Engineering Technician ( Mechanical)

📍 Washington, District of Columbia · 🏛 Smithsonian Institution · 💰 $85,447–$133,142 per year · 🎓 GS 11–12 · 🧭 Engineering Technical (0802) · ⏳ Closes Nov 24, 2026 · 13 days left · 🗓 Posted Nov 10, 2026
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Job details at a glance

AgencySmithsonian Institution
DepartmentOther Agencies and Independent Organizations
LocationWashington, District of Columbia
Salary$85,447–$133,142 per year
GradeGS 11–12
ScheduleFull-time
Occupation seriesEngineering Technical (0802)
Hiring pathsIndividuals with disabilities, Competitive service, Land and base management, Military spouses, Family of overseas employees, Peace Corps & AmeriCorps Vista, Special authorities, Veterans
PostedNov 10, 2026
Application deadlineNov 24, 2026
Telework eligibleYes
Remote jobNo
Security clearanceNot Required
Relocation expenses reimbursedNo
Promotion potential12
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About this job

The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. This position is located within the Office of Facilities Management of Reliability (OFMR), Smithsonian Facilities, Under Secretary for Administration, Smithsonian Institution. The Office of Facilities Management and Reliability (OFMR) provides reliability engineering and systems life cycle care responsibilities for all SI properties.

Duties

As an Engineering Technician in this position, you will perform a variety of mechanical engineering technician duties, including troubleshooting and resolving immediate problems; analyzing and assessing facilities, systems, and infrastructure; reviewing and preparing estimates, scopes of work, specifications, and proposals; and leading projects. In this position, you will also: Install, repair, overhaul, rebuild, modify, test, program, and troubleshoot major integrated mechanical and electrical systems, including Siemens APOGEE Building Automation Systems, Direct Digital Control (DDC) systems, electric power systems, HVAC systems, and utility metering systems. Analyze, evaluate, and report on complex mechanical and electrical system operations, functions, and problems, and recommend solutions to improve system performance and reliability. Analyze broad and technically complex engineering proposals and advise engineering managers, project sponsors, and other stakeholders on their feasibility and effectiveness. Conduct studies and engineering evaluations of potential energy conservation projects and recommend practical and cost-effective measures to conserve energy and water. Perform redesigns and system modifications and prepare procurement packages for repairs, modifications, and upgrades to Siemens APOGEE Building Automation Systems, Direct Digital Control (DDC) systems, utility metering systems, and other related mechanical and electrical systems.

Qualifications

Individual Occupational Requirements Series Definition: This series covers technical positions supervising, leading, or performing work involving applying a practical knowledge of the: methods and techniques of engineering or architecture; and construction, application, properties, operations, and limitations of engineering systems, processes, structures, machinery, devices, and materials. Basic Requirements: Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 or equivalent and above):Examples of qualifying specialized experience include technical work in: drafting, surveying construction estimating, physical science, mathematics, aerospace, architecture, chemicals, electrical or mechanical systems, mining, petroleum, or nuclear systems. Experience in a trade or craft may be credited as specialized experience when the work provided intensive knowledge of engineering principles, techniques, methods, and precedents. Examples are trade positions with substantial developmental, test, or design responsibilities such as: Planner and estimator who analyzed designs for production purposes. Instrument maker or model maker who performed design or development work on devices fabricated. In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicants must have: For GS-11-- Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal Service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as installing, inspecting, testing, repairing, and troubleshooting mechanical and electrical systems, including Building Automation Systems (BAS), Direct Digital Control (DDC) systems, and HVAC systems; assisting with the analysis of system operations and performance issues; and supporting the operation, maintenance, and modification of automated building control systems to maintain effective and reliable system performance. GS-12- Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal Service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as installing, repairing, modifying, testing, programming, and troubleshooting major integrated mechanical and electrical systems, including Building Automation Systems (BAS), Direct Digital Control (DDC) systems, and HVAC systems; analyzing and resolving complex system operations and problems; and developing or modifying control logic and operating sequences to maintain efficient and reliable system performance. Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages and should clearly demonstrate how your experience aligns with the responsibilities and specialized experience required for this position. Do not copy language directly from the vacancy announcement, as you will be deemed ineligible for consideration. Instead, provide detailed, descriptive information about your actual experience. 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. Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.

Education

There is no Basic Education Requirements see above.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions on OPM website.

Evaluations

Your application will be evaluated first for the basic qualifications described above. The applications that meet the basic qualifications will be evaluated further against the following criteria: Comprehensive knowledge of Building Automation Systems (BAS), including Siemens APOGEE Building Automation System, sufficient to monitor, analyze, troubleshoot, and support mechanical, electrical, HVAC, control, and utility metering systems. The ability to reduce complex, interrelated or incomplete technical engineering data to assessable form, conduct analyses and assessment, draw conclusions and make recommendations having significant impact on technical matters that have not been explored previously. Ability to modify standard practices and adapt techniques to solve a variety of mechanical engineering problems. Ability to analyze, evaluate, and report on operations of complex mechanical and electrical systems. BASIS OF RATING: Once the announcement closes, your application will be automatically evaluated and rated by the system and a Human Resources Specialist. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your application and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the occupational questionnaire. The numeric rating you receive is based on your responses to the questionnaire. The score is a measure of the degree to which your background matches the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of this position. If, after the Human Resources Specialist reviews your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that the score you have received is not a true reflection of your qualifications and/or experience, your score can and will be adjusted to more accurately reflect the information you provided that support your abilities. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Your resume should provide detailed information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed. Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA): If you are applying for a VEOA appointment, you must be a veteran and must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed 3 or more years of active service. ("Active Service" under this law means active duty in a uniformed service and includes full-time training duty, annual training duty, full-time National Guard duty, and attendance, while in the active service, at a school designated as a service school by law or by the Secretary concerned.) A veteran who is released under honorable conditions shortly before completing a 3-year tour is also eligible. Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities: The following links contain information on the eligibility requirements to be considered under a noncompetitive appointing authority: Primary Appointing Authorities for Career and Career-Conditional Appointments Hiring Authorities for Veterans People with Disabilities You may preview questions for this vacancy.

