USDA Forest Service Seeks Engineering Technician (Materials)
Position Title 
Engineering Technician (Materials)
Position Summary
Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) will soon advertise to fill the position of an Engineering Technician (Materials) and would like to collect information from interested candidates through the attached Outreach Response form. FPL seeks a diverse pool of applicants, including applicants of underrepresented groups.
Responding to this outreach notice indicates that you are interested in the position and helps us determine how to best recruit for the skills we need. Respondents to this notice will be notified when the actual position is posted and open for applications on the USAJobs website. (https://www.usajobs.gov/)
This position is with the USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) in Madison, WI. The position reports directly to the Project Leader for the Engineering Mechanics and Remote Sensing Laboratory (EMRSL), within the Wood Products Research area. The mission of this work unit is to test and evaluate wood, wood products, and wood component specimens to determine their mechanical and material properties.
This position operates and calibrates a variety of precision instruments and research equipment to conduct testing activities for various studies, experiments, and research and development activities. Studies supported by this position lie within the areas of materials engineering, structural engineering, engineering mechanics, and forest products technology. The position plans, coordinates, and performs material testing activities, adhering to specific testing standards, engineering references, scientific literature, precedents, or non-conventional requirements of the research staff. The position also assists others in assembling and erecting structural steel resistance frames used to support large-scale samples and load mechanisms for testing, research, and development.
Those who are interested must meet the qualification requirements for the GS-0802 series that is covered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions – GS-0802: Engineering Technician (Materials). The OPM Qualification Standards Handbook Manual is available on the Internet at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/SEC-IV/A/gs-admin.asp (scroll down to “Technical and Medical Support Positions”).
This is a career ladder position with the intent to hire at the GS-7 level and allowing opportunity to advance to the GS-9 level, with appropriate experience and acceptable performance. However, the successful candidate could be offered the position at any of the three grade levels (GS-7, 8, or 9), depending on their education and work experience evaluated through the hiring process. Per OPM requirements, the position requires a combination of a bachelor’s degree and/or specialized experience similar to that of the advertised position.
This notice if for outreach only, to measure interest in the position, notify potential candidates that the job will soon be posted, and to reach out as broadly as possible and include potential candidates of historically underrepresented groups. Responding to this outreach notice indicates that you are interested in the position and will allow us to notify you when the actual position is posted and open for applications on the USAJobs website. (https://www.usajobs.gov/)
Express interest in this position by sending an email to steven.kalinosky@usda.gov. Please include how you found the notice.