Announcement Type

Direct-Hire Authority (DHA)

Position Type

Permanent

USACE Organization

North Atlantic Division (NAD) - New York District

Locations (City, State)

New York, NY / Jersey City, NJ

Position Overview/Duties

This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) announcement for a Supervisory Interdisciplinary (Chief, Watershed and Ecosystem Restoration Section) in the North Atlantic Division, New York District, Planning Division.

Who May Apply: Open to U.S. Citizens

Position/Series/Grade:

Supervisory Community Panner, GS-0020-13

Supervisory Economist, GS-0110-13

Supervisory Archaeologist, GS-0193-13

Supervisory Biologist, GS-0401-13

Supervisory General Engineer, GS-0801-13

Supervisory Architect, GS-0808-13

Supervisory Civil Engineer, GS-0810-13

Supervisory Physical Scientist, GS-1301-13

Supervisory Hydrologist, GS-1315-13

Job Posting Open Date: 14 OCT 2026

Job Posting Closing Date: 26 OCT 2026

Duty Location(s): USACE New York District will be relocating from 26 Federal Plaza, New York, NY to 3 2nd Street, Jersey City, NJ in March 2027. Incumbent will be required to work from and / or commute to this location.

New York, NY

Jersey City, NJ

Position Overview:

Serves as the Chief of Watershed and Ecosystem Restoration Section under the direction of the Plan Formulation Branch Chief, within the USACE New York District Planning Division, responsible for providing supervisory leadership for assigned personnel, building the technical expertise of the Section, communicating the results of plan formulation, maintaining a direct liaison with the Branch Chief and serving, as a backup, for all departmental operations. The duties and responsibilites for this position include, but are not limited to:

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Leads planning investigations, analyses, formulation and report preparation for improvements primarily to flood risk management, environmental restoration, watershed management.
• Provides support on navigation, coastal storm risk management, erosion control, multi-purpose reservoirs, and water supply within the parameters of the New York District Civil Works Program.
• Develops recommendations to solve problems as they arise and ensures that Branch Chief is furnished with essential information to render appropriate decisions.
• Provides supervisory leadership for assigned personnel by planning and assigning work, identifying workload priorities, evaluating performance, approving leave, resolving employee issues, supporting hiring actions, and identifying training and development needs.
• Utilizes knowledge and application of leadership and team building skills and techniques such as group facilitation, coordination, coaching, problem-solving, interpersonal communication, integration of work processes and products, and obtaining resources.
• Ensures proper administration of Section by exercising the full range of delegated personnel management authorities.
• Builds the technical expertise of the Section by ensuring that the organization’s strategic mission, vision, and values are integrated into works, plans and products.
• Communicates to non-supervisory personnel the assignment, project or problem to be solved, actionable events, milestones, and/or program issues under review, and deadlines and time frames for completion.
• Monitors and reports on the status and progress of work, checking on work in progress and reviewing completed work to see that the Branch Chief’s instructions on work priorities, methods, deadlines and quality have been met.
• Coaches individuals in the selection and application of appropriate problem-solving methods and techniques, provides advice on work methods, practices and procedures, and assists the team and/or individual members in identifying the parameters of a viable solution.
• Communicates the results of plan formulation through leading the production of decision documents prepared by Plan Formulation Branch.
• Prepares and/or oversees correspondence to higher USACE authority, other agencies, members of Congress and the public on matters of policy, direction, queries, complaints and budgetary matters.
• Represents the Section consensus and conveys findings and recommendations to supervisory chain, counterpart Section Chiefs, program officials, the public, and other customers on issues that have an impact on objectives, work products, and/or tasks.

Other Conditions and Requirements

This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) solicitation utilizing the DHA for Certain Personnel of the DoD, Section 9905 to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service.

This is a CP#18 — Engineering and Construction Career Field position.

In order to qualify, you must meet the Basic Requirements described below. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience;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. If qualifying based on education, be prepared to submit a copy of your official academic transcripts upon request.

