Summary About the Position: This job announcement will fill multiple vacancies for a Civil Engineer (Structural) at the full performance levels (FPLs) of GS-11, GS-12, GS-13. Responsibilities GS-11: Develop design details of structural features for structures such as navigation locks, floodwalls, floodgates, control structures, pumping stations, ports, harbors, and bridges, and determining engineering principles that apply. GS-11: Confer with engineers in other organizational units to resolve conflicts in design and construction and recommends solutions. GS-11: Provide structural engineering services for new construction and rehabilitations on large, complex river navigation (locks and dams), flood control reservoir and local flood protection projects. GS-12: Perform analysis and design applying standard engineering methods and techniques in the performance of preliminary and final design. GS-12: Prepare construction contract documents for various structural features for challenging and complex Civil Works projects for river navigation systems, flood control reservoir projects and, local flood protection projects. GS-12: Coordinate structural aspects of projects with multi-disciplined engineering team, Operations personnel and Construction Engineering personnel responsible for related specialized phases of the project. GS-13: Review and interpret policy and regulations, maintains awareness of current advances in structural design, and implements these in District projects. GS-13: Prepare technical scopes of work and support negotiations. GS-13: Mentor and coach lower-graded structural engineers. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities. 30 Percent or More Disabled Veterans Current Department of Army Civilian Employees Current Department of Defense (DOD) Civilian Employee (non-Army) Domestic Defense Industrial Base/Major Range and Test Facilities Base Civilian Personnel Workforce Executive Order (E.O.) 12721 Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act Military Spouse Preference (MSP) for Overseas Employment Non-Department of Defense (DoD) Transfer Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Interchange Agreement Eligible Postal Service/Peace Corps and Other Unique Authorities Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible Priority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement Priority Placement Program, DoD Retained Grade Preference Eligible Reinstatement Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) of 1998 This job announcement will fill multiple vacancies at the full performance levels (FPLs) of GS-11, GS-12, GS-13. Applicants selected at the FPL level are not eligible for promotion to a higher grade without competition or a valid non-competitive eligibility. This is not a developmental job announcement. In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience and your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Basic Requirement for Engineer: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in engineering. Program must:(1) lead to a bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET); OR (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics. OR B. College-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding 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:1. Professional registration or licensure- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.2. Written Test - Successfully passing 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, or Puerto Rico.3. Specified academic courses - At least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in A above. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program.4. Related curriculum - 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 degree in engineering, provided the applicant has 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, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. Education In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: TO QUALIFY FOR THE FPL GS-11: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes assisting senior level engineers in the preparation of analysis, design and inspections of structures; Creating conceptual versions of contract drawings, as well as preliminary calculations, quantities, and technical specifications; Performing initial review of project submittals to ensure they are in accordance with the contract plans and specifications; Participating in onsite inspections during construction, periodic safety assessments and structural evaluations. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-9). OR Education: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: Engineering or Architecture. OR A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages. TO QUALIFY FOR THE FPL GS-12: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes independently developing designs for structural features of large projects; developing design computations for structures composed of steel and/or reinforced concrete; independently preparing structural engineering documents such as drawings and specifications; performing structural site evaluations and investigations; leading multi-discipline project design teams in the development of plans, specifications, and studies for large or a combination of smaller engineering projects. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-11). TO QUALIFY FOR THE FPL GS-13: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes performing as lead structural designer and technical expert of complex construction engineering projects; Coordinating and designing structural features for buildings and other structures; Providing guidance and construction support on complex structural design efforts for technical challenges on complex construction projects; Identifying, reviewing and evaluating advanced technical structural designs for compliance and feasibility, offering recommendations on technical issues and design modifications; Coordinating with contractors, design teams, and infrastructure stakeholders to incorporate structural design and construction modifications to resolve structural and construction projects challenges. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-12). Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For the GS-12 and GS-13 jobs, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted. Time in Grade Requirement for GS-11: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-09). Time in Grade Requirement for GS-12: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-11). Time in Grade Requirement for GS-13: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-12). FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration. You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship. One year trial/probationary period may be required. Direct deposit of pay is required. Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees. If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet. This is an Engineers and Scientists Career Field position. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement. When you perform a Civilian Permanent Change of Station (PCS) with the government, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers the majority of your entitlements to be taxable. Visit https://www.dfas.mil/civilianemployees/civrelo/Civilian-Moving-Expenses-Tax-Deduction/ for more information. PCS may be authorized. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives may be authorized (up to 25%). Pay will be set based on duty location and grade level. Please visit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2025/general-schedule/ for the current GS Locality Pay Tables. Position may be subject to a Special Salary Rate (SSR) under the applicable pay table. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable\Accommodations\for\USA\Hire
