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Hydro System Controller

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Reclamation
California Great Basin Region - Central Valley Operations Office
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Reclamation is seeking a career professional looking for an opportunity to capitalize on their expertise as a Hydro System Controller. You can make a difference in the West by assisting in meeting increasing water demands while protecting the environment.

Duty Location: Sacramento, California

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
05/16/2024 to 05/31/2024
Salary
$87.65 to - $87.65 per hour
Pay scale & grade
BB 00
Location
2 vacancies in the following location:
Sacramento, CA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
BOR-CGB-24-DE-12414319-SA
Control number
791808200

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Duties

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Serves as a Hydro System Controller in the Central Valley Operations Office hydro system control center.

  • Uses centralized control systems and operational procedures to start, stop and control hydroelectric generating and pumping units, auxiliary equipment and water release equipment in nine generating plants and two pumping plants of the Central Valley Project.
  • Calculates water flows using cubic feet per second, acre feet, individual unit efficiencies to determine daily Mega Watt loads.
  • Works with Western Area Power Administration, California Department of Water Resources, area office staff and California ISO to schedule system power generation and pumping requirements.
  • Prepares and directs switching and tagging operations, issues clearances, and directs emergency switching operations. Approves and/or disapproves requests for outages, monitors and maintains plant system voltage, generation/reservoir levels and water flow.
  • Monitors primary and secondary communications circuits to all system plant facilities; monitors hourly reporting of water quality stations located throughout the Delta; determines correct plant and unit control modes based on conditions and directs the mode setting by local plant personnel. Directs plant control operations to effect changes in water releases; prepares documentation and maintains logs.
  • Works with IT staff to upgrade forecasting, monitoring and control systems.
  • Performs work more than 8 hours per day, shift-work, on-call, weekends and holidays.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

You must be a U.S. Citizenship or U.S. National.
You must be suitable for federal employment, determined by a background investigation.
You must submit a resume and supporting documentation (see Required Documents).
You must submit eligibility documents for veterans consideration (see Required Documents).
You must maintain a valid State Driver's License at all times as the position requires operation of government vehicles on government and public roads.
You will be required to obtain a successful pre-employment physical examination by a licensed physician certifying your ability to perform the duties of this position. A physical exam may not be required if a comparable agency approved examination was performed within the last 12 months. The cost of the exam will be reimbursed by the agency.

Qualifications

Your application materials must demonstrate sufficient experience and training to perform the duties of this position without more than normal supervision. Qualifications will be determined on the basis of information submitted within your resume and responses to the assessment questions. For information about qualifications for Federal Wage System positions please, visit OPM.

Minimum qualifications for trades and labor positions are determined by evaluation of job elements. You must meet at least 2 points on the screen-out element(s) and obtain an average of at least 2 points on all of the job elements in order to be considered qualified for this position.

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.

You must meet all Eligibility and Qualification requirements, including time-in-grade restrictions and any selective placement factors if applicable, by 05/31/2024.

Education

This position does not allow substituting education for experience. You must qualify based on experience.

Additional information

You may be required to serve an initial probationary period.

Reclamation has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.

If otherwise eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information visit: Recruitment Incentive or Relocation Incentive.

If otherwise eligible and qualified, you may be offered a Student Loan Repayment Benefit (SLRB). The decision to offer an SLRB will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information visit: SLRB Program.

Related non-Federal experience or related experience as retired members of the uniformed services may be credited towards computing entitlement to leave accrual, at managerial discretion, providing that experience meets certain criteria. This provision allows new employees to earn annual leave at a higher rate than would otherwise be allowed. (5 Code of Federal Regulations, 630). For additional information, please visit: Creditable Service for Annual Leave

This position is designated as a MODERATE RISK Public Trust position. It requires a fully completed and favorably adjudicated Public Trust Suitability Background Investigation (T2S or T2RS or equivalent) that is current (within the last 5 years). This is a condition of employment.

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

How you will be evaluated

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

Category rating and selection procedures will be used to evaluate applications from this announcement. If an applicant meets the basic qualification requirements, his/her on-line responses to the vacancy assessment questionnaire will be used to determine the quality and extent of his/her 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. The 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 quality category. Veterans' preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent will be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-09 level or higher). The assessment questionnaire will take approximately 30 minutes to complete.

Human Resources (HR) will review resumes and submitted documents, if applicable, to ensure your meet the basic qualification requirements. HR will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided in the assessment questionnaire. The assessment questionnaire will take approximately 30 minutes to complete. Applicants determined best qualified will be referred to the selecting official.

You will be further evaluated on the following Job Elements through resume content and your responses to the application questionnaire:

  • Ability to do the work of the position without more than normal supervision
  • Technical Practices
  • Knowledge or equipment assembly, installation, repair, etc.
  • Operation of powerplant machinery
  • Use of measuring instruments
  • Ability to interpret instructions, specifications, etc. other than blueprints
  • Dexterity and safety
The application questionnaire can be previewed here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12414319

Your answers will be verified against information provided in your resume. Your resume must clearly support the responses to all the questions by addressing experience, education, and/or training relevant to this position. You must make a fair and accurate assessment of your qualifications. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than what is apparent in the description of your experience, competencies, skills, and/or education/training (or that your resume/application is incomplete), you could be rated ineligible or your score could be lowered.

Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies with the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s). Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration. You may choose to opt in of having your information shared with other agencies when applying for this position. If an agency requests a copy of a certificate you are on, you will be notified.

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