Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results
 

Supervisory Electrical Engineer

Department of Energy
Western Area Power Administration
Upper Greater Plains (UGP), Power Systems Operations, Transmission System Planning (B4400)

Summary

This position is part of the WAPA-UGP-Upper Great Plains. As a Supervisory Electrical Engineer, you will be responsible for regional transmission planning in the planning horizon, system reliability studies and analysis, as well as operating studies in the operating horizon and real-time.

**THIS IS NOT A REMOTE POSITION. YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO REPORT TO THE BILLINGS, MONTANA DUTY LOCATION.**

Overview

Help
Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
01/30/2026 to 02/06/2026
Salary
$132,520 to - $164,758 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Locations
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Folsom, CA
Billings, MT
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Travel is required approximately 15% of the time with the majority being overnight travel.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
26-WB-00141-1-12876645-IMP
Control number
856087500

This job is open to

Help

Clarification from the agency

This position is only open to current Western Area Power Administration employees on a career or career-conditional competitive service appointment.

Duties

Help

As a Supervisory Electrical Engineer, some of your duties will include but are not limited to:

  • Supervises the development of local and regional transmission planning and operating studies and real-time analysis such as power flow studies, transient stability studies, and fault study models.
  • Considers and apply guidelines such as Department of Energy (DOE) and WAPA regulations, directives and policies; standard operating procedures; electric transmission grid management procedures; engineering and business practices of power marketing agencies and electric generation, transmission and distribution companies.
  • Analyzes complex contractual and operating agreements for interconnected operation and their relationship to policies and goals of numerous organizations and agencies to formulate relevant information into cogent solutions.
  • Represents the UGPR on interagency and interregional committees/workgroups dealing with hydropower operations, water management and river basin development that may impact the UGPR ability to meet its transmission and reliability obligations.
  • Serves as first line supervisor to a staff of Electrical Engineers engaged in transmission planning, operations planning, and real-time reliability studies and analyses.

Requirements

Help

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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Financial Disclosure Form (OGE-450) must be completed upon entry and annually thereafter.
  • This position requires the ability to operate a government vehicle. The incumbent must be 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.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

Applicants must meet the Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR) for the 0800 Series as described below:

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

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. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State gradfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.
2. Written Test - Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 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 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.
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: 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-14:

In addition to meeting the Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR) for the 0800 Series, applicants must have one year (52) weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level or pay band in the Federal service. This experience includes ALL of the following:

  • Conducting technical transmission and operational studies to ensure reliable operation of the interconnected system.
  • Coordinating with other agencies and regional reliability transmission organizations to analyze and assess various operating scenarios and identify the reliability impacts of the interconnected power systems operation.
  • Performing transmission planning, operations planning, and real-time engineering functions in the operations horizon (real-time through next day), the operations horizon (up to 12 months into the future), near-term transmission planning horizon (future years one through five), and the long-term transmission planning horizon (future years six and beyond).

"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.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: There are no special physical requirements. Walking or bending in the inspection of installed equipment or during construction stage visits may occur. Some physical exertion such as long periods of standing, or recurring and considerable walking, stooping, bending, crouching, and climbing such as in performing regular and periodic construction activities, field inspections, or to observe and study work operations in an industrial, storage, or comparable work area.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: Work is primarily in an office setting. Occasional exposure to under construction or alteration buildings and facilities may occur. Work involves regular and recurring exposure to moderate risks, discomforts, and unpleasantries such as high noise levels, infections materials, or toxic or irritating chemicals; dust, auto and/or aircraft exhaust; high winds and low or high temperatures; adverse weather conditions; carcinogenic materials; noxious fumes; flammable liquids, etc. requiring special safety precautions such as protective clothing and gear.

Education

This position has a positive education requirement.

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions 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. DO NOT email or mail in any of your application documents. Documents will not be accepted outside of the online application system.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating. You may submit a copy of your informal transcripts denoting coursework and degree earned; however, if selected, a final job offer will not be extended until you submit your formal transcripts.

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.
  • If selected, you may be required to complete a one-year supervisory probationary period.
  • 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 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.

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.

Structured Resume Review: Subject matter experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required competencies. SMEs will review ONLY the first two (2) pages of your resume. SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume).

The Department of Energy uses an application tracking system to evaluate the scores provided from the SME resume review to place you into an initial quality category via OPM's Category Rating procedures. These categories are "Best Qualified", "Well Qualified", and "Qualified."

Minimum Qualifications: Once the application process is complete, the Human Resources Offices or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will review the first two pages of your resume and supporting documentation to determine whether you meet the minimum job qualifications.

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.

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

  • Managing Human Resources
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Project Management

All qualified Non-competitive applicants and the best qualified Merit Promotion 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".

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date (02/06/2026) of this announcement.


To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12876645.

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.