Electrical Engineer, GS-0850-11/12 (66898)

Position Overview

The Walla Walla District US Army Corps of Engineers helps manage local water resources for navigation, flood damage reduction, disaster assistance, hydroelectric power generation, and other natural and heritage areas. 

Duties

• Serve as a senior (GS-12) or developmental senior (GS-11) engineer carrying out assignments independently using professional judgment in planning and initiating work techniques and approaches.
• Develop preliminary and final designs for electrical systems such as power distribution, lighting, control systems, fault and arc flash studies, feeder sizing, voltage drops, Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) logic, and service entrances.
• Independently design and program PLCs (Programmable Logic Controller) for industrial control systems. 
• Projects include multipurpose hydroelectric dams, river navigation structures, fish bypass facilities, and rehabilitation and modernization of existing dams and hatcheries. 
• Utilize AutoCAD Electrical, Revit or similar advanced modeling tools for the development of contract plans and drawings.
• Complete arc flash studies for facilities ranging in complexity from simple building distribution systems to complex hydroelectric dams utilizing arc flash analysis software such as Etap, SKM, or EasyPower. 
• Review shop drawings and descriptive literature submitted by contractors for contract and design compliance.
• Perform calculations and computation as required to determine that the contractor proposed material and equipment is suitable and adequate for the purpose intended.
• Review and checks detailed design, design analysis, plans and specifications prepared by both Electrical Design Section and A-E (Architect-Engineer) contractors for equipment, fixtures, and systems, etc.
• Prepares correspondence to Construction Branch, explaining in detail the action taken and the comments, changes, and additions marked on the shop drawings and descriptive literature.
• Performs a variety of related tasks such as preparation and review of correspondence and reports, and assists with preparation of portions of specifications for special systems and equipment, and portions of estimates for fair costs and change order actions relative to assigned projects.
• Make field site inspections of existing equipment, construction in progress, and completed projects and creates studies and/or provides electrical observations regarding operation, condition, and evaluations of systems.

This job opportunity is open to CURRENT, PERMANENT USACE EMPLOYEES ONLY

This opportunity is being announced through the USACE Voluntary Internal Opportunities Program (VIOP). Current, permanent USACE employees with non-competitive eligibility to be placed in this position are eligible to apply. This program may only be utilized for non-competitive placements, including voluntary reassignments, promotions not-to-exceed 120 days, voluntary changes to lower grade, details, and deployment opportunities. Employees interested in permanent or temporary promotions longer than 120 days must apply through USAJOBS, or other approved merit procedures or hiring authorities. Temporary or term employees and Department of Army Fellows assigned to USACE will not be considered for positions or assignments through VIOP.

We are specifically seeking a non-competitive reassignment for this opportunity but may consider other non-competitive placement options highlighted above.

 Conditions of Employment

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• Must possess or obtain and maintain a valid state Driver's License in one of the 50 U.S. states or possessions to operate vehicles.
• TDY travel may be required up to 15% of the time.

QUALIFICATIONS

Who May Apply: This job opportunity is open to CURRENT, PERMANENT USACE EMPLOYEES ONLY.

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or 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; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Basic Requirements for Electrical Engineer (0850):
 

A. Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in engineering. To be acceptable, the 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. Combination of Education and Experience: 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, 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:

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 - 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, or Puerto Rico.
 

3. Specified academic courses - Successful completion of 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 - 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 degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily 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.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

GS-11 Specialized Experience: I have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service which includes experience in electrical engineering design used for the installation of electrical equipment, such as power distribution systems, control systems, service feeds, or switchgear. (Specific experience must be well documented in resume).

GS-12 Specialized Experience: I have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service which includes experience performing power engineering (1) analysis AND (2) design. (Specific experience with power engineering must be well documented in resume).

Physical Effort: The work is usually sedentary. There are no special physical demands.

 
Working Conditions: Work occurs in a typical office setting.
 

Additional information

• Eligible for Special Salary Rate (SSR) 0755.  Salary $98,948 - $126,186
• A relocation incentive MAY be authorized.
• Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs may be authorized, subject to the provisions of the Joint Travel Regulations.
• 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/ (https://www.dfas.mil/civilianemployees/civrelo/Civilian-Moving-Expenses-Tax-Deduction/) for more information.
• One-year trial/probationary period may be required.
• Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
• This position is covered under the Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) Bargaining Unit.