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Civil Engineer

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Reclamation
Phoenix Area Office

Summary

Reclamation is seeking a career professional looking for an opportunity to capitalize on their expertise as a Civil Engineer. Make a difference in the West by assisting in meeting increasing water demands while protecting the environment.

Duty Location: Lower Colorado Basin Region, Phoenix Area Office located in Glendale, AZ.

Full time telework/Remote work not available - you must report on a regular basis to the office in Glendale, AZ.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
03/30/2026 to 04/13/2026
Salary
$78,117 - $140,188 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11 - 12
Location
3 vacancies in the following location:
Glendale, AZ
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12 - GS-12 level requires P.E.
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
No
Announcement number
BOR-LCB-26-DHA-12921844-NW
Control number
863028400

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This position will be filled under the Office of Personnel Management's Direct-Hire Authority and is open to All United States Citizens and U.S. Nationals. Veterans' Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applications do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.

Duties

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-In cooperation with other Engineers, administers Phoenix Area Office (PXAO) - Examination of Existing Structures Program to ensure eight high-hazard dams and four high-hazard dikes are being maintained in good working order and do not pose undue risk to downstream communities. Schedule and perform Annual Site Inspection (ASI) on each facility. Participate on all Periodic Facility Reviews (PFR) and Comprehensive Reviews (CR) scheduled for that year. Write Inspection Report as necessary.

-Participates in the Review of Operation and Maintenance (ROM) of two major canal systems and several irrigation districts.

-Prepares budgets, schedules, and annual workplans and regularly tracks expenditures.

-Provides professional civil engineering service related to the operation and maintenance of dams and canal systems.

-Performs engineering analyses to include performing and coordinating technical planning activities; data collection (including validation and management); modeling and data analyses; analyses of site location and/or conditions; risk estimation and analyses; or analyses of instrumentation data.

-Completes and/or reviews engineering designs to include: 1) planning and conducting engineering studies or evaluations such as preliminary, appraisal, feasibility, final design, and value planning/value engineering; 2) creating, performing, reviewing, checking, and/or modeling engineering designs; 3) developing design criteria, procedures, and instructions; 4) providing technical approval as the engineer in responsible charge of design activities and engineering decisions; 5) contributing to the design and modifications of new and existing complex features to mitigate static, dynamic, and hydrologic/hydraulic loadings; or 6) design, installation, and maintenance of instrumentation systems to provide engineering data for analysis and/or operational decision support.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National.
You must be suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation.
You must submit a resume and supporting documentation (see Required Documents).
You must meet any minimum education and/or experience requirements (see Qualifications).
You must submit transcript(s) to verify education requirements (see Qualifications/Education).
You must maintain a valid State Driver's License at all times as the position requires operation of government vehicles on government and public roads. Failure to maintain a valid State Driver's License at all times will result in removal from the position.

Continue to the Additional Information section for the Condition of Employment For Probationary Period.

Qualifications

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: To be eligible for the position, you must meet the Basic Education Requirement for a Civil Engineer GS-0810 series as noted below:
QUALIFICATIONS FOR GS-0810, CIVIL ENGINEER:
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)1, 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 grandfather 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.)

Additional Requirement: To qualify for the position (in addition to meeting the Basic Education Requirement above), the HR Office must be able to determine that you meet the education and specialized experience requirement - this information must be clearly supported in the resume.

GS-11: To qualify at the GS-11 grade level, you must have 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree OR Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR one year of professional engineering experience (post degree) performing (1) planning, scheduling, coordinating and conducting engineering facility examinations, reviews, and/or inspections which include conducting condition assessments and transfer inspections; and (2) experience supporting the implementation and administration of a variety of assigned contracts, including construction contracts, service contracts, and interagency agreements. OR a combination of graduate level education and specialized experience.

GS-12: In order to qualify for the GS-12 grade level, your resume must reflect one year of full time professional engineering experience (post degree) performing 1) developing project scope of work and cost estimates, overseeing field construction activities, review of technical documents, drawings and specifications, and coordination with project stakeholders and contractors. OR 2) experience reviewing technical documentation, performing engineering investigations and analysis, inspecting industrial systems or facilities, writing technical reports, and coordinating repairs to industrial systems or facilities.

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.

Selective Placement Factor: GS-12 level requires a current, valid Professional Engineer License. Failure to provide proof of such license will cause you to be rated ineligible for this position.

You must meet all Eligibility and Qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors if applicable, by 04/13/2026.

Education

This position has a mandatory education requirement. You must submit a copy of college transcript(s) (unofficial copy is acceptable) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include the name of the college or university and date the degree was conferred. Non-submission will result in being rated not-qualified for the position.

You will be required to provide official college transcripts to verify educational qualifications, if selected. An official transcript must be sent directly from the University's Registrar's office and must be provided from the institution awarding the degree. Academic transcripts certified by notary publics are NOT official. Official transcripts must be submitted prior to reporting to work as a condition of employment. Failure to submit official transcripts may be grounds for dismissal or rescission of the job offer.

Accreditation: Only education from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education is acceptable to meet education requirements or to substitute for experience, if applicable. For additional info, refer to the Office of Personnel Management and U.S. Department of Education.

Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. For additional info, refer to the U.S. Network for Education Information.

Additional information

Condition of Employment For Probationary Period: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated. This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider:

  • your performance and conduct;
  • the needs and interests of the agency;
  • whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
  • whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) expenses or first-post-of-duty relocation expenses are authorized, as applicable, with the exception of the Guaranteed Home Sale Provision. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), signed into law December 2017, suspends the moving expense deduction and the exclusion from income of qualified employer reimbursements of moving expenses that was allowed under previous tax laws. Employer reimbursements for moving costs are now generally taxed at the same rate as ordinary income.

DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including applicant rights and responsibilities, please visit https://www.e-verify.gov/

This position is designated as a MODERATE RISK Public Trust position. It requires a fully completed and favorably adjudicated Public Trust Suitability Background Investigation (T2S or T2RS or equivalent) that is current (within the last 5 years). This is a condition of employment.

Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must certify registration with the Selective Service System or that the applicant is exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Go to: https://www.sss.gov

This is not a bargaining unit position.

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

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.

You will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents) and the responses you provide to the application questionnaire. The application questionnaire can be previewed here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12921844

You will be assessed on the following Competencies:

Your answers will be verified against information provided in your resume. Your resume must clearly support the responses to all the questions by addressing experience, education, and/or training relevant to this position. You must make a fair and accurate assessment of your qualifications. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than what is apparent in the description of your experience, competencies, skills, and/or education/training (or that your resume/application is incomplete), you could be rated ineligible or your score could be lowered.

Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies with the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s). Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration. You may choose to have your information shared with other agencies when applying for this position. If an agency requests a copy of a certificate you are on, you will be notified.

Bureau of Reclamation

The Bureau of Reclamation is a contemporary water management agency best known for constructing dams, powerplants, and canals in the 17 western United States, having constructed more than 600 dams and reservoirs. We are the largest wholesaler of water and the second-largest producer of hydroelectric power in the United States.

Our mission is to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public. We place great emphasis on fulfilling our water delivery obligations, water conservation, water recycling and reuse, and developing partnerships with our customers, states, and Native American Tribes. We also find ways to bring together various interests to address the competing needs for limited water resources.

Our core values are professional excellence, safety, and respect. We are results-oriented. We share a personal commitment to protecting the safety of each other, contractors, customers, as well as the people and communities served by our projects. We embrace a culture of respectfor people through our ethical behavior and with clear, effective communication.

Agency contact information

Nicole Wilson
Phone
000-000-0000
Email
nicole_wilson@ios.doi.gov
Address
Lower Colorado Basin
Bureau of Reclamation
6150 West Thunderbird Rd
Glendale, AZ 85306-4001
US

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Learn more about what it's like to work at Bureau of Reclamation, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

https://www.usbr.gov

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