CIVIL ENGINEER (HYDRAULICS/HYDROLOGIC)

Summary

This position is located in the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), West Region. The incumbent has responsibility for performing professional engineering and scientific work involving hydraulics and hydrologic aspects of river basin studies, watershed plans, floodplain management studies, other water resources projects, and conservation technical assistance projects.

Duties

• Perform hydrologic analysis and modeling (HEC-RAS, FLO-2D) for rainfall-runoff modeling, peak flow estimation, culvert capacity, channel hydraulics, flood evaluations, watershed hydrology evaluation in support of agency Watershed Programs.
• Prepare engineering designs, drawings, calculations, and specifications for watershed protection measures such as dams, levees, reservoirs, bank stabilization, grade stabilization, debris removal, and flood control measures.
• Develop and review engineering cost estimates, alternative analysis, and technical design packages that comply with agency standards. Perform technical reviews of engineering documents for accuracy and conformance with agency standards.
• Provide engineering recommendations for Emergency Watershed Program (EWP) measures and assist in Damage Survey Reports (DSRs).
• Contribute engineering input for large scale watershed plans (Plan-EA/EIS), including hydrologic analysis, alternatives development, benefits-cost support, and environmental documentation.
• Conduct field investigations to verify design assumptions, soil conditions, hydraulic conditions, and structural performance. Provide construction oversight, review contractor work and recommend field design modifications to ensure compliance.

Requirements

You must be a US Citizen or US National. Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt. Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check. If selected, you may be sent instructions on obtaining fingerprints. Please note we are unable to reimburse for any fees incurred. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period unless previous federal service is creditable. During this time your employment will be evaluated, and we may consider: your performance and conduct, the needs and interests of the agency, whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government, and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov. Must possess and maintain a valid state motor vehicle operator's license for the type of vehicle(s) operated to perform the duties of this position. Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards. Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. If education is required or being used to qualify, you must submit a copy of your transcripts. 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 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 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)2 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 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. Specialized Experience Requirement: For the GS-12 grade level: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in federal service or comparable experience not gained through federal service. Specialized experience is defined as: Performing advanced hydrologic and hydraulic analyses using modeling tools such as HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS, TR-20, TR-55, or similar software to evaluate watershed behavior, analyze flood risk, compute peak flows, and assess hydraulic performance of channels, culverts, and other water resource structures; Developing engineering designs, drawings, technical specifications, and supporting calculations for watershed protection, flood mitigation, channel stabilization, or similar water resources projects in accordance with NRCS standards, National Engineering Handbook (NEH) guidance, and accepted engineering practices; Conducting detailed field investigations to evaluate post-disaster watershed conditions (e.g., flood, post-fire, erosion hazards), verify hydrologic and hydraulic assumptions, determine engineering feasibility, and support emergency response actions under programs such as EWP; Preparing engineering recommendations, alternatives analyses, cost estimates, and technical documentation to support planning and implementation of projects under programs such as Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) and Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations (WFPO), or comparable watershed programs; Reviewing engineering plans, calculations, and technical products for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with agency standards, and providing technical guidance or consultation to partners, field offices, contractors, or project sponsors on hydrologic and hydraulic engineering issues. 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

College Transcript: If this position has a basic education requirement and/or if qualifying based on education, you must submit a copy of your college transcript with course number and department (i.e., Bio 101, Math 210, etc.), course title, number of credit hours, and grade earned. If a relevant course is not clearly qualifying (e.g., special topic, seminar, research, thesis, obscure or misleading course title, etc.), please submit an official course syllabi and/or detailed course description from the university/college to ensure proper evaluation. Your education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to be credited toward qualifications. You may verify accreditation by visiting the U.S. Department of Education Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs website. We will verify your education accordingly. Foreign Education: You must submit verification that education completed in a foreign institution, was recognized by an accreditation body accepted by the U.S. Department of Education. You must include a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) website. Your transcripts must be in English or include an English translation. You may submit an unofficial copy of your transcript at the initial phase of the application process. However, if selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Please refer to the "How to Apply" section for instructions on submitting transcripts. How You Will Be Evaluated

Applications will be evaluated in accordance with Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Delegated Examining Procedures and USDA policy. This means 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 to 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 The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. 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/13071077 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. Locality Pay: The salary for each location may vary depending on geographically defined locality pay areas. Locality tables may be found at Office of Personnel Management Salaries and Wages. Physical Demands: The work requires some physical exertion, such as long periods of standing, traversing steep slopesand rough terrain, jumping across shallow ditches, walking in muddy/slippery conditions, stooping, bending, crouching, and climbing typical of work performed during regular and/or periodic construction activities; conducting field inspections; and observing and studying work operations in an industrial, storage, or comparable work area. Work may also include frequent lifting of moderately heavy items weighing less than 50 pounds (e.g., equipment and samples). Work Environment: Work is typically performed in an office setting. However, frequent field work will involve a full range of climatic and physical conditions such as potentially dangerous or hazardous conditions (e.g., extreme temperatures of hot and cold, swift waters, steep banks, rough and irregular ground surfaces), when one is subject to obtaining hydraulic and hydrologic information or conducting subsequent investigations. The incumbent will be required to wear hard hats, wear protective clothing, and observe necessary precautions on scaffolding, in trenches, and in the area of moving machinery. Exposure to noise levels common to construction sites with large earth-moving equipment can be expected. Exposure to disease carrying animals, insects and irritating plants may also occur. Telework: This position is eligible for telework as determined by the agency policy. Incentives: Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be authorized. Bargaining Unit: This is a non-bargaining unit position.