Technical Writer-Editor

Bureau of Reclamation • Lakewood, CO

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

You will serve as a TECHNICAL WRITER-EDITOR with the Bureau of Reclamation, Technical Service Center, Economics, Planning, and Technical Communications Group in Lakewood, Colorado. Duties Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Partners with authors from the outset to plan and develop documents; advises on writing guidelines and supplemental material. Independently interviews subject matter specialists and conducts literature searches to collect, analyze, and rewrite material; researches missing or ambiguous data to improve clarity. Develops balanced treatments of controversial or sensitive matters. Writes, rewrites, and edits documents for clarity, consistency, and compliance with Reclamation policy, NEPA, PR&Gs, and other Federal laws and regulations-ensuring each meets its purpose and audience. Proposes alternative ways to present technical material (tables, illustrations, appendices). Serves as a technical writing/editing expert; develops or modifies writing guidelines and advises team members on their use. Leads and/or serves on interdisciplinary teams, contributing to scheduling, plan development, approach, and evaluation of alternatives. Coordinates technical writing/editing and maintains working relationships with team leaders, study managers, and project coordinators to ensure all document components are complete, correctly assembled, and within time and funding constraints. Advises the team leader on progress, unresolved issues, and scheduling conflicts; as team leader, resolves unusual situations. Participates in project management, problem solving, decision making, and conflict resolution, which may involve negotiation and sensitive (FOUO, EIS/EA) interactions requiring tact. Coordinates and evaluates review comments from Reclamation, other agencies, and the public, ensuring they are considered by subject matter specialists. Prepares environmental compliance and resource management documents for Congress, agencies, the public, water user organizations, and resource managers; provides consulting, writing/editing, and review services for Reclamation and external agencies.

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.
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period -OR- 2-year trial period to evaluate your fitness and whether your continuation of employment advances the public interest.
• All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 10/23/2026-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.
• Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Must have included a total of 15 semester hours in an appropriate scientific, technical, or social science field(s), and at least one course above the introductory level in the field(s) covered by the position.
• For technical manuals and specifications writers or editors, the equivalent of 15 semester hours may have been gained through vocational or educational training above the high school level at a public, private, or Armed Forces school.
• OR Experience: Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): Experience that required substantial subject-matter or technical knowledge of the field.
• This experience must have demonstrated the ability to acquire and present technical information through independent reading, interviews with subject-matter specialists, observation of tests and experiments, interpretation of blueprints or diagrams, or other appropriate methods.
• Such experience may have been acquired as a writer or editor of technical reports, articles, manuals, or specifications.
• To qualify at the GS-11: To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors).
• Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience in of developing, editing, and publishing documents that may include, but are not limited to, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents such as environmental impact statements (EISs) and environmental assessments (EAs), Safety of Dams reports, inspection reports, operation and maintenance reports, standard operating procedures, feasibility reports, Design Standards, emergency action plans, business/strategic plans, scientific and engineering reports, manuals, guidelines, technical memorandums, policies, directives and standards, newsletters, brochures, speeches/ presentations, and/or Web sites/pages.
• OR Education: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related
• You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience.
• 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, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.
• 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.
• 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.

Nice To Haves

• If otherwise eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive.
• A continued service agreement may be required if it is determined you are eligible for a permanent change in duty station (PCS), recruitment, or relocation incentive.
• 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.

Responsibilities

• Partners with authors from the outset to plan and develop documents; advises on writing guidelines and supplemental material.
• Independently interviews subject matter specialists and conducts literature searches to collect, analyze, and rewrite material; researches missing or ambiguous data to improve clarity.
• Develops balanced treatments of controversial or sensitive matters.
• Writes, rewrites, and edits documents for clarity, consistency, and compliance with Reclamation policy, NEPA, PR&Gs, and other Federal laws and regulations-ensuring each meets its purpose and audience.
• Proposes alternative ways to present technical material (tables, illustrations, appendices).
• Serves as a technical writing/editing expert; develops or modifies writing guidelines and advises team members on their use.
• Leads and/or serves on interdisciplinary teams, contributing to scheduling, plan development, approach, and evaluation of alternatives.
• Coordinates technical writing/editing and maintains working relationships with team leaders, study managers, and project coordinators to ensure all document components are complete, correctly assembled, and within time and funding constraints.
• Advises the team leader on progress, unresolved issues, and scheduling conflicts; as team leader, resolves unusual situations.
• Participates in project management, problem solving, decision making, and conflict resolution, which may involve negotiation and sensitive (FOUO, EIS/EA) interactions requiring tact.
• Coordinates and evaluates review comments from Reclamation, other agencies, and the public, ensuring they are considered by subject matter specialists.
• Prepares environmental compliance and resource management documents for Congress, agencies, the public, water user organizations, and resource managers; provides consulting, writing/editing, and review services for Reclamation and external agencies.

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.
• Opens in a new window Learn more about federal benefits .
• Review our 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree