Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results

Civil Engineer (DEU-NW)

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Reclamation
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Reclamation is seeking a career professional, recent graduate, or graduating student to serve as a staff Civil Engineer responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing water resources civil engineering design and analysis projects including: hydraulic modeling, levees, canals, pipelines, pumps, dredging, irrigation systems, erosion protection, weirs, gates, dams, habitat enhancements, and associated infrastructure.

LOCATION: Yuma AZ

An incentive of up to $5,000 may be offered.

Overview

Help
Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
02/18/2020 to 03/24/2020
Salary
$50,193 to - $103,044 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 05 - 11
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Yuma, AZ
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel required for training, inspections and site visits.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Announcement number
BR-LC-DE-20-22
Control number
560101500

This job is open to

Help

Clarification from the agency

All United States Citizens and Nationals

Duties

Help

This is a career development opportunity - at the full performance level, the selectee will:
Prepare civil engineering designs and specifications for new features, modifications to existing features, and maintenance work for projects pertaining to water resources/systems engineering (canals, pipelines, drainage systems, pumping systems, dredging, irrigation systems, erosion protection, weirs, gates, levees, dams, habitat enhancements, etc.).
Perform hydrologic and hydraulic engineering studies and modeling of surface water using steady state and unsteady flow modeling software. 
Conduct civil engineering research, investigations, and analysis in support of designs, feasibility studies, comparative analyses, concept plans, value planning studies, value engineering analyses, etc.

Perform inspections of existing water resources and civil engineering infrastructure to assess the condition of the facility and to identify required maintenance needs.

Prepare formal and informal technical engineering reports relative to assigned project work; perform project management for assigned contracts; as well as other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship or National
  • Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation
  • You must apply online to be considered for this position.
  • You must submit transcripts to be considered.
  • Resumes must include dates of employment, specifically year, month & hours

You must meet selective factors, by the closing date of this announcement.

Applications will be accepted from students who expect to complete qualifying education by June, 2020.

Qualifications

You must FIRST meet the mandatory education requirement:
Basic Requirements:

  1. Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor’s degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by 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.

OR

  1. 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)1, 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, and 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 the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.
  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 bachelor’s 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.)

Note: An applicant who meets the basic requirements as specified in A or B above, except as noted under B.1., may qualify for positions in any branch of engineering unless selective factors indicate otherwise.

Applications will be accepted from students who expect to complete qualifying education by June, 2020.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT:  In addition to meeting the  Mandatory Education Qualification Requirements you must meet the required specialized experience:

To qualify for the GS-05 level: Applicants who meet the basic requirements described in the individual occupational requirements are fully qualified for the GS-05 level. 

To qualify for the GS-07 level: You must have 1 year of graduate education or superior academic achievement OR one year of full time specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level.  Specialized experience for the GS-07 level is civil engineering experience participating in engineering projects with senior engineer review. 

To qualify for the GS-09 level: You must have 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master’s degree or master’s or equivalent graduate degree OR one year of full time specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level OR a combination of education and experience.  Specialized experience for the GS-09 level is civil engineering experience participating in construction oversight and technical support of structural construction contracts or projects with senior engineer review. 

To qualify for the GS-11 level:  You must have 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree OR one year of full time specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level OR a combination of education and experience.  Specialized experience for the GS-11 level is experience in oversight and technical support of civil, mechanical, and structural construction contracts including experience in reviewing technical submittals and modifications.

Your resume must clearly reflect the experience/education listed above. In determining qualifications, the Human Resources specialist may not make assumptions. If your resume does not clearly reflect the required experience/education, your application will be marked as ineligible. 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. 

Education

This position has a mandatory education requirement; you must furnish a copy of your transcript of college work completed (unofficial copy is acceptable). Transcripts must include the name of the college or university and date the degree was conferred. Non-submission will result in the application being incomplete.

Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, applicants must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. Failure to include this verification with foreign transcripts will result in an incomplete application.

Additional information

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. For more information visit: http://www.sss.gov.

Equal Employment Opportunity: The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability and genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factor.

Probationary Period:  Placement in this position requires you to complete a one-year probationary period.

E-Verify: DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify.

Operator Identification: You must hold a valid state drivers license to be hired into this position. If selected, you will be required to submit a copy of your driving record from the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Promotion Potential: If you are selected at a lower grade than the full performance level, promotion(s) may be made at a later date without further competition. However, identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote you at some future date. Such promotion(s) will depend upon managerial discretion, the needs of the organization, and the demonstrated performance of higher level duties.  Full performance level is GS-11.

Background Investigation/Security Clearance: If selected, you will be subject to a background investigation as a condition of placement/retention in this position.  A background investigation will be required for all new hires AND current employees who do not currently have a satisfactorily adjudicated Federal background investigation commensurate with the sensitivity designation of this position.

Telework: Reclamation has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisory approval. Full time telework is not available.

How you will be evaluated

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

Human Resources (HR) will review resumes and transcript(s) if applicable, to ensure applicants meet the basic qualification requirements. Category rating and selection procedures will be used for evaluating this position. If you meet the basic qualification requirements, your on-line responses to the vacancy assessment questionnaire will be used to determine the quality and extent of your experience, education, training, etc., for placement in one of the following categories: 1) Best Qualified, 2) Well Qualified and 3) Qualified. Qualified candidates will be assigned a numerical score on a scale of 70-100 and Veterans with preference will be placed at the top of their respective category. The assessment questionnaire will take you approximately 30 minutes to complete.

You will be further evaluated on the following “Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)” through the resume and responses to the online questions:

Professional knowledge of, and skill in applying, a wide range of Civil Engineering theories, concepts, principles, standards, and methods.

A working knowledge of related engineering fields, such as structural, hydraulic, electrical, and mechanical engineering as they relate to water resources civil works projects.

Knowledge of common hydrologic and hydraulic modeling software packages. Accompanying knowledge of the underlying engineering principles being utilized in these software packages.

Ability to use computer-aided drafting (CAD), GIS, and other software programs to generate exhibits and design drawings.

Ability to use various software packages to perform design calculations, complete designs and technical specifications, estimate work quantities, estimate costs, and plan schedules.

Knowledge of construction procedures and construction safety standards as required to prepare designs which are safe, economical, and practical to construct.

Knowledge of standard specifications and standard format for preparing technical specifications for inclusion in construction, service, and supply contracts.

Oral and written communication skills required to prepare and present reports on work

Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to the online assessment questions by addressing experience, education and/or training relevant to this position. Applicants must make a fair and accurate assessment of their qualifications.  If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is apparent in your description of experience, competencies, skills, and/or education/training, you will be rated ineligible.

You must be clear when describing your experience, we may not make assumptions in determining qualifications.  If your resume does not clearly reflect all of the above experience, your application will be marked as ineligible.


To preview questions please click here.

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.