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MECHANICAL ENGINEER (GS-13)

Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command

San Diego, CA · $122k–$158k a year · Posted October 30, 2026

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Pay compared with the market

This listing pays about $139,824 a year. Across 164 open mechanical engineer listings that state pay, the middle half runs $112,500 to $153,500 and the median is $129,000. That is inside the middle half of those listings, 8% above the median.

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AI use among mechanical engineers is little observed so far. Measured exposure for mechanical engineers: 8% (little observed).

Share of this job’s tasks that AI is already used for at work, from real usage. It is not a forecast of job loss, and a low number means no use seen yet. Source: Anthropic Economic Index.

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About the job

Summary

You will serve as a MECHANICAL ENGINEER in the Planning, Design and Construction Directorate (PDC) of NAVFAC SOUTHWEST.

Duties

You will lead a multi-disciplinary in-house (IH) design team, executing IH projects as well as overseeing design efforts accomplished via Architectural/Engineering (A/E) firms. You will coordinate the mechanical engineering design with the engineering disciplines for Design-Bid-Build (DBB) and Design-Build (DB) projects to ensure overall compatibility and efficiency of the site and building design. You will be responsible for tracking the progress of projects to ensure that they are kept within construction budgets and that the drawings and specifications are completed within allotted design schedules. You will perform quality assurance reviews of drawings, specifications, calculations, cost estimates, and studies prepared by A/E design firms. You will provide post construction award services (PCAS), including review and approval of contractor's submittals for conformance with the requirements of the contract drawings and specifications. You will mentor and train new and junior mechanical engineers within the organization.

Qualifications

SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR (SPF): This position has a Selective Placement Factor that will be used to screen out ineligible candidates. The selective placement factor is: You must currently be a licensed Professional Engineer (PE). Your license or registration must be held in a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States. Do you meet this requirement? (Note - if yes, it is highly recommended that you provide a copy of your current registration with your application).***NOTE: A copy of your current license/registration showing the expiration date MUST be submitted with your application in order to be considered for this position. A copy of a wall certificate that does not have an expiration date will not serve to verify this requirement. In addition to the Basic Requirements for this position, your resume must also demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-12 grade level or pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience must demonstrate the following: 1) Performing all aspects of mechanical engineering design for a wide variety of installation shore facility types, to include: all aspects of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems, industrial, energy monitoring, and HVAC controls; 2) Providing expert technical guidance, consultation and support in developing initial project planning documents, plans, specifications, studies, reports, and other design work products; 3) Executing complex design and analyses, utilizing advanced mechanical engineering software; 4) Performing engineering services in support of Architectural and Engineering Contracts such as writing statements of work, estimating fees, negotiation, performance monitoring, and evaluation of bids. **NOTE** This information must be clearly supported in your resume. Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/mechanical-engineering-series-0830/ https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/files/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (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.

How you will be evaluated

In order to qualify for this position, your resume must provide sufficient experience and/or education, knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are being considered. Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific when describing your experience. When the application process is complete, we will review your resume to ensure you meet the hiring eligibility and qualification requirements listed in this announcement. You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume and application package, along with your supporting documentation to determine your ability to demonstrate the following competencies: DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT ENERGY/ECONOMIC ANALYSES HVAC/ REFRIGERATION MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PLUMBING This recruitment will utilize the following technical assessment tools: Structured Resume Review and Structured Interview You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment. All eligibility, qualifications, and time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

How to apply

Click the Apply Online button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account. To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes: 1. Complete resume with relevant experience, job title, duties and accomplishments. Resumes are restricted to no more than 2 pages. Illegible/unreadable resumes will not be considered. Your resume must show complete information for each job entry to support minimum qualifications. The following information should be provided in your resume: employer's name, starting and end dates (Mo/Yr), hours per week if experience was less than full time (35-40 hours per week), pay plan, series and grade level (e.g. GS-0201-09) for relevant federal experience. TIP: A good way to ensure you include all essential information is to use the Resume Builder in USAJOBS to create your resume. 2. Supporting documentation Failure to submit a complete application package will result in an ineligible rating and loss of consideration. Your complete application must be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) on 11/06/2026. Applications received after 11/06/2026 will generally result in an ineligible rating and loss of consideration. If more than one resume is received, only the last resume received and processed will be reviewed. For additional information on viewing your application status, click https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status. You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. Do not email or send hard copy resumes/applications to the Contact Information or Agency Information listed in this vacancy announcement. All resumes/applications received at the addresses listed in the Contact Information or Agency Information will be destroyed and will not be considered for this vacancy announcement. It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that all information in their resume and documents are legible and accurate. HR will not modify answers/documents submitted by an applicant.

Other information

This position is covered by the Department of Defense Priority Placement Program. Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement. Certain incentives (such as Recruitment, Relocation or Student Loan Repayment) may be authorized to eligible selectees. A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments. During the application process you will have the ability to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions in the local commuting area. Depending on the hiring organization and the position being filled, job requirements (e.g., security clearance, travel, drug testing, financial disclosure filing, bargaining unit status, etc.) may vary. Other hiring managers filling similar positions may offer relocation expense reimbursement and/or may offer recruitment incentives for new employees, depending on funding availability and in accordance with policy. If you opt-in and are referred on a certificate, your resume will be available to other hiring managers for 180-days from the date the job announcement closes. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. Federal annuitant information: The selection of an annuitant is subject to the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy policy on the employment of annuitants. Policy information may be found at: http://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/Documents/CivilianJobs/FedCivAnnuitants.pdf PPP applicants will be placed at the FPL, if determined Well Qualified (WQ). To receive priority consideration, the FPL must be the same grade level or equivalent of the retained grade or the grade held immediately prior to separation. ICTAP Applicants: To be considered well-qualified and exercise selection priority as an ICTAP candidate, displaced Federal employees must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a rating in the highly qualified category (score 85) or higher. ICTAP candidates must provide copies of all of the following documentation at the time of application:?1) agency notice; 2) most recent performance appraisal; and 3) most recent SF-50 or notification of personnel action that includes position, grade level, and duty location. Applicants who do not provide this documentation will not receive consideration as an ICTAP candidate. For more information about ICTAP eligibility please review the following link: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/career-transition/ Military Spouse Preference applicants will be placed at the highest grade for which they have applied and are determined Best Qualified (BQ). A BQ military spouse possesses knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies comparable to others who meet the competitive referral criteria for the specific position.