The incumbent assists the area/zone or similar engineer and is responsible for providing basic technical guidance in the overall planning, design, installation, and maintenance of the engineering phases of soil and water conservation practices. This position is supervised by a District Conservationist or Engineer but always with technical guidance provided by an engineer and under the Engineering Job Approval Quthority (EJAA) of the State Conservation Engineer.

Duties

Coordinates and supervises the planning, design and construction of engineering practices such as water management, animal waste management erosion control, flood control, and other conservation practices needing engineering guidance. Recommends changes in designs, specifications, and schedule to accommodate conditions at the construction site, availability of materials, or to expedite construction. Plans and conducts pre-bid site showing, approves construction schedules, monitors work for compliance with plans and specification and contract requirements. Directs and performs site investigations and feasibility studies, field checks and field construction. checks for conservation practice installations. Coordinates and conducts necessary quality assurance reviews of planned, designed, and constructed engineering projects in the assigned area or state. Serves as or directs the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR). Provides technical guidance and training to personnel in the area of all engineering practices and in the use and care of engineering equipment.

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.
• 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.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Basic Requirements:A. Degree: 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. 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: 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. 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. 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. In addition to meeting the basic requirements, you must also meet the minimum qualification requirements below: GS-7: Specialized Experience: 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include: Assisting with field investigations and surveys for the implementation of conservation measures; and Utilizing engineering surveying equipment to gather and analyze field data for fundamental engineering projects. OR Superior academic achievement (S.A.A.): A bachelor's degree curriculum directly related to the work of the position. To qualify for S.A.A., you must have ONE of the following: (1) standing in the upper third of your college class or major subdivision at the time you apply; (2) grade point average of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or its equivalent for all courses completed, either (a) at the time of application or (b) during the last 2 years of your undergraduate curriculum; (3) B+ (3.5 on a 4.0 scale) or its equivalent for all courses completed in a related discipline, either (a) at the time of application or (b) during the last 2 years of your undergraduate curriculum; OR (4) election to membership in one of the national honorary scholastic societies that meets the requirements of the Association of College Honor Society. OR Education: 1 year of graduate education in engineering or related field. OR Combination of Education and Experience: Only graduate education beyond 1 year (18 semester hours) may be combined with specialized experience. GS-9: Specialized Experience: 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include: Providing engineering guidance for the planning, design, and construction of soil and water conservation practices. Conducting quality assurance reviews of engineering projects to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of products and services for internal and external customers; and Preparing engineering designs and specifications, including preliminary and final drawings, for review by senior engineer to ensure accuracy and compliance with standards. OR Education: 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree in engineering or related field which provided the competencies necessary to do the work. OR Combination of Education and Experience: Only graduate education beyond 1 year (18 semester hours) may be combined with specialized experience. GS-11: Specialized Experience: 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include: Providing technical engineering guidance on soil and water conservation issues affecting farmers, landowners, and other parties. Managing the planning, design, and construction of engineering aspects for soil conservation practices and watershed flood protection programs; and Performing site investigations, feasibility studies, and field construction checks for conservation practice installations. OR Education: 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in engineering or related field. OR Combination of Education and Experience: Only graduate education beyond 2 years (36 semester hours) may be combined with specialized experience. Combining Education and Experience: A combination of graduate education and experience, as described above, may be used to qualify for this position. This combination must have equipped you with the necessary knowledge and/or experience to successfully perform the duties of this position. Combinations of experience and education must total at least 100% as outlined in OPM Qualifications policy. For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: Professional and Scientific Positions.

Education

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
You must submit a copy of your transcripts to include course number, title, completion and grade. 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. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. 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.

Important: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. Click on this link for more information.

Failure to provide all of the required documents/information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

Contacts

• Address Natural Resources Conservation Service 1400 Independence Ave SW Washington, DC 20250 US
• Name: Valerie Moses
• Email: [email protected]