Remote Structural Engineer Jobs in Reston, VA (NOW HIRING)

Summary
This position is located in the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) in the Office of the Chief Engineer (OCE). The selectee will serve will on projects involving the study, design, construction, rehabilitation, inspection and/or testing of structural systems and their associated components to include but not limited to including building frames, foundations, tunnels, retaining structures, vibration-sensitive elements, blast-resistant components, and historic preservation.
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Duties
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Project Technical Reviews (40%)
• Apply expertise to review and interpret technical documents from other consultants such as structural engineering, geotechnical engineering and civil engineering
• Performs primary reviews of drawings, specifications, calculations, and engineering analyses to identify technical deficiencies, noncompliance, coordination gaps, and risk concerns.
• Detects omissions, discrepancies, inadequacies, and nonconformance with approved criteria; directs corrective actions and approves or rejects deliverables for the most critical projects.
• Reviews and comments on SOWs, technical criteria, and proposed variances from agency standards; resolves disputes and establishes precedent-setting technical determinations.
• Reviews and evaluates A/E contractor RFI responses, submittal reviews, and change-order recommendations for adequacy and compliance with agency standards and project objectives.
• Sets review procedures and quality assurance protocols for the discipline; mentors task leaders in applying advanced review principles.
• Integrates findings from risk and reliability assessments into agency policy, design standards, and program decisions; ensures readiness of complex structural documents for bidding and construction.
Technical Advice and Guidance (20%)
• Represents the agency as the principal technical authority in coordination with external organizations (utility companies, DOTs, transit authorities, code bodies, historic preservation authorities) on matters affecting structural integrity, safety, or capacity of AOC assets.
• Negotiates technical solutions and provides expert input to formal agreements developed in coordination with agency counsel and real property officials.
• Mentors engineers, establishes best practices, and leads discipline-wide continuous improvement efforts, including development of guidance documents and lessons learned.
Structural Engineering Designs and Specifications (15%)
• Prepares or directs preparation of complete structural design documentation in the lead role and responsibility (drawings, specifications, calculations, technical reports) in accordance with agency engineering standards and applicable codes. Design efforts include concrete, steel, masonry and wood structural buildings or systems.
• Performs and validates complex structural analyses, including nonlinear, performance-based, time-history, and risk-based evaluations to develop and justify design solutions.
• Adjudicates material acceptability, design methodologies, and structural system selections for the agency's most complex projects, including those involving historic preservation or elevated operational risk.
• Ensures design integration among architectural, civil, mechanical, and electrical interfaces, providing final technical determinations when conflicts arise.
• Responsible for final project close to the structural design efforts or corrective actions implemented
Project Management (15%)
• Serves as Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) for assigned structural scope; performs contract administration activities for IDIQ A/E consulting services and specialized procurements.
• Prepares Scopes of Work (SOWs), fee estimates, schedules, and solicitation documents prior to award.
• Prepares responses to offeror questions, conducts proposal evaluations, and documents award recommendations.
• Ensures compliance with agency policies, standards, and procedures; reviews completed work and recommends acceptance or rejection to the Contracting Officer.
• Manages schedule, budget, and quality; reports status to upper management and meets project requirements.
• Coordinates preparation of project working plans and specifications between junior engineers, CAD staff, and other architectural and engineering disciplines.
• Prepares, revises, and maintains project documents and electronic files for agency archives.
• Provides senior-level technical oversight and direction for structural safety and compliance programs, including special inspections coordination, structural observation requirements, and structural variances, ensuring program alignment with agency policies.
Structural Engineering Studies (10%)
• Establishes study methodologies, acceptance criteria, and data requirements; develops or oversees development of advanced structural models and tools for risk and reliability analyses.
• Ensures studies adhere to established criteria and applicable code(s), professional standards, and agency priorities; defines options and determines recommended courses of action.
Requirements
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Conditions of employment

• Your resume and question responses must demonstrate the job-related KSAs.
• You must meet the definition of specialized experience.
• Must meet educational requirements for Architect or Engineer
• You must be able to pass a drug test.