How to apply

Click on the "Apply Online" button on the upper right side of the page. Please Note: You must apply for this position online through the 'Apply Online' button and submit required supplemental documents (if they are relevant to you). Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages. You may submit required documents by uploading them online during the application process. The complete application package, including any required documents, is due in the Smithsonian Office of Human Resources on the closing date of the announcement by 11:59 PM Eastern Time. If you are unable to apply online, paper applications may be accepted with prior approval of the Contact Person listed below.

Applications are handled only on the official announcement. This page is a readable copy of the public announcement data — the official version controls if anything differs.

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Required documents

Your application package should include the following documents: Resume - Your resume can be uploaded and attached to your application or created using the USA Jobs on-line resume builder. Ensure your resume contains the job title (including the occupational series and grade if it is Federal), job-related qualifications, starting and ending dates (month and year), and hours worked per week, for each employment period. It is your responsibility to ensure all information is submitted. Failure to include this information may result in disqualification for the position. For assistance with creating a resume, please click USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job? Current and former employees MUST submit a copy of their Standard Form (SF)-50, “Notice of Personnel Action,” that indicates proof of status and time-in-grade eligibility. SI Trust employees are ineligible for Merit Promotion consideration unless you submit a Standard Form (SF) - 50, "Notice of Personnel Action", that indicates proof you previously held a 'status' position and proof of time-in-grade. The SF-50 must include your position title, series, grade, step, salary, type of service (competitive or excepted in block 34), and tenure (1 or 2 in block 24). Please provide a SF-50 that shows the length of time you have been in your current/highest grade level. Examples of appropriate SF50s include: Appointments, Reassignments, Within-grade/range increases or Promotion actions. NOTE: Pay adjustments and award SF-50s do not include the length of time in your current position, therefore, they are NOT acceptable SF-50's on their own. You may need to provide more than one SF-50. Failure to provide the appropriate SF-50(s) may prevent you from receiving consideration for this position. Proof of Veteran's Preference - DD214 (Member 4 Copy) if you are requesting a special appointment authority, such as VRA or VEOA Proof of severe disability if you are requesting special placement consideration. Proof of eligibility for a military spouse appointment, such as a permanent change station military order. Proof of eligibility for any other special appointing authority not specifically mentioned here.

What to expect next

At the end of the application process you will be able to create and save a PDF file that contains your responses to the assessment questions. You may save this file as initial receipt of your application. After the job announcement closes, you will receive an email from the Smithsonian with confirmation of receipt. The Smithsonian receives many applications for each job. Each application is reviewed carefully which may take a few weeks. We will send you an e-mail to update you as we go through phases of the application review process. You may also check your application status by logging into www.usajobs.gov and selecting the tab "My USAJOBS;" e-mailing vacancy.info@si.edu; or by contacting the Office of Human Resources Representative listed. Additional Information: Tips on applying for Smithsonian jobs are available at https://www.si.edu/OHR/howtoapply. The Smithsonian does not pay relocation expenses but recruitment incentives may be authorized. The Smithsonian Institution is an equal opportunity employer. Additional information can be found on our website at (www.si.edu/oeesd).

Benefits

The Smithsonian offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, vacation and sick leave, holidays, health/life insurance, accident insurance, and excellent retirement program options. Please see Benefits at https://www.si.edu/OHR/benefits for a complete description. Flexible Spending Accounts - https://www.fsafeds.com/ Health Insurance - http://www.opm.gov/insure/health/index.asp Leave - http://www.opm.gov/oca/leave/index.asp Life Insurance - http://www.opm.gov/insure/life/index.asp Long Term Care Insurance - http://www.ltcfeds.com Retirement Program - https://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/

Other information

This position is included in the bargaining unit. Recruitment Incentive: Recruitment incentive(s) may be authorized for this position. However, approval for incentives are contingent upon various availability. If authorized, certain incentives will require the incumbent to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a certain time period. Note: This statement does not imply nor guarantee an incentive will be offered and paid. Selections may be made for vacancies across the Smithsonian Institution (SI). By applying to this position, you agree to allow your application and other personal information to be shared with one or more SI hiring officials for employment consideration for same/similar positions within the location(s) identified in this announcement.

Frequently asked questions

How much does this Engineering Technician ( Mechanical) job pay?

The announcement lists a salary of $85,447–$133,142 per year (GS 11–12).

When is the last day to apply?

Applications close on Nov 24, 2026 — 13 days from today.

Where is this job located?

This position is located in Washington, District of Columbia with the Smithsonian Institution .

How do I apply?

Applications are submitted through the official announcement on USAJobs. Use the Apply button on this page to go to the official posting — this site never takes applications itself.

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Data: USAJobs (U.S. Office of Personnel Management), retrieved 2026-11-11 · Announcement 27R-SA-314861-MPA-FM · Official announcement. FederalJobs is unofficial and is not affiliated with OPM or the agency.
Engineering Technician ( Mechanical)
Nov 24, 2026 deadlineApply