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Electrical Engineer

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Reclamation
Columbia-Pacific Northwest Region
This job announcement has closed

Summary

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

Duty Location: Boise, Idaho, Emmett, Idaho, Heyburn, Idaho, and Rupert, Idaho

This position is concurrently open to Merit Promotion eligibles under Announcement Number BOR-CPN-24-12480623-MP-OPM.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
08/23/2024 to 09/16/2024
Salary
$49,025 to - $124,061 per year

Please see "Requirements" for more information on salary range.

Pay scale & grade
GS 7 - 12
Locations
5 vacancies in the following locations:
Boise, ID
Emmett, ID
Heyburn, ID
Rupert, ID
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
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
Yes
Announcement number
BOR-CPN-24-12480623-DE-OPM
Control number
805564500

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Duties

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  • Perform electrical engineering design work relating to the modernization of the powerplants, dams, auxiliary equipment, and facilities.
  • Develop layouts, performs calculations, prepares drawings, and final designs of electrical equipment installations.
  • Review and update electrical drawings to include all minor revisions, replacements, and additions of equipment to reflect actual field conditions.
  • Provide project management for assigned special projects that relate to electrical engineering.
  • Ensure work is performed within applicable Reclamation, safety, and industry standards and in accordance with contract plans and specifications.
  • Perform/oversee tests and inspections of electrical facilities and equipment.
  • Work with staff to assess the condition of power facilities within the field division.
  • Provide training for equipment, testing procedures, etc.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Salary: $49,025 to $63,733: Rupert, ID based on Rest of US Pay Scale. Boise, Emmett, Heyburn ID; Ephrata, based on Special Salary Rate 0755
You must be a U.S. Citizen 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 meet any minimum education and/or experience requirements (see Qualifications).
You must submit transcript(s) to verify education requirements (see Qualifications/Education).

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet BOTH the Basic and Additional qualification requirements for at least one grade level described below. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience. If qualifying based on education, a copy of your unofficial transcripts must be provided with your application.

BASIC QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT for the 0850 series:
A. Successfully completed a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in Engineering in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). NOTE: You must submit copies of your transcripts.
-OR-
B. Successfully completed a full 4-year course of study leading to a Bachelor's or higher degree in Engineering that included differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five (5) of the following seven (7) 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. NOTE: You must submit copies of your transcripts.
-OR-
C. Completed 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences, and that included the courses specified in B above. These courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program. NOTE: You must submit copies of your transcripts.
-OR-
D. Successfully completed a curriculum leading to a Bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field such as engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology AND have at least one year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. This must include 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. NOTE: You must submit copies of your transcripts.
-OR-
E. 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. Note: You must submit documentation of having passed the examination.
-OR-
F. Currently registered as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), or licensed as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. This registration must have been obtained by written test OR be in general engineering or a directly related engineering field and was gained by State grandfather or eminence provisions NOTE: You must submit copies of your current registration.

-AND-

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level in which you are applying:

Minimum Qualifications GS-07:
A. Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-05 level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing the following: assisting higher-graded engineers in electrical engineering and assisting with reviewing engineering designs or data.
-OR-
B. Have successfully completed one full year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of this position. (You must submit transcripts)
-OR-
C. I have Superior Academic Achievement over the course of obtaining a Bachelor's degree in engineering. Superior Academic Achievement is based on: (1) Class Standing - Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR (2) Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) - Applicants must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.; OR (3) Honor Society Membership - Applicants may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achsnatl.org/). (You must submit transcripts as proof of any claimed education and your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience.)
-OR-
D. Have a combination of the experience described in Response Option A and the education described in Response Option B that when combined totals 100% of the requirements for this position. (You must submit transcripts)

