Summary
Western Federal Lands Highway Division has several Civil Engineer (Highway - Construction) positions available in their Regional Project Offices (RPOs). Projects occur primarily on Federal Lands managed by other Federal agencies (e.g., National Park Service & U.S. Forest Service) & include multi-state areas.
This is an open continuous announcement which will be used to fill vacant positions when needed.
Clarification from the agency
Applications will be accepted from any U.S. Citizen.
Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position. The 'Rule of Three', Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy.
This is not a Bargaining unit position.
Duties
As a Civil Engineer (Highway-Construction), you will:
- Provide on-site administration of construction contracts. Ensure projects are constructed according to plans and specifications. Administer projects by providing engineering guidance to the contractor, the client agency, and other project personnel.
- Ensure engineering and technical specification requirements are met and work is accomplished according to the contract documents. Determine the need for and issue directives to the contractor as provided for in the contract and in conformance with Division policies and procedures. Foresee possible problems and take appropriate actions.
- Oversee a range of assigned activities such as materials testing, project schedule, progress estimates, surveys, traffic control, environmental controls, and construction methods. Make recommendations to the project engineer if construction methods and safety measures do not comply with the contract. Determine the acceptability and quality of the day-to-day work. Document daily activities and ensure project files are kept up-to-date and complete.
- Identify possible changes needed and obtain field data as needed. Prepare contract modifications and, as approved by the project engineer, issue directives and contract modifications. Develop independent government estimates and drafts contract modification documents, including pre-negotiation memorandums and negotiation memorandums. Prepare on-site correspondence.
- Carry out the day-to-day project activity and coordinate with contractor staff, co-workers, partner or cooperating agency representatives, State and county officials, local municipalities, property owners, local utilities, and other interested parties, and resolve issues and problems that arise. Maintain public relations through contacts at the local level.
The ideal candidate is a mid-career engineer with experience independently and effectively serving as a project engineer in charge of complex construction projects responsible for ensuring compliance with contract specifications, providing guidance and technical direction to lower level project staff, and providing construction operations input from preliminary design stages through construction of the project.
WFLHD’s construction group provides comprehensive contract management support for transportation projects. Their technical expertise coupled with extensive contract administration knowledge ensures projects are constructed according to the terms of the contract. During construction, they serve as the key point of contact for the project owner, contractor and stakeholders, and maintain proactive communication with all parties. Our team brings the leadership necessary to work effectively with contractors, and manage budget and schedules in the often-changing construction phase. Our customer satisfaction rating is higher than 90%.
Our construction expertise includes:
- Civil and structural engineering
- Context-sensitive design principles
- Estimating
- Schedule and budget management
- Onsite inspection oversight
- Contract modification management
- Public and stakeholder information and communication
- Safety regulation enforcement
- Material testing
- Traffic control
- Analysis of complex design and construction documents
- Project development support including: constructability reviews; construction engineering cost estimates; and input during field reviews
For more information about the Federal Lands Highway Division visit - https://highways.dot.gov/federal-lands
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. citizen & meet specialized experience to qualify.
- Applicable documents are required for the Mandatory Education requirements.
- Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position.
- Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
- SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
- BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: You will be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding.
- PCS/RELOCATION/RECRUITMENT: Permanent Change of Station (PCS), Relocation, and Recruitment Incentive authorization varies by position/selection. If recruitment incentive is offered, selectee will be required to sign a service agreement.
- PROBATIONARY PERIOD: You must complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).
- GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel. A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
- PHYSICAL CONDITIONS: The work requires extensive standing, walking, climbing, bending, lifting and carrying up to 60 pounds. In addition, you will be exposed to varying weather and terrain conditions.
- DRIVER'S LICENSE: You must have a valid state driver’s license and be fully qualified to operate a government-owned vehicle.
- TRAVEL: The position involves a significant amount of travel away from your duty station for extended periods of time. Travel may often be to remote locations. You must be willing to travel for extended periods of time, often to remote locations.
- SHIFTS: Due to the overall responsibility for the project, the employee must be available for varied duty shifts and for off-duty emergencies, particularly throughout contractor multi-shift construction periods.
- Seasonal employees will be required to sign an agreement for permanent-seasonal employment.
- TELEWORK ELIGIBILITY: This position may be eligible for occasional and/or regularly scheduled telework. The number of telework days approved will be determined by your immediate supervisor or manager following the agency’s telework policy and guidance. If participating in the telework program, you will be required to sign a telework agreement detailing agency telework policy requirements, working conditions, and expectations for the position.
Qualifications
To meet the basic qualifications for this position, you must (1) meet the Mandatory Education Requirement for the series, (2) provide a copy of your transcript(s) for verification, and (3) meet the specialized experience requirements for each grade that you are applying to. Please review the following information before proceeding with the application process:
(1) All applicants must meet the education requirements under A or B to qualify for applying to an engineering position.
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 the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET); or (2) that included differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced that first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials; (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials; 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 or training: college level education, training and/or technical experience that has 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:
- Professional registration or licensure - current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), engineer in Training (EIT), or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE).
- 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.
- Specified academic courses - Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences which included the courses as specified in Paragraph A 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 had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. There should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering type experience. This must be clearly described in your resume.
For more specifics, please see the OPM qualifications standard for GS-800: All Professional Engineering Positions qualifications at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/files/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf
(2) Upload the appropriate document(s) to your application for verification purposes.
