---

Federal Highway Administration is Hiring a Supervisory Civil Engineer (Highway)(Construction Operations Engineer) - DIRECT HIRE Near Lakewood, CO

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 transcripts or other applicable documentation for verification, AND (3) meet the specialized experience requirements. 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:    

1. Professional registration or licensure - current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), engineer in Training (EIT), or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE).
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.
3. 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.
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 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 additional information, please refer to 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. (Refer to 'Required Documents' section for additional guidance)

Students enrolled in a qualifying degree program can apply 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.

(3) Specialized Experience: To determine if you are eligible, 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-13:

On Experience, you must have at least one year of experience, equal or equivalent to the GS-12 grade level, which included:

• Experience as project engineer in charge or equivalent administering large, complex highway projects, such as multi-million dollar projects that involve critical engineering constraints, strong public and political interest, environmental or other sensitivities, or critical time frames; 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 substitute education at this grade level, you must have experience.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will also be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Communication - Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience. Makes clear and convincing 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.

Responsibilities:

Duties - Serving as the Supervisory Construction Operations Engineer (COE) you will:

• Participate in the development of business objectives and the implementing of quality initiatives to improve systems, processes, products, and services that increase customer focus. Share and promote partnering concepts.
• Supervise a staff of professional engineers and technicians engaged in construction project administration and oversight activities.
• Review preliminary plans, specifications, and estimates for constructability and adequacy and to detect details that may cause trouble during construction and suggest changes that will improve the product or provide better value.
• Participate with staff in pre-construction conferences with Contractor representatives, cooperating agencies, and other interested parties.
• Maintain frequent liaison with representatives of partