About this role
Job SummaryNIST is seeking a Fire Protection Engineer to support NIST in the evaluation, inspection, and testing of fire protection and life safety systems and sub-systems. Responsibilities include ensuring NIST complies with industry standards and code requirements.
QualificationsIndividual Occupational Requirements Basic 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)2 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.) In addition to the basic requirements, to qualify for the ZP-III position, applicants must have one year (52 Weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to a GS-09 grade level (ZP-II at NIST employees) in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as: Experience designing or reviewing fire protection and life safety systems across various occupancies (business, laboratory, education, and industrial) AND Experience using the ICC suite of codes and NFPA codes and standards OR 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree In addition to the basic requirements, to qualify for the ZP-IV position, applicants must have one year (52 Weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to a GS-12 grade level (ZP-III at NIST employees) in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as: Experience independently leading complex design, peer review, commissioning or final approval of fire protection and life safety systems across multi-hazard, high-complexity, or high-occupancy environments. AND Experience interpreting the ICC suite of codes and NFPA codes and standards to evaluate non-standard designs, variance requests or code equivalencies. ***Selective Placement Factor for the ZP-IV position: Must possess a valid Professional Engineering (PE) license in Fire Protection. Please provide a copy of your license with your application.*** 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. The qualification requirements in this vacancy announcement are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook. If requesting reconsideration of your qualification determination, please refer to the following site: Applicant Reconsideration
Major DutiesThe mission of the Office of Safety, Health, and Environment (OSHE) is to lead and support NIST in ensuring safe work is conducted in safe workspaces. In partnership with management and staff, OSHE leads the development, supports implementation, and ensures continuous improvement of the management systems used to reduce risk across occupational health and safety, radiation safety, fire and life safety, and environmental stewardship. This approach enables NIST to advance its scientific mission safely and efficiently, while protecting the worker, the public, and the environment and complying with applicable laws and regulations. If hired for this position, you will: Evaluate, inspect, and test fire protection and life safety systems and sub-systems (fire suppression, fire alarm, mass notification, special hazard, egress, etc.) related to research activities and building construction/renovation activities. Ensure NIST complies with industry standards and code requirements set forth in OSHA regulations, applicable National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards, the International Code Council Building Codes, and any NIST adopted codes and/or standards.