Summary

This position is part of the WAPA-SNR-Sierra Nevada Region. As a Power System Dispatcher, you will be responsible for the real-time operations of Bulk Power Systems (BPS) performing real-time actions during normal and emergency conditions to ensure the stable and reliable operation of the Bulk Electric System (BES).

*This is not a remote position. The selectee must be physically present at the Folsom, CA duty location.*

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.

Veterans

Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces or a spouse, widow, widower or parent of a veteran, who may be eligible for derived preference

Military spouses

Military spouses of active duty service members or whose spouse is 100 percent disabled or died on active duty.

Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens, Nationals, or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Duties

As a Power System Dispatcher, you will:

Review logs, reports, and receive pertinent verbal information from departing dispatchers to ascertain present conditions of the power system. Develop a general operating plan for the shift based on system conditions and scheduled or anticipated facility outages.
Take prompt and appropriate actions to maintain strict compliance with FERC Standards of Conduct and NERC Standards.
Perform real-time system studies to determine system impacts of possible contingencies and determine mitigation of possible operating conditions.
Monitor and operate power system equipment considering public safety and proper operation within equipment capabilities. Initiate or direct timely and appropriate real-time actions during normal and emergency conditions to ensure the stable and reliable operation of the BES and lower voltage systems while taking corrective action, as required to achieve or maintain these limitations; including re-dispatch of generation, cancellation of planned generation and transmission outages without prior supervisory approval.
Utilize EMS and other advanced applications to control, record, modify parameters, verify, and analyze BES and lower voltage systems operational data.
Assume responsibilities of Power System Dispatcher Outage Coordinator or other higher graded power system dispatcher duties, when required.
Comply with the Operating Instructions from the Reliability Coordinator and/or other power system operating entities, as appropriate, for both real-time and next day operating events. Issue Operating Instructions to other power system operating entities, as appropriate, to maintain BPS and lower voltage systems reliability.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by a background investigation.
May be required to successfully complete a probationary/trial period. Employees serving on a probationary or trial period may be terminated at any time during the probationary or trial period for performance, conduct, or business-related reasons in the interest of Federal service.
In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to the four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answers to these questions are not scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration.
Limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages. If more than two pages are submitted, only the first two pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility and qualifications.
Position is subject to random drug testing.
You must pass pre-employment drug testing.
You must pass pre-employment medical examination. The position requires a pre-appointment and annual physical exam at Federal expense.
Security clearance and associated requirements- non-sensitive/high risk.
If the incumbent does not hold a valid NERC certification at the time of appointment, it must be obtained within 180 days from the date of hire. Failure to be able to obtain the required NERC certification may result in disciplinary action up to removal from appointment.
The incumbent must be at least 18 years of age, able to obtain and maintain Defensive Drivers certification and have a valid state driver's license. Defensive Driver's training will be completed upon employment.
This position may be in a Bargaining Unit.

Qualifications

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level [AD-03/GS-11] in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as experience in all the following:

Power system operator experience with interconnected system monitoring of voltages, power flows, maintaining limits, responding to changing system conditions, meeting safety, reliability, and coordination requirements, and adhering to applicable policies, procedures, and guidelines, -AND-
Using power system switching procedures to prepare, check and direct routine and emergency switching activities, -AND-
Using a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)/Energy Management System (EMS) in order to monitor system conditions and respond to contingencies.

"Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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.

Limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages. If more than two pages are submitted, only the first two pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility and qualifications.

Education

For this position, education cannot be substituted for experience.

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across DOE.
For general information on government-wide Telework polices visit: www.telework.gov.
Applicants may request Reasonable Accommodation (RA) when applying or competing for a job due to a medical condition or to exercise religious beliefs. If you need reasonable accommodation in the application or selection process, please contact the Agency Contact listed on this vacancy announcement.
Promotion Potential: This position is at the full performance level.
The selectee for this position may be eligible to receive a recruitment or relocation incentive. You will need to sign an employment agreement to be eligible for this incentive.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs are not authorized.
This position may be eligible for creditable service towards annual leave. Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. DOE may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.
Salary negotiation may be available for those candidates who are new to Federal service.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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.

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.

Once the application process is complete, the first two pages of your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications.

Structured Resume Review: Subject matter experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required competencies. SMEs will review ONLY the first two (2) pages of your resume. SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume).

The Department of Energy uses an application tracking system to evaluate the scores provided from the SME resume review to place you into an initial quality category via OPM's Category Rating procedures. These categories are "Best Qualified", "Well Qualified", and "Qualified."

Minimum Qualifications: Once the application process is complete, the Human Resources Offices or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will review the first two pages of your resume and supporting documentation to determine whether you meet the minimum job qualifications.

If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses you provided in your online questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

Administration and Management
Decision Making
Technical Competence
Technical Competence

Application of Veterans' Preference: If you are a preference eligible candidate, you will be listed at the top of whichever quality category your rating places you in. CP/CPS veterans are placed at the top of the highest category for all positions except professional and scientific positions at GS-9 and higher.

Career Transition Assistance Programs: To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet the eligibility criteria; and 2) be rated "well-qualified".

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date (12/30/2025) of this announcement.

To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12853805.

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you MUST provide a complete application package which includes:

Your two (2) page RESUME showing all relevant work experience (paid and unpaid) including: duties performed; full name and address of the each employer; start and end dates (month/day/year); work schedule (part-time, full-time, number of hours if intermittent); salary; and any completed education and training (program title, subject area, number of hours completed, and completion date).

If applicable:

Veterans' Preference documentation,if applicable, DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing type of discharge/character of service; current active duty members- certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions dated within 120 days; SF-15 Form and related documentation; VA letter. For more information visit the USAJOBS Help Center & OPM CHCOC website for VOW information.
Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program documentation, if applicable(e.g., Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.) For more information see the OPM Guide to Career Transition.

Failure to submit any of the above mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

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.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the announcement closing date to receive consideration.

The application process is as follows:

You must have a login.gov account to sign into USAJOBS: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/account/.
To begin the application process in USAJOBS, click the Apply Online button.
Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all required and supporting documentation.
You must click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 pm (ET) on the announcement closing date.

You may update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period by returning to your USAJOBS account, select Update Application: https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To verify the status of your application, during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account; applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each application status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

If you need help with login.gov or USAJOBS (e.g., account access, Resume Builder) visit the USAJOBS Help Center: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/

If you experience difficulty applying on USAJOBS, after clicking the Apply Online button, or you are experiencing a significant hardship hindering your ability to apply online, the Agency Contact listed in the announcement can assist you during normal business hours. If you receive any system error messages, take screenshots if possible, to aid technical support.

Agency contact information

PMA Careers

Email: PMACareers@wapa.gov

Address: WAPA-SNR-Sierra Nevada Region
12155 W. Alameda Pkwy
Lakewood, CO 80228
US

Next steps

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. The status of your application will be updated in USAJOBS as it is evaluated.

You can check the status by logging into USAJOBS. You may also sign up to receive automatic emails anytime the status of your application changes by logging into your USAJobs Account and editing the Notification Settings.

You will be contacted directly if an interview is required.

Power System Dispatcher Job in Folsom, CA