Minimum Education Requirement:

Community Planning: Degree in community planning; or related field such as urban affairs, architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, sociology, geography, economics, political science, or public administration that included at least 12 semester hours in the planning process, socioeconomic and physical elements of planning, urban and regional economic analysis, and development finance. Applicants with degrees in related fields, such as those listed above, who do not have the 12 semester hours of specified course work must have had at least 1 year of work experience in community planning acquired under the supervision and guidance of a community planner.

Economist: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in economics that included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus.

Archaeologist: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) that included 3 semester hours each in the following course areas: (1) history of archeology; (2) archeology of a major geographical area such as North America or Africa; (3) regional archeology, archeological cultures, or sites in a specific part or portion of a major geographical area to acquire or develop a foundation for regional specialization for professional development; (4) theory and methods of archeology which include, but are not limited to, typology, classification, sampling, cultural evolution, diffusion, dating, and analytical techniques; (5) archeological field school, to provide a basic understanding of theoretical and practical approaches to research design implementation, field preservation techniques, and report preparation by participation in actual field work; AND six semester hours of related course work in: (1) geography, geology, or cultural geography; (2) history, historiography, or historical archeology; (3) environmental studies; (4) scientific writing (nonfiction English composition); and/or (5) surveying; AND archeological field school.

Biologist: Bachelor’s degree (or higher degree) in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

Engineering: Bachelor's degree (or higher) 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.

Architect: Bachelor's degree (or higher) in architecture, or a related field that included 60 semester hours of course work in architecture or related disciplines of which at least (1) 30 semester hours were in architectural design, and (2) 6 semester hours were in each of the following: structural technology, properties of materials and methods of construction, and environmental control systems.

Physical Scientist: Bachelor's degree (or higher) in physical science, engineering, or mathematics which included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics.

Hydrologist: Bachelor's degree (or higher) in physical or natural science, or engineering that included at least 30 semester hours in any combination of courses in hydrology, the physical sciences, geophysics, chemistry, engineering science, soils, mathematics, aquatic biology, atmospheric science, meteorology, geology, oceanography, or the management or conservation of water resources. Course work included at least 6 semester hours in calculus (including both differential and integral calculus), and at least 6 semester hours in physics.

Time in Grade Requirement: 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).

Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-12 level in federal service, that includes:

1) Reviewing planning reports for technical accuracy,

2) Composing planning level decision documents,

3) Investigating a variety of complex scientific and/or engineering problems,

4) Developing plans for civil works projects/activities.

OPM General Schedule Qualification Standards: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=Occupational-Series

Other Requirements:

• Applications must be submitted after 12:01 AM (EST) of the posted Job Posting Open Date and before 11:45 PM (EST) of the posted Job Posting Close Date to receive consideration.
• All positions require the applicant to be a citizen of the United States.
• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, are required to register for Selective Service prior to appointment.
• A trial or probationary period may be required.
• Direct deposit of pay is required.
• This position has a Temporary Duty (TDY) or business travel requirement of 5% of the time.
• The incumbent must possess or obtain and maintain a valid state Driver's License in one of the 50 U.S. states or its possessions to operate vehicles.
• Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
• Hiring incentives such as a recruitment/relocation bonus, service credit for leave, and student loan repayment may be authorized (subject to available budget). Before the payment of a Relocation Incentive, an employee must provide residence documentation and maintain a residence in the new geographic location for the duration of the service agreement.
• PCS expenses may be authorized (subject to available budget) if the selecting official determines the relocation is in the best interests of the government.
• This position may be eligible for situational telework.
• This position requires the incumbent to file an OGE Form 450, Financial Disclosure Report, upon entering into duty in this position and annually thereafter.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor

To learn more, please visit the Office of Equal Opportunity (https://www.eeoc.gov/federal-sector/federal-employees-job-applicants).

Qualifications - Candidates will be evaluated in accordance with OPM General Schedule (GS) Qualification Standards or Federal Wage System (FWS) Qualifications and Job Elements

GS Standards: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/

Reasonable Accommodation

Reasonable accommodation is available to qualified employees with disabilities. You can request a reasonable accommodation at any time during the application process, hiring process or while on the job. Requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.