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Engineering Technician (Civil)

Department of Agriculture
Forest Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The primary purpose of this position is to provide technical engineering support work to the civil engineering staff.

Information on specific locations where jobs are being filled and the dates when applications are due for these locations can be found at https://fsoutreach.gdcii.com/Outreach

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
11/15/2021 to 05/13/2022
Salary
$43,683 to - $69,462 per year

Salary wage as shown is for Rest of the U.S. For more information, refer to the Office of Personnel Management, Salary and Wages web page.

Pay scale & grade
GS 7 - 9
Locations
Many vacancies in the following locations:
Harrisburg, IL
Jonesboro, IL
Vienna, IL
Wilmington, IL
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Travel may be required for meetings, training, or site visits.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
9
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
22-R9OCR-802-CET-7-9G
Control number
621950600

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Current permanent federal employees with competitive status, Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP and VEOA eligibles, Farm Service Agency permanent county employees, 30 percent or More Disabled Veterans, Certain Former Overseas and Foreign Service Employees, Military Spouses, Interchange Agreement and Other Miscellaneous Authorities, People with Disabilities, Peace Corps and VISTA, Reinstatement, Public Land Corps, Resource Assistant Program, and VRA eligible candidates.

Duties

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  • Duties listed are at the full performance GS-9 level.
  • Inspect construction materials and equipment for conformance with specifications.
  • Monitor projects to assess compliance with contracts.
  • Perform final review of drawings and exercise judgment in selecting best design layouts.
  • Provide technical advice in coordinating detailed site surveys and stake setting.
  • Interpret engineering project notes, data, and specifications to prepare design and layout of roads, trails, bridges, drainage structures, and other systems.
  • Conduct field surveys to provide data for civil engineering project designs.
  • Prepare sketches, construction details, installation drawings and other technical products to support civil engineering projects and operations.
  • Develop recommendations to resolve quality control issues.
  • Conduct inspections of civil engineering and construction project materials, equipment, construction techniques, processes, and installation to ensure compliance with contract requirements.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • Successful completion of one year probationary period, unless previously served.
  • Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov
  • This is a bargaining unit position represented by the National Federation of Federal Employees, IAMAW (does not apply to West Virginia locations).
  • All locations in the following states are part of the bargaining unit: Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
  • All locations in Illinois are part of the bargaining unit, except Wilmington, IL. All locations in Minnesota are part of the bargaining unit, except Cass Lake, Blackduck, Walker and Deer River.
  • All other locations listed in this announcement are not part of a bargaining unit.

Qualifications

THIS IS AN OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT. This type of announcement provides the Forest Service with a readily available source of applicants when vacancies occur. Eligibility and qualifications will be verified when there is a vacancy for the location and grade for which you applied.

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards.

Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide course descriptions as necessary.

Basic Requirement:
GS-0802

Specialized Experience Requirement:

For the GS-7 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-6); OR one full year (18 semester/27 quarter hours) of successfully completed graduate level coursework that is directly related to the work of the position (such as: Engineering, Construction Management, or Surveying); OR combinations of graduate level education that is directly related to the position and specialized experience. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university.

Examples of specialized experience are defined as one or more of the following: Provided engineering support to senior engineers in the development, planning, and design of civil engineering construction projects; Conducted field work to gather survey data in the development of improvement plans; Performed a variety of research and produced technical drawings to assist in the development of contract plans, specifications, and estimates; Accompanied Inspectors and/or Contracting Officer Representative (COR) to observe, record, and assist in administration and inspection of a project.

For the GS-8 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-7); OR two full years (36 semester/54 quarter hours) of successfully completed graduate level education or master's degree if the coursework is directly related to the work of the position (such as: Engineering, Construction Management, or Surveying); OR combinations of graduate level education that is directly related to the position (in excess of 18 semester/27 quarter hours) and specialized experience. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university.

Examples of specialized experience are defined as one or more of the following: Prepared sketches and developed layouts, construction details and installation drawings, including finished plans and profile sheets; Supervised crews in setting construction stakes for clearing, grading and drainage structure; Inspected an entire project of limited size or complexity or a minor part of a large project such as a forest road construction project that includes only clearing, grading, and drainage structures.

For the GS-9 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-8); OR two full years (36 semester/54 quarter hours) of successfully completed graduate level education or master's degree if the coursework is directly related to the work of the position (such as: Engineering, Construction Management, or Surveying); OR combinations of graduate level education that is directly related to the position (in excess of 18 semester/27 quarter hours) and specialized experience. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university.

Examples of specialized experience are defined as one or more of the following:Attend pre-bid and bid opening conferences to discuss principal construction features and requirements in terms of methods and equipment; Prepared designs and layouts of roads, trails, bridges, drainage structures, and other systems of limited scope and complexity; Developed and submitted revised or alternate designs to eliminate or reduce engineering problem areas without undue sacrifice of standards, economy, or esthetics; Conducted a range of standard surveys and data collection activities to provide data for civil engineering project design; Conducted inspection of construction projects.

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.

TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENT: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. This requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

See "Qualifications" section.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.

Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA).

Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Part-time and intermittent service will be credited only for time actually worked. Non-pay status such as leave without pay is credited for up to six months in a calendar year; anything beyond six months is not credited. Applicants are responsible for providing sufficient information/documentation to determine if the 24 month criteria is met.

Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.

For more information on applying under special hiring authorities such as the Veteran's Recruitment Act (VRA), 30 percent disabled veterans, certain military spouses, Schedule A Disabled, etc., explore the different Hiring Paths on the USAJOBS website

PROMOTION POTENTIAL: If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied or guaranteed.

Government housing may be available in some locations/Forest Service daycare is not available.


This position may be eligible to telework up to four days per week, based upon the duties of the position. This position may also be eligible for flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements.

The Forest Service may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract highly qualified candidates. Additional information is available at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/pay-and-leave-flexibilities-for-recruitment-and-retention/

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience, education, and training you described in your application package, as well as the responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you possess the competencies listed below:

  • Attention to Detail
  • Building and Construction
  • Civil Engineering
  • Quality Management
  • Road Work and Pavement


Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position.

If you meet the qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified, you will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Noncompetitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities must meet minimum qualifications to be referred.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11282698

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