Skip to main content
U.S. flag
 

CIVIL ENGINEER -DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY

Department of Energy
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Summary

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is ranked within the top 5 mid-size agencies as a "Best Place to Work" in the Federal government! This Civil Engineer position is available in the Division of Dam Safety Inspections, Portland and San Francisco Regions, in the Office of Energy Projects. For more information visit: Office of Energy Projects(OEP).

Overview

Help
Accepting applications
Posted yesterday · Apply by 07/20/26
Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 20, 2026
Location
2 vacancies in the following locations:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$106,437 - $172,980 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Promotion potential
13
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
50% or less - You may be expected to travel up to 50% for this position with overnight consecutive stays to attend inspections, meetings, conferences and training.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
Yes
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
FERC-OEP-DHA-26-13002153
Control number
876306700

Duties

Help

This Civil Engineer position is available in the Division of Dam Safety Inspections, Portland and San Francisco Regions, in the Office of Energy Projects.

As a Civil Engineer, some of your typical work assignments include:

  • Conducting inspections of licensed hydroelectric projects having difficult, complex, and/or controversial features.
  • Preparing engineering reports to establish and document the dam safety of the hydroelectric project.
  • Evaluating the adequacy of design, constructability, and compliance with current engineering criteria and practices.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • A one-year probationary period may be required.
  • A background investigation is required.
  • This is a bargaining unit position (AFGE Local 421).
  • Generally, male applicants must be registered with the Selective Service.
  • This position has an education requirement; you must submit transcripts.
  • Relocation expenses will not be paid.
  • If hired, you may be required to divest certain energy-related securities.

Qualifications

You must meet the qualification (experience and/or education) requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

To view the eligibility and qualification requirements of a Civil Engineer, GS-0810, please visit: Civil Engineer, 0810

In addition to the education required for this position, you must have one full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-12 level. Specialized experience is defined as: experience applying a civil engineering discipline (structural, hydrologic, hydraulic, geotechnical, or engineering geology) in the investigation, design, construction, operation, or maintenance of an infrastructure facility, and conducting inspections of dams.

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 any volunteer experience.

Please do not cut and paste the "Duties" section, specialized experience statement, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume, as this will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

Education

This position has an education requirement and therefore, transcripts are required. Failure to submit a copy of your transcripts at the time of application will result in your application being marked incomplete and you will not receive further consideration.

PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

Additional information

The duty location of this position is Portland, OR and San Francisco, CA

This position is a Mobile Work position. Mobile work is characterized by routine and regular travel to conduct work in customer or other worksites as opposed to a single authorized alternative worksite. Examples of mobile work include site audits, site inspections, investigations, property management, and work performed while commuting, traveling between worksites, or on Temporary Duty (TDY).

Mobile Position - Portland, OR; San Francisco, CA

Due to the nature of the work and the mission of the Office of Energy Projects, mobile workers must remain within drivable commuting distance of the designated FERC Regional Area.

Portland Region - Mobile Agreement Duty Station must be within 100 Miles of one of these cities: Boise, ID; Denver, CO; Portland, OR; Salt Lake City, UT; Seattle, WA

San Francisco Region - Mobile Agreement Duty Station must be within 100 Miles of one of these cities: Denver, CO; Las Vegas, NV; Los Angeles, CA; Sacramento, CA; Salt Lake City, UT; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA.

If selected for this position, you will be required to:

  • Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine your suitability for Federal employment.
  • Have your Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of your choice.
  • Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S. FERC also participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). For more information about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify.
  • Attend a mandatory ethics training. We are governed by the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) Standards of Conduct, the criminal conflict of interest statutes, and FERC's supplemental ethics regulation, which specifically prohibits FERC employees from holding certain energy-related securities. To comply with these regulations and statutes, divestiture of at least some energy securities is likely to be required after you begin employment. See 5 C.F.R. 2634-41; 18 U.S.C. 201-208; 5 C.F.R. 3401. If selected, you may also be required to file a financial disclosure statement within 30 days of appointment.
  • Receive authorization from OPM on any job offer you receive, if you are or were (within the last 5 years) a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a one-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may 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.

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.

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 how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses to the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

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

The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13002153

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is an independent agency that regulates the interstate transmission of electricity, natural gas, and oil. FERC also reviews proposals to build liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and interstate natural gas pipelines as well as licensing hydropower projects.

Our Mission: Economically Efficient, Safe, Reliable, and Secure Energy for Consumers. For more information visit: https://www.ferc.gov/.

Agency contact information

Anita Collier
Phone
202-502-6709
Email
Anita.Collier@ferc.gov
Address
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First St NE
Washington, DC 20426
US

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.