Automotive Engineer - Federal Acquisition Service

Summary

As an Automotive Engineer, you will serve as an expert and authoritative advisor to management on vehicle engineering technical specifications.

Location of position: GSA, Federal Acquisition Service, Office of Fleet Mgmt, Vehicle Purchasing Div., Office of Travel, Transportation and Logistics (TTL) provides governmentwide solutions for travel, transportation, fleet management, and emergency management.

We are currently filling two vacancies, but additional vacancies may be filled as needed.

Learn more about this agency

Duties

This position can be located in either of the following locations: Washington, DC; Kansas City, MO; Fort Worth, TX; Lakewood, CO, Tacoma, WA; Atlanta, GA; New York, NY; Boston, MA; San Francisco, CA; Philadelphia, PA; Chicago, IL; Norfolk, VA; Tampa, FL; Houston, TX; San Antonio, TX; and/or Orlando, FL.

As an Automotive Engineer, you will be responsible for performing the following duties:

• Serving as the technical authority on specialized projects within the agency to develop a coordinated approach to unique problems or areas in which GSA, other Federal agencies or the private sector have previously not been involved or concerned.
• Analyzing, evaluating, and reviewing new vehicles, products and technology within the automotive industry, and continually updates existing Federal Standards, specifications, purchase descriptions and product lines with the latest technology and design processes. Participating in vehicle inspections and providing expert technical advice to quality assurance personnel about contractual technical issues.
• Serving as the technical expert to provide authoritative direction to contracting officers. Analyzing, evaluating, and reviewing requests from contracting officers regarding engineering and automotive technical matters and making recommendations that form the basis for contracting decisions on such matters.
• Serving as the Program Expert in meetings, interagency working groups, industrial and technical boards, committees, and panels, where peers are highly knowledgeable on engineering, technical or vehicle manufacturing specialists, dealing with vehicle design, specifications, and quality engineering matters.
• Investigating and analyzing safety and operational defects and deficiency problems encountered during vehicle operation. Identifying the specific source of the difficulty encountered and coordinates corrective measures with the manufacturer or vehicle user, U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Coordinating and negotiating solutions with the automotive industry, technical societies and industry organizations.
  
  
  

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• US Citizenship or National (Residents of American Samoa and Swains Island)
• Meet all eligibility criteria within 30 days of the closing date
• Register with Selective Service if you are a male born after 12/31/1959
• Direct Deposit of salary check to financial organization required.
  
  
  

If selected, you must meet the following conditions:

• Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non­Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.
• Serve a one year probationary period, if required.
• Undergo and pass a background investigation (Tier 2 investigation level).
• Have your identity and work status eligibility verified if you are not a GSA employee. We will use the Department of Homeland Security’s e-Verify system for this. Any discrepancies must be resolved as a condition of continued employment.
• Complete a financial disclosure report to verify that no conflict, or an appearance of conflict, exists between your financial interest and this position.
  
  
  

Qualifications

For each job on your resume, provide:

• the exact dates you held each job (from month/year to month/year)
• number of hours per week you worked (if part time).
  
  
  

If you have volunteered your service through a National Service program (e.g., Peace Corps, Americorps), we encourage you to apply and include this experience on your resume.

The GS-13 salary range starts at $106,437 per year. Salary is dependent upon duty location.

If you are a new federal employee, your starting salary will likely be set at the Step 1 of the grade for which you are selected.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR ENGINEERS: A Degree in professional engineering OR a combination of college-level education, training, and/or technical experience. For specifics on qualifying education and/or experience - use the following link: Basic Requirements for Engineer Positions.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:

In addition to the Basic Requirements listed above, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 in the Federal service.

Specialized experience is experience applying technical knowledge of mechanical engineering principles, techniques, methods, and precedents to include:

• Evaluating vehicles and vehicle standards to determine suitability for customers' mission requirements;
• Analyzing mechanical needs by participating in the review of vehicle program activities to identify problems (e.g. problems involving design, safety, performance, and contract technical requirements); and
• Identifying vehicle requirements to assist with fleet purchase (e.g. vehicle descriptions, vehicle performance and vehicle inspections to design and construct final motor vehicle builds).
  
  
  

This position has a positive education requirement: Applicants must submit a copy of their college or university transcript(s) and certificates by the closing date of announcements to verify qualifications. If selected, an official transcript will be required prior to appointment.

Additional information

Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.

Applicants are encouraged to make their resume searchable in their USAJOBS.gov profile. This will allow Federal hiring specialists and hiring managers across agencies to find their resume as part of agency recruitment campaigns or staffing searches.

If you apply to this position and are selected, we will not ask about your criminal history before you receive a conditional job offer. If you believe you were asked about your criminal history improperly, contact the agency or visit GSA's webpage.

Relocation-related expenses are not approved and will be your responsibility.

Travel expenses associated with interviews may be approved. Determinations will be made on a case-by-case basis.

On a case-by-case basis, the following incentives may be approved:

• Recruitment incentive if you are new to the federal government
• Relocation incentive if you are a current federal employee
• Credit toward vacation leave if you are new to the federal government
  
  
  

If you are eligible under Merit Promotion, you may also apply under Vacancy Announcement # QM-2026-0015. You must apply separately to each announcement to be considered for both.

Additional vacancies may be filled through this announcement in this or other GSA organizations within the same commuting area as needed; through other means; or not at all.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits





A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

You will have access to many benefits including:

• Health insurance (choose from a wide range of plans)
• Life insurance coverage with several options
• Sick leave and vacation time, including 11 paid holidays per year
• Thrift Savings Plan (similar to a 401(k) plan)
• Flexible work schedules
• Transit and child care subsidies
• Flexible spending accounts
• Long-term care insurance
• Training and development
  
  
  

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.