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Reliability Compliance Specialist

Department of Energy
Western Area Power Administration
Rocky Mountain Region, Maintenance, Technical Support (J5500)
This job announcement has closed

Summary

As a Reliability Compliance Specialist, you will be responsible for implementation and management of the Rocky Mountain Region (RMR) North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) reliability compliance program.

***This is not a remote position. You must report to one of the following duty locations:

  • Lakewood, CO
  • Loveland, CO
  • Montrose, CO

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
11/06/2025 to 11/21/2025
Salary
$105,383 to - $152,753 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Locations
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Lakewood, CO
Loveland, CO
Montrose, CO
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—Situational Telework as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional Travel, up to 10% annually may be required, with occasional overnight travel possible.
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
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
26-WJ-00028-12829808-DE
Control number
849552900

Duties

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As a Reliability Compliance Specialist, some of your duties will include:

  • As a technical expert develops, directs, and oversees the Region's NERC/WECC operations and maintenance related compliance programs. Notifies management on possible or anticipated noncompliance issues.
  • Works with RMR Compliance Manager to interpret WECC/NERC standards relating to operations activities.
  • Anticipates potential compliance problems involving completions and communicates to Division Managers and Operations Specialists so that corrective actions can be initiated.
  • Represents RMR in WECC/NERC audits.
  • Leads and/or participates in WAPA-wide process and evidence collection improvement projects to meet new and existing NERC/WECC compliance requirements and standards.

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/trial period. Employees serving on a probationary or trial period may be terminated at any time during the probationary or trial period for performance, conduct, or business-related reasons in the interest of Federal service.
  • In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to the four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answers to these questions are not scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration.
  • Limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages. If more than two pages are submitted, only the first two pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility and qualifications.
  • You may be required to complete a financial disclosure (OGE-450).
  • This position may be in the bargaining unit
  • Total salary varies depending on location of position.

Qualifications

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.

BASIC REQUIREMENT:
There are no Individual Occupational Requirements for this series.

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.

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 having ALL of the following:

  • Applying North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) compliance requirements and establishing programs to facilitate compliance with standards to address regulatory and noncompliance findings;
  • Utilizing technology and implementing technology driven processes and procedures to meet new and existing NERC/WECC compliance requirements and generating compliance evidence; AND
  • Interpreting regulations and policies governing electric power system Operations and Maintenance and advising management as appropriate.

"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.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The work is primarily sedentary however, some assignments may involve training and observing work operations in an industrial environment.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work is normally performed in an office setting however, some assignments may require visits to field locations, other WAPA offices and site visits to other utilities. Personal protective gear and observance of safety precautions may be required.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

For this position, education cannot be substituted for experience.

Additional information

  • 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.
  • Applicants may request Reasonable Accommodation (RA) when applying or competing for a job due to a medical condition or to exercise religious beliefs. If you need reasonable accommodation in the application or selection process, please contact the Agency Contact listed on this vacancy announcement.
  • Promotion Potential: This position is at the full performance level.
  • Upon reporting, and annually thereafter, the selectee may be required to file one or more financial statements and/or a procurement integrity certification. These certifications may be subject to public disclosure.
  • 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.
  • Salary negotiation may be available for those candidates who are new to Federal service.
  • Salary: The salary range indicated in this announcement will be adjusted to include locality payment for selected duty location. General Schedule locality pay tables may be found under Salaries & Wages.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the application process is complete, the first two pages of your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications.

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.


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

  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork


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".

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date (11/21/2025) of this announcement.

USAHire: 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 an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here.

To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click

https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12829808

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