Supervisory General Engineer- SME

Supervisory General Engineer- SME

Department: Department of Transportation

Location(s): Washington, District of Columbia

Salary Range: $169279 - $197200 Per Year

Job Summary: You will serve as the Division Chief of the Crashworthiness Division, Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance in Enforcement. You will lead the team of engineers who are responsible for compliance programs designed to test and investigate if new vehicles meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSSs) pertaining to crashworthiness. You will lead a staff of five and serve as an expert and advisor to the Director of the Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance.

Major Duties:

• As a Division Chief, you will: Serve as an expert and advisor to the Director of the Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance in the conduct of compliance programs and investigations to enforce the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and Regulations, as well as long-range goals for the office. Determine compliance testing approaches and priorities for the Division, while managing the preparation test procedures, test schedules, and budget. Work with your team to present technical findings and recommendations to upper management. Establish and maintain professional contacts for the exchange of technical information with stakeholders, and stay abreast of state-of-the-art advancements in the automotive engineering speciality areas. Hire, develop, and supervise staff while being sensititive to the needs and aspirations of each individual employee; evualuate employee performance and administer leave. The ideal candidate for this position is highly self-motivated, possesses sound engineering judgement, demonstrated knowledge and expertise in engineering, and significant expertise working in the field of automotive testing. The candidate should exhibit good leadership and problem solving skills, work independently as well as cooperatively with colleagues, and results driven to help accomplish the agency's mission. The candiate should be detail oriented, well organized, and have strong writing skills. As part of their daily responsibilities, the candidate should be willing to complete intensive paperwork, occasionally handle stressful situations involving highly visile matters with significant public interest, and manage conflict situations tactfully.

Qualifications: To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the specialized experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration. To qualify for the Grade 15, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equal or equivalent to the GS-14, it must include: Experience in leading people, programs, and services in support of enforcement of or compliance with safety regulations pertaining to regulated motor vehicles and/or safety activities of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Experience in evaluating, interpreting, and/or applying Federal laws, regulations, and/or vehicle standards to the management of operations and budgets for transportation safety programs. Experience communicating and working with agency, federal partners, industry, and stakeholders on matters related to transportation safety. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas: Engineering Knowledge and Experience- Knowledge and experience related to general engineering, system and/or subsystem testing methodology and quality assurance as it relates to regulated motor vehicles or other regulated forms of transportation. Engineering Testing-Ability to plan, implement, manage, and report on engineering test programs and budgets, including contracting officer's representative (COR) responsibilities or equivalent. Communication- Ability to understand complex technical ideas and express views through effective writing, and presentation skills while influencing, motivating, and leading others in a variety of situations. Investigation Experience- Ability to plan, implement and conduct technical investigations and lead investigation teams on matters pertaining to compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards or similar technical safety regulations intended to protect the public. Supervisory- Expertise in directing and managing human resources and working effectively with individuals of various disciplines. For all types of consideration, 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. For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4 All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

How to Apply: You must submit a complete application package (including resume, vacancy questions and supporting documents) no later than 11:59 (EST) on the closing date of the announcement. To begin, click the Apply Online button on the job announcement. Follow the directions to register, submit all required documents and complete the assessment questionnaire. You may review your saved application(s) at https://help.usajobs.gov/ If you are having difficulty applying online, please contact the DOT Automated Staffing Office via email at: Transjobs@dot.gov.

Application Deadline: 2026-05-11