Electronics Technician

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/ EDUCATION: There is no positive education requirement for this position.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government.

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.

To qualify at the GS-12 level: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 in the Federal service.

Specialized experience MUST include all of the following: Installing, operating, and maintaining a wide range of electronic, electro-mechanical, data acquisition, communications equipment or related computer systems; and Instructing team members and peers on the setup, operation, and maintenance of electronic, electro-mechanical, data acquisition, or communications equipment or related computer systems.

As an Electronics Technician, you will perform the following duties: Serve as an Electronics Technician Instructor within the Systems Training Unit for specialized advanced technical courses covering National Weather Service (NWS) electronic, meteorological, and telecommunications systems. Deliver instruction through a combination of traditional classroom lectures, hands-on laboratory exercises, distance learning, webinars, and self-paced e-learning platforms.

Teach complex concepts related to high-power Radio Frequency (RF) and radar transmitters, receiver signal processing, digital signal processors, Linux and Unix-based server hardware, meteorological sensor suites, and network routing equipment. Instruct students in safety protocols, including high-voltage safety, RF hazard mitigation, and electro-static discharge (ESD) procedures.

Evaluate student progress through practical bench tests, written exams, and field-simulated fault troubleshooting performance tests and provide objective performance feedback and remedial coaching. Research, design, update, and maintain instructional materials, course syllabi, lab guides, training manuals, and interactive training aids. Analyze system engineering modifications, software upgrades, and field retrofit notifications to update instructional content in alignment with current NWS operational baselines.

Coordinate with NWS systems engineers and original equipment manufacturers to translate technical engineering documentation into standardized instructional modules. Employ Instructional System Design principles to ensure training addresses identified field skill gaps and meets operational readiness objectives. Configure, calibrate, maintain, and repair specialized electronic equipment, test beds, system simulators, and benchtop mockups used in instructional laboratories.

Inject hardware, software, and system faults into simulator platforms to test and refine student troubleshooting capabilities under controlled conditions. Evaluate and integrate advanced electronic test equipment (e.g., spectrum analyzers, oscilloscopes, signal generators, power meters) into laboratory exercises. Act as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for NWS systems, offering high-level technical assistance and support for complex systems.

Participate in agency workgroups, system test teams, and field implementation teams evaluating next-generation observational technologies. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work requires a combination of stationary classroom instruction and active physical effort in laboratory settings. Requires standing for long periods, bending, crouching, lifting test equipment weighing up to 40-50lbs, and climbing ladders or training structures to access elevated equipment assemblies.