Optical Engineer Jobs in Bellingham, WA (NOW HIRING)

Summary
See below for important information regarding this job.
Additional vacancies may be filled from this announcement.
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Duties
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• Implements agency policy and provides expert engineering support.
• Analyzes engineering surveillance applications and developments.
• Administers contracts in accordance with agency policies/standards/metrics and standard operating procedures for Department of Defense (DoD) acquisitions.
• Assesses/records contractor performance using DCMA engineering surveillance performance indicators; then provides expert feedback to the Chief Engineer (CE).
• Prepares/evaluates documents regarding specific, unique, engineering/manufacturing issues.
• Provides expert feedback to the CE based upon daily application of engineering/analyses processes and agency reporting requirements.
• Performs advanced engineering functions, often in a leadership capacity, while conducting engineering and analytical surveillance.
• Monitors complex contractor engineering management systems; provides expert technical recommendations on substantive/critical/unique changes; researches/designs/develops/tests/produces engineering and analytical surveillance.
• Conducts Contract Receipt and Review (CRR) related to cost, schedule, and performance.
• The CRR functions include evaluating production engineering/ability; reviewing facilities/nonconforming hardware; evaluating logistics/support programs/master engineering planning schedules; evaluating special tooling/testing equipment.
• Candidates that select the 0801 series will be given preference.

Requirements
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Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. citizen
• Security Requirements: Special Sensitive, Sensitive Compartmented Information
• Appointment is subject to the completion of a favorable suitability or fitness determination, where reciprocity cannot be applied; unfavorably adjudicated background checks will be grounds for removal.
• Selective Service Requirement: Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service.
• Drug Testing: Required

Qualifications
To qualify for an Interdisciplinary Engineer position your resume and supporting documentation must support:
A. Basic Requirement:
A Bachelor's Degree or higher in professional engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) be in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) as a professional engineering curriculum; 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
A 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 professional 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), 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 in engineering that included the courses specified in the Basic Requirements above. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of a professional engineering curriculum as described in the Basic Requirements above.
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.

AND
C. Specialized Experience: In addition to the basic requirement above, you must possess one year of specialized experience that equipped you with the competencies to successfully perform the duties of the position and is directly in or related to this position. To qualify for the NH-03 level, specialized experience must be at the NH-02 or GS-11 grade level or equivalent under other pay systems in the Federal service, military, or private sector.Creditable specialized experience includes:

• Applying engineering and analysis principles, concepts, and standards in support of complex defense acquisition systems.
• Performing oversight of the Systems Engineering Development Life Cycle for major Acquisition programs and provide technical support pertaining to missile systems and sensor technologies.
• Conducting reviews of contracts and in conducting reviews of contractor performance; proposing and providing technical advice on changes relating to contract applications/developments.
• Leadership capacity conducting engineering and analytical surveillance on substantive/critical and unique changes of advanced engineering functions implementing agency policy, and new/developmental processes.

Education
Substitution of education may not be used in lieu of specialized experience for this grade level.
If the position has a minimum education requirement you MUST provide transcripts (unofficial are acceptable at the time of application) to support your educational claims. Or, if you are using education to qualify in lieu of specialized experience you MUST provide transcripts (unofficial are acceptable at the time of application) to support your educational claims. The transcripts must include your name, the name of the college or university, class/course list, completed number of credits/hours, and the date degree conferred (if applicable). Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Licenses must be current at time of application.
GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours that your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.
FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.
Additional information

• This position does not meet criteria for appointment of Reemployed Annuitants. The DoD criteria for hiring Reemployed Annuitants can be found at: DoDI 1400.25-V300.
• Tour of Duty: Flexible
• FLSA: Exempt
• Bargaining Unit: No
• If selected for an interview, you may be required to provide your last three performance appraisals to the panel.
• Selectee may be required to serve a trial/probationary period.
• Financial Disclosure Required
• Acquisition, Technology & Logistics(AT&L) NON-CAP: Position requires DoD Acquisition Engineering & Technical Management, Practitioner 2 certification within required timeframes. Selectee must also achieve 80 hours of Continuous Learning Points (CLPs) every 2-years. Click here for more details and Resources.
• Military spouses working remotely are exempt from in-person work under the conditions explained by OPM's February 12, 2025 memorandum and the March 20, 2025 Frequently Asked Questions.

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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.