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Summary Western Federal Lands Highway Division has several Civil Engineer (Highway - Construction) positions available in their Regional Project Offices (RPOs). Projects occur primarily on Federal Lands managed by other Federal agencies (e.g., National Park Service & U.S. Forest Service) & include multi-state areas. This is an open continuous announcement which will be used to fill vacant positions when needed. Responsibilities As a Civil Engineer (Highway-Construction), you will: Provide on-site administration of construction contracts. Ensure projects are constructed according to plans and specifications. Administer projects by providing engineering guidance to the contractor, the client agency, and other project personnel. Ensure engineering and technical specification requirements are met and work is accomplished according to the contract documents. Determine the need for and issue directives to the contractor as provided for in the contract and in conformance with Division policies and procedures. Foresee possible problems and take appropriate actions. Oversee a range of assigned activities such as materials testing, project schedule, progress estimates, surveys, traffic control, environmental controls, and construction methods. Make recommendations to the project engineer if construction methods and safety measures do not comply with the contract. Determine the acceptability and quality of the day-to-day work. Document daily activities and ensure project files are kept up-to-date and complete. Identify possible changes needed and obtain field data as needed. Prepare contract modifications and, as approved by the project engineer, issue directives and contract modifications. Develop independent government estimates and drafts contract modification documents, including pre-negotiation memorandums and negotiation memorandums. Prepare on-site correspondence. Carry out the day-to-day project activity and coordinate with contractor staff, co-workers, partner or cooperating agency representatives, State and county officials, local municipalities, property owners, local utilities, and other interested parties, and resolve issues and problems that arise. Maintain public relations through contacts at the local level. The ideal candidate is a mid-career engineer with experience independently and effectively serving as a project engineer in charge of complex construction projects responsible for ensuring compliance with contract specifications, providing guidance and technical direction to lower level project staff, and providing construction operations input from preliminary design stages through construction of the project. WFLHD’s construction group provides comprehensive contract management support for transportation projects. Their technical expertise coupled with extensive contract administration knowledge ensures projects are constructed according to the terms of the contract. During construction, they serve as the key point of contact for the project owner, contractor and stakeholders, and maintain proactive communication with all parties. Our team brings the leadership necessary to work effectively with contractors, and manage budget and schedules in the often-changing construction phase. Our customer satisfaction rating is higher than 90%. Our construction expertise includes: Civil and structural engineering Context-sensitive design principles Estimating Schedule and budget management Onsite inspection oversight Contract modification management Public and stakeholder information and communication Safety regulation enforcement Material testing Traffic control Analysis of complex design and construction documents Project development support including: constructability reviews; construction engineering cost estimates; and input during field reviews For more information about the Federal Lands Highway Division visit - https://highways.dot.gov/federal-lands Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. citizen & meet specialized experience to qualify. Applicable documents are required for the Mandatory Education requirements. Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position. Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date. CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service. BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: You will be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding. PCS/RELOCATION/RECRUITMENT: Permanent Change of Station (PCS), Relocation, and Recruitment Incentive authorization varies by position/selection. If recruitment incentive is offered, selectee will be required to sign a service agreement. PROBATIONARY PERIOD: You must complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed). GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel. A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only. PHYSICAL CONDITIONS: The work requires extensive standing, walking, climbing, bending, lifting and carrying up to 60 pounds. In addition, you will be exposed to varying weather and terrain conditions. DRIVER'S LICENSE: You must have a valid state driver’s license and be fully qualified to operate a government-owned vehicle. TRAVEL: The position involves a significant amount of travel away from your duty station for extended periods of time. Travel may often be to remote locations. You must be willing to travel for extended periods of time, often to remote locations. SHIFTS: Due to the overall responsibility for the project, the employee must be available for varied duty shifts and for off-duty emergencies, particularly throughout contractor multi-shift construction periods. Seasonal employees will be required to sign an agreement for permanent-seasonal employment. TELEWORK ELIGIBILITY: This position may be eligible for occasional and/or regularly scheduled telework. The number of telework days approved will be determined by your immediate supervisor or manager following the agency’s telework policy and guidance. If participating in the telework program, you will be required to sign a telework agreement detailing agency telework policy requirements, working conditions, and expectations for the position. Qualifications To meet the basic qualifications for this position, you must (1) meet the Mandatory Education Requirement for the series, (2) provide a copy of your transcript(s) for verification, and (3) meet the specialized experience requirements for each grade that you are applying to. Please review the following information before proceeding with the application process: (1) All applicants must meet the education requirements under A or B to qualify for applying to an engineering position. 