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Structural Engineer

General Services Administration
Public Buildings Service

Summary

As a Structural Engineer, you will provide direction in structural, seismic, and blast engineering for design and construction of new facilities and major renovations.

The Public Buildings Service (PBS) Office of Engineering oversees architecture, engineering, urban development, historic preservation, courthouse and border station programs, construction services, and project management.

We are currently filling two vacancy, but additional vacancies may be filled as needed.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
04/03/2026 to 04/17/2026
Salary
$127,829 - $197,200 per year

If you are a new federal employee, your starting salary will likely be set at the Step 1 of the grade for which you are selected.

Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Locations
2 vacancies in the following locations:
San Francisco, CA
Lakewood, CO
Washington, DC
Atlanta, GA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—This position is full-time in the office. In rare instances, situational telework may be approved on a case-by-case basis.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
PA-2026-0002
Control number
863451100

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This public notice is issued under Direct Hire Authority (DHA) to recruit talent to occupations for which there is a severe shortage of candidates or a critical hiring need. This means that we can hire any qualified candidate from this notice or any other source. About this DHA notice: -Current civil service employees will receive new appointments if selected under this DHA. -For information on DHA, please visit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/direct-hire-authority/

Duties

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  • Serve as a national leader representing state-of-the-art structural engineering practices, requiring exceptional communication and organizational skills. Conduct briefings, discussions, and negotiations with high-level agency representatives, GSA management, contract architects, construction firms, and external stakeholders to resolve controversies, promote innovative approaches, and develop consensus. Negotiations frequently involve major structures having unique problems or requiring unusual treatment.
  • Serve as a recognized technical authority and code official in structural, seismic, and blast engineering, as assigned, to all GSA architects, engineers, and project managers as well as partner agencies, contract architects and engineers, construction managers, and construction contract teams. Provide guidance regarding design and construction of new Federal properties plus the repair, alteration, and maintenance of existing Federal properties. Review and comment on reports and other specialized studies performed related to all aspects of structural engineering.
  • Consult and provide expert direction to other specialists on GSA structural design and construction policy regarding new, existing, and leased buildings. Provide leadership and expert advice to GSA Business lines, project teams, personnel, partner agencies, and contract architect-engineers regarding highly specialized structural, seismic, and blast engineering programs. Develop and guide the implementation of new approaches for buildings of major size and complexity based upon legislation and executive directives.
  • Define building standards aimed at mitigating risks from terrorist attacks and natural disasters, serving as a member of the Interagency Security Committee (ISC). These standards frequently surpass those found in model building codes. Their development involves actual blast testing, advanced computer modeling, and collaboration across various agencies.
  • Sustain expertise in the latest developments in the professional engineering field by reviewing technical literature and attending conferences or professional society meetings. Apply new developments in the field of expertise by adapting existing knowledge or applications to fit unique design or construction issues or situations.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • US Citizenship or National (Residents of American Samoa and Swains Island)
  • Meet all eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date.
  • Register with Selective Service if you are a male born after 12/31/1959

If selected, you must meet the following conditions:

  • Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non­Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.
  • Undergo and pass a background investigation (Tier 5 investigation level).  You must be granted this clearance before you can start the job.
  • Have your identity and work status eligibility verified if you are not a GSA employee.  We will use the Department of Homeland Security’s e-Verify system for this. Any discrepancies must be resolved as a condition of continued employment.
  • Serve a one year probationary period, if required
  • The incumbent of this position may be subject to drug testing.
  • Frequently visit construction sites which will involve moderate risks, discomfort, and unpleasantness such as high level of noise and vibrations, dust and great machinery, irritant chemicals, weather extremes, etc. Specific safety precautions are required in such instances, as well as the wearing of protective head, hand and footgear.

Qualifications

For each job on your resume, provide:

  • the exact dates you held  each job (from month/year to month/year)
  • number of hours per week you worked (if part time).    

If you have volunteered your service through a National Service program (e.g., Peace Corps, Americorps), we encourage you to apply and include this experience on your resume.

The GS-14 salary range starts at $127,829 per year. Salary depends on the duty location and associated locality pay.

