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Public Utilities Specialist

Department of Energy
Bonneville Power Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located with Bonneville Power Administration(BPA), in Northwest Requirements Marketing (PS), Power Services (P).

A successful candidate in the Public Utilities Specialist position will provide overarching policy development, methodology, product design, and service definition for the marketing, selling and service accounts processes.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
09/12/2025 to 09/21/2025
Salary
$134,180 to - $174,433 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Portland, OR
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
Yes
Announcement number
25-BPA-46907-12777882-BPA
Control number
845834200

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to active Bonneville Power Administration employees with competitive status, currently on a career or career-conditional appointment. DOE/BPA employees participating in either the OPM (Fork in the Road) or DOE Deferred Resignation Program (DRP) are not eligible to apply for this announcement. DRP participants are not considered active DOE/BPA employees because they have agreed to separate from the agency.

Duties

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As a Public Utilities Specialist, you will:

  • Develop and drive updates to policies in support of BPAs statutory obligations and commercial interests, including the overall Power organization's mission including Requirements Marketing functions.
  • Serve as a strategic advisor and BPA authority on policy and strategy for requirements marketing power sales. Stays abreast of Government Accountability Office Green Book, Department of Energy, Office of Management and Budget and applicable internal/external policies, directives, and orders as well as best practices in enterprise management and commercial operations and develops options for optimal policies and processes to support these as they or the BPA enterprise evolve.
  • Responsible for the leadership, innovation, governance, and management necessary to identify, evaluate, mitigate, and monitor policy across all program and project areas, ensuring policy updates from the program/projects occur in accordance with established processes and procedures.
  • Work with other BPA organizations to assure that the PS organization's needs to efficiently conduct business to meet other strategic objectives are reasonably balanced with policy needs.

Requirements

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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:
  • Selectee will be required to complete the Office of Government Ethics Standard of Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OFGE450e) within 30 days of employment and annually.
  • 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.
  • This position is subject to FERC SOC non-discrimination rules and restrictions prohibiting disclosure of certain information to Power Merchant Function employees.
  • Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Standards of Conduct (SOC): The incumbent is required to have a working knowledge of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Standards of Conduct (SOC) to ensure fair competition in the open access transmission market though compliance with its basic principles. The FERC SOC basic principles require BPA's Transmission Function employees and its affiliated Power Merchant Function employees to function independently and abide by non-discriminatory information access and prohibited disclosure regulations for transmission-related information that is not equally available to all customers. In addition, the incumbent is required to complete BPA's mandatory SOC training.

Qualifications

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

A qualified candidate's resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-13) in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as: Experience in applying energy industry concepts and practices to 1) serve as a strategic advisor for policies related to marketing power sales, 2) serve as technical expert on programs and projects managed, and 3) coordinate resources and services to meet program and project requirements.

"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.

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

CTAP 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.

Education

There are no specific education requirements or substitution of education for experience for this position.

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across DOE EEO Policy: USAJOBS Help Center | Equal employment opportunity policy

Reasonable Accommodation Policy: Employees or applicants may request Reasonable Accommodation (RA) for assistance, when applying or competing for a job or performing a job due to their medical condition or to exercise their religious beliefs. If you need reasonable accommodation in the application or selection process, please contact the Staffing Specialist listed on this vacancy announcement. USAJOBS Help Center | Reasonable accommodation policy

Veterans Information: USAJOBS Help Center - Veterans
Veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Telework: https://www.opm.gov/telework/

Selective Service Registration: http://www.sss.gov/ - Who must register: https://www.sss.gov/faq/#who-needs-to-register

Hiring incentives may be authorized for a highly qualified candidate based on budget availability and in accordance with federal regulations.

BPA strives to ensure a safe and positive work environment.

We also understand the importance of work/life balance and offer a variety of programs and policies designed to create more flexible, responsive work environments supportive of commitments to community, home and family members. BPA also supports employees' overall wellness through its Be Well program, which helps employees adopt healthier lifestyles and feel better about their work/life balance. The program supports five key areas of life: career, community, financial, physical and social.?

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 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.

Selection will be based on skills and competencies, not educational credentials or self-reported experience.

Merit Promotion & VEOA Procedures: If you are minimally qualified for this job, your 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):

  • Influencing/Negotiating
  • Leadership
  • Partnering
  • Strategic Thinking
  • Technical Competence


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 (09/21/2025) of this announcement.

To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12777882

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.

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