Civil Engineer

Summary

This position is located in the State Office of Nevada, USDA-Rural Development (RD). The incumbent performs a variety of assignments requiring professional experience and technical competence in civil engineering activities, procedures, principles, techniques and evaluations utilized in the performance of supervised rural credit and development programs. This position is filled through the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Direct-Hire Authority for this occupation.

Duties

• Advises and consults with private groups, public bodies and state and/or Federal agencies on the civil engineering aspects of projects financed by RD loan and grant programs.
• Provides technical guidance for project eligibility and priority. Reviews planning documents/Preliminary Engineering Reports (PER) and completed analyses and recommendations regarding the technical merit of applications for funding.
• Reviews and concurs with Agreements for Engineering Services, construction project preliminary plans, drawings, designs, specifications and cost estimates.
• Assists staff in any technical or construction-related matters. Works with staff, applicant and consultants on the suitability of proposed PERs and other documents for application for funding/projects approved.
• Prepares State Office procedures for use by staff to carry out engineering and related program activities.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. 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) 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 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.) In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement outlined above, you must also meet the following specialized experience requirements outlined below. For the GS-11: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 in the Federal service. Professional engineering experience is defined as nonroutine engineering work that required and was characterized by (1) professional knowledge of engineering; (2) professional ability to apply such knowledge to engineering problems; and (3) positive and continuing development of professional knowledge and ability. Examples of specialized experience are: Examples of specialized experience are: Monitoring day-to-day performance of a civil engineering contract by reviewing drawings for accuracy and adequacy, evaluating requests for routine design deviations, and/or conducting site surveys; Preparing civil engineering design plans and criteria for smaller or less complex projects, including water and sewer projects; portions of structures such as bridges, retaining walls, or structural pavement sections; Planning and conducting engineering projects according to clear and specified objectives such as developing technical data on materials, sizes, dimensions, quantities and costs of materials to be incorporated in formal specifications; field knowledge of construction methods, sequence of construction, construction inspection and problem resolution; knowledge and analysis of water distribution systems. OR 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree (coursework directly related to position being filled) from an accredited college or university. OR an appropriate combination of specialized experience and graduate level education as described above. For the GS-12: 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience may be earned as a general, civil, agricultural, environmental, or mechanical engineer. Examples of specialized experience include but is not limited to: preparing and reviewing preliminary engineering reports with analysis of design options and detailed costs estimate for water and sewer projects; reviewing detailed project plans, and specifications; participation in construction bidding process, analysis of bid proposals, and reviews of construction contracts documents; field knowledge of construction methods, sequence of construction, construction inspection and problem resolution; and knowledge and analysis of water distribution systems. NOTE: To be considered for this position, you must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the GS-0810 series set forth in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards by the closing date of the announcement. A copy is available at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards 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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Arithmetic/Mathematical Reasoning Attention to Detail Customer Service Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork This announcement will also include the following assessment: Structured Interview, Resume Review by Subject Matter Expects, Writing Sample, Essay Response, Letter of Recommendation. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13113083 Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account to check your application status. You must choose to turn on email notifications in your USAJOBS profile if you want to receive important email notifications that may impact your applicant experience (e.g. If you start an application and do not submit it prior to the closing date, USAJOBS will send an email reminder that the closing date is approaching and your application is in an incomplete status). Other Information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here. If selected, you will be required to submit Form OGE-450 within 30 days of your initial appointment date, and annually thereafter. Selectee is subject to financial Disclosure Requirements in accordance with 5 CFR, Part 2635, Sub part E regarding business or personal transactions with applicants, borrowers, or business contacts who have or who are seeking business with this Agency. Selectee must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance. If selected you will be subject to a National Agency Check and Inquiry (NACI) and a credit report. This position may also be eligible for flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements.