Reclamation is seeking a career professional looking for an opportunity to capitalize on their expertise as a Mechanical Engineer. You can make a difference in the West by assisting in meeting increasing water demands while protecting the environment. Duty Location: Lakewood, Colorado

Duties

The purpose of this position is to provide expert advice and consultative services on all phases of design, procurement, fabrication, installation, testing, operation and maintenance of mechanical equipment for hydroelectric power plants, pumping-generating plants, pumping plants and water treatment facilities. Duties include but are not limited to: - Servies as a mechanical engineering technical specialist providing expert advice and consultant services concerning all phases of design, procurement, fabrication, installation, testing, operation and maintenance; - Prepares basic data such as type, capacity, speed, dimensions, location, and weight of hydraulic turbines, pumps, pump-turbines, and governors. This data are required to establish the physical size of the plant, and from which general arrangement drawings are prepared; - Evaluates equipment specifications requirements to achieve more widespread use of standard items of equipment, thus optimizing power and pumping plant design. Evaluates new developments in hydraulic turbines, pumps, pump-turbines, and governors and determines application potential. Evaluates materials and equipment for projects of a special nature; - Provides technical assistance, direction, and training to lower grade engineers and engineering technicians. Reviews work and provides technical review of lower grade engineers and engineering technicians; - Reviews manufacturer's drawings and data for hydraulic turbines, pumps, pump-turbines and governors for conformance. with the specifications with regard to design details such as performance, materials, and overall dimensions for accommodations in existing space, etc; - Serves as a specialist on design codes relating to hydraulic turbines, pumps, pump-turbines and governors; - Reviews technical reports for equipment, outlining basic requirements, reasons for equipment selection, functioning of equipment, and its relationship to the major structure in which it is to be installed; - Develops new methods, techniques, and procedures for use by other engineers in solving complex design problems, such as designing large steel pipe, structural and regulating gates, and implementing risk-based decision making processes that will ultimately reduce risks on projects; - Determines general method of approach, proposes alternative or improved methods, and develops suggested new or improved design procedures; - Participates in intergroup discussions, advising on hydraulic features and recommended usage of above equipment; - Working from general requirements, rough sketches, field data, design requirements and related information, reviews such data to determine work requirements, and develops designs to perform the required functions. Prepares primary engineering designs, design layouts and drawings, specifications, and quantity estimates of the mechanical equipment; - Serves as a team leader or team member to conduct studies and designs relating to usual and unusual requirements for turbines, pumps, hydraulic turbine governors, large steel pipe and valves, structural and regulating gates. In this capacity, incumbent will be made available to other Reclamation offices; - Consults with lower grade engineers and engineering technicians concerning related work, completion dates, and technical design requirements. Proposes and outlines special technical investigations and tests to be performed by other groups in Reclamation; - Prepares and reviews correspondence, construction considerations, design summaries, designers' operating criteria, appraisal and feasibility estimates, and other documents relating to mechanical equipment; - Reviews or directs the review of manufacturers' drawings of mechanical equipment of the above types for conformance with the specifications in regards to design details including materials, stresses, and suitability; - Makes field trips in connection with design, fabrication, installation, testing, operation, and maintenance of mechanical equipment;

Requirements

Qualifications

In order to qualify for this position, you must meet BOTH the Basic Qualification Requirement and the Additional Qualification Requirements for the grade level described below. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience. BASIC QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT To be eligible for the position, you must possess one of the following: A. 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- 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. -or- 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, and Puerto Rico. -or- 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. -or- 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.) ~AND~ ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTIn addition to the basic education requirement and in order to be rated as qualified for this position, the HR Office must be able to determine that the applicant meets the following education or specialized experience requirement - this information must be clearly supported in the resume. To qualify at the GS-13 level, applicants must meet one of the following requirements: A. Specialized Experience: To qualify at the GS-13, you must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to at least the GS-12 level in federal service having demonstrated experience that demonstrates the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities including the design, construction, installation, rehabilitation and modification of hydropower turbines and pumps. The HR Office must be able to determine that the applicant meets the following education or specialized experience requirement - this information must be clearly supported in the resume. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies". Definition of Professional Engineering Experience: The professional engineering experience required for grades GS-7 and above is defined as non-routine engineering work that required and was characterized by (1) professional knowledge of engineering; (2) professional ability to apply such knowledge to engineering problems; and (3) positive and continuing development of professional knowledge and ability. Professional knowledge of engineering is defined as the comprehensive, in-depth knowledge of mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences applicable to a specialty field of engineering that characterizes a full 4-year engineering program leading to a bachelor's degree, or the equivalent. 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. Selective Placement Factor: This position requires a current, valid Professional Engineering License. Failure to provide proof of such license will cause you to be rated ineligible for this position. You must meet all Eligibility and Qualification requirements, including time-in-grade restrictions and any selective placement factors if applicable, by 06/20/2024.

Education

This position does not allow substituting education for experience.

This position has a mandatory education requirement. You must submit a copy of college transcript(s) (unofficial copy is acceptable) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include the name of the college or university and date the degree was conferred. Non-submission will result in being rated not-qualified for the position.

You will be required to provide official college transcripts to verify educational qualifications, if selected. An official transcript must be sent directly from the University's Registrar's office and must be provided from the institution awarding the degree. Academic transcripts certified by notary publics are NOT official. Official transcripts must be submitted prior to reporting to work as a condition of employment. Failure to submit official transcripts may be grounds for dismissal or rescission of the job offer.

Accreditation: Only education from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education is acceptable to meet education requirements or to substitute for experience, if applicable. For additional info, refer to the Office of Personnel Management and U.S. Department of Education.

Foreign Education: 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. For additional info, refer to the U.S. Network for Education Information.

Contacts

• Address Technical Service Center Bureau of Reclamation Denver Federal Center P.O. BOX 25007 Denver, CO 80225-0007 US
• Name: Joseph Parent
• Email: [email protected]