Conservation Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

Conservation Engineer ID: AIA1-009 Location: Des Moines Program: ACE
Wage/Hr: $45.00 Hours/Week: 30 Minimum Age: 55

Disclaimer: This is not a federal position. This role is offered through a partnership agreement and does not constitute an NRCS hiring action.

This position is a non-federal role funded through an existing agreement between NRCS and NEW Solutions. The enrollee will provide direct support to farmers and landowners, enabling the implementation of conservation practices on the ground. This role contributes to NRCS's mission by enhancing capacity in field offices and ensuring timely assistance to producers. It is designed to free up NRCS staff for emergency and high-priority responses, not to replace federal staff.

This role helps ensure continued progress on conservation planning, practice implementation, and technical assistance, especially in high-demand or disaster-affected areas. It aligns with the Administration's priorities for farmer-first, field-facing, and partner-enabled capacity expansion.

For over 25 years, National Experienced Workforce Solutions (NEW Solutions) has specialized in connecting experienced workers (ages 55+) with full-time and part-time job opportunities that support the critical missions of Federal Agencies across the United States.

NEW Solutions connects experienced workers (ages 55+) with the Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS). These are experienced professionals who provide technical and professional assistance to the Department of Agriculture for the Agriculture Conservation Experienced Services (ACES) Program.

Benefits: Paid Health Insurance Premium for positions budgeted at 60+ hours per pay period, Accrued Vacation and Sick Leave, Paid Federal Holidays, and optional Vision and Dental Insurance available for positions budgeted at 35+ hours per pay period.

Positions listed here do not guarantee employment for any definite period. Enrollment in the Experienced Worker Programs administered by NEW Solutions is temporary. The enrollment relationship between NEW Solutions and the Enrollee is an ?at-will? relationship. This means that an Enrollee is free to terminate enrollment at any time during the enrollment period, and NEW Solutions and the Agency have the right to terminate the relationship with the Enrollee.

PLEASE NOTE: An ?ACES Enrollee? is not a federal employee, nor an employee of NEW Solutions. An ?ACES Enrollee? is a participant in a grant program established through a Cooperative Agreement funded by the USDA-NRCS and administered by NEW Solutions.

This opportunity applies to applicants legally eligible to work in the United States.

Qualifications:

Minimum of 15 year(s) of experience in inventory, evaluation, planning, design, analysis and construction of engineering projects varying in size from smaller individual farm projects to extensive watershed projects. This includes preparation and/or review of geologic investigations, design computations, technical specifications, and oversight of various agency programs, including EQIP, CSP and RCPP. This position will require skills in hydraulics, hydrology, irrigation, watershed planning, stream stabilization and renovation, soil mechanics, erosion and sediment control, and storm water mgt. OR BA/BS Degree in (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.

• Professional Engineering Registration, extensive demonstrated knowledge of NRCS engineering survey, design, construction and certification processes.
• Experience required with Windows, MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint

Duties:

This position is a conservation engineer. Duties will include working with NRCS staff, Partners, and Watershed Sponsors on watershed related issues such as maintenance and repair questions, site investigations, design and construction, responding to programmatic questions, receiving and tracking communications between NRCS and Sponsors, advising the State Conservation Engineer, and helping to prepare draft communications to Sponsors.

• Duties will also include assisting in the determination of hazard classification for both watershed and non-watershed dams; completing NRCS dam inspections as assigned by the SCE; completing breach routings and hazard class potential evaluations as assigned by the SCE; and provide training to staff on the Engineering Division regarding these assigned duties.   100%

• Physical requirements: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

NEW Solutions is committed to promoting equal opportunity and to an environment free from discrimination and harassment in any form administering Experienced Worker Programs under cooperative agreements with federal agencies. It is NEW Solutions' policy to comply with all applicable laws that provide equal opportunity and to prohibit unlawful discrimination in enrolling participants in the federal programs.