Civil Engineer/Agricultural Engineer

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Department of Agriculture

Job Summary

The primary purpose of this position is to serve as an Assistant State engineer. The incumbent will provide technical guidance and leadership in the overall planning, design, installation, and maintenance of the engineering phases of soil and water conservation practices as well as watershed flood protection programs on a statewide basis.

Major Duties

  • Provides direct technical assistance to Area Engineers and other are and field office staff for the planning, design and construction of complex engineering practices such as large group irrigation projects.
  • Assists the State Conservation Engineer to coordinate and supervise the planning and implementation of Small Watershed Program, Dam Rehabilitation Program, and Emergency Watershed Protection Program projects.
  • Performs timely updates to the GeoObserver and DamWatch databases ensuring the stored data is complete and accurate.
  • Develops, updates, and maintains assigned state level engineering practice standards and related documents published in the Field Office Technical Guide and state supplements to engineering policy published in the National Engineering Manual.
  • Serves as the COR or Government Representative for engineering services contracts or construction contracts.
  • Coordinates and conducts necessary quality assurance reviews of engineering projects throughout the state.
  • Serves as State engineering training coordinator, working closely with other State and Area staff to ensure Field Office NRCS staff have the skills necessary to plan and apply conservation engineering practices.

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: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience at the next lower grade to be considered for the next higher grade (ie. one year at the GS-11 grade level for consideration for the GS-12 grade level. Basic Education Requirement:

Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree be in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) http://main.abet.org/aps/accreditedprogramsearch.aspx;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 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 professional 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: 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 Boards 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, which is administered by the Boards of Engineering Examiners in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and 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 a 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 relate curricula are not all-inclusive.) In addition to meeting one of the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must meet the following Minimum Qualifications Requirement in order to be considered: Specialized Experience to qualify for GS-12: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as: Formulation of engineering planning, design and construction of conservation practices that address natural resource protection (such as livestock water development, floodwater protection, soil erosion, animal waste control, water quality protection, and ground/surface water conservation); analyzing and managing engineering workload; identifying training needs of personnel and delivering training on both individual and group levels; and/or recommending technical policies and procedures that strengthen the agency's ability to deliver quality resource conservation. Note: There is no education substitution for the GS-12 level. For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=List-by-Occupational-SeriesExperience 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 and 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

$84,118.00 - $109,358.00

More information...

End Date: 

Tuesday, April 28, 2020