PDF versionJob Summary
The position assists the area/zone or similar engineer and is responsible for providing basic technical guidance and in the overall planning, design, installation, and maintenance of the engineering phases of soil and water conservation practices.
Major Duties
- Provides technical assistance in the planning, design, and construction of engineering practices such as water management, animal waste management, erosion control, flood control, wetland creation or restoration, and other conservation practices.
- Plans and conducts pre-bid site showings, approves construction schedules, monitors work for compliance with contract requirements, verifies the accuracy of invoices, prepares receiving reports for plan estimate.
- Directs the quality assurance program, oversees government inspectors, recommends contract modifications, and performs others duties as delegated to contracting officer's representative.
- Performs quality assurance activities, including site investigations and feasibility studies; conducting checks of field designs of structural works as prepared or approved by the State Conservation Engineer (SCE) prior to contracting.
- Prepares or reviews field designs and preliminary and final drawings and specifications on civil engineering practices.
- Provides technical guidance and training to personnel in the area of all engineering practices and in the use and care of engineering equipment.
Qualifications
Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Time in grade: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. Basic Education Requirement:
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 & 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 & circuits; (f) nature & properties of materials (relating particle & 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
Combination of Education & Experience: college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical & mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical & practical, of the engineering sciences & techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following: 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. 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. 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, & Puerto Rico. 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 above. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described above. 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 & 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. In addition to meeting one of the Basic Requirements above, applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications Requirement to be considered:
Specialized experience for the GS-07 level: You must possess at least 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as providing technical assistance & guidance in the overall planning, design, installation, and maintenance of engineering practices for soil & water conservation programs; OR
Superior Academic Achievement in a bachelor's degree curriculum directly related to the work of the position. To qualify for superior academic achievement, you must have ONE of the following: (1) standing in the upper third of your college class or major subdivision at the time you apply; (2) grade point average of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or its equivalent for all courses completed; (3) B+ (3.5 on a 4.0 scale) or its equivalent for all courses completed in a related discipline; OR (4) election to membership in one of the national honorary scholastic societies that meets the requirements of the Association of College Honor Society; OR
Substitution of education: 1 year of graduate education leading to a Master's degree in engineering or related field; OR
Combination of Education & Experience: A combination of graduate-level education and experience, as described above, may be used to qualify for this position. Combinations of experience & education must total at least 100% as outlined in OPM Qualifications policy. Specialized Experience for the GS-09 level: You must possess at least 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. This experience is defined as providing assistance in the planning, design, and construction of engineering phases of soil & water conservation practices, conducting quality assurance reviews of planned, designed, and constructed engineering projects to recommend ways to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of products or services provided to internal & external customers; OR
Substitution of education: 2 years of graduate education leading to a Master's degree or Master's degree or equivalent graduate degree in engineering or related discipline; OR
Combination of Education & Experience: A combination of graduate-level education & experience, as described above, may be used to qualify for this position. Combinations of experience & education must total at least 100% as outlined in OPM Qualifications policy. Specialized Experience for the GS-11 level: You must possess at least 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include: providing technical engineering guidance on soil & water conservation issues affecting farmers, landowners, and other parties; and/or planning, designing, & coordinating the engineering phases of soil conservation practices & watershed flood protection programs; OR
Substitution of education: 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in engineering or related discipline; OR
Combination of Education & Experience: A combination of graduate-level education & experience, as described above, may be used to qualify for this position. Combinations of experience & education must total at least 100% as outlined in OPM Qualifications policy. For more information on the qualifications for this position: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=0800-ndxExperience refers to paid & 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 & can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Pay Range
$48,488.00 - $95,023.00