Summary
This position is located in the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Federal Lands Division Office and supports the Division as a senior designer with responsibility for the development of plans, specifications and estimates (PS&E) packages for the most complex, advanced projects relative to the design of highways and bridges.
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 an open continuous announcement which will be used to fill vacant positions throughout the open period of the announcement.
This is not a Bargaining unit position.
Duties
As a Civil Engineer (Highway - Design), you will manage the highway design work for several complex projects including:
- Generating and evaluating geometric design alternatives and concepts, applying professional judgment in exceptions and variances to highway design standards, completing complex highway design, and providing design support during construction.
- Applying technical expertise in highway design to address various context-sensitive concerns, including safety, economics, environmental issues, and impacts to local landowners in the project design.
- Being responsible for developing high-quality plans, specifications, and estimate (PS&E) packages.
- Assisting the Highway Design Manager in providing day-to-day technical guidance, mentoring, and training, and distributing project work tasks to less experienced designers on the team.
- Developing and monitoring the design budget and schedule for assigned projects, in cooperation with the Project Manager and Highway Design Manager.
The ideal candidate for this position is a mid-career engineer with experience developing, monitoring, and adhering to the design, budget, and schedule for roadway construction projects and providing technical assistance from initial scoping through construction support.
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. citizen & meet specialized experience to qualify
- Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date
- Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
- Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
- SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
- GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel. A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
- PROBATIONARY PERIOD: Applicants may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).
- BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: You will be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding.
- TELEWORK ELIGIBILITY: This position is approved for telework. The number of telework days approved is determined by the agency policy, the approval of your immediate supervisor, and if applicable, approval of additional officials. You are required to report to the office on a regular basis since this is not a full-time telework position or approved as a remote work position.
- PCS/RELOCATION/RECRUITMENT: Permanent Change of Station (PCS), Relocation, and Recruitment Incentive authorization varies by position/selection.
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 transcripts or other applicable documentation for verification, AND (3) meet the specialized experience and/or education requirements for each grade. Please review the following information before proceeding with the application process:
(1) All applicants must meet the education requirements under A or B, listed in the "Education Requirements' section, to qualify for applying to an engineering position.
(2) Upload the appropriate document(s) to your application for verification purposes.
Students enrolled in a qualifying degree program can apply if the anticipated graduation date is within three 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.
(3) Specialized Experience:
To determine which grade(s) you may be eligible for, review the following grade specific details. You will be asked a few 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 specialized experience, equal or equivalent to the GS-09 grade level, which included:
- Experience providing engineering design services, on a team, in the development of highway improvement projects to reconstruct or rehabilitate highways or local roads (e.g., developing Plans, Specifications, and Estimates (PS&E) packages and layout drawings for highway designs); AND
- Experience using highway-design software programs, including Computer-Aided Design (CADD) software and engineer’s estimating software.
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 specialized experience, equal or equivalent to the GS-11 grade level, which included:
- Experience providing engineering design services, construction support, and technical assistance in the development of highway improvement projects (e.g., developing Plans, Specifications & Estimates (PS&E) packages and layout drawings for projects involving interstate, primary, urban, or Federal Lands’ roads and highways; reviewing contractor submittals; resolving construction issues; or addressing exceptions to design standards); AND
- Experience using highway-design software programs, including Computer-Aided Design (CADD) software and engineer’s estimating software.
You cannot substitute education for specialized experience at this grade level, you must have experience.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will also be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:
- Civil Engineering (Transportation) – knowledge of concepts, principles, methods, and practices applicable to highway/roadway design
- Plans, Specifications and Estimates Packages, roadway design, roadside design, etc.
- Project Development and Decision–making (includes Design Program Laws, Regulations, Policies, and Guidance)
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.
Education
A. Successful completion of a degree in engineering that: (1) has 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 additional information, please refer to 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.
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, we will contact qualified applicants to schedule interviews. We will give equal consideration to all applications we receive. This announcement may close earlier or be extended, NTE a total of 1 year.
When an applicant list is requested, all applications received by that request date will be reviewed to determine if the basic qualifications for this position, and grades applied to, are met. Applications that are verified to meet the basic qualifications will be referred to the selecting official(s) for further review and consideration. From that point on the selecting official determines all aspects of the hiring process. If they wish to contact you for an interview or for selection, they will do so directly. Equal consideration will be given to all applications received. This announcement may close earlier or be extended, NTE a total of 1 year.
Note that applications received under a direct hire public notice may or may not result in a referral or selection. Also, management has the discretion to select at any grade level covered by public notice.
Applicants will not be rated or ranked. Veteran’s Preference does NOT apply. 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 stated mandatory education requirement for this position series.
- The transcripts need not be official, but must show that you meet the stated education requirements, including specific major or class requirements. Provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
- 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.
- If you are qualifying based on possessing a current/unexpired Professional Engineer (PE) license, or passing the Engineer in Training (EIT) exam, please provide a copy of PE license or written documented proof of passing the EIT. For more information about EI and EIT registration requirements, please visit the National Society of Professional Engineers website at: http://www.nspe.org.
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 scoring at least an 85) and provide all of the following documents: 1) your most recent performance appraisal, and 2) the proof of eligibility letter from the Agency, and 3) 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 USA Jobs 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
Your application status will be updated online when applicable and you will be notified by email.
A final email will be generated when the vacancy closes. Note that there is no guarantee that your application will be reviewed under this vacancy, it depends on when and how often the selecting official(s) request to use this public notice.
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