Minimum Qualifications GS-09:
A. Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing 2 of the 3 following: 1) assisting with developing preliminary and final designs and specifications, cost estimates, for new or in repair or rehabilitation electrical equipment and systems water storage, water conveyance structures and/or distribution facilities (e.g., dams, pumping plants, power generation systems, connected electrical facilities, switchyards, substations); 2) preparing electrical design, design review, cost engineering principles, solving design/construction problems, and other engineering issues; 3) performing technical review of electrical design analysis, plans and specifications for contract documents, studies, reports, etc. to ensure accuracy, technical feasibility, and compliance with agency and other federal, state and local agencies.
-OR-
B. Have successfully completed 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree OR master's degree or higher in engineering or a closely related field that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to successfully complete the work of the position (You must submit transcripts)
-OR-
C. Have a combination of specialized experience as described in A and graduate level education as described in B that, when combined, equal 100% of the total requirement. (Please note that only graduate education in excess of the first 18 semester hours may be used in this calculation.) (You must submit transcripts as proof of any claimed education and your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience.)
-OR-
D. Have successfully completed a bachelor's degree in engineering with Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) and have one year of professional engineering experience. Professional engineering experience is defined as non-routine engineering work that required professional knowledge of engineering; professional ability to apply such knowledge to engineering problems; and positive and continuing development of professional knowledge and ability. (You must submit transcripts)

Education

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS CONTINUED:
-OR-

E. Have completed a 5-year program of study of at least 160 semester hours leading to a bachelor's degree in engineering and have one year of professional engineering experience. Professional engineering experience is defined as non-routine engineering work that required professional knowledge of engineering; professional ability to apply such knowledge to engineering problems; and positive and continuing development of professional knowledge and ability. (You must transcripts as proof of any claimed education and your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience.)
Minimum Qualifications GS-11:
A. Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing 2 of the 3 following: 1) developing preliminary and final designs and specifications, cost estimates, for new or in repair or rehabilitation electrical equipment and systems water storage, water conveyance structures and/or distribution facilities (e.g., dams, pumping plants, power generation systems, connected electrical facilities, switchyards, substations);2) preparing and advising on comprehensive electrical design, design review, cost engineering principles, solving design/construction problems, and other engineering issues; 3) performing technical review of electrical design analysis, plans and specifications for contract documents, studies, reports, etc. to ensure accuracy, technical feasibility, and compliance with agency and other federal, state and local agencies.
-OR-
B. Successfully completed 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. This education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Applicants must submit a copy of transcripts.
-OR-
C. Have an equivalent combination of the specialized experience and graduate level education described above when combined, equal 100% of the total requirement. (Please note that only graduate education in excess of the first 36 semester hours may be used in this calculation.) (You must submit transcripts as proof of any claimed education and your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience.)

Minimum Qualifications GS-12:
Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience , equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing 2 of the 3 following: 1) managing projects for data collection, design, estimating, and preparation of specifications; 2) planning and leading complete design projects for electrical equipment and systems at pumping plants, switchyards, industrial plants, dams, involving various auxiliary equipment and systems; 3) developing creative solutions to complex hydroelectric power plant, dam operating equipment and water conveyance problems.

You must meet all Eligibility and Qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors if applicable, by 09/16/2024.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

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 and you may be allowed to telework with supervisory approval.

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.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) expenses are authorized with the exception of the Guaranteed Home Sale Provision or first-post-of-duty relocation expenses are authorized, as applicable. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), signed into law December 2017, suspends the moving expense deduction and the exclusion from income of qualified employer reimbursements of moving expenses that was allowed under previous tax laws. Employer reimbursements for moving costs are now generally taxed at the same rate as ordinary income.

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.

If otherwise eligible and qualified, you may request consideration for a Superior Qualifications Appointment. For information, visit: OPM Fact Sheet.

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

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

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.

Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor.

Physical Demands: The work is typically performed in an office setting with no special physical demands. However, work may also be performed in the field which involves periods of moving about worksites, bending, climbing, or driving motor vehicles to worksites.

Working Conditions: The work is usually performed in an office setting. However, work time may also be spent periodically visiting field sites.

Male applicants born after December 31,1959 must certify registration with the Selective Service System or that the applicant is exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Go to: https://www.sss.gov

This is a bargaining unit position eligible to be represented by a union.

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.

A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Occupational Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions may affect your rating.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position.

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of additional assessments, including a subject matter expert resume review. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed below that are required to successfully perform the job.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories:

  • Highly Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position
  • Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job
  • Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.

You will be evaluated on the following competencies:
  • Database Administration
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Oral Communication
  • Project Management
  • Technical Competence


The application questionnaire can be previewed here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12480623

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