Clarification from the agency

See Who May Apply under Requirements for more information on who is eligible to apply for this position.

NOTE: This recruitment is for a TERM position. It is a time limited position and MAY be extended up to a maximum of five years. For current DOI employees this MAY be a TEMP PROMOTION or TEMP REASSIGNMENT NTE . The position MAY be converted to a permanent, career or career conditional appointment without further competition as long as all requirements are met.

The incumbent works under closer than normal supervision at the trainee level performing assignments designed to provide the competencies, skills, and experience required to perform the more complex work at the journey man level. The work increases in difficulty, complexity, and responsibility as the incumbent gains experience and demonstrates a full comprehension of the target level position. As a trainee, this position may be eligible for non-competitive promotion to the target position upon meeting the following requirements: (1) The incumbent demonstrates the ability to perform at the target grade level; (2) Higher-level work exists at the target grade level; (3) Increased responsibilities are assigned; (4) The supervisor recommends promotion; and (5) the incumbent completes all required training and conditions of employment. Consequently, promotion is not guaranteed. As a trainee, the incumbent must perform work under the direct supervision and oversight of a journey level position.

The primary duty of this position is the operation of multiple Dams within the Klamath Project, located in Southern Oregon and Northern California.

-Operates electrical and mechanical equipment to regulate the positions of the gates and stop logs that comprise the control structures of Link River, Keno Dams Gerber, Clear Lake dams and various diversion dams and pumping plants.
-Requires extensive knowledge of performing water operation tasks for irrigation and flood control, calculating, and making prescribed water
releases, recording reservoir elevations and gate openings.
-Performs a variety of trades and crafts duties associated with the maintenance and operation of the Klamath Basin Area Office (KBAO), its grounds and facilities, using skills, techniques and methods of carpentry, painting, masonry, pipefitting, welding, irrigating, and calculating water releases.
-Coordinates with representatives of irrigation districts, individual water users, and other federal offices (e.g., U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) regarding water operations.
-Operates the gates at Link River and Keno Dams to maintain the required elevation of Upper Klamath Lake (UKL) and Lake Ewauna, as well as the flow rate in the Klamath River downstream of Keno Dam in accordance with the applicable regulatory requirements.
-Operates the emergency stand-by generator to provide electrical power to the Dam during utility system outages or on a monthly basis, as required by the maintenance schedule, for the emergency backup equipment.
-Maintains accurate and legible records of the daily operations of the Dams and enters the information in the logbook in accordance with format prescribed by the Standing Operating Procedures for both Keno and Link River Dams.
-Reads, records, and transmits lake elevation data, downstream river flow rates and stage data, staff gage readings at reservoirs and
conveyance system control points and all other required information.
-Operations may be required at any hour of the day, night, or weekend as dictated by the operations schedule, varying climatic conditions, or flood control requirements.
-Performs maintenance work on canals, drains, and water facility structures, including dams, pumping plants, check structure
turnouts, and bridges, etc. Places earthwork and riprap. Repairs, paints, and replaces water control gates and pipes.
-Constructs, installs, repairs, or modifies wooden items and structures, such as panels, concrete forms, dry walls, framework, interior and exterior trim, cabinets, fences, bridges, etc. Measures and cuts materials to required dimensions, assembles with appropriate hardware or
adhesives, and finishes completed work (e.g., planes, sands, seals, paints) as necessary.
-Performs fabrication and welding, including Metal Insert Gas (MIG), Tungsten Insert Gas (TIG), Arc and gas welding and cutting, operations on mild steel, cast iron, and aluminum to build or repair gates, bulk heads, turnouts, and stop logs.

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 experience requirements (see Qualifications).
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.
You must either possess a valid Class A Commercial Driver's License (CDL) at the time of application or be willing to obtain a valid Class A Commercial Driver's License (CDL) if selected for this position. Failure to maintain a Class A CDL will result in the termination of appointment.
You will be required to obtain a successful pre-employment physical examination by a licensed physician certifying your ability to perform the duties of this position. A physical exam may not be required if a comparable agency approved examination was performed within the last 12 months. The cost of the exam will be reimbursed by the agency.
You will be required to submit to a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment as a condition of employment. This position is also subject to random drug testing.
You must obtain and maintain a current Forklift Operator's license, State Herbicide license, Fixed Crane certification, Rigger certification, various Dam Tenders certification courses and a valid CPR and First Aid certificate. Failure to meet certification requirements could result in adverse consequences.
You are required to work a rotating weekend and holiday schedule.
you are required to perform temporary duty travel (TDY) approximately 10% of the time.
Continue to the Additional Information section for the Condition of Employment For Probationary Period.

Qualifications

Who may Apply:

• 30% or More Disabled Veterans
• Bureau of Reclamation Employees (Competitive)
• Bureau of Reclamation Employees (Non-Competitive)
• Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)
• Department of the Interior Employees (Competitive)
• Department of the Interior Employees (Non-Competitive)
• Federal Employees (Competitive Transfer)
• Federal Employees (Non-Competitive Transfer)
• Former Federal Employees (Competitive Reinstatement)
• Former Federal Employees (Non-Competitive Reinstatement)
• Individuals with Disabilities (Schedule A)
• Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)
• Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA)
• Military Spouses
• Miscellaneous Appointing Authorities
• Peace Corps & AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteers
• Public Lands Corps (PLC) Hiring Authority
• Special Hiring Authorities
• Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA)
• Veterans Recruitment Authority (VRA)

In order to be rated as qualified for this position, the HR Office must be able to determine that you meet the general work experience requirement - this information must be clearly supported in the resume.

