Automotive Control Engineer Jobs in Reston, VA (NOW HIRING)

Summary
NHTSA is seeking positions in the Fuel Economy Division of the Office of International Policy, Fuel Economy and Consumer Programs. The Division provides national leadership under Title V of the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act in the planning, development and issuance of regulations for Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) and Medium and Heavy-Duty fuel efficiency programs including management and implementation of those regulations.
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Duties
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As a General Engineer, you will:

• Serve as one of the primary NHTSA resources for planning, coordinating, and integrating comprehensive programs for the development, issuance, and amendment of fuel economy standards for light, medium, or heavy duty on-road vehicles.
• Perform analyses and reporting on large data sets. Develops reporting mechanisms and dashboards using tool-sets.
• Evaluate Automotive Manufacture Capabilities. Responsible for technical and economic evaluations of the capabilities of national and international automotive manufacturers used for recommending fuel economy or efficiency standards. Based upon these evaluations, provides summary information to senior staff, including Division Chief, for evaluation and determination of appropriate fuel economy standards, such as Tableau. MS Excel, Power BI, Python, R, Visual Basic or other similar tools.
• Evaluate proposed policies with respect to energy security and sustainability over a broad range of fuel economy, energy and environmental issues.
• Develops position papers, papers for potential publication, comprehensive analyses, and narratives supporting regulatory documents for both light or medium and heavy-duty on-road vehicles. Narratives shall be professionally structured, fully supported by analysis, and clearly convey key
  position points to all readers.

The ideal candidate for these positions will have specialized knowledge gained through employment in some sector of the light, medium, or heavy-duty industry (either at a manufacture or supplier) related to fuel economy, emission control, product planning or engine simulation. Candidates are comfortable working on multiple projects at one time, both independently and in small teams, and with a wide range of external stakeholders. The ideal candidate is expected to have outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
Requirements
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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen & meet specialized experience to qualify
• Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date
• Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
• Direct Hire Authority/SME will be used to fill this position

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance the organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

• SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
• GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel. A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
• BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: A background security investigation is required for all selected individuals. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of the security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
• PROBATIONARY PERIOD: Applicants may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).

Qualifications
To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the mandatory education and specialized experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration.
To qualify for the Grade 13, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-12, it must include:

• Experience leading a group in applying engineering concepts to design, develop, implement or evaluate fuel economy and/or emissions control program. This experience can include leading a team or running a program conducting evaluation of potential fuel economy technologies or fleet strategies, using either testing or modeling approaches.
• Experience performing analyses and reporting on large data sets. This includes organizing and preparing input data for large simulations, checking data quality, and determining needed levels of precision.
• Experience communicating technical material clearly in oral presentations, graphical representation, informal written memoranda, and regulatory publications, to both technical and consumer audiences.

To qualify for the Grade 14, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-13, it must include:

• Experience leading a group in applying engineering concepts to design, develop, implement or evaluate fuel economy and/or emissions control program. This experience can include leading a team or running a program conducting evaluation of potential fuel economy technologies or fleet strategies, using either testing or simulation approaches.
• Experience organizing an interdisciplinary team performing a large analysis including developing reports for large data sets. This includes organizing the preparation of all input data for a large simulation, checking data quality, and
  determining needed levels of precision.
• Experience coordinating the development of interdisciplinary position papers, papers for publication, and comprehensive analyses for light, medium or heavy-duty on-road vehicles.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

1. Fuel Economy Knowledge - Expert knowledge in the field of light-duty, medium duty, and heavy-duty on- road vehicles regarding fuel efficiency technologies, emissions control technologies, product planning for regulatory compliance, or engine and vehicle simulation, either at a manufacturer, supplier, or academia role.
2. Data Analysis Skills -Expert at developing and presenting technical information pertaining to fuel efficiency, emissions control, product planning or engine simulation. Including proficiency with data analysis and modeling post processing tools such as Microsoft Excel, Google sheets, visual basic, Python, Matlab, Tableau, or similar tools.
3. Communication - Expert ability to communicate effectively including interpreting and explaining, in written and oral formats, technical and regulatory concepts to a wide range of technical and non-technical audiences.

For all types of consideration, 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.
For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4
All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Education
MANDATORY EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:
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) examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
3. Specified academic courses Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.
4. Related curriculum Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree 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 professional engineering 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). All applicants must meet the education requirements under A or B to qualify for applying to an engineering position. Transcripts are required for this position.
Additional information
The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Transportation by email at, FairChanceAct@dot.gov. To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation
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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
Benefits
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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.