Electrical Engineer

Summary

This position is part of the Southwestern Power Administration. As a Electrical Engineer, you will work under close supervision while performing assignments and completing training to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to perform the duties of the job. This is a developmental position with the full performance level at the GS-13.

**THIS IS NOT A REMOTE POSITION. YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO REPORT TO THE DUTY LOCATION LISTED IN THIS VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT.**

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Duties

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As an Electrical Engineer (Developmental) some of your duties will include, but are not limited to:

• Completes developmental substation construction and engineering design, planning, inspecting, scheduling, drawings, estimates, technical specification, and study assignments.
• Develop recommendations resolving assigned engineering issues with power system equipment, operational, maintenance, and ordering. Responds to assigned inquiries.
• Prepares assigned portions of design standards, guidelines, changes or additions to existing substation applications, standards and guides.
• Participates in power facility planning, review and evaluation of Architect- Engineer (A-E) proposals for technical compliance with requirements.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by a background investigation.
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary/trial period. Employees serving on a probationary or trial period may be terminated at any time during the probationary or trial period for performance, conduct, or business-related reasons in the interest of Federal service.
• In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to the four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answers to these questions are not scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration.
• Limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages. If more than two pages are submitted, only the first two pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility and qualifications.
• The incumbent is required to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and follow proper and standard safety procedures.
• This position requires the ability to operate a government vehicle. The incumbent must be 18 years of age and able to obtain and maintain Defensive Drivers certification and have a valid state driver's license. Defensive Driver's Training will be completed upon employment.
• Occasional travel of up to 25-30% annually is required with overnight travel possible during all or part of that time..

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at:

Applicants must meet the Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR) for the 0800 Series :

Degree : Engineering. 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.

OR

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.

To qualify at the GS-5: Applicants must meet the IOR for the 0800 series as descrbied above.

To qualify for the GS-7: In addition to meeting the IOR for the 0800 series, applicants must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience the GS-7 grade level or equivalent pay band in the Federal service. This experience includes all the following:

• Applying practical knowledge of electrical engineering concepts, principles, and methodology while performing routine engineering projects, and
• Preparing portions of design standards, guidelines, changes or additions to existing substation applications, standards and guides.

OR

SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION : One (1) year of graduate-level education or Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A) See NOTE in the "Education" secion of this vacancy.

OR

A combination of education and experience to successfully perform the duties of the position.

To qualify for the GS-9: In addition to meeting the IOR for the 0800 Series, applicants must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the GS-7 grade level or equivalent pay band in the Federal service. This experience includes all the following:

• Applying practical knowledge of electrical engineering concepts, principles, and methodology to perform routine engineering projects related to power systems operations, transmission planning, and/or power systems reliability, and
• Preparing cost estimates of projects.

OR

SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION : Two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree, if related.

OR

A combination of education and experience as described above to successfully perform the duties of the position.

To qualify for the GS-11: In addition to meeting the IOR for the 0800 Series, applicants must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the GS-09 grade level or equivalent pay band in the Federal service. This experience includes all the following:

• Compiling engineering design and procurement packages for original, additional, modifications, or temporary construction of transmission lines, substations, and other engineering related projects.
• Performing protective relay setting development and coordination.
• Performing project coordination and developing task order design scopes of work.

OR

SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION : Three (3) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, if related.

OR

A combination of education and experience as described above to successfully perform the duties of the position.

To qualify for the GS-12 :In addition to meeting the IOR for the 0800 series, applicants must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the GS-11 grade level or equivalent pay band in the Federal service. This experience includes all the following:

• Preparing project schedules, monitor project performance and preparing written documentation to describe project progress.
• Participating in all phases of electrical engineering projects from initial studies through conceptual design, environmental studies, budget preparation, detail design and engineering drawing preparation.
• Coordinating with other utility representatives on planning and operational studies including the impacts of anticipated construction and maintenance work.

To qualify for the GS-13 : In addition to meeting the IOR for the 0800 series, applicants must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the GS-12 grade level or equivalent pay band in the Federal service. This experience includes all the following:

• Participating in all phases of electrical engineering projects from initial studies through conceptual design, environmental studies, budget preparation, detail design and engineering drawing preparation.
• Conducting engineering studies or designs on transmission systems and transmission-related components and services such as power system load flows, stability studies and reliability analyses.
• Providing technical support for the evaluation and implementation of transmission system interconnections.

See NOTE under "Additional Information" section regarding experience.

Education

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website. DO NOT email or mail in any of your application documents. Documents will not be accepted outside of the online application system.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

NOTE: Superior Academic Acheivement ( S.A.A.) is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership.

Class standing Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses. Grade-point average (G.P.A.) Applicants must have a grade-point average of: 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or

3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum. Grade-point averages are to be rounded to one decimal place. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9.

Additional information

• This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across DOE.
• For general information on government-wide Telework polices visit:
• Applicants may request Reasonable Accommodation (RA) when applying or competing for a job due to a medical condition or to exercise religious beliefs. If you need reasonable accommodation in the application or selection process, please contact the Agency Contact listed on this vacancy announcement.
• If selection is made at a lower grade, promotion up to the full performance level may be made without further competition. However, promotion(s) will depend on the performance of the incumbent and are not guaranteed.
• Promotion Potential: The full performance level of this position is the GS-13.
• The selectee for this position may be eligible to receive a recruitment or relocation incentive. You will need to sign an employment agreement to be eligible for this incentive.
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs are not authorized.
• This position may be eligible for creditable service towards annual leave. Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. DOE may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.
• Salary negotiation may be available for those candidates who are new to Federal service.
• "Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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.
• PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The work is primarily sedentary and requires no special physical effort. It may require periods of walking, standing, bending, climbing, or driving a motor vehicle during field trips, inspections, testing, and visits to construction sites, industrial, and other business establishments. The employee may carry light items such as books, instruments, and other similar materials. The work does not require any special physical effort.
• WORK ENVIRONMENT: Work is primarily in an office setting with some trips to operating facilities. Occasionally, the employee may work at HV transmission lines and substation sites involving hazards requiring special safety precautions around energized circuits and equipment. The incumbent must wear protective clothing and follow standard safety procedures.

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.

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.