CIVIL ENGINEER

Summary

The Bureau of Reclamation expects to fill 26 vacancies in the following groups: Project Management, Plant Structures, Water Conveyance, Civil Structures, Water Treatment, Waterways and Concrete Dams, Construction Management & Specifications, Applied Hydrology, Sedimentation & River Hydraulics, Geographic Applications & Analysis, Geotechnical Design, Concrete & Structural Laboratory, Materials & Corrosion Laboratory, and Hydraulic Investigations & Laboratory Services.

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Duties

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Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following:

Knowledge of the concepts, principles, theories, and methods required to prepare analyses (including evaluating performance of existing structures or as a basis for design development) and/or engineering policies pertaining to, designs, drawings, proposals, scopes of work, specifications, and cost estimates for heavy-civil and power generation projects throughout the planning, design, construction, operation, and emergency response phases.

Advises senior leadership, program officials, and colleagues on engineering analysis, recommendations, and study conclusions.

Develops technical guidelines and standards, technical memorandums and reports and/or project or study objectives, engineering study analyses and results, correspondence, publications, design criteria, operating procedures, evaluation and oversight reports, value study reports, inspection and assessment reviews, impact assessments, construction plans and reports, and/or develops other written technical briefings.

Provides technical organizational representation and collaboration on teams external to the organization, including external stakeholders and partners.

Provides technical reviews, peer reviews, and checking of designs, drawings, engineering analysis, and technical documents, specifications, and contract correspondence, ensuring documents are accurate and quality assurance processes were followed.

Provides technical direction, leadership, mentorship, guidance, training, and advice to engineers and technicians and other internal and external stakeholders.

Establishes collaborative working relationships with stakeholders to ensure that their needs are heard and addressed, modeling leadership.

Leads the creation, coordination, and documentation of the Project Management Plan, ensuring accountability by defining complex project scope, objectives, schedule, budget, quality expectations, resources, communication protocols, and risk management strategies Monitors, evaluates, and oversees complex project execution to ensure technical quality, cost control, schedule adherence, and compliance with standards. Includes reviewing operations, tracking progress, integrating project activities, inspecting costs and performance, and ensuring deliverables meet organizational expectations. Leads project decision-making, issue resolution, and continuous improvement to support mission success. Covers identifying alternatives, resolving problems, leading change management, recommending process improvements, and providing guidance to project managers and cross-disciplinary teams for complex projects.

Identifying and addressing issues prior to adverse impacts to the schedule and budget; and leading technical teams.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Direct Deposit participation required.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit
• You must submit a resume and supporting documentation.
• You must meet any minimum education and experience requirements.
• You must submit transcript(s) to verify education requirements.
• You may currently hold a Professional Engineering registration or license and submit a copy to provide proof.
• You may currently hold an AMPP/NACE Cathodic Protection Technician (CP2) credential or AMPP/NACE Certified Coatings Inspector (CIP2) credential and submit a copy to provide proof.

*Additional Requirements located under qualifications*

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 09/07/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.

For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience . For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience.

In order to be rated as qualified for this position, the HR Office must be able to determine that you meet the education and specialized experience requirements - please be sure to include this information in your 2-page resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience.

To qualify for this position at the GS-13 grade level:

Experience : To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized Experience is defined as demonstrated experience and includes the following: planning, organizing, and managing complex engineering projects, including scope and schedule development, risk identification, and ensuring timely, high-quality deliverables. Reviewing or overseeing technical products (such as designs, analyses, reports, or studies) to ensure accuracy, adequacy, and compliance with standards. Applying professional engineering and science related knowledge relevant to civil engineering in support of water storage and conveyance, water treatment, hydropower, pumping plants, or related technical systems.

-AND-

Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications:

Basic Educational Requirements: In addition to the specialized experience requirements for this position, you must meet at least one of the following:

A. Degree : This position requires an Engineering degree or a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineer with at least one program accredited by ABET or 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. You must submit transcripts.

-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)1, or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico.

2-AMPP/NACE Cathodic Protection Technician (CP2) credential, or AMPP/NACE Certified Coatings Inspector (CIP2) credential

3-Written Test Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

4-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 the basic requirements under paragraph A.

5-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 bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Volunteer 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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

This position does not allow substituting education for experience.

This position has a mandatory education requirement.

You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, your school must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit:

Additional information

Reclamation has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and you may be allowed to telework with supervisory approval.

Bureau of Reclamation - Wide - This is a Merit Promotion announcement for career and career conditional Bureau employee, Career Transition eligibles (CTAP), Current or former time-limited employees eligible under Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) and those who are eligible under the hiring paths listed above. Refer to Required Documents section for more information.

All DOI employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, DOI Ethics Prohibitions | U.S. Department of the Interior.

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

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.