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Civil Engineer (Highway) (Direct Hire)

Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration

Summary

Provides engineering stewardship and oversight at various junctures of project and program delivery of Federal aid infrastructure projects within the state(s). This entails working on a broad range of engineering activities in the State associated with the design, construction and maintenance of highways and highway- related facilities. The employee has the authority to commit the agency to actions on behalf of the Division Office(s) represented in line with delegations of authority.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—This position may be eligible for situational telework. Telework approval will be determined by your immediate supervisor or manager following the agency’s telework policy and guidance. If participating in the telework program, you will be required to sign a telework agreement detailing agency telework policy requirements, working conditions, and expectations for the position.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—Permanent Change of Station (PCS), Relocation, and Recruitment Incentive authorization varies by position/selection and a service agreement may be required.
Salary
$80,465 - $125,378 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11 - 12
Promotion potential
12
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time - Full Time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
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
FHWA.FO-2026-0021
Control number
884110500

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. Citizen. Due to the potential of a high volume of applicants, not all applicants may receive consideration. Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position. The 'Rule of Many', Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy.

Duties

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As a Civil Engineer (Highway), you will:

  • Serve as a key technical advisor in meetings, telephone contacts, public hearings, field reviews, and visits with State DOT officials and other Federal, State, and local agencies regarding assigned program areas and in assisting in the implementation of leadership initiatives. Communicate and apply Federal laws, regulations, and FHWA policies applicable to Federal aid projects within the State DOT project development process.
  • Monitor highway and other infrastructure improvements to determine if they are constructed to a desired quality and whether Federal aid construction funds are being expended in a manner consistent with applicable Federal laws and regulations.
  • Participate in assessments State programs for effectiveness and compliance. Provide to partners recommendations for performance and operational improvements and guidance on corrective actions.
  • Provide review of projects in accordance with the Division’s risk-based stewardship and oversight plan. This may include review of plans, specifications and estimates (PS&E) for appropriate application of design standards and criteria, conformance with policy and regulations, eligibility for Federal participation, traffic safety features, reasonableness of estimated unit prices, fulfillment of requirements from the transportation planning and NEPA process, and proper standard and special specifications and contract provisions.
  • Participate in and contribute to Division program management activity including development of stewardship and oversight plans, conducting risk assessments, development of strategic operations and business plans, promotion of the implementation of a performance-based planning and programming process to partner agencies, and identification and tracking of performance measures and the associated reporting process.

The ideal candidate is a mid-career engineer with experience monitoring Federally funded highway programs or delivering highway projects from initial scoping through construction support and maintenance; and experience conveying ideas and concepts in meetings and discussions, and in writing.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen & meet specialized experience to qualify.
  • Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.
  • Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
  • Direct Hire Authority/SME will be used to fill this position.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-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 the 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.

  • SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
  • GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel.  A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
  • BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: A background security investigation is required for all selected individuals. Appointment will be subject to the applicant’s successful completion of the security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
  • PCS/RELOCATION/RECRUITMENT:  Permanent Change of Station (PCS), Relocation, and Recruitment Incentive authorization varies by position/selection and a service agreement may be required.
  • PROBATIONARY PERIOD: Applicants may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).

Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must (1) meet the Education Requirement for the series, (2) provide a copy of transcripts for verification, AND (3) meet either the education or experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration.

To qualify for the GS-11 on Experience,  you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-09 it must include:

  • Experience in planning, design, or construction of highway or transportation project features (such as roads, bridges, or appurtenant structures) in accordance with engineering design and construction standards, principles and methods.

To qualify for the GS-11 on Education alone, you must have:
3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. 

You can also qualify based on a combination of higher level graduate education and experience. This must be fully supported by your resume and transcripts, provided with your application.

To qualify for the GS-12 on Experience,  you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-11 it must include:

  • Experience in planning, design, or construction of highway or transportation project features (such as roads, bridges, or appurtenant structures) in accordance with engineering design and construction standards, principles and methods; AND
  • Experience in consultation with others, developing alternatives and helping to resolve engineering issues or conflicts that arise with processes or outcomes.

You cannot qualify on education at the GS-12 level; you must have experience.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

  1. Transportation Engineering - Knowledge of the concepts, principles, theories, and methods applicable to planning, designing, and constructing of transportation systems including traffic analysis, signal analysis, highway capacity, pavement design, bridge construction, planning of transportation projects, environmental analysis of transportation facilities, and transportation network analysis.
  2. Compliance - Knowledge of procedures for assessing, evaluating, and monitoring programs or projects for compliance with Federal laws, regulations, and guidance.
  3. Road Work and Pavement - Knowledge of materials, methods, and appropriate tools to construct, maintain, or repair road surfaces, including sidewalks, parking lots, runways, etc.
  4. Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
  5. Problem Solving - Identifies and analyzes problems; weighs relevance and accuracy of information; generates and evaluates alternative solutions; makes recommendations.

For all types of consideration, 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

For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/frequently-asked-questions/employment-faq/federal-hiring/how-do-i-apply-for-federal-jobs/

Students enrolled in a qualifying degree program can apply if the anticipated graduation date is within six months of closing date of the announcement. Graduation transcript must be received before start date. 

Other applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

MANDATORY EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:

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) 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). All applicants must meet the education requirements under A or B to qualify for applying to an engineering position. Transcripts are required for this position.

Additional information

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Transportation by email at, FairChanceAct@dot.gov. To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation 

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.

For this announcement, applications will be reviewed to determine if the applicant meets the basic qualifications for this position. The applications of individuals who meet the basic qualifications will be assessed to validate that the applicant possesses the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) at the level of proficiency needed to perform the job successfully. Applicants who are found to possess the necessary KSAs to perform the job may be referred to the selecting official for further consideration.

To receive full credit during evaluation, your assessment responses must explicitly point back to your resume, as HR cannot make assumptions about your experience. You must write your narrative answers in full paragraph format, beginning each response with the exact position title, organization, employment dates (MM/YYYY–MM/YYYY), full-time/part-time, average hours worked per week, and federal series/grade (if applicable) as listed on your resume. Within the paragraph, clearly describe your specific individual duties, actions taken, tools used, and measurable outcomes to prove your level of expertise. HR will cross-check your narrative against your resume; if your resume does not fully support every detail and timeframe claimed in your written response, the claimed experience will be disallowed, which may result in an ineligible determination.

You will not be considered for the position if any part of the application or supporting documentation is incomplete.  Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for not hiring you or adverse action after hiring.  

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.


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Federal Highway Administration

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is focused on what matters most: prioritizing the safety of our transportation systems, modernizing our aging infrastructure, unleashing American innovation, and maximizing efficiency by removing bureaucratic red tape. We are looking for mission-driven professionals ready to deliver real results with discipline, urgency, and accountability to support American families, workers, and businesses.

As we usher in a Golden Age of Transportation, DOT values a results-oriented, high-performing workforce dedicated to continuous improvement, operational excellence, and a safe, collaborative environment. If you want to build big, beautiful infrastructure, scale transformative technologies, and achieve results that will serve our nation for generations to come, please consider joining the DOT family.

Did You Know? The Department of Transportation is consistently ranked as one of the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government!

Agency contact information

Automated Staffing Office
Phone
000-000-0000
Fax
000-000-0000
Email
TRANSJOBS@dot.gov
Address
DOT, FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION
Submit Application and Documents Online
1200 New Jersey Ave SE / HAHR - 50
Washington, District of Columbia 20590
United States

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