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Mechanical Engineer

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Chicago, IL Full Time
POSTED ON 9/18/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 10/18/2026
Summary

About the Position: Serves as District's recognized technical expert and senior staff level Mechanical Engineer, providing mechanical engineering expertise and guidance, with particular attention to HVAC systems, to key operating officials and counterparts at the District, USACE, other military installations, government agencies and private interests.

Position will have a physical duty station of Louisville, KY or Chicago, IL.

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Duties

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  • Provide higher headquarters' policy interpretation, quality control review for in-house products, and authoritative guidance and quality assurance (QA) review of contractor provided products.
  • Responsible for command and control, interface and program management of all mechanical engineering issues and projects, ensuring coordination and consistency of program products within the District.
  • Review and interpret engineering data, criteria, and higher headquarters' policy and regulations.
  • Perform field inspections of proposed or existing works and evaluate design during and after construction.
  • Confer with architects and engineers in other organizational units of the District office engaged in various aspects of design and construction to resolve conflicts or delays to the timely completion of work.
  • Review mechanical engineering features of design and construction documents, including design memoranda, construction modifications, etc., to ensure compliance with established existing building codes and criteria.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
  • Professional Engineer (PE) Licensure is required.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities.

  • Current Department of Army Civilian Employees
  • Domestic Defense Industrial Base/Major Range and Test Facilities Base Civilian Personnel Workforce
  • Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan
  • Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act
  • Military Spouses, under Executive Order (E.O.) 13473
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD Retained Grade Preference Eligible
  • Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) of 1998

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and or/experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Individual Occupational Requirement for Mechanical Engineer (0830) series:

A. Degree: A bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (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. (Note: You must submit copies of all relevant transcripts with your application package.)

OR

B. Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and 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), or licensed 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. (Note: You must submit copies of all relevant transcripts AND proof of registration as an Engineer Intern (EI) or Engineer in Training (EIT) or copy of your Professional Engineer (PE) license with your application package.)
  2. Written Test: Successful completion of 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, or Puerto Rico. (Note: You must submit copies of all relevant transcripts AND proof of passing the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination or other written test required for professional registration with your application package.)
  3. Specified Academic Courses: Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences that included the courses specified in A above. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program. (Note: You must submit copies of all relevant transcripts with your application package.)
  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, and have 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.) (Note: You must submit copies of all relevant transcripts with your application package.)


In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

GS-13 Specialized Experience:
One year of specialized experience which includes leading teams in the planning, scoping, development, design, construction, and direction of complex military and civil mechanical engineer projects; developing HVAC plans, performing mechanical design analyses, and developing specifications for complex mechanical features. Reviewing project studies, scopes of work, preliminary and final design plans to assure technical accuracy and compliance. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-12).

Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-12).

Education

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience aloneno substitution of education for experience is permitted.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: ;br>
Additional information

  • Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
  • You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
  • This position requires a 1 year probationary period during which the agency evaluates your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In making this determination, the agency may consider your performance and conduct; agency needs and interests; whether your continued employment supports organizational or Government goals; and whether it promotes the efficiency of the Federal service. Continued employment requires written certification that it advances the public interest.
  • Direct deposit of pay is required.
  • This position may require you to submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE450) upon entry, and annually thereafter.
  • Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
  • If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
  • This is an Engineers and Scientists (18) Career Field position.
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
  • Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
  • When you perform a Civilian Permanent Change of Station (PCS) with the government, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers the majority of your entitlements to be taxable. Visit for more information.
  • Permanent Change of Station (PCS) allowances MAY be authorized, subject to the provisions of the Joint Travel Regulations and an agency determination that a PCS move is in the Government Interest.
  • Recruitment or Relocation Incentives MAY be authorized.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: _Accommodations_for_USA_Hire

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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

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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.

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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.

Salary.com Estimation for Mechanical Engineer in Chicago, IL
$88,244 to $105,132
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