(3) Qualifications:
To determine which grade(s) you are eligible for, review the following grade specific details. You will be asked questions as part of your application but make sure to verify how you meet this experience in your resume or you may be deemed ineligible.
For the GS-11: On Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-09 it which included:
- Experience as an engineer on highway construction projects overseeing a range of assigned activities such as materials testing, project schedule, progress estimates, surveys, traffic control, environmental controls, and construction methods; AND
- Experience coordinating with contractor staff, co-workers, and other stakeholders to resolve day to day issues and problems that arise.
Or on Education, you must have 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree OR Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.
You can also have a combination of graduate education and experience. This must be fully supported by your resume and transcripts, provided with your application.
For the GS-12: On Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-11 grade level, which included:
- Experience as the project engineer in charge or equivalent responsible for the administration and inspection of Federal, State or local highway construction projects that included major operations such as grading, drainage, bridge construction, retaining wall construction, traffic flow and maintenance, and recycled or conventional paving; AND
- Experience leading the work of staff performing highway construction project/inspection activities; AND
- Experience coordinating with partners and project stakeholders in order to resolve issues related to highway construction projects.
You cannot qualify based on education at the GS-12 grade level, you must have experience.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:
- Civil Engineering - Knowledge of the concepts, principles, theories, and methods required to plan, design, construct, operate, and maintain facilities such as buildings, transportation systems, water and sanitary systems, and other public works systems.
- Transportation Engineering - Knowledge of the concepts, principles, theories, and methods applicable to planning, designing, and constructing of transportation systems including traffic analysis, signal analysis, highway capacity, pavement design, bridge construction, planning of transportation projects, environmental analysis of transportation facilities, and transportation network analysis.
- Written Communication - Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.
- Oral Communication - Makes clear and convincing oral presentations. Listens effectively; clarifies information as needed.
For all types of consideration, 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
Students enrolled in a qualifying degree program can apply based on education for the grade 11 if the anticipated graduation date is within six months of the closing date of this announcement. If selected, the final transcript must be received before your start date. Other applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Education
See the Qualifications section for Mandatory Education Requirements.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Given our continuing need for professionals in this field, we will routinely review applications and refer candidates for potential interviews multiple times during the open period of the announcement. Following these dates, qualified applicants will be contacted to schedule interviews. Equal consideration will be given to all applications received. This announcement may close early or be extended, NTE a total of 1 year.
For this announcement, all applicants will be reviewed to determine if they meet the basic qualifications for this position, specifically the educational and specialized experience requirements. Applicants will not be rated or ranked. Veteran's Preference does NOT apply.
All applications that are verified to meet the basic qualifications will be referred to the selecting official. Applicants considered highly qualified by the selecting official or her designee(s) may be afforded one or more interviews and asked to complete a practical exercise and provide one or more writing samples. The results of the interview(s), the practical exercise, and the evaluation of the writing sample(s) will be considered in the hiring process.
All answers provided in the on-line process must be substantiated by a resume. If, upon review, it is determined that your resume and/or supporting documents do not support your answer choices, your application may be removed from consideration.
Ultimately, the Automated Staffing Office is responsible for determining an applicant's eligibility. Please ensure that your resume provide enough detail to support your answers to the Vacancy Specific Questions. You may preview questions for this vacancy.
ALL Applicants must provide a resume that fully supports the required specialized experience and was created within USA Jobs Resume Builder and respond to the vacancy questions by the closing date of the vacancy.
TRANSCRIPTS - Transcripts are REQUIRED per the mandatory education requirement for the series, and also if you are applying based on education for the GS-11 grade. The transcripts need not be official, but must show that you meet the stated education requirements, including specific major or class requirements.
- If you are qualifying based on possessing a current Professional Engineer (PE) license, or passing the Engineer in Training (EIT) exam, please provide a copy of the PE license or written document showing proof of passing the EIT.
- Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website.
DISPLACED EMPLOYEES: If requesting consideration under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency CTAP program (ICTAP), you must meet the well qualified standards for this vacancy (meeting minimum requirements for position) and provide all of the following documents:
- your most recent performance appraisal,
- the proof of eligibility letter from the Agency, and
- your most current SF-50, displaying current series and grade.
Displaced employees may be eligible for ICTAP or CTAP priority consideration. For more information, please review the OPM Employee's Guide to Career Transition.
Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USAJobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system. You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
You must submit a complete application package (including resume, vacancy questions and supporting documents) no later than 11:59 pm (EST) on the closing date of the announcement.
- To begin, click the "Apply Online" button on the job announcement posting.
- Follow the directions to register, submit all required documents and complete the assessment questionnaire.
- You may review your saved application(s) at https://my.usajobs.gov.
If you are having difficulty applying online, please contact the DOT Automated Staffing Office via email at: Transjobs@dot.gov
Next steps
On a as needed basis, a Human Resources Specialist will issue certificate(s), or list(s) of applications, which will then be forwarded to the selecting official for further consideration. At this point, you may check online to see if your application was referred by logging in at MYUSAJOBS and clicking on "Applications."
From this point on the selecting official determines all aspects of the hiring process. If they wish to contact you for an interview or for hire, they will do so directly. Otherwise, when a selection is made, we will update your application status online and the Human Resources Specialist for the vacancy will notify you by email.
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