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Reliability Compliance Specialist

Department of Energy
Western Area Power Administration
Rocky Mountain Region, Maintenance, Technical Support (J5500)

Summary

This position is part of the WAPA-RMR-Rocky Mountain Region. 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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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
02/10/2026 to 02/23/2026
Salary
$89,508 to - $154,280 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12 - 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 - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
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
No
Announcement number
26-WJ-00028-12883162-DE
Control number
857083700

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.
  • Security clearance and associated requirements - Moderate Risk.
  • Total salary varies depending on location of position.
  • This position may be part of a bargaining unit.

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.

To Qualify at the GS12 level:
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-11] 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 addressing regulatory and noncompliance findings.

To Qualify at the GS13 level:
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.
  • More than one selection may be made from this announcement.
  • 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 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.
  • Promotion Potential: This position's full performance level is GS13.
  • 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: 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.

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):
  • Audit Reporting
  • Compliance
  • Technical Problem Solving


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 (02/23/2026) of this announcement.

To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12883162.

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