Summary
The position serves as a technical expert within one of three divisions of the Office of Automation Safety. These divisions work closely to plan, initiate, coordinate, and lead a regulatory program for the safe governance of vehicles equipped with automated technologies by: developing and maintaining guidance, standards, and regulations; managing exemption mechanisms; and developing and executing a robust vehicle automation research program.
Duties
- The Office of Automation Safety at NHTSA is in the process of recruiting qualified individuals for several roles within their organization. Following an interview process, selected applicants will be assigned to one of three divisions and will report directly to the corresponding division's Chief. The General Engineer: Contributes to/leads the planning, initiation, drafting, and coordination of a comprehensive regulatory program for the safe governance vehicles equipped with automated technologies. Conducts and/or leads independent reviews and analyses identifying research needs as required to ensure that the methodologies and guidelines related to automated technology standards, exemptions are practicable and reasonable. Monitors and reviews activities, results of research, and analyses conducted by entities both within and outside NHTSA. Maintains an up-to-date knowledge of the state-of-the-art in such areas as automated vehicle safety, capability, sensor technology, deployments, and regulations and evaluates the applicability of such knowledge to NHTSAʼs activities. Manages and coordinates technical review of exemption applications that may include an analysis of material submitted, a search and survey of relevant information available to the agency, and the collection of additional information. Recommends the grant or denial of applications and, upon approval of recommendations, drafts and coordinates the necessary documentation. NHTSA is looking for an employee who possesses the ability to lead and contribute to multidisciplinary group projects, has excellent written and oral communication skills, has expert technical experience with vehicle automation or related fields, particularly in relation to safety, and has experience in experimental research methodologies.
Requirements
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).
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.