Clarification from the agency

Current Federal employees with competitive status or other eligibility; Former Federal employees with reinstatement eligibility; CTAP/ICTAP eligibles; Veterans with VOW, VEOA, or 30% disability; Military Spouses; Individuals with Disabilities Schedule A; Peace Corps, Vista (AmeriCorps) eligibles; OPM interchange agreement or other special appointing authority. DOE employees participating in either the OPM (Fork in the Road) or DOE Deferred Resignation Program (DRP) are not eligible to apply.

As an Electrical Engineer, you will:

• Conduct engineering studies for electrical power systems.
• Observe system conditions in a real-time simulator environment in order to analyze current-day and next-day operations under normal or emergency conditions.
• Design or direct the development of unique or leading-edge technology for the study of the Electrical Power System.
• Serve as an advisor to BPA Dispatchers during real-time conditions.
• Consult with management and planning personnel in preparing requirements and criteria for complex or high value projects for development or modification of operating instructions, mitigation procedures, operating limits, outage coordination, and other control center systems.
• Conduct electrical engineering testing and evaluation.
• Provide expert consultation on issues pertaining to the electrical engineering aspects of regulated activities and participates in system event investigations and compliance reporting.

Conditions of employment

In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answer to these questions is not scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration.

When you apply you will be asked a series of questions to determine your eligibility for employment and your qualification for this position specifically. You must answer all of these questions completely and truthfully.

Key Requirements:

• You must be a United States Citizen.
• This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
• Males must abide by Selective Service registration requirements.
• You will be required to report in person to the official duty location.

Conditions of Employment:

• After employment, this position may be subject to periodic physical examinations, as prescribed by competent medical authority and at BPA expense, if exposed to health hazards.
• A preliminary background check must be completed before a new employee can begin work. Current Federal employees or other individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check.
  This position has been designated as requiring a PUBLIC TRUST background. A preliminary background check must be completed before a new employee can begin work. Current Federal employees or other individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check.
• Work is performed seven days per week, 365 days a year, in 12 Hour Rotating Shifts.
• The incumbent is required to obtain NERC System Operator certification by the end of the initial training period. Maintaining NERC certification is a requirement of this position.
• The position is identified as a BPA Transmission Function employee under the FERC SOC non-discrimination rules and is required to complete BPA's mandatory Standards of Conduct (SOC) training.
• Hiring incentives may be authorized for a highly qualified candidate based on budget availability and in accordance with federal regulations.

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENT:
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), or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. -OR-
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.-OR-
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.-OR-
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.)

For more information on how to meet the Basic Requirements please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/files/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:
GS-12: 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 1) experience applying core electrical engineering principles to support and conduct real-time and daily operational analyses of electrical systems and 2) performing technical assessments and providing recommendations related to power plant operations, electrical power systems, or transmission system performance.

GS-13: 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 1) experience applying advanced electrical engineering principles to design, plan, and execute complex studies of electrical transmission systems; and 2) performing technical assessments and providing recommendations related to power plant operations, electrical power systems, or transmission system performance; and 3) directed the design and development of advanced technologies supporting the study and optimization of Electrical Power Systems.

"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. Some work may require periods of walking, standing, bending, etc. Employees may carry light items such as books, instruments, and other similar materials. The work does not require any special physical effort.

Work Environment:
Time-in-Grade: Current Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement to receive consideration.

CTAP/ICTAP candidates: To be considered "well qualified" you must meet all of the requirements as described in this section.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

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. Your full resume will be made available to the hiring manager if you are referred.

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 for this job based on how well you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements above. Once the announcement closes, we will conduct a review of your application package to verify your eligibility and qualifications. If you are found qualified, your application will move forward to additional phases of the review process.

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.

Merit Promotion & VEOA Procedures: If you are minimally qualified for this job, you will be assessed and evaluated to determine if you are a best qualified candidate. Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements and current employees must have at least a fully successful or equivalent performance rating to receive consideration.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Decisiveness
• Electrical Engineering
• Oral Communication
• Problem Solving
• Reasoning

Non-competitive Procedures: If you are applying under a non-competitive or special hiring authority, you will still be required to answer the assessment questions. However, you will not be evaluated against the rating and ranking criteria.Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine if you are minimally qualified for this job. Veterans' Preference will be applied when required by the hiring authority (e.g., VRA, Schedule A).

All qualified Non-competitive applicants and the best qualified Merit Promotion and VEOA applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.

Career Transition Assistance Programs: To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet the eligibility criteria; and 2) be rated "well-qualified", which is defined as having a score of 85 or better.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date ( 09/17/2025) of this announcement.

To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12790895.

Structured Resume Review: After it has been determined that you meet the minimum qualifications, Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) will review the first two pages of your resume to rate your technical qualifications for this position based on the required competencies. Scores from all reviewers will be compiled and factored into the overall evaluation. Your final score will reflect how well your qualifications and skills align with the position requirements. Additional documentation (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume) may not be considered.