
Chemical Engineer
U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command
Chambersburg, PAFull-time$47–133K/yrPosted 4 days ago
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Job overview
The Chemical Engineer position at Letterkenny Army Depot provides engineering services in development, execution, and quality control. The role improves chemical material cleaning, treatment, and painting processes; supports production and design engineers in selecting chemicals and processes; analyzes materials and chemical issues for review boards; and provides training and technical expertise on surface-treatment technologies. Applicants must meet the stated engineering education or experience pathways and grade-specific qualifications.
Skills & qualifications
Skills
Qualifications
Full job description
Summary
This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) solicitation utilizing the DHA for Defense Industrial Base (DIB) & Major Range & Test Facilities Base (MRTFB) in DoD to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service. About the Position: This position is located at Letterkenny Army Depot, Pennsylvania. Providing Engineering services in the development, execution and quality control.
Duties
- Improve chemical material cleaning, treatment and painting processes.
- Apply principles, methods and practices of chemistry and chemical engineering and a thorough understanding of the chemical and physical properties of the materials used.
- Assist production and design engineers in identifying chemicals and processes needed to meet requirements established by customers.
- Provide chemical and materials analysis to the Materiel Review Board during investigation of component failures, non-conforming products, unauthorized material substitutions and Quality Deficiency Reports.
- Provide training and technical expertise on details of surface cleaning, treatment and painting technology.
Qualifications
Who May Apply: US Citizens: In order to qualify, you must meet the education/experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Basic Requirement for Chemical Engineer (This requirement must be met to qualify): A. Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) 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 (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. ORB. 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:1. 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. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.2. 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.3. 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 in A above. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program.4. 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. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. ( The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.) In addition to meeting the basic requirement, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: GS-05: General Experience: One year of general experience which was equivalent to at least the GS-04 grade level, which includes college-level education, training, and/or technical experience. This definition of general experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-04). OR Education: Four year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 36. Then divide your total number of completed undergraduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 120. Add the two percentages. GS-07: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes carrying out assignments and instructions on engineering procedures and processes. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-05). OR Education: One full year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: Engineering. OR Superior Academic Achievement. In order to be creditable under this provision, Superior Academic Achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled, such as that identified in Education above. Superior Academic Achievement is based on:(1) Class Standing - Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR(2) Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) - Applicants must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) 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 the curriculum; or (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.; OR(3) Honor Society Membership - Applicants may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achshonor.org/). OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages. CONTINUED UNDER EDUCATION
Education
GS-09: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes assisting with engineer processes, procedures and methods to repair, modify, and test mechanical, electrical and electronic equipment in an industrial operation; and providing instructed engineering guidance to the staff. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-07).OR Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: Engineering. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages. GS-11: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes identifying chemical processes, parts, and materials to meet production performance requirements; advising on chemical engineering and chemical materials repairs, modifications, processes, and testing of mechanical, electrical, and electronic equipment; providing technical services on wastewater pre-treatment, recirculation, and treatment operations; and training personnel on surface cleaning, treatment and painting technology, and chemical process changes. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09). OR Education: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: Engineering. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages. GS-12: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes evaluating chemical processes to chemically clean, restore, paint, treat, and finish electroplate metal and plastic surfaces; providing technical services on waste water pre-treatment, recirculation, and treatment operations; providing chemicals and materials analysis to the organizations review board on component failures, non-conforming products, unauthorized material substitutions and quality deficiency reports; and training personnel on surface cleaning, treatment and painting technology, and chemical process changes. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-11).Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted. FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/ How You Will Be Evaluated
Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Other Information
Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration. You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship. This position requires a 1 year probationary period during which the agency evaluates your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In making this determination, the agency may consider your performance and conduct; agency needs and interests; whether your continued employment supports organizational or Government goals; and whether it promotes the efficiency of the Federal service. Continued employment requires written certification that it advances the public interest. Direct Deposit of Pay is required. This position requires you to submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE450) upon entry, and annually thereafter. Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees. If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet. This is a Career Program 16 position, Engineers and Scientists (Non-Construction) Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement. Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.
How this job compares
Set against the 467 open Materials Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 10, 2026.
- Pay
- This posting$47–133K/yr
- US median$100–160K/yr261 salary ranges
This range's midpoint, $90K, is 29% below the US median midpoint ($126K) — in the lowest quarter of Materials Engineer salary ranges across the US.
- Openings
- Olive Jobs lists 22 open Materials Engineer jobs in Pennsylvania and 467 across the US. 1% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
- Hiring the most in Pennsylvania
- Experience
- This posting asks for at least 1 year of experience — less than three in four Materials Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for (median 5 years, across 375 postings).
- Education
- 293 of the 467 open Materials Engineer jobs (63%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.
Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 10, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.
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