This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) solicitation utilizing the DHA for 9905 to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service. About the Position: The incumbent serves as project design engineer for earthwork and structural foundation features for civil engineering projects being planned, constructed or operated by the Kansas City District.

Duties

Directs and coordinates the performance of geotechnical investigations for earthwork and foundation features of both planned and completed structures. Plans, manages, and guides field investigation programs, exploratory work, and laboratory testing. Prepares or directs preparation of geotechnical investigation reports, design documents, and detailed geotechnical construction drawings and technical specifications. Monitors and evaluates the integrity and safety of completed water retention structures with the regard to the performance of the geotechnical components. Conducts geotechnical review of investigations, feasibility studies, design documents, and plans and specifications prepared by Architect-Engineer (A-E) firms. Performs site inspections to provide advice and guidance to the resident engineer and his staff regarding all geotechnical matters and provides interpretations of the construction plans and specifications.

Requirements

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• Appointment to this position is subject to a one year probationary period unless the appointee has previously met the requirements as described in 5 CFR Part 315.
• This position has a Temporary Duty (TDY) or business travel requirement up to 15% of the time.
• The duties of this position require the incumbent to possess or obtain and maintain a valid state Driver's License in one of the 50 U.S. states or possessions to operate vehicles.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. In addition to meeting at least one of the Minimum Qualification requirements below, all applicants must meet the Basic Education Requirements listed in the Education section below. Minimum Qualifications GS-07 Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes: Performing limited engineering or architectural designs and projects; AND Interpreting basic computations, calculations and convey findings. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-05). -OR- Education: One full year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position. -OR- Superior Academic Achievement. In order to be creditable under this provision, Superior Academic Achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled, such as that identified in Education above. Superior Academic Achievement is based on: (1) 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; OR (2) Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) - Applicants must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on your 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 (b) 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.; OR (3) Honor Society Membership - Applicants may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achsnatl.org/). -OR- Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages. Minimum Qualifications GS-09 Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes: Planning field investigations and laboratory tests for small and less complex projects; AND Analyzing site plans and information received on scope of work and geotechnical engineering requirements. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-07). -OR- Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position. -OR- Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages. Minimum Qualifications GS-11 Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes: Reviewing geotechnical evaluations and designs; analyzing soil conditions and groundwater seepage for use in earthen structures such as: dams, levees or channels or other types of projects (foundation design, pavement construction, etc.). This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09). -OR- Education: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: engineering, engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, geology or other related field of study. -OR- Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages. Minimum Qualifications GS-12 Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes: Developing geotechnical evaluations, design analysis and/or overseeing the execution of exploration, sampling, and testing of soils and other earth materials; AND providing design guidance by applying knowledge gained from exploration, sampling and testing of soils or other earth materials to the design of civil works (water resources) or other types of projects (foundation design, pavement construction, etc.). This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-11). Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted at the GS-12 level. *This is a developmental position. The duties of this position lead to the full performance level of GS-0810-12. Incumbent may be appointed to either the GS-07, GS-09, GS-11 or GS-12 (depending on qualifications). If selected at a grade below full performance, the incumbent may be non-competitively promoted to the next higher grade level of the position upon: meeting all regulatory requirements; certification by the supervisor of successful performance; completion of all training requirements; and the availability of work at the next higher grade level. Promotion is not automatic. Selective Placement Factor GS-12: This position requires a current, active, valid and unrestricted license as a Professional Engineer in a state, the District of Columbia, or a territory of the United States. (Proof of this certification is required with your application package).

Education

Basic Education Requirement for Civil Engineer (0810):
A. Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (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-

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), 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) examination, or any other written test required for professional registration, by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, or 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 A above. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program.

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 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.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/

Contacts

• Address RH-W2SJ06 US ARMY ENGINEER DISTRICT-KANSAS CITY DO NOT MAIL Kansas City, MO 64106 US
• Name: Army Applicant Help Desk