Job opening: Electronics Engineer
Salary: $97 297 - 136 466 per year
Published at: Oct 15 2024
Employment Type: Full-time
This position is located in the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Districts of Transmission Field Services (TF), Transmission Services (T), Bonneville Power Administration (BPA).
A successful candidate in the Power Systems and Control (PSC) Field Engineer position is responsible for implementing field operations, and maintenance and construction activities. Coordinating work and resources between districts, operating and maintaining the BPA transmission system.
Duties
This position serves as a Power System Control (PSC) Field Engineer, which carries responsibility for BPA's operational telecommunication system. The PSC equipment covers a wide range of analog and digital data transportation over radio and fiber optics, including Land Mobile Radio, SCADA, microwave radio, packet networks, optical amplifiers, batteries, chargers, and other services. As a PSC Field Engineer, you will design, troubleshoot, document, project manage, and serve as a technical expert to various other groups. You will be stationed at one of BPA's 13 O&M district headquarters and responsible for various radio stations and substations in that district, making frequent trips to remote sites.
District responsibilities include preventive maintenance, construction, and operation of the BPA high-voltage transmission system. Each district has electricians, linemen, operators, facility maintenance workers, craftsmen, and engineers, all of which work directly with realty, safety, scheduling, natural resources, asset management, and other specialties. The equipment at BPA is essential for continuity of electrical power delivered throughout the Northwest.
As a Field Engineer, this position is responsible for assisting senior engineers in their duties and working independently on a wide range of assignments: engineering studies, system integration, documentation, troubleshooting, operation and maintenance, failure analysis, design, technology evaluation, serving on projects teams, and serving as the District Engineer as needed.
As an Electronics Engineer - Power Systems and Control (PSC) Field Engineer, you will:
Requirements
- Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
- This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
- Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
- Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by a background investigation.
- May be required to successfully complete a probationary period.
- This position does not support remote work. You will be required to report physically to the official reporting worksite as specified by the supervisor, but no less than 3 days per pay period.
- During emergencies, is subject to callout and is responsible for on-site troubleshooting, engineering support, and repair of faulty equipment if necessary to restore equipment to service.
- The salary is based on a Special Rate Table, Number {0754/0753/0755}: https://apps.opm.gov/SpecialRates/
Qualifications
BASIC REQUIREMENT:
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:
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. -OR-
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-
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-
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.)
For more information on how to meet the Basic Requirements please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/files/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf
Failure to provide college transcripts may result in a rating of 'Ineligible'.
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:
GS-11: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-09): Specialized experience is defined as: Applying professional knowledge of electronics engineering concepts, principles and practical knowledge of conventional methodology applicable to the power systems and control in public electric utilities, power plants, and transmission systems(1) create an engineering design and conduct, studies, analyses, and tests to solve problems associated with a telecommunication system and (2) draft an engineering design, report, or standards for distribution for a project.
You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows:
Three years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree, or Ph.D., or equivalent doctoral degree; your education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. -OR-
Combination of education and experience as described above. Less than one year of specialized experience may be combined with graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level (i.e., credit hours beyond the first two years of full-time study may be credited).
GS-12: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-11): Specialized experience is defined as: Applying professional knowledge of diverse electronics engineering concepts and procedures, particularly principles, practices, and technology, applicable to the power systems and control in public electric utilities, power plants, and transmission systems in order to (1) create multifaceted engineering designs, studies, analyses, and tests to solve problems associated with the operation and maintenance of a telecommunication system and (2) draft, analyze or review intricate engineering designs, reports, or standards for concurrence or to recommend changes for distribution for projects.
There is no substitution of education for experience at the GS-12 grade level.
"Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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.
Time-in-Grade: Current Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement to receive consideration.
CTAP/ICTAP candidates: To be considered "well qualified" you must meet all of the requirements as described in this section.
You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Education
This vacancy has a positive education requirement. In order to be rated as qualified, you must provide copies of your college transcripts. Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. See Department of Education Accreditation Search to verify school accreditation.
If substituting education for specialized experience you must submit proof of your qualifying education. Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. See
Department of Education Accreditation Search to verify school accreditation.
Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the
Department of Education website.DO NOT email or mail in any of your application documents. Documents will not be accepted outside of the online application system.
Failure to provide college transcripts may result in a rating of 'Ineligible'.
Contacts
- Address Bonneville Power Administration
P.O. Box 3621
Portland, OR 97208
US
- Name: Pearl Phadungcharoen
- Phone: 5032305320
- Email: [email protected]