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 the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET); or (2) that included differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced that first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials; (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials; 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 or training: college level education, training and/or technical experience that has 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). 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 which included the courses as specified in Paragraph A above. 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 had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. There should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering type experience. This must be clearly described in your resume. For more specifics, please see the OPM qualifications standard for GS-800: All Professional Engineering Positions qualifications at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/files/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf (2) Upload the appropriate document(s) to your application for verification purposes. (3) Qualifications: To determine which grade(s) you are eligible for, review the following grade specific details. You will be asked questions as part of your application but make sure to verify how you meet this experience in your resume or you may be deemed ineligible. For the GS-11: On Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-09 it which included: Experience as an engineer on highway construction projects overseeing a range of assigned activities such as materials testing, project schedule, progress estimates, surveys, traffic control, environmental controls, and construction methods; AND Experience coordinating with contractor staff, co-workers, and other stakeholders to resolve day to day issues and problems that arise. Or on Education, you must have 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree OR Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. You can also have a combination of graduate education and experience. This must be fully supported by your resume and transcripts, provided with your application. For the GS-12: On Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-11 grade level, which included: Experience as the project engineer in charge or equivalent responsible for the administration and inspection of Federal, State or local highway construction projects that included major operations such as grading, drainage, bridge construction, retaining wall construction, traffic flow and maintenance, and recycled or conventional paving; AND Experience leading the work of staff performing highway construction project/inspection activities; AND Experience coordinating with partners and project stakeholders in order to resolve issues related to highway construction projects. You cannot qualify based on education at the GS-12 grade level, you must have experience. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas: Civil Engineering - Knowledge of the concepts, principles, theories, and methods required to plan, design, construct, operate, and maintain facilities such as buildings, transportation systems, water and sanitary systems, and other public works systems. Transportation Engineering - Knowledge of the concepts, principles, theories, and methods applicable to planning, designing, and constructing of transportation systems including traffic analysis, signal analysis, highway capacity, pavement design, bridge construction, planning of transportation projects, environmental analysis of transportation facilities, and transportation network analysis. Written Communication - Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience. Oral Communication - Makes clear and convincing oral presentations. Listens effectively; clarifies information as needed. For all types of consideration, 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 Students enrolled in a qualifying degree program can apply based on education for the grade 11 if the anticipated graduation date is within six months of the closing date of this announcement. If selected, the final transcript must be received before your start date. Other applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Education See the Qualifications section for Mandatory Education Requirements. Additional Information Non-Foreign COLA for Alaska: In addition to the salary for the position(s) located in Wasilla, Alaska, the salary will also include a COLA of 1.69% (“Anchorage, AK and 50-mile radius” 2024). Seasonal Employment Information: Seasonal positions are full-time during the field construction period and placed in non-pay status during the off season. The construction period typically runs from April through December. Seasonal employees may be called back to attend selected classes for training during the off season for two to three weeks. Service credit under seasonal appointment is credited in the following manner: Leave Accrual/Retirement: Service credit for the leave accrual rate is granted for up to a maximum of six months of non-pay status in each calendar year. Probationary Period (if appropriate): A maximum of 22 workdays in non-pay status is creditable toward completion of probation. This is 22 workdays in the aggregate, not each time the employee is placed in non-pay status. Career Tenure: 30 calendar days of each period of non-pay status is creditable toward career tenure. Within Grade Increase, General Schedule: Two workweeks of non-pay status is creditable toward steps 2 through 4; four work weeks of non-pay status is creditable towards steps 5 through 7; and six work weeks of non-pay status is creditable towards steps 8 through 10. A regularly scheduled permanent seasonal employee who is expected to work at least 13 pay periods per calendar year is eligible for health and life insurance coverage. The employee is responsible for payment of their share of health and life insurance premiums while in non-pay status. Changes in law or applicable regulations may alter certain aspects of the employment conditions. This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. Qualified CTAP/ICTAP candidates receive priority and will referred to the hiring manager.