ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER

Summary

This position may be filled using Direct Hire Authority: Z5CAV/Direct-Hire Authority (Certain DoD Personnel) PL 118-31, Sec 125OB (i)(2), 12/22/2023. This position is being filled under the memorandum from the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (USD(P&R)) "Expansion of Direct Hire Authority for Certain Personnel of the Department of Defense," dated August 12,2024.

This position is part of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

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Duties

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As a ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER at the GS-0819-13 some of your typical work assignments may include:

• Serves as the authoritative Subject Matter Expert (SME) on environmental compliance and NEPA processes, directing the strategic development, technical execution, and review of complex Environmental Assessments (EAs) and Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) to support agency-level construction, weapons systems field-testing, and critical Department of War (DoW)/DTRA test operations.
• Acts as the primary technical liaison and regulatory point of contact for high-priority environmental actions across critical national test assets-including Kirtland AFB, Dugway Proving Ground, White Sands Missile Range, and the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS)-and serves as the principal lead for external regulatory audits, responses, and finding closures with state and federal authorities.
• Conceives, plans, and implements innovative engineering solutions to mitigate unique and critical environmental risks associated with weapons of mass destruction (WMD) testing, while exercising technical authority to immediately halt and correct hazardous, non-compliant operational conditions to protect the workforce, public, and environment.
• Formulates and manages comprehensive compliance programs for the lifecycle handling, storage, and disposal of hazardous, radioactive, and industrial wastes, collaborating directly with senior officials from the DoW, DTRA, Department of Energy (DOE), EPA, and OSHA to ensure multi-agency regulatory alignment.
• Directs the complete lifecycle of environmental permitting and remediation activities, providing definitive technical oversight for initial site assessments, clean-up strategies, and final site closures, while ensuring the strict integrity of complex permit applications and compliance with existing operational permits.
• Designs, implements, and delivers advanced environmental training and compliance programs to educate military, government, and contractor personnel, fostering a proactive culture of regulatory compliance and operational safety across all assigned test environments.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Travel: Individual is expected to be available for weekend travel, layovers, and long hours while in travel status. TDY is required up to 25% and may vary given the nature and urgency of assigned projects. Significant travel may require CONUS/OCONUS.
• Work Schedule: Full-time
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
• Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary period
• Overtime: 10%
• Tour of Duty: Flexible
• Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized if funds available and with approval from hiring manager
• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Exempt
• Incumbent is required to submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Form, OGE 450, within 30 days of entering the position, annually and upon termination of employment IAW DoD Directive 5500.7-R, Joint Ethics Regulation, August 30, 1993
• Telework Eligibility: This position is in-person located at Kirtland AFB, NM. May be eligible for limited, situational telework subject to supervisory approval and not to exceed current Agency guidelines. Not eligible for remote telework
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a SECRET security clearance.
• Subject to pre-employment drug testing and periodic drug testing thereafter.
• A valid state driver's license and passport are required.
• May be recalled to duty 24-hrs a day during other than normal duty hours to include evenings, weekends, and/or holidays.
• Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) training is required.
• Must maintain certification for First Aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and automated external defibrillator (AED).

Qualifications

You may qualify at the GS 13 , if you fulfill the following qualifications:

A. One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service as listed below:

• Overseeing National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance
• Directs the preparation, technical review, and strategic execution of complex Environmental Assessments (EAs) and Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) for large-scale infrastructure, civil works, or operational projects.
• Coordinates interagency consultation and public involvement to ensure legal adequacy and regulatory compliance.
• Applies advanced engineering principles, pioneering methods, and systemic techniques to design, evaluate, and optimize comprehensive pollution control and resource protection programs, mitigating environmental risks across diverse operational environments.
• Provides definitive technical direction and oversight for complex site investigations, designing remedial clean-up strategies, managing multi-million dollar restoration activities, and certifying regulatory compliance for final site closures.
• Spearheaded environmental regulations, interpreting complex, evolving federal, state, and international mandates to formulate agency-wide compliance policies and risk-mitigation frameworks.
• Directs and manages comprehensive hazardous material and waste program lifecycles, ensuring full regulatory compliance across global sites for the handling, containment, and disposal of hazardous, radioactive, and construction wastes in strict alignment with the Department of War (DoW), Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), Department of Energy (DOE), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and state environmental agencies.

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. 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)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. 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 the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A. 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 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. 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. (The above examples of related curricula are not all inclusive.)

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.

In addition to meeting qualifications, your application package must reflect the applicable experience to meet the Individual Occupational Requirements for the 0819, series as listed below:

For the Engineering Series. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by 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.

Education

Substitution of education may not be used in lieu of specialized experience for this grade level.

ARE YOU USING YOUR EDUCATION TO QUALIFY? You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims.

All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours that your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that 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

Other Notes:

RE-EMPLOYED ANNUITANT: This position DOES NOT meet criteria for re-employed annuitant. The DoD criteria for hiring Re-employed Annuitants can be found at:

All applicants must meet qualifications and eligibility criteria by the closing date of the announcement.

This position is subject to an initial drug screening, and random testing thereafter. A negative drug test result must be received by HR within 30 calendar days after the EOD (i.e., start date). The selectee's inability successfully pass; or refusal to conduct the test may result in: 1) the tentative or FJO being withdrawn during the recruitment process; or 2) subsequently being removed from Federal service for failure to meet a condition of employment.

You may be required to sign a "Drug Test Statement of Understanding" if you are selected for this position.

Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see Who Needs to Register | Selective Service System : Selective Service System (sss.gov))

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.