Senior Cost Engineer (Interdisciplinary), GS-08XX-13 (65919)

About the role

Works under general supervision and receives initial guidance on policy matters, overall instructions on program objectives and general priorities. As senior cost engineer, the incumbent is allowed almost complete independence of action and performs work on his/her own initiative. The incumbent is delegated full responsibility for the technical activities in his/her area of expertise. The incumbent's technical recommendations and decisions are relied upon as technically sound and are generally accepted as a final commitment. Completed work is reviewed only for overall adequacy, timeliness, and proper coordination with other technical specialists. The incumbent keeps the supervisor advised on the status of controversial matters. Work is reviewed for soundness of conclusions and satisfactory compliance with overall policy and attainment of program objectives.

Responsibilities

• Serves as the senior cost engineering technical expert and team leader, providing technical guidance, oversight, and direction for complex construction and design programs.
• Prepares, reviews, and validates complex cost estimates for in-house designs and Architect-Engineer products, ensuring accuracy, quality, and compliance with applicable criteria, standards and regulations.
• Provides cost engineering support throughout project development, including design changes, construction modifications, schedules and scopes of work, design fees, and price negotiations.
• Leads and mentors cost engineering personnel, assigning work, evaluating performance, developing staff capabilities, and improving work processes to ensure effective and timely program execution.
• Represents the District as a senior cost engineering authority at technical reviews, conferences, meetings, and presentations, providing expert advice on complex cost engineering issues and coordinating with internal and external stakeholders.

Requirements

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a complete background investigation.
• All positions require the applicant to be a citizen of the United States.
• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, are required to register for Selective Service prior to appointment.
• A trial or probationary period may be required.
• Direct deposit of pay is required.
• This position has a Temporary Duty (TDY) or business travel requirement of 25% of the time.
• The duties of this position require the incumbent to possess and maintain license/registration as a Professional Engineer or Registered Architect within 1 year of entering the position (OR) be recognized as a Certified Tri-Service Cost Engineer by Tri-Service Cost Engineer Certification Board. This license/registration must be in good standing and issued by any one of the 50 states or its territories.

Minimum Experience Requirements

Basic Requirement - 0808:

• Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in architecture or in a related field that included 60 semester hours of course work in architecture or related disciplines of which at least (1) 30 semester hours were in architectural design, and (2) 6 semester hours were in each of the following: structural technology, properties of materials and methods of construction, and environmental control systems.
• OR Combination of Education and Experience: College-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the arts and sciences underlying professional architecture, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the architectural principles, methods, and techniques and their applications to the design and construction or improvement of buildings. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by at least one of the following:
  • Related Curriculum - Degree in architectural engineering provided the completed course work in architectural engineering provided knowledge, skills, and abilities substantially equivalent to those provided in the courses specified above, or
  • Experience: 1 year of experience in an architect's office or in architectural work for each year short of graduation from a program of study in architecture. In the absence of any college courses, 5 years of such experience is required. This experience must have demonstrated that you have acquired a thorough knowledge of the fundamental principles and theories of professional architecture.

Basic Requirement – 0801/0810/0819/0830/0850:

• Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in engineering. To be acceptable, the program must:
  • 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
  • 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.
• OR Combination of Education and Experience: College-level education, training, and/or technical 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:
  • Professional registration or licensure - Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico.
  • Written Test - Evidence of having successfully passed 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.
  • Specified academic courses - Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified above. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program.
  • 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, may be accepted in lieu of a degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance.

Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes preparing and reviewing complex construction cost estimates; applying cost engineering principles, criteria, and standards; providing technical guidance on design and construction projects; and analyzing cost data to support project planning and decision making. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-12).