1. ** Professional license, certification, and LEED AP desired, but not required.

To be employed by the Architect of the Capitol in a paid position, an individual must meet one of the categories below:

• A citizen of the United States;
• A person who is lawfully admitted for permanent residence and is seeking citizenship as outlined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)(B);
• A person who is admitted as a refugee under 8 U.S.C. 1157 or is granted asylum under 8 U.S.C. 1158 and has filed a declaration of intention to become a lawful permanent resident and then a citizen when eligible;
• A person who owes allegiance to the United States (nationals of American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Northern Mariana Islands, and nationals who meet other requirements described in 8 U.S.C. 1408); or
• A person who is currently an officer or employee of the Government of the United States.

Qualifications
You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on the OPM web site at OPM qualification standards
Specialized experience: is experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.
For the GS-13:
Candidates for the GS-13 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower (GS-12) grade level in the Federal service.
Specialized experience for this position must demonstrate the following:

• Structural engineering experience of complex, monumental, historically significant and mission-critical buildings and building-supporting structures.
• Coordinating and providing oversight of project lifecycles, including planning, design, construction, commissioning and close-out.
• Developing project requirements and specifications for new construction, renovations, and improvements to facilities.
• Evaluating studies, plans, design specifications and progress reports for architectural, engineering and construction processes and projects.
• Serving as a Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) or equivalent for construction projects.

For the GS-14:
Candidates for the GS-14 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower (GS-13) grade level in the Federal service.
Specialized experience for this position must demonstrate the following:

• Structural engineering experience of complex, monumental, historically significant and mission-critical buildings and building-supporting structures.
• Serving as the planning and program manager of major projects, from the planning/programming stage through the design, construction and equipment installation stages, to the checkout and commissioning stage or other project completion milestone.
• Developing project requirements and specifications for new construction, renovations, and improvements to facilities.
• Evaluating studies, plans, design specifications and progress reports for architectural, engineering and construction processes and projects.
• Coordinating and overseeing assigned project work elements in the project contract.
• Serving as Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) or equivalent for construction projects.

Education
In addition to meeting the specialized experience requirements for this position, applicants must possess the following:
Education Required For Engineers:
1. Bachelor's degree in professional engineering: To be creditable, the curriculum must: (1) be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum 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: statics, dynamics; strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); fluid mechanics, hydraulics; thermodynamics; electrical fields and circuits; nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.
OR
2. 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: (a) current registration as a professional engineer by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico; (b) evidence of having successfully passed the Engineer-in-Training (EIT) examination or the written test required for professional registration; (c) successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences that are fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of a professional engineering curriculum; or (d) successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in engineering technology or in an appropriate professional field.
For a detailed explanation of the related curriculum or experience, please visit the following website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/general-engineering-series-0801/
Transcripts are required upon selection.
Special Instructions for Foreign Education:
Education completed outside of the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment.
Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part of foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree.
You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing if selected.
Additional information
Welcome Veterans. The Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) gives veterans' preference rights in the legislative branch to certain veterans as applied by the Congressional Accountability Act. Veterans' preference is applied on this vacancy announcement. If you are a veteran and have been separated under honorable conditions, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility; SF-15, if applicable; and Department of Veterans Affairs documentation of disability, if applicable. For more information, please visit OPM vet guide
If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System. If you are exempt from registration under Selective Service Law, you must provide appropriate proof of exemption. Please visit the Selective Service System website for more information.
DRUG TESTING: The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is a Drug Free Workplace. As part of the AOC's suitability assessment, a candidate tentatively selected for a position who is not currently an AOC employee is required to submit to screening for illegal drug use. Satisfactory completion of a drug test is a condition of employment with the Agency. A candidate must test negative prior to being eligible for appointment into a position. We will schedule, provide, and cover the cost for the drug test.
The selectee(s) under the vacancy announcement for this position is subject to a criminal record check by the U.S. Capitol Police and satisfactory adjudication to be eligible for employment at the Architect of the Capitol.
The Architect of the Capitol is an E-VE...