Civil Engineer

Summary

About the Position: Serves as Project Manager for the Norfolk District's Deep Draft and Shallow Draft Navigation Operations and Maintenance (O&M) projects within the District's area of responsibility. Primarily, the waterway system associated with the Port of Virginia.

Eligible for non-competitive promotion to the GS-13 level after meeting required time-in-grade, qualifying experience, and obtaining PE license (if not already acquired).

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Duties

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• The incumbent is the focal point within the District for the coordination of all phases of assigned projects from preliminary planning through completion of work.
• Works closely with the Chief, Design Section, other functional chiefs, project engineers, programming personnel and other involved employees to accomplish long- and short-range goals and objectives.
• Routinely meets with and briefs U.S. Coast Guard, federal, state and local elected officials, municipal officials, pilots and other navigation interests to inform them of project specifics to obtain and evaluate their feedback
• Prepares internal memos to inform the chain of command on the progress of work and to make recommendations for further actions.
• Coordinates with federal and state resource agencies including the EPA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Marine Fisheries Services, etc. in order to discuss and evaluate appropriate regulatory requirements for the projects.
• Determines the funding needs of the projects and budgets accordingly.
• Works with the Chief, Design Section, Appropriations Manager, Program and Budget Analysts, and other project managers to develop the total Operations Branch yearly, five-year, and long -term programs.
• Provides guidance to employees engaged in performing various work including surveying and mapping, environmental coordination, engineering and design, and construction management
• Develops schedules, plans the accomplishment of the team's workload, establishes deadlines, sets priorities and proper approaches to complete complex features.
• Performs and is responsible for difficult designs and reviews designs, plans, specifications, and reports prepared by others.
• Prepares designs that include rehabilitation of navigational structures, dredged material placement sites, new and maintenance dredging of federal navigational projects within Norfolk District's area of responsibility.
• Responsible for recommending which projects require maintenance, programming and budgeting for project funds and preparing project management plans to schedule those projects for maintenance.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• May be required to serve a one year probationary period, if not already completed.
• The duties of this position require travel up to approximately 10% of the time.
• In accordance with USACE policy and the Program and Project Management Career Development Plan (CDP), Program and Project Managers are required to achieve, at minimum, Level 1 CDP

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.

• Current U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) employees with competitive status

• Current Civilian Employees of the Command
• Domestic Defense Industrial Base/Major Range and Test Facilities Base Civilian Personnel Workforce
• Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan
• Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act
• Military Spouses, under Executive Order (E.O.) 13473
• 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
• Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) of 1998

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; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas:

• Arithmetic/Mathematical Reasoning
• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

Basic Requirement for Civil Engineer:

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:

Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the federal service which includes: Project management and engineering technical team lead on civil works projects, such as navigation, dredging and dredge material management areas, by coordinating project requirements with internal and external stakeholders, monitoring project schedules and budgets, and resolving detail engineering and construction issues. AND/OR Developing and reviewing engineering designs, plans, and specifications for civil works projects to ensure they comply with established standards, regulations, and technical requirements. AND/OR Assisting in the development of project budgets and preparing documentation for annual and long-term programs.

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-11).

Education

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:

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.
• This position requires a 1 year probationary period, if not already completed, during which the agency evaluates your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In making this determination, the agency may consider your performance and conduct; agency needs and interests; whether your continued employment supports organizational or Government goals; and whether it promotes the efficiency of the Federal service. Continued employment requires written certification that it advances the public interest.
• 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 Engineering 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 for more information.
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS) allowances may be authorized, subject to the provisions of the Joint Travel Regulations and an agency determination that a PCS move is in the Government Interest.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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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 windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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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.