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Lead Civil Engineer (Highway) - DIRECT HIRE

Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The incumbent is responsible for administering the Federal-aid Highway Program within the State. This includes participation in activities related to planning, location, environment, design, construction, maintenance and financing of projects. The incumbent represents the Division and FHWA in contact with the State, other agencies, and the public, and is specifically responsible for Engineering and Project development and approvals as the Team Leader for the Engineering & Operations Team.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
08/27/2024 to 09/10/2024
Salary
$103,409 to - $134,435 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Lincoln, NE
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—This position is eligible for telework. This is not a full-time telework position or approved as a remote work position.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel will be required to attend conferences, meetings, and highway project sites.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—Relocation expenses are authorized for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time - Full Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
FHWA.FO-2024-0171
Control number
806534100

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. citizen. Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position. The 'Rule of Three', Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy.

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Duties

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As a Lead Civil Engineer (Highway), you will:

  • Serve as a member of the Division Office Leadership Team and oversees the program management functions of the E&O Team, including design, construction, contract administration, pavement and materials, safety, ITS, bridge and other project delivery related activities. Facilitate communication and coordination among Division Office Teams to enhance overall Federal-aid highway program and project delivery. This involves the performance of a variety of high-level duties in the areas of highway engineering, finance, planning, resource utilization, program development, project development, contract administration and other transportation related areas. As Team Leader, facilitate a team environment that is responsible for consensus building, partnering, and performing delegated functions.
  • Participate in meetings with the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) and FHWA engineering, planning, right-of-way, and administrative personnel to explain Federal-aid policies, regulations and precedents and their specific application to specific, complex cases, and follows-up to assure appropriate actions are taken and effective methods are adopted to prevent or minimize conflicts between State, local, and Federal regulations, policies and practices.
  • Maintain regular contact with (NDOT) representatives to provide day-to-day advice and policy guidance in delivering the Federal-aid highway program. Stay informed of emerging issues, to effectively participate, guide and direct the statewide program. Meet with State DOT personnel and other agency representatives to explain governing Federal-aid regulations and policies as appropriate.
  • Participate in and contribute to Division program management activities including risk assessment, development of strategic operation and business plans, identification and tracking of performance measures and the associated reporting processes.
  • Participate on special projects, committees or ad hoc groups (e.g., value engineering studies, corridor studies, special technical committees) as requested by the Division Leadership.

The ideal candidate for this position possesses a strong background in highway project development, including engineering, planning, design, construction, contract administration and highway finance. They should have a strong understanding of risk-based stewardship and oversight principles related to the Federal-aid highway program and demonstrate an understanding of the requirements specific to compliance with Federal-aid laws and regulations.  Demonstrated interpersonal communication and leadership skills are also desirable.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen & meet specialized experience to qualify
  • Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date
  • Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
  • Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

  • SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
  • BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION - You will be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding.
  • GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel.  A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
  • PCS/RELOCATION/RECRUITMENT:  Permanent Change of Station (PCS), Relocation, and Recruitment Incentive authorization varies by position/selection and a service agreement may be required.
  • PROBATIONARY PERIOD: Applicants may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).
  • TELEWORK ELIGIBILITY:  This position may be eligible for occasional and/or regularly scheduled telework.  The number of telework days approved will be determined by your immediate supervisor or manager following the agency’s telework policy and guidance. If participating in the telework program, you will be required to sign a telework agreement detailing agency telework policy requirements, working conditions, and expectations for the position.

Qualifications

To meet the basic qualifications for this position, you must (1) meet the Mandatory Education Requirement for the series, (2) provide a copy of your transcripts or other applicable documentation for verification, AND (3) meet the specialized experience requirements for the grade. Please review the following information before proceeding with the application process: 

(1) All applicants must meet the education requirements under A or B to qualify for applying to an engineering position:

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 the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET); or (2) that included differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced that first year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials; (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials; 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 or training: college level education, training and/or technical experience that has 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).
  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 which included the courses as specified in Paragraph A above.
  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 had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. There should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering type experience. This must be clearly described in your resume.

For additional information, please refer to the OPM qualifications standard for GS-800: All Professional Engineering Positions qualifications at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/files/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf.

(2) Upload the appropriate document(s) to your application for verification purposes.

(3) Specialized Experience:  To determine if you are eligible, review the following grade specific details.  You will be asked a few questions as part of your application and you will need to verify how you meet this experience in your resume.  

For the GS-13: You must have at least one year of experience, equal or equivalent to the GS-12 grade levelwhich included:

  • Experience interpreting and applying highway engineering laws, regulations and policies related to highway design, environment, and construction and/or maintenance activities; and
  • Experience performing or leading a team in analyzing and interpreting engineering data in accordance with established laws, regulations and policies for planning, environmental considerations, design, safety, construction, maintenance and/or operations for highway transportation projects; and
  • Experience developing and maintaining working partnerships with state, local, other Federal agencies, private entities, the public and other stakeholders to provide oversight and technical assistance for highway and/or bridge projects.

Although you must meet the mandatory education requirement, you cannot qualify for GS-12 and above grades based solely on education, you must meet the specialized experience, which is cited above for this grade.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will also be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

  1. Civil Engineering
  2. Compliance
  3. Oral Communication
  4. Written Communication
  5. Decision Making

For all types of consideration, 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.

Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

See the Qualifications section for Mandatory Education Requirements.

Additional information

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Transportation by email at, FairChanceAct@dot.gov. To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation 

The agency has the option of extending a term appointment up to the 4-year limit.

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Qualified CTAP/ICTAP candidates receive priority and will be referred to the hiring manager.

How you will be evaluated

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

For this announcement, all applicants will be reviewed to determine if they meet the basic qualifications for this position, specifically the educational requirements.  Applications that are verified to meet the basic qualifications will be referred to the selecting official.

Applicants will not be rated or ranked.  Veteran’s Preference does NOT apply.

DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC.  WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.  All answers provided in the on-line process must be substantiated by a resume.  If, upon review, it is determined that your resume and/or supporting documents do not support your answer choices, your application may be removed from consideration.

Please ensure that your work history provides enough details to support your answers. 


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