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Civil / Mechanical / Electrical / Electronics Engineer

Department of Energy
Bonneville Power Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the Transmission Engineering Policy & Governance (TEVS) organization of Engineering Application and Standards (TEV), Transmission Engineering & Technical Services (TE), Transmission Services (T), Bonneville Power Administration (BPA).

A successful candidate in this position will serve as a technical lead in the analysis, development, implementation, and continuous improvement for a comprehensive standards function spanning the mission of Transmission Services.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
05/09/2023 to 05/22/2023
Salary
$121,180 to - $146,542 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Vancouver, WA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% or less - 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
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
23-BPA-34803-11955623-DE
Control number
724485200

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Duties

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As a Mechanical/Electrical/Civil/Electronics Engineer you will:

  • Design, develop, and lead special projects to standardize the format, content, and specifications for current and future transmission design, construction and equipment contracts.
  • Develop and execute short term, annual, and long-term plans to upgrade and optimize Transmission System's standards and specifications.
  • Serve as liaison between management and employees in all functional areas to promote standards development, improvement, and management.
  • Ensure that extensive compliance documentation and data is available for use in developing and improving standards and that an evaluation and quality control is performed on those standards against generally accepted and benchmarked criteria.
  • Initiate solutions to boost program performance and document standard and specification value-improvement project activities and results.
  • Support the organizations NERC/WECC reliability standards compliance effort.
  • Provide technical expertise and authoritative advice, decision making, counsel, and guidance to BPA management on assigned aspects of the NERC and WECC Reliability Compliance Program.
  • Develop responses during audits or ad-hoc requests, interfacing with BPA's Compliance Office.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by a background investigation.
  • May be required to successfully complete a probationary period.
  • This position does not support remote work. You will be required to report physically to the official reporting worksite as specified by the supervisor, but no less than 2 days per pay period
  • After employment, this position may be subject to periodic physical examinations, as prescribed by competent medical authority and at BPA expense, if exposed to health hazards.
  • The salary is based on a Special Rate Table, Number 0754: https://apps.opm.gov/SpecialRates/

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENT:

A. 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-

B. 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. -OR-
  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.-OR-
  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.-OR-
  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.)

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-12) in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as experience applying engineering theories, principles, concepts, standards, codes, and methods to 1) perform analysis, make recommendations for, and implement improvements to engineering standards that govern planning, design, construction, maintenance, procurement, and application of engineered systems within new construction, additions, or renovations of facilities (Engineered systems include any systems associated with civil, mechanical, electrical, or electronic engineering, or architectural and their related control systems); 2) ensure compliance with NERC, WECC, or other electrical reliability standards.

There is no substitution of education for experience at the GS-13 grade level.

"Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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 vacancy has a positive education requirement. In order to be rated as qualified, you must provide copies of your college transcripts. Failure to provide copies of your college transcripts may result in a rating of "Ineligible".

Additional information

About the Position - Vancouver
This position is located in Vancouver, WA, a splendid place to live because of its picturesque downtown area full of trendy shops, delicious restaurants, and exclusive breweries. There are several breathtaking nature parks, miles of bike trails, and amazing panoramic mountain views! Vancouver is the perfect place for anyone who loves to be outdoors and really enjoys nature!

EEO Policy: http://www.usajobs.gov/eeo
Reasonable Accommodation Policy: http://www.usajobs.gov/raps
Veterans Information: http://www.usajobs.gov/vi
Telework: www.telework.gov
Selective Service Registration: http://www.sss.gov/

Hiring incentives may be authorized for a highly qualified candidate based on budget availability and in accordance with federal regulations.

BPA strives to ensure a safe, positive, inclusive work environment, supported by Leadership Behaviors. For more information on Leadership Behaviors visit: www.bpa.gov/goto/LeadershipBehaviors

We also understand the importance of work/life balance and offer a variety of programs and policies designed to create more flexible, responsive work environments supportive of commitments to community, home and family members. BPA also supports employees' overall wellness through its Be Well program, which helps employees adopt healthier lifestyles and feel better about their work/life balance. The program supports five key areas of life: career, community, financial, physical and social.

How you will be evaluated

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

The Department of Energy uses an application tracking system to evaluate the responses you provide in the applicant assessment questionnaire to place you into an initial quality category via OPM's Category Rating procedures. These categories are "Best Qualified", "Well Qualified", and "Qualified. Then, the HR Office and/or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will conduct a quality review of your application and supporting documentation to ensure you have been placed into the appropriate quality category.

Your application is rated based on the extent and quality of your experience, education (when applicable), and training as described in your resume and applicant assessment. Your credentials are measured against the established duties of the position at the grade level(s) being advertised.

If you are eligible for career transition assistance plans such as ICTAP or CTAP, you must meet the definition of "well qualified" which is defined as scoring in the Well Qualified category (or higher).

If you are a Veteran Preference eligible candidate, you will be listed at the top of whichever quality category your rating places you in. CP/CPS veterans are placed at the top of the highest category for all positions except professional and scientific positions at GS-9 and higher.

If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses you provided in your online questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly

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

Once the application process is complete, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications. If you are minimally qualified for this job, your responses to the self-assessment questions (True/False, Yes/ No, Multiple Choice questions) will be evaluated and you will be placed into one of three pre-defined quality categories under Category Rating procedures. These categories are "Best Qualified", "Well Qualified", and "Qualified. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

  • Compliance
  • General Engineering
  • Partnering
  • Quality Management
  • Standards


Application of Veterans' Preference: If you are a preference eligible candidate, you will be listed at the top of whichever quality category your rating places you in. CP/CPS veterans are placed at the top of the highest category for all positions except professional and scientific positions at GS-9 and higher.

Career Transition Assistance Programs: To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet the eligibility criteria; and 2) be rated "well-qualified", which is defined as scoring 85.0 or higher.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date (05/22/2023) of this announcement.

To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11955623

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