MECHANICAL ENGINEER

Summary

The PALACE Acquire Program offers you a permanent position upon completion of your formal training plan. As a Palace Acquire Intern you will experience both personal and professional growth while dealing effectively and ethically with change, complexity, and problem solving. The program offers a 3-year formal training plan with yearly salary increases. Promotions and salary increases are based upon your successful performance and supervisory approval.

Duties

• GG-07 1. Performs mechanical engineering tasks of limited scope and difficulty which are screened by a higher-grade engineer. Some knowledge of work processes, and the capability to apply standard mechanical engineering practices, are required to directly apply varied rules, procedures and precedents to the assignments. 2.Performs mechanical engineering work of limited scope and complexity in support of projects assigned to higher grade engineers. Plans work procedures and selects standard practices and data to be applied to work projects and identified problems. 3. Uses engineering manuals, standard publications and technical material to obtain information and pertinent data to be used by higher level engineers, contractors and/or customers. 4. Keeps abreast of emerging technologies and professional developments to maintain current in the field and for application to work assignments uses computers/computer software such as analysis tools and project tracking programs to solve engineering problems and facilitate work. GG-09 1. Performs a variety of developmental duties designed to develop knowledge and skill in applying general engineering principles, methods and techniques. Performs general engineering tasks of limited scope and difficulty which are screened by a higher-grade engineer. 2. Performs regular and recurring assignments. Independently performs work assignments which gradually increase in difficulty and complexity. 3. Uses engineering manuals, standard publications and technical material to obtain information and pertinent data to be used by higher level engineers, contractors and/or customers. 4. Carries out special projects and assignments for higher-level general engineers, contractors and/or customers. Researches and utilizes a wide range of manuals, standard publications and technical material to obtain information, analyze data, and prepare reports.

Qualifications

INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT:1. Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by 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. You may qualify if you meet one of the following: 1. GS-7: You must have completed or will complete a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's from an accredited institution AND must have documented Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) at the undergraduate level in the following: a) Grade Point Average 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0 as recorded on your official transcript or as computed based on 4 years of education or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of curriculum; OR 3.45 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in your major field or the required courses in your major field completed during the final 2 years of your curriculum. 2. GS-9: You must have completed 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree: a) Grade Point Average - 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0 as recorded on your official transcript or as computed based on 4 years of education or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of curriculum; OR 3.45 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in your major field or the required courses in your major field completed during the final 2 years of your curriculum. If more than 10 percent of total undergraduate credit hours are non-graded, i.e. pass/fail, CLEP, CCAF, DANTES, military credit, etc. you cannot qualify based on GPA. 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: 1. Professional knowledge of mechanical engineering policies, theories, principles and concepts, and familiarity with other engineering disciplines. 2. Knowledge of analysis, evaluation, fact-finding, and investigative techniques in order to gather data, identify significant factors, and recommend a solution from a number of possible alternatives. 3. Knowledge of the substantive nature of agency programs and activate to perform studies and prepare reports, briefings, documentation, and correspondence to communicate factual and procedural information clearly. 4. Skill in analyzing and applying the principles, concepts and practices of the occupation sufficient to perform difficult, but common assignments. 5. Ability to analyze, interpret and apply general engineering rules and procedures in a variety of situations and recommend effective solutions to senior engineers. 6. Ability to communicate clearly, concisely and with technical accuracy, both orally and in writing, as well as work in a professional manner with peers and management. PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week. VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

IF USING EDUCATION TO QUALIFY: If position has a positive degree requirement or education forms the basis for qualifications, you MUST submit transcripts with the application. Official transcripts are not required at the time of application; however, if position has a positive degree requirement, qualifying based on education alone or in combination with experience; transcripts must be verified prior to appointment. An accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education must accredit education. Click here to check accreditation. FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying.

How to apply

The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/30/2026. To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12874424 To begin the process, click the Apply Online button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account. Follow the prompts to complete the application questionnaire. Please ensure you click the Submit My Application button at the end of the process. To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes: 1. Your Resume. If you submit more than one resume, only the most recent will be reviewed. The "most recent" is considered the resume with the latest timestamp. Resumes may not exceed two pages. The two-page resume ensures the most relevant experience is reviewed and considered, which is a common practice in both the public and private sectors. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. Additional information on how to complete or update your resume may be located here. For qualification determination your resume must contain hours worked per week and dates of employment (i.e., month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as insufficient, and you will not receive consideration for this position. If you are a current Federal employee or previous Federal employee, provide your pay plan, series and grade, i.e. GS-0301-09. Current Federal Civilian Employees may list any relevant performance related rating (given within the last three years) and/or incentive awards in your resume. Do NOT include photographs, inappropriate material, inappropriate content, nor personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number, etc., on your resume. If the resume you submit contains such information you will not be considered for this vacancy. Your name, first and last, MUST be included on your resume. 2. A complete Application Questionnaire 3. Additional Required Documents (see Required Documents section). Ensure all submitted documents contain your full name. 4. Help recruiters find you. Make your resume and profile searchable, which means recruiters may contact you about possible jobs. Additional information may be located here. PLEASE NOTE: It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered and/or uploaded, (i.e., resume) is received, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. You may verify your documents have been processed with your application package successfully. You can access your USAJOBS account to do so by clicking here. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan. Human Resources WILL NOT modify or change any answers submitted by an applicant.