Electrical Engineer

Bureau of Reclamation • Grand Coulee, WA

26d • Onsite

About The Position

You will serve as an Electrical Engineer for the Bureau of Reclamation, Columbia-Pacific Northwest Region, located at the Grand Coulee Power Office and associated operating offices. You will provide electrical engineering support for powerplants, pumping plants, transmission systems, industrial control systems, protective relaying systems, and other complex water and power facilities. This position is an entry-level engineer hired under the requirements and provisions of Reclamation's Rotation Engineer Program (Program). The Program participant may receive an accelerated promotion after a minimum of six months of intensive training and evidence of professional development as documented through successful performance in the Program. Program participants may receive no more than two promotions in 52 weeks. Promotions are neither guaranteed nor automatic but initiated at the request of the supervisory official. This is a developmental position with promotion potential to the GS-12 level. At lower grade levels, assignments are performed under close supervision and involve less complex work. As experience is gained, the employee will perform progressively more difficult assignments with increasing independence and responsibility until the full performance level is reached.

Requirements

• 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.
• Must have and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment.
• Certification and/or training to serve as a Federal Acquisition Certification (FAC) Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) or Grants Officer's Technical Representative (GOTR) may be required as articulated in Department and/or Reclamation policies depending on assignment.
• You must be at least 18 years of age or older to operate government vehicles.
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.
• Successfully completed a bachelor's or higher degree in Engineering in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).
• OR Successfully completed a bachelor's or higher degree in Engineering that included 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 A 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: 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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-7, have at least one (1) year of specialized experience to at least the GS-05 level in the Federal Service (obtained in the public or private sector). EXAMPLES such as, experience assisting with basic engineering tasks such as conducting simple analyses, collecting data, and helping troubleshoot electrical equipment under close supervision. Experience interpreting routine computational results, learning inspection and assessment practices, supporting project and compliance activities, and communicating with team members to clarify engineering work is also typical at this level.
• OR have completed one full year of progressively higher-level graduate education in electrical engineering or a directly related engineering field.
• OR have Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): Requires a bachelor's degree in a directly related field and meeting one of the following: Class Standing: Ranked in the upper third of your graduating class; or GPA:- Overall GPA of 3.0 or higher (based on 4 years or final 2 years), or- GPA of 3.5 or higher in required major courses (overall or final 2 years). Note: GPA is rounded to one decimal place (e.g., 2.95 = 3.0). Honor Society: Membership in a recognized national scholastic honor society.
• OR have completed a bachelor's degree in engineering and gained appropriate technician experience equivalent to the GS 5 level or higher. Understand this technician experience may be credited toward GS 7 qualification on a month for month basis, up to a maximum of 12 months.
• OR have successfully completed a five-year engineering program totaling at least 160 semester hours leading to a bachelor's degree in engineering.
• OR have an equivalent combination of specialized experience and graduate education.

Nice To Haves

• Experience assisting with basic engineering tasks such as conducting simple analyses, collecting data, and helping troubleshoot electrical equipment under close supervision.
• Experience interpreting routine computational results, learning inspection and assessment practices, supporting project and compliance activities, and communicating with team members to clarify engineering work is also typical at this level.

Responsibilities

• Lead engineering analyses and coordinate technical planning, design, modeling, and troubleshooting for complex electrical systems and projects across multiple locations.
• Develop and review project job plans, guidelines, and technical documentation; present findings at meetings and briefings.
• Plan, schedule, and conduct facility inspections, assessments, and investigations; identify deficiencies, estimate repairs, and document results.
• Mentor and guide engineers and technicians, provide technical reviews, and ensure quality assurance processes are followed.
• Manage project plans, oversee contract administration, ensure regulatory compliance, and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to deliver reliable power and water services.

Benefits

• 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.
• 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level