Job Information
Bureau of Reclamation Civil Engineer in Billings, Montana
Summary Reclamation is seeking an entry-level engineer looking for an opportunity to capitalize on their expertise as a Civil Engineer. Make a difference in the West by assisting in meeting increasing water demands while protecting the environment. Duty Location: Billings, Montana For living conditions go to: https://www.usbr.gov/gp/employment/living_conditions.pdf. Responsibilities Duties below reflect full-performance level (GS-12) work of position: - Conducts hydraulic engineering analysis of waterway response to management actions and environmental disturbances such as climate change, floods, fires, landslides and earthquakes. - Develops, modifies and utilizes databases to maintain engineering data for conducting operational and planning analyses. - Collaborates with technical work groups or teams. - Plans, performs, coordinates and directs comprehensive hydrologic civil engineering studies of regulated and unregulated river systems and infrastructure in accordance with applicable authorizations, policies, and regulatory requirements. - Develops, utilizes and modifies various models to conduct and simulate engineering analysis. - Applies the science of hydrology through analyzing and calculating flow characteristics; designing drainage structures; and evaluating facility or waterway capacities and operations. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National. You must be suitable for federal employment, determined by a background investigation. You must submit a resume and supporting documentation (see Required Documents). You must submit eligibility documents for veterans consideration (see Required Documents). You must meet any minimum education and/or experience requirements (see Qualifications). You must submit transcript(s) to verify education requirements (see Qualifications/Education). You must maintain a valid State Driver's License at all times as the position requires operation of government vehicles on government and public roads. Failure to maintain a valid State Driver's License at all times will result in removal from the position. Qualifications In order to be rated as qualified for this position, you must meet BOTH the Basic Education Requirement and the Additional Requirements. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience. A copy of your unofficial transcripts must be provided with your application. Basic Education 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), 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. -or- 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. -or- 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. -or- 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, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all inclusive.) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT: In addition to meeting the basic education requirement, you must also meet the qualifications below: GS-05: Applicants who meet the basic education qualification requirements are fully qualified at the GS-05 level. GS-07: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to at least the GS-05 level in federal service having demonstrated experience assisting higher-graded engineers in civil engineering and assisting with reviewing engineering designs or data. OR Education: One full year of graduate level education in a directly related field. OR Superior Academic Achievement - In order to be creditable under this provision, Superior Academic Achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled. Superior Academic Achievement is based on: (1) Class Standing - You must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR (2) Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) - You must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final two years of the curriculum; or(b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final two years of the curriculum.; OR (3) Honor Society Membership - You may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https:// www .achsnatl.org/). OR Combination of specialized experience and graduate education described that when combined totals 100% of the requirements for this position. GS-09: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to at least the GS-07 level in federal service that included experience assisting with the coordination or design of engineering projects and collecting and organizing field data. OR Education: A Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, in a related field. OR Combination of specialized experience and graduate education described that when combined totals 100% of the requirements for this position. 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, 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. You must meet all Eligibility and Qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors if applicable, by 11/04/2024. Education This vacancy announcement allows substituting education for experience at the GS-05, 07,09 grade levels. You must submit a copy of college transcript(s) (unofficial copy is acceptable) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include the name of the college or university and date the degree was conferred. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not-qualified for the position. This position has a mandatory education requirement. You must submit a copy of college transcript(s) (unofficial copy is acceptable) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include the name of the college or university and date the degree was conferred. Non-submission will result in being rated not-qualified for the position. You will be required to provide official college transcripts to verify educational qualifications, if selected. An official transcript must be sent directly from the University's Registrar's office and must be provided from the institution awarding the degree. Academic transcripts certified by notary publics are NOT official. Official transcripts must be submitted prior to reporting to work as a condition of employment. Failure to submit official transcripts may be grounds for dismissal or rescission of the job offer. Accreditation: Only education from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education is acceptable to meet education requirements or to substitute for experience, if applicable. For additional info, refer to the Office of Personnel Management and U.S. Department of Education. Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. For additional info, refer to the U.S. Network for Education Information. Additional Information You may be required to serve an initial probationary period. Current, permanent Federal employees who are selected from this announcement may be required to serve a probationary period. Reclamation has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and you may be allowed to telework with supervisory approval. The full performance of this position is GS-12. Progression to this grade is neither guaranteed nor automatic. Advancement is dependent upon supervisory approval, progression of higher-level duties, your successful performance in the position, and satisfaction of time-in-grade and qualification requirements. If otherwise eligible and qualified, you may be offered a relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information, visit: Recruitment Incentive or Relocation Incentive. If otherwise eligible and qualified, you may request consideration for a Superior Qualifications Appointment. For information, visit: OPM Fact Sheet. Related non-Federal experience or related experience as retired members of the uniformed services may be credited towards computing entitlement to leave accrual, at managerial discretion, providing that experience meets certain criteria. This provision allows new employees to earn annual leave at a higher rate than would otherwise be allowed. (5 Code of Federal Regulations, 630). For information, visit: Creditable Service for Annual Leave DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including applicant rights and responsibilities, please visit https://www.e-verify.gov/ This position is designated as a MODERATE RISK Public Trust position. It requires a fully completed and favorably adjudicated Public Trust Suitability Background Investigation (T2S or T2RS or equivalent) that is current (within the last 5 years). This is a condition of employment. Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must certify registration with the Selective Service System or that the applicant is exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Go to: https://www.sss.gov This is a bargaining unit position represented by a Union. Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.