Environmental Protection Specialist - Direct Hire Job

Vacancy No. FHWA.BIL-2024-0024 Department Federal Highway Administration
Salary $86,962.00 to $167,336.00 Grade 12 to 13
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 11/22/2024 Close Date 11/21/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Juneau, AKWasilla, AKMontgomery, ALLittle Rock, AR


Summary

You will be responsible for assuring that environmental programs, studies, and/or documents comply with appropriate environmental policy acts, regulations and laws. You will also provide guidance and technical expertise to State Departments of Transportation, State and local transportation partners, Tribal Governments, Federal resource and regulatory agencies, and/or internal FHWA offices.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

This announcement serves as a Direct Hire Public Notice to gather resumes. Applications will be accepted from All U.S. Citizens under Direct Hire Authority. The 'Rule of Three', Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy.

Duties

Duties will vary depending on office and position. As an Environmental Protection Specialist within FHWA, you will:

  • Serve as an advisor on FHWA environmental policy, laws, regulations.
  • Advise FHWA stakeholders and Federal and State partner agencies on Federal environmental responsibilities and FHWA regulations, policies, and guidance.
  • Collaborate with and advise stakeholders of special environmental concerns.
  • Conduct program and/or process reviews to ensure that Federal requirements and environmental commitments are achieved.
  • Identify and determine relevant interagency technical/policy issues warranting coordination.
  • Provide technical assistance to resolve program and project-specific issues.

The ideal candidate is an employee with experience implementing environmental laws, regulations, or policy and effective communication skills.

Requirements

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.
  • BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: You may be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding.
  • POSITION SENSITIVITY AND RISK: Varies by position and will be based on the position to which appointed.
  • SECURITY CLEARANCE: Varies by position.  If applicable, you must be able to obtain and maintain the appropriate security clearance of the position to which appointed.
  • PCS/RELOCATION/RECRUITMENT: Permanent Change of Station (PCS), Relocation, and Recruitment Incentive authorization varies by position/selection and a service agreement may be required. 
  • PROBATIONARY PERIOD: You must complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).
  • GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: Travel will vary by position. If the position requires travel, a government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
  • TOUR RENEWAL/HOME LEAVE: Tour renewal and home leave may be offered based on location and position/selection and a service agreement may be required.
  • FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: Varies by position. If applicable, the applicant selected is required to submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) within 30 days of appointment and annually thereafter.
  • TELEWORK ELIGIBILITY:  If approved for occasional telework, you will be required to report to the office on a regular basis. The number of telework days approved is determined by the agency policy, emergency situations, the approval of your immediate supervisor, and if applicable, approval of additional officials.
  • REMOTE WORK: This position may be eligible for remote work. If selected for a remote work position, you must have access to high speed internet and cell phone service meeting current agency standards from the approved work location within the Contiguous United State and sign a remote work agreement.

Qualifications

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-12: You qualify for this grade level if you have at least one year of specialized experience, equal or equivalent to the GS-11 grade level, which included:

  • Experience applying environmental standards, methods, and practices to assure full implementation of environmental laws, regulations, and policies; AND
  • Experience preparing and reviewing environmental documents; AND 
  • Experience working with Federal, State, and/or other organizations in accordance with environmental requirements.

You cannot qualify on education at grades GS-12 and above, you must meet the specialized experience for each grade, which is cited above.

For the GS-13:You qualify for this grade level if you have at least one year of specialized experience, equal or equivalent to the GS-12 grade level, which included: 

  • Experience applying environmental standards, methods, and practices to assure full implementation of environmental laws, regulations, and policies; AND
  • Experience preparing and reviewing environmental documents; AND 
  • Experience working with Federal, State, and/or other organizations to resolve environmental issues/problems.

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:

  1. Technical Credibility - Understands and appropriately applies principles, procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies related to specialized expertise.
  2. Compliance - Knowledge of procedures for assessing, evaluating, and monitoring programs or projects for compliance with Federal laws, regulations, and guidance.
  3. Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
  4. Written Communication - Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.

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

All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

TELEWORK ELIGIBILITY: Telework availability will be based upon the mission requirements and supervisory determination.  If approved for occasional telework, you will be required to report to the office on a regular basis. The number of telework days approved is determined by the agency policy, emergency situations, the approval of your immediate supervisor, and if applicable, approval of additional officials.

REMOTE WORK: This position may be eligible for Remote Work.  Remote work is an arrangement in which an employee works at an alternative worksite (e.g., from home) and is not expected to report to the office to work. Remote work location will be determined upon/after selection and may affect locality pay. If selected as a remote work position, must have access to high speed internet and cell phone service meeting current Agency standards from the approved work location within the Contiguous United State and sign a remote work agreement.  The difference in salary is determined by the locality pay in each location. Salaries for all areas are available on the OPM website at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2024/general-schedule/.

Nonforeign Area Cost-of-Living Allowances: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/pay-systems/nonforeign-areas/#url=COLA-Rates

If applicable, the agency has the option of extending a term appointment up to the 4-year limit.

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Qualified CTAP/ICTAP candidates receive priority and will be referred to the hiring manager.

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Transportation by email at, FairChanceAct@dot.gov. To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation 

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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Given our continuing need for professionals in one or more functional areas of this field, we will routinely review applications and refer candidates for potential interviews multiple times during the open period of the announcement. Positions may be filled at one or more organizational units within the Federal Highway Administration based on need.

When a certificate of eligibles is requested, only those applications received for location(s)/grade(s) by the request date will be reviewed to determine if the basic qualifications for this position, and grades applied to, are met. Applications that are determined to meet the basic qualifications will be referred to the selecting official(s) for further consideration.  If the Selecting Official wish to contact you for an interview or for selection, they will do so directly. Equal consideration will be given to all applications received.

Note: 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 announced covered by public notice.

Applicants will not be rated or ranked.  Veteran’s Preference does NOT apply.

How You will be Evaluated: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume/application does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination.


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

RESUME – Your resume MUST contain specific information used to make a qualification determination that includes employment beginning and ending dates for each position, whether employment is Full-time or Part-time or average number of hours worked per week, and position titles. If the position is/was in the Federal government, you will need to provide the position series and grade level. The resume should show relevant experience and education as well as support the required specialized experience. Formatted resumes may be uploaded later in the application process. For assistance with the resume builder, please visit:  https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to

DISPLACED EMPLOYEES: Displaced employees may be eligible for ICTAP or CTAP priority consideration. For more information, please review the OPM Employee's Guide to Career Transition. 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 or falling in the Gold Category)  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.

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.

How to Apply

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

Agency contact information

Automated Staffing Office
Address
DOT, FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION
Submit Application and Documents Online
1200 New Jersey Ave SE / HAHR - 50
Washington, District of Columbia 20590
United States
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Your application status will be updated online when applicable and you will be notified by email.

A final status update will be made 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 for specific location(s) and grade(s).

Additional Locations


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


© 2006-2024, exclusive of U. S. government job opportunity announcements