Summary

The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. This position is located in the Office of Facilities Management and Reliability (OFMR). OFMR provides the Smithsonian Institution with a full range of building services through maintenance and operational zones, pan-institutional horticultural support services, and systems engineering support.

Learn more about this agency

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

This position is open to all U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals. Note: Federal employees with permanent status or individuals eligible for special appointing authorities may also apply to Job Announcement # 26R-BY-313775-MPA-SF More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

Duties

The Electronics Technician (Fire Alarm Systems),will serve under the general supervision of the Life Safety Group Supervisor and play a crucial role in maintaining and ensuring the functionality of critical fire safety systems, both modern and older, within the specified guidelines and technical parameters.

In this position, you will:

Determine the impact of equipment modifications or substitutions on total system operation and on
various maintenance and alignment procedures, based upon studying technical data and specifications.
Inspect and correct deficiencies on a variety of fire dampers, fire detection and fire suppression
systems, many of which are complex and/or designed for specific operations and hazards.
Perform required repairs per manufacturer's specifications and industry standards.
Prepare normal performance test reports including analysis of results and maintain complete records of field tests and reports their findings to the lead technician.
Provide input for planning and estimating costs of projected work assignments, perform basic design reviews.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation
May need to complete a Probationary Period
Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer
Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.

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.

Qualifications

Experience:

For the GS-11, you qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 level in the Federal Service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as installation, inspection, testing and making repairs to fire alarm systems, sprinkler systems and dampers for smoke control. The applicant also needs to display leadership capabilities showing the necessary skill set to supervise subordinate technicians to complete a task. The listed level of experience should also include programming of fire alarm systems including adding devices and creating functions to perform various output sequences. The applicant also must possess at least a NICET level 2 in fire alarm systems.

For the GS-12, 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 installation, inspection, testing and making repairs to fire alarm systems, sprinkler systems and dampers for smoke control. The applicant also needs to display leadership capabilities showing the necessary skill set to independently supervise subordinate technicians to complete a task. The listed level of experience should also include programming of fire alarm systems including adding devices and creating functions to perform various output sequences. The applicant also must possess at least a NICET level 3 in fire alarm systems and hold at least one other certification in either Water Based Testing or Special Hazard Systems.

Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages and should clearly demonstrate how your experience aligns with the responsiblities 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.

Additional information

This position is included in the bargaining unit.

Current or Former Political Appointees: Beginning January 1, 2010, agencies must seek prior approval from OPM before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level under the provisions of title 5, United States Code. If you are currently or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Office of Human Resources. Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:

Position title;
Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
Agency; and,
Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

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.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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/

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Applicants for this position may be evaluated in multiple stages. The first stage is an evaluation of your responses to the online multiple-choice questions that assess your experience, education, and/or training for the job related competencies below:

Knowledge to analyze existing and proposed fire dampers, fire detection and fire suppression systems, operational requirements and operating procedures in order to access impacts of change proposal as these affect the systems capabilities.
Knowledge of mechanical, electrical and plumbing theories, principles, practices and relationships to fire protection and other building systems as to provide definitive guidance in relation to fire detection & fire supression aspects of each discipline.
Ability to communicate effectively and persuasively in written means, on matters concerning fire protection systems in regard to plan reviews, training aids, testing of system applications, and other complex technical issues.

Applicants who meet or exceed minimum qualifications will be assigned to one of three category groups based on job-related criteria:

Best Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and excels in most of the job related competencies above.
Better Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and satisfies most of the job related competencies above.
Good Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements, but does not satisfy most of the job related competencies above to a substantive degree.

This category rating process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three", but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. A selecting official may make selections from the highest quality category (Best Category) provided no preference eligible in that category is passed over to select a non-preference eligible in that category unless the requirements of 5 U.S.C. 3317(b) or 3318(b) are satisfied. Preference eligibles who meet minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-9 grade level or higher. Applicants who have not submitted a resume in the USAjobs system and/or have not answered all of the vacancy questions will not be considered for this position.

Important Note:

Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire or other assessment tool for consistency. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Your resume should provide sufficient information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.

You may preview questions for this vacancy.

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), hours worked per week, and salary 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 here.
Proof of Veteran's Preference - DD214 (Member 4 Copy), if you are a veteran. Additionally, applicants claiming 10-point preference must complete Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, as well as additional documentation required by the SF-15, such as a VA letter.
Unofficial school transcripts, if the position has an education requirement or if you are using education to qualify. If selected for the position, you must provide an official transcript before appointment.
Proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study, if applicable.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

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).
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.

Agency contact information

Baaba Yanney

Phone

202-633-6342

YanneyB@si.edu

Address

SMITHSONIAN
Office of Human Resources
POB 37012, 600 Maryland Avenue, MRC 517
Suite 5060
Washington, Maryland 20013-7012
United States

Next steps

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 embraces diversity and equal employment opportunity (www.si.edu/oeema).

Overview

Accepting applications

Open & closing dates

04/14/2026 to 04/28/2026

Salary

$85,447 - $133,142 per year

Pay scale & grade

GS 11 - 12

Location

Washington, DC

FEW vacancies

Remote job

Telework eligible

Yes—Ad hoc only

Travel Required

25% or less - Occasional travel

Relocation expenses reimbursed

Appointment type

Permanent - Federal

Work schedule

Full-time - Full-Time, Permanent

Service

Competitive

Promotion potential

Job family (Series)

0856 Electronics Technical

Supervisory status

Security clearance

Other

Drug test

Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process

Credentialing
Suitability/Fitness

Announcement number

26R-BY-313775-DEU-SF

Control number

865046400

US Smithsonian Institution jobs

Electronics Technician (Fire Alarm Systems)

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