PDF versionJob Summary
This position is located in the Department of Labor (DOL), Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), Pittsburgh Safety and Health Technology Center, Roof Control Divisionlocated in South Park, PA. - This position is inside the bargaining unit. - Additional selections may be made from this announcement. - Selection can be made from any advertised grade(s). - Relocation Bonus, PCS Expense and Recruitment Incentives are not authorized.
Major Duties
MAJOR DUTIES
As a senior-level engineer, the incumbent is responsible for the independent planning and execution of projects related to complex safety problems at mining operations throughout the United States. The incumbent employs basic and advanced engineering concepts and applied research techniques in executing duties, and transfers the results of complex studies to practical applications. Due to the diverse workload of the Division, the incumbent will work in the area of underground ground control evaluating pillar stability, multiple seam interactions, and the effectiveness of support methods, as well as perform investigations of ATRS systems, cabs, and canopies.
Examples of such duties include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Evaluates the needs of the mining industry regarding roof control technology and initiates programs to improve the state-of-the-art in this area. (20%)
- Performs field investigations of roof control problems in underground mines and utilizes rock mechanics techniques to provide useful information to mine operators and MSHA inspection personnel in determining potential changes to improve roof stability. Conducts in-mine investigations and analyses of cabs, canopies, and automated devices proposed for use in lieu of cabs and canopies to determine if they are technically acceptable and practically sound. (20%)
- Evaluates complex roof control plans, addendums, or mining proposals for adequacy related to ground control and pillar stability. (20%)
- Attends meetings and conferences with Federal, State, and private organizations to obtain and provide information relative to ground control. Keeps abreast of technological developments in the field of the roof and/or ground control through contacts with the mining industry and government agencies and thorough review of relevant literature. (20%)
- Designs complex laboratory investigations to determine the qualities of roof support systems to define their applicability to unique mining situations. The incumbent leads a team of engineers and technicians in the execution of such studies, and prepares reports of subsequent findings in a timely manner. (10%)
- Prepares and presents ground control related training materials involving ground control, particularly on new technologies that can improve current industry methods. Audiences will include MSHA personnel, other government officials, and industry stakeholders. (10%)
The GS-7 is a lower level position and the incumbent will perform duties under more restricted supervisory controls and with lesser complexity. Duties at the GS-09 and GS-11 are development leading up to the full performance level of the GS-12.
Qualifications
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.
Examples of specialized experience include two or more of the following: Exposure to ground control problems in underground mines.
Knowledge of cabs, canopies, or automated temporary roof support systems.
Field investigations evaluating the effectiveness of new or novel roof support systems.
Assists in developing or evaluating basic roof/ground control plans and/or pillar stability analyses. 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.
Examples of specialized experience include two or more of the following: Exposure to field investigations of ground control problems in underground mines.
Field investigations of cabs, canopies, or automated temporary roof support systems.
Field investigations evaluating the effectiveness of new or novel roof support systems.
Conducting basic laboratory investigations to evaluate the qualities of new or novel roof support systems.
Developing or evaluating basic roof/ground control plans and/or pillar stability analyses. 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.
Examples of specialized experience include two or more of the following: Conducting field investigations of ground control problems, including evaluations of roof or rib falls, multiple seam interactions, or burst prone areas.
Field investigations of cabs, canopies, or automated temporary roof support systems.
Field investigations evaluating the effectiveness of new or novel roof support systems.
Designing complex laboratory investigations to evaluate the qualities of new or novel roof support systems.
Developing or evaluating complex roof/ground control plans and/or pillar stability analyses.
Prepares and presents ground control training materials. 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.
Examples of specialized experience include two or more of the following: Independently conducting field investigations of ground control problems, including evaluations of roof or rib falls, multiple seam interactions, or burst prone areas.
Field investigations of cabs, canopies, or automated temporary roof support systems.
Field investigations evaluating the effectiveness of new or novel roof support systems.
Independently designing complex laboratory investigations to evaluate the qualities of new or novel roof support systems.
Independently developing or evaluating complex roof/ground control plans and/or pillar stability analyses.
Independently prepares and presents ground control training materials. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.
Pay Range
$43,213.00 - $99,652.00