If you are a new federal employee, your starting salary will likely be set at the Step 1 of the grade for which you are selected.  

To qualify, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level or higher in the Federal service.

This position has a positive education requirement: Applicants must submit a copy of their college or university transcript(s) and certificates by the closing date of announcements to verify qualifications. If selected, an official transcript will be required prior to appointment.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR ENGINEERS: A Degree in professional engineering OR a combination of college-level education, training, and/or technical experience. For specifics on qualifying education and/or experience - use the following link: Basic Requirements for Engineer Positions.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to the Basic Requirements listed above, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 in the Federal service.

Specialized experience is defined as experience applying advanced structural engineering principles to the evaluation, design, and retrofit of large or complex or mission critical facilities, including, but not limited to providing technical leadership on issues related to: structural performance, seismic safety, blast resistance, progressive collapse mitigation, and/or physical security. Such experience includes interpreting and implementing engineering standards and facility security criteria, conducting structural, and seismic risk assessments, reviewing structural designs for new construction or major modernization projects, and advising project teams and/or government officials on mitigation strategies for structural, seismic and/or security-related risks.

Education

Note: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit:  https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/ 

Additional information

Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.

Applicants are encouraged to make their resume searchable in their USAJOBS.gov profile. This will allow Federal hiring specialists and hiring managers across agencies to find their resume as part of agency recruitment campaigns or staffing searches.

If you apply to this position and are selected, we will not ask about your criminal history before you receive a conditional job offer. If you believe you were asked about your criminal history improperly, contact the agency or visit GSA's webpage.

Relocation-related expenses are not approved and will be your responsibility.  

On a case-by-case basis, the following incentives may be approved:

·       Recruitment incentive if you are new to the federal government

·       Relocation incentive if you are a current federal employee

·       Credit toward vacation leave if you are new to the federal government

2 vacancies will be filled in any of the following locations:

Washington, DC
Kansas City, MO
Fort Worth, TX
Lakewood, CO
Tacoma, WA
Raleigh, NC
Atlanta, GA
New York, NY
Boston, MA
San Francisco, CA
Philadelphia, PA
Chicago, IL

Additional vacancies may be filled through this announcement in this or other GSA organizations within the same commuting area as needed; through other means; or not at all.

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.

Applications will be evaluated against the basic qualifications. Qualified candidates will be considered in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management Direct Hire Guidelines. Applications will not be rated or ranked. Veterans’ Preference does not apply to the direct hire recruitment procedures.

You may not be considered for the position, if any part of the application is incomplete or missing the required supporting documentation. Falsifying your background, education and/or experience is cause for not hiring you or dismissing you if hired.

Demonstration of these KSA’s must be supported by your resume. Applicants should also make note of each KSA, as you will be asked to address them later in the application process.

  1. Knowledge of advanced professional principles, concepts, and practices of civil and structural engineering required to serve as a technical expert on key design and construction initiatives and policies, and/or project manager for major building projects.
  2. Ability to design and review designs of large and complex structures and building systems sufficient to serve as a subject matter expert on industry policy, guidelines, regulations, codes and building standards, design criteria, complex systems, equipment and sustainability.
  3. Knowledge of related engineering fields (outside the incumbent's specialty area) to ensure that areas of overlapping technical responsibilities receive proper consideration.
  4. Knowledge of traditional and state-of-the-art techniques of structural analysis, design and evaluation of seismic forces, including dynamic analysis testing.
  5. Knowledge sufficient to evaluate and incorporate the latest developments in the field of structural engineering into technical requirements.

ICTAP/CTAP Candidates: The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found “well-qualified" for this vacancy. In addition to meeting the basic qualifications stated in the qualification section of this announcement, well qualified is defined as: experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position, demonstrated by meeting at least 3 out of 5 KSA’s listed above.


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Public Buildings Service

Agency contact information

Sarah Holder
Phone
720-422-1192
Fax
000-000-0000
Email
sarah.holder@gsa.gov
Address
GSA, Public Buildings Service
Servicing HR Office:
GSA, Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM)
1800 F Street, NW
Washington, District of Columbia 20405
United States

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

https://www.gsa.gov/about-us

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