Your application materials must demonstrate sufficient experience and training to perform the duties of this position without more than normal supervision. Qualifications will be determined on the basis of information submitted within your resume and responses to the assessment questions. For information about qualifications for Federal Wage System positions please, visit OPM.

Minimum qualifications for trades and labor positions are determined by evaluation of job elements. You must meet at least 2 points on the screen-out element(s) and obtain an average of at least 2 points on all of the job elements in order to be considered qualified 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.

Time-In-Grade: Current career or career-conditional employees of the Federal government, or former career or career-conditional employees, who have a break in service of less than one year, are required to meet the time-in-grade restriction of one year of Federal experience at the next lower-grade, with few exceptions outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b).

You must meet all Eligibility and Qualification requirements, including time-in-grade restrictions and any selective placement factors if applicable, by 01/29/2026.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Please limit your resume to no more than 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.

Human Resources (HR) will review resumes and submitted documents, if applicable, to ensure your meet the basic qualification requirements. HR will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided in the assessment questionnaire. The assessment questionnaire will take approximately 30 minutes to complete. Applicants determined best qualified will be referred to the selecting official.

You will be further evaluated on the following Job Elements through resume content and your responses to the application questionnaire:

Ability to Do the Work of the Position without More Than Normal Supervision ( Screen- Out)
Knowledge of Equipment Assembly, Installation, and Repair, etc.
Knowledge of Specific Equipment, Machinery, Structure, or Components That Are Involved
Operation of Job Family Specify Equipment, Machinery, etc.

The application questionnaire can be previewed here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12863018

Your answers will be verified against information provided in your resume. Your resume must clearly support the responses to all the questions by addressing experience, education, and/or training relevant to this position. You must make a fair and accurate assessment of your qualifications. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than what is apparent in the description of your experience, competencies, skills, and/or education/training (or that your resume/application is incomplete), you could be rated ineligible or your score could be lowered.

Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies with the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s). Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration. You may choose to opt in of having your information shared with other agencies when applying for this position. If an agency requests a copy of a certificate you are on, you will be notified.

Please submit the supporting documents outlined below applicable to your claimed eligibility status and the position and grade to which you are applying. Failing to submit required documents will result in non-consideration.

Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text. Headers may be slightly larger but must remain legible. All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression. Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.For more information, click here.

PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL: Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act/achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process. If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.

FEDERAL EMPLOYEES: Competitive Service current and/or former federal employees eligible for Promotion, Reassignment, Transfer, Reinstatement, etc. You must submit a copy of your SF-50, verifying highest rate of pay and documenting career or career-conditional status in the competitive service (Tenure 1 or 2) for which the applicant is claiming eligibility. Do not submit award SF-50s. If you are applying for a higher grade and your SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you meet the one year time-in-grade requirement so you will need to provide an SF-50 which clearly demonstrates you meet the time-in-grade requirements (examples of appropriate SF-50s include Promotions, Within-grade Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s with an effective date more than one year old). For more information, click here.

CAREER TRANSITION PROGRAMS: Permanent Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. You must submit a copy of your most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location. To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including selective factors, education and experience requirements) and score at least 85.0 on the assessment questionnaire as established, and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. For more information, click here.

VETERANS: Veterans preference eligible under VRA (GS-11 and below only), VEOA, 30% or more Disabled, or Disabled Veterans Enrolled in a VA Training Program. If you are claiming eligibility based on veterans preference entitlement, you must submit a copy of your latest Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (copy indicating character of service) or other proof of your service which includes character of service. If claiming disability preference, you must also submit the disability letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs or Armed Service and the Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, Standard Form 15. For more information, click here.

LAND MANAGEMENT WORKFORCE FLEXIBILITY ACT: Current or former land management agency appointees. You must submit (1) a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, that reflects having initially been hired under competitive examining procedures to a time limited (temporary/term) appointment; (2) a copy of SF-50(s), Notification of Personnel Action(s), that reflect having served under one (1) or more time-limited (temporary/term) appointments by a land management agency for a period totaling more than 24 months without a break in service of two (2) or more years; and (3) a copy of your Performance Appraisal Plan and/or Supervisor Memorandum that reflects having performed at an acceptable level during each period of service. For more information, click here.

PUBLIC LAND CORPS: Former PLC members. You must provide a copy of your signed Certificate of Non-Competitive Eligibility and clearly state in your resume time served and duties performed on an appropriate conservation project. For more information, click here.

OTHER HIRING AUTHORITIES: Applicants claiming eligibility based on a Special Hiring Authority must submit applicable proof of eligibility as outlined in the following site(s): Special Hiring Authorities, Schedule A, Peace Corps & AmeriCorps, Interchange Agreement, Military Spouse.

Next steps