This position is located at the National Design, Construction and Soil Mechanics Center (NDCSMC) - Soil Mechanics Lab. As Co-Director, the incumbent investigates, analyzes, designs, and supervises the installation of conservation structures such as dams, lagoons, streambank and slope stabilization measures, stream restoration measures, and etc.

Duties

Determines key engineering technology needed to address current workload as well as developing workloads such as for rehabilitation of aging water resource structures, handling of agricultural waste. Performs or directs long-term planning such as strategic planning, business planning, workload analyses and workforce planning. Assesses the capacity of state and multi-state NRCS staffs to design, review and administer construction of complex engineering work in order to set approval and other delegations of authority. Solicits and provides information regarding the assigned section, including its function, mission, services, and products to internal and external customers and agency leadership. This position exercises all or nearly all the delegated supervisory authorities and managerial authorities/responsibilities on a recurring basis. Maintains liaison with representatives of the US Army Corps of Engineers, US Bureau of Reclamation, US Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, other federal agencies and entities.

Requirements

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check. If selected you will be sent instructions on obtaining fingerprints. Please note we are not able to reimburse any fees incurred for fingerprints.
• Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.
• Subject to one-year supervisory/managerial probationary period unless prior service is creditable. New USDA supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required training program before the end of their probationary period.
• Direct Deposit--Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov/.
• Must possess and maintain a valid state motor vehicle operator's license for the type of vehicle(s) operated to perform the duties of this position.
• Position has a Confidential Financial Disclosure (Form OGE-450) requirement. If selected, you will be required to submit Form OGE-450 within 30 days of your initial appointment date, and annually thereafter.
• Must posses a licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, or US Territory.
• Position is required to have a Procurement Integrity Statement on file and complete annual training.

Qualifications

TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-13 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-14 level. One year at the GS-14 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-15 level. (Please submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. No Award or General Adjustment SF-50's will be accepted). Time-in-grade requirements also apply to VEOA applicants having held a GS position in the past year. Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement. Basic Education Requirement: A. Degree: Applicants must have a bachelor's or higher degree in 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. (Must submit transcript/s.) OR B. Combination of education and experience: Must have 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: 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 (Must submit proof of registration or licensure with you application); 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 (Must submit proof passing written test with you application); 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 (Must submit transcripts); 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.) (Must submit transcripts) In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must meet the following Minimum Qualifications Requirement in order to be considered. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level(s) in which you are applying: GS-14 Specialized Experience: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: Conducting training related to engineering such as construction, structures, soil mechanics, hydraulics and hydrology, or engineering geology; Working with team members on solutions to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of the products and/or services provided to customers; Planning and scheduling the work to be accomplished by subordinates; AND Working closely with staff on engineering problems to ensure that structures conform to rules and regulations. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) Education: There is no education substitute at the GS-14 level. GS-15 Specialized Experience: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: Developing engineering criteria, guidelines, standards, and methodology to plan and install engineering practices efficiently; Recommending changes in policy to improve processes for execution, review, and assurance of the quality of engineering work performed; Makes recommendations to Senior Leadership regarding: agency engineering criteria and policy pertaining to the design, construction, repair, rehabilitation and decommissioning of dams, flood control channels, animal waste handling systems and other complex engineering work; Planning and scheduling the work to be accomplished by subordinates; AND Working closely with staff on engineering problems to ensure that structures conform to rules and regulations. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) Education: There is no education substitute at the GS-15 level. 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). 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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. The OPM Qualification Standards for this position can be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=List-by-Occupational-Series If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.

Education

You must submit a copy of your college transcripts or a list of college courses with credit hours, dates completed, and grades received to verify all education requirements (i.e. substitution of education and/or basic education requirement). If a relevant course is not clearly qualifying (e.g. special topic, seminar, research, thesis, obscure or misleading course title, etc.), please submit an official course syllabi and/or detailed course description from the university/college for that particular course to ensure you are properly evaluated. Please note that qualifications determinations are based solely on the information submitted for each particular vacancy announcement. You must document all requirements on every vacancy; we cannot use previous determinations as a basis for rating. All required information must be received by the closing date of this announcement, and non-submission of all required documents/documentation will result in non-consideration. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted. This information must be received by the closing date of this announcement. Non-submission of these documents will result in non-consideration. 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.

Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that 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://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Contacts

• Address Natural Resources Conservation Service 1400 Independence Ave SW Washington, DC 20250 US
• Name: Midwest Services Branch
• Phone: 8164265706
• Email: [email protected]