ENGINEERING

As an Engineering participant in the PALACE Acquire Program, you will hold a permanent position upon completion of a structured 3-year formal training plan. Your responsibilities include experiencing both personal and professional growth while dealing effectively and ethically with change, complexity, and problem solving. You will engage in professional engineering work that requires applying fundamental engineering principles to real-world challenges. Throughout the program, you will develop technical expertise and practical skills through hands-on assignments, mentorship, and progressive responsibilities. Your performance will be evaluated regularly, and promotions and salary increases are based on successful performance and supervisory approval. You will work collaboratively with engineering teams to solve complex problems, contribute to project planning and execution, and ensure compliance with engineering standards and regulations. The role involves applying knowledge of differential and integral calculus, physics, and engineering science areas such as statics, dynamics, strength of materials, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, electrical fields and circuits, and materials properties. You will also be expected to communicate technical information effectively, document engineering analyses, and support continuous improvement initiatives within the organization.

To qualify for this position, you must meet one of the following requirements: 1. For GS-7: Completion of a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in professional engineering. The curriculum must be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) as a professional engineering curriculum, OR include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas: (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. Additionally, you must have documented Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) evidenced by one of the following: (a) class standing in the upper third of the graduating class; (b) a grade point average of 2.95 or higher out of 4.0 overall, or 3.45 or higher out of 4.0 in the major field (if more than 10% of undergraduate credit hours are non-graded, GPA cannot be used); or (c) election to membership in a national scholastic honor society (freshman honor society not accepted). 2. For GS-9: One full year (18 semester hours or equivalent) of graduate-level study, or possession of a master's or higher degree (e.g., LL.B., J.D., LL.M., Ph.D.) in a field that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities to do the work of this position, such as business administration, industrial management, industrial engineering, industrial psychology, public administration, or political science.

AFPC is a U.S. government agency focused on personnel and talent management, offering structured training and career development programs like the Palace Acquire Program.