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Electrical Engineer (Protection)

Department of Energy
Western Area Power Administration
Desert Southwest Region, Maintenance, Protection and Communication Maintenance (G5300)
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is part of the WAPA-DSW-Desert Southwest. As an Electrical Engineer (Protection), you will have the responsibility for electrical engineering associated with power system protection, equipment and facilities, providing highly specialized engineering and technical leadership within the Maintenance Office for projects and activities.

**This is not a remote position. The selectee will be required to be physically present at the Phoenix, Yuma, or Boulder City duty location.**

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
10/16/2024 to 11/01/2024
Salary
$114,137 to - $153,442 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12 - 13
Locations
4 vacancies in the following locations:
Phoenix, AZ
Yuma, AZ
Boulder City, NV
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—Situational Telework as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
50% or less - Travel of up to 50% is required, with the majority of that being overnight travel (up to 10 days per month).
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
Yes
Announcement number
24-WG-00423-12569829-MP
Control number
814467900

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Current Federal employees with competitive status or other eligibility; Former Federal employees with reinstatement eligibility; CTAP/ICTAP eligibles; Veterans with VOW, VEOA, or 30% disability; Military Spouses; Individuals with Disabilities Schedule A; Peace Corps, Vista (AmeriCorps) eligibles; Those eligible under an OPM interchange agreement or other special appointing authority.

Duties

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As an Electrical Engineer (Protection), you will perform the following duties at the full performance level.

  • Develop relay settings for the system protection systems in the Region and reviews relay actions to determine if the protection systems work properly.
  • Develop test and trouble-shooting procedures for protection equipment for use by craftsmen. For complex tests or troubleshooting provides technical support to craftsmen at site.
  • Design (or review designs of others), implement and commission major portions of, or a completely new protection and control system for a substation.
  • Design additions, modifications and replacements to protection and control systems and for revenue metering.
  • Provide technical support to craft employees and others during the installation and commission of the power system and updates the as-built drawings. Keeps drawings at office and substation current.

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.
  • The duties of this position may require the incumbent to be placed in a 24/7 on-call status during emergency situations.
  • Travel of up to 50% annually may be required.
  • This position may require regular and recurring overtime. Overtime may be required on short notice to include nights, holidays, and weekends in support of related mission requirements.
  • This position requires the incumbent to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)and must wear Arc Rated protective clothing when in proximity to exposed energized circuits.
  • This position requires to wear a pair of fully-encased safety-toed footwear meeting the standard ASTM F 2413-05 when performing field work.
  • The incumbent of this position is subject to inclement weather conditions such as high temperatures, rain, sleet, snow, and extreme cold.
  • This position requires the ability to operate a Government vehicle. The incumbent must be at least 18 years of age, able to obtain and maintain Defensive Drivers certification and have a valid state driver's license. Defensive Driver's Training will be completed upon employment.

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy.

This series has an Individual Occupational Requirement which must be met. To qualify for the 0800 Series you must meet one of the requirements listed below.

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.)

For more information please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/files/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf

In addition to meeting the Individual Occupational Requirements for the 0800 Series above, applicants must meet the specialized experience below.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. The experience need not have been in the federal government.

To qualify for the GS-12: Applicants must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the GS-11 pay grade or equivalent pay band in the Federal service. This experience includes meeting two of the following:

  • Processing of relay settings or drawings for development in transmission systems.
  • Ability to identify corrective action for relay operations.
  • Assist in the operation or maintenance work practices associated with major electrical apparatus, protective relays, and/or outdoor substation equipment, metering equipment, and communication systems.
  • Serving as a project leader and technical expert on system protection and metering issues, including additions, replacements, and modifications to equipment and facilities.

To qualify for the GS-13: Applicants must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the GS-12 pay grade or equivalent pay band in the Federal service. This experience includes meeting two of the following:

  • Calculating protective relay settings for high voltage transmission systems (up to 500 kV) and/or coordinating with utilities or performing event analysis.
  • Analyze and recommend corrective action for relay operations.
  • Serving as a project leader and technical expert on system protection and metering issues, including additions, replacements, and modifications to equipment and facilities.
  • Compliance responsibility for the use of NERC, WECC/MRO reliability standards or CIP standards.

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.

Time-in-Grade: Current career or career-conditional GS employees of the Federal government, or former career or career-conditional GS employees, who have a break in service of less than one year, are required to meet the time-in-grade restriction of one year of Federal experience at the next lower grade, with few exceptions outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b). Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to current career or career-conditional federal employees applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

Education

This vacancy specifically states that certain educational requirements must be met (also known as a "positive educational requirement"), you must provide documentation supporting any education claims in your application. Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website.

Transcripts required.

Additional information

The U.S. Department of Energy fosters a diverse and inclusive workplace and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

  • This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across DOE.
  • For general information on government-wide Telework polices visit: www.telework.gov
  • If selection is made at a lower grade, promotion up to the full performance level may be made without further competition. However, promotion(s) will depend on the performance of the incumbent and are not guaranteed.
  • The selectee for this position may be eligible to receive a recruitment or relocation incentive. You will need to sign an employment agreement to be eligible for this incentive.
  • Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs are not authorized.
  • This position may be eligible for creditable service towards annual leave. Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. DOE may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the announcement closes, we will conduct a review of your application package to verify your eligibility and qualifications. If you are found qualified, your application will move forward to additional phases of the review process.

Merit Promotion & VEOA Procedures: 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 to determine if you are a best qualified candidate. 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. Due weight will also be given to federal employees, when applicable, for performance appraisals and awards in accordance with 5 CFR ยง 335.103(b)(3). Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements and current employees must have at least a fully successful or equivalent performance rating to receive consideration.

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

  • Compliance
  • Design
  • Electric Utility Fundamentals
  • Electrical
  • Electrical Engineering

Non-competitive Procedures: If you are applying under a non-competitive or special hiring authority, you will still be required to answer the assessment questions. However, you will not be evaluated against the rating and ranking criteria.
Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine if you are minimally qualified for this job. Veterans' Preference will be applied when required by the hiring authority (e.g., VRA, Schedule A).

All qualified Non-competitive applicants and the best qualified Merit Promotion and VEOA applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.

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 having a score of 85 or better.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date ( 11/01/2024) of this announcement.

To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12569829.

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