preparation for expert witness testimony.
GS-12- As a senior-level engineer, is responsible for the independent planning and execution of projects related to the solution of complex safety problems at mining operations throughout the United States. Employs basic and advanced engineering concepts, and applied research techniques in executing duties and transfers the results of highly theoretical or complex studies to practical applications. Due to the Division's diverse workload, the incumbent will work in the areas of dam safety, slope and high wall stability, structural safety, mine inundation, and haulage safety. Will act on their own initiative on investigations involving problems where general MSHA policy has already been established. The incumbent may lead an investigative team in the execution of assigned field and laboratory projects. The incumbent has responsibility for making changes or modifications when necessitated by local conditions or preliminary findings. He/ she will evaluate the progress of field or laboratory projects and makes recommendations regarding their continuation, expansion, or termination. On completion of a field or laboratory project, evaluates the data and prepares reports covering the findings. The work assigned will be independently.
Qualifications
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.
This position has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) that must be met in addition to meeting the specialized experience.
Basic Requirements: 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 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:
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.
Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination or any other written test required for professional
Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours ofcourses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must befully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.
Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor'sdegree 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 professionalengineering 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.) AND
GS-07: In addition to meeting the basic entry qualification requirements, applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-5, in the Federal Service
Specialized experience include computer software for example Word, Excel and PowerPoint, work within team and technical writing methods.
OR
1 year of graduate-level education or superior academic achievement.
GS-09: In addition to meeting the basic entry qualification requirements, applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-7, in the Federal Service.
Specialized experience include: experience using engineering analysis software and be capable of using computer software. Knowledge in the areas of soil and rock mechanics, foundation engineering, earth dam design, hydrology, hydraulics, and structural mechanics is desirable. Also desirable is knowledge of testing procedures used to determine the engineering properties of construction materials (including metals, soil, rock, and mine waste materials) and mining principles and operation.
OR
2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree
GS-11: In addition to meeting the basic entry qualification requirements, applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-9, in the Federal Service.
Specialized experience include: experience using engineering analysis software and be capable of using computer software. Knowledge in the areas of soil and rock mechanics, foundation engineering, earth dam design, hydrology, hydraulics, and structural mechanics is necessary. Also needed is knowledge of testing procedures used to determine the engineering properties of construction materials, including metals, soil, rock, and mine waste materials. The incumbent should have a general knowledge of the mining industry, The Coal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1969, the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, and should be familiar with Title 30, U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 77.214 – 77.216. The incumbent should have competent written and oral communication skills.
OR
3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree
GS-12: In addition to meeting the basic entry qualification requirements, applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-11, in the Federal Service.
In addition to meeting the GS-9 and GS-11 specialized experience the incumbent must have the following specialized experience: The ability to represent the Agency in a professional and effective manner when consulting or coordinating within the Agency or external organizations on projects. Skilled in presenting testimony as an expert witness in civil or criminal litigation. Have knowledge of technical writing methods and the ability to write technical reports based on information gathered from field investigations, lab tests, and literature searches incorporating tables, graphs, and diagrams. Skills in preparing multi-media presentations and making oral presentations should be demonstrated.Also have proficiency with the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
No educational substitution.
Pay Range
$44,537.00 - $102,709.00