Civil Engineer (Structural) - Direct Hire

Summary

The employee serves as a technical advisor for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Division office managing and promoting Federal highway programs applicable to bridges and other structures within the State. Coordinating and evaluating structural programs and assists within the Division office addressing technically complex or controversial issues on project specific applications related to structures.

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Overview

• Accepting applications

• Open & closing dates

04/15/2024 to 05/01/2024

• Salary

$81,963 - $127,707 per year

• Pay scale & grade

GS 11 - 12

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Location

1 vacancy in the following location:

• Cambridge, MA

• Remote job

No

• Telework eligible

Yes-as determined by the agency policy.

• Travel Required

Occasional travel

• Occasional travel will be required to conduct inspections of existing structures or construction projects.

• Relocation expenses reimbursed

Yes-Relocation expenses are authorized for this position.

• Appointment type

Permanent

• Work schedule

Full-time

• Full Time

• Service

Competitive

• Promotion potential

12

• Job family (Series)

0810 Civil Engineering

• Supervisory status

No

• Security clearance

Other

• Drug test

No

• Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

• Trust determination process

Suitability/Fitness

• Announcement number

FHWA.FO-2024-0104

• Control number

785892800

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This job is open to

• The public

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

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.

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Duties

As a Civil Engineer (Structural), you will:

• Evaluate and promote improvements in the State's administration of Federal programs for bridges and structures and encourage the use of enhanced planning, design, and construction, preservation, inspection, and maintenance practices for structures.

• Provide oversight of State compliance with the National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS) and recommend improvements.

• Participate in maintaining and conducting an oversight program for bridges and structures under design and construction and coordinate with responsible Division staff and State representatives.

• For projects designated as full oversight, the employee plays a key role in reviewing structural plans for suitability of structural adequacy, economy, safety, aesthetics, hydraulics, foundation, and overall concept. Perform construction reviews/inspections and evaluate and render a decision relative to the State's proposed remedial actions, making recommendations associated therewith.

The ideal candidate for this position is a seasoned mid-career structural engineering professional with diverse experience in bridge, tunnel design, construction inspection, and bridge, tunnel program management.

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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.
• 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.
• 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: Varies by position and is determined by the hiring agency. If selected, a one-year or two-year probationary period may be required.
• 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 AND WORK CONDITIONS: Inspections in the field involve exposure to both hot and cold weather and hazards of construction equipment and occasionally working high above ground level.
• 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 transcripts or other applicable documentation for verification, AND (3) meet the specialized experience requirements, or education if applicable, for each grade 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 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.

(2) Upload the appropriate document(s) to your application for verification purposes.

(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, and/or verify education if applicable.

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 include:

• Experience assisting in the development and/or evaluation of plans, specifications, and estimates packages for bridges related to transportation projects; AND
• Experience inspecting bridges under construction; AND
• Experience inspecting in-service bridges using National Bridge Standards (NBIS).

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 developing and/or evaluating the quality of plans, specifications, and estimate (PS&E) packages for bridges related to transportation projects; AND
• Experience inspecting in-service bridges using National Bridge Standards (NBIS); AND
• Experience inspecting bridges under construction and/or assessing compliance of bridge condition.

Although you must first meet the mandatory education requirement, you cannot qualify for the GS-12 grade based on education, you must meet the specialized experience, which is cited above.

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:

• 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.

• Written Communication

• Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.

• Structural Engineering

• Knowledge of the concepts, principles, theories, and methods related to the design and analysis of complex structures using a variety of materials. Structures may include aerospace systems or structures, and other determinate or indeterminate systems.

• Problem Solving

• Identifies and analyzes problems, weighs relevance and accuracy of information; generates and evaluates alternative solutions; makes recommendations.

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).

Students enrolled in a qualifying degree program can apply to the GS-11 grade based on education 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 the Mandatory Education Requirements.

Additional information

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.

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• Benefits

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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 window

Learn 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.

For this announcement, all applicants will be reviewed to determine if they meet the basic qualifications for this position, specifically the educational requirements. Applications that are verified to meet the basic qualifications will be referred to the selecting official.

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

DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. 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.

Please ensure that your work history provides enough details to support your answers.

You may preview questions for this vacancy.

• Benefits

Help

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 window

Learn 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.

• Required Documents

As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.

RESUME - All applicants must provide a resume created within USA Jobs Resume Builder, that shows relevant experience, education and support the required specialized experience. Formatted resumes can by uploaded later in the application process.