Clarification from the agency

Current and former Federal employees with permanent status or reinstatement eligibility. Individuals who are eligible for a special appointing authority may also apply; such as applicants with a disability, former Peace Corps volunteers, certain military spouses, veterans seeking a VRA/VEOA appointment, or veterans who have been separated from armed forces under honorable conditions after 3 years or more of continuous active service. More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

The Fire Protection Engineer will operate and maintain all buildings and spaces to protect Smithsonian employees, property, and mission from losses that may be incurred in the event of a fire. 

In this position you will:

GS-12:

• Review design and construction project drawings and specifications to evaluate adequacy of fire protection and life safety for the organization.
• Develop fire protection and life safety policies and programs based on established standards tailored to the needs of SI.
• Provide fire protection and life safety training and presentations to various diverse groups.
• Prepare technical reports at the conclusion of inspections of SI facilities.

GS-13:

• Review design and construction project drawings and specifications to evaluate adequacy of fire protection and life safety for the organization.
• Develop prescriptive and performance-based approaches to solving various fire protection and life safety issues.
• Participate in numerous meetings with clients and the design team to discuss, resolve, and/or impart requirements regarding fire/life safety.
• Prepare technical reports at the conclusion of inspections of SI facilities. 

Conditions of employment

• Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation
• May need to complete a Probationary Period
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer
• Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.

Conditions of Employment

COVID-19 VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS:

For the latest information on the COVID-19 vaccination requirements and its impact on your application, click on Smithsonian Institution’s Frequently Asked Questions. 

Qualification requirements must be met within 30 days of the job announcement closing date.

For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions on OPM website.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications: Education

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 (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:

1. Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT)1, 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. 

2. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 examination or any other written test required for professional

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lowest grade level as defined below, in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system. 

GS-12:

You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system. 

For this position specialized experience is defined as conducting fire safety surveys of a variety of buildings; developing risk assessments; applying fire protection principles and techniques, including the use of performance-based engineering analysis to solve complex fire protection issues; reviewing drawings and specifications for building construction and renovation to ensure compliance with current standards for fire protection and life safety.

GS-13:

You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system. 

For this position, specialized experience is defined as conducting fire safety surveys of a variety of buildings; developing risk assessments; applying fire protection principles and techniques, including the use of performance-based engineering analysis to independently solve complex fire protection issues; reviewing drawings and specifications for building construction and renovation to ensure compliance with current standards for fire protection and life safety; and serving as a consultant on fire protection and prevention to upper levels of management, engineers, and other personnel.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Applicants for this position may be evaluated in multiple stages. The first stage is an evaluation of your responses to the online multiple-choice questions that assess your experience, education, and/or training for the job-related competencies below:

GS-12/13:

• Skills and experience in the application of fire protection engineering principles, practices and techniques to solve complex fire protection problems.
• Skills and experience interpreting and applying building and fire codes, as well as utilizing a performance-based approach in a wide variety of situations.
• Skills and experience verbally articulating complex engineering ideas and negotiating issues with diverse groups, including management, museum staff, as well as other design professionals, such as architects, engineers, and construction staff.
• Skills and experience in technical writing to produce investigative reports, analyses and recommendations tailored for the intended audience (e.g., upper management, professional staff, outside agency officials).

Important Note:

Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire or other assessment tool for consistency. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Your resume should provide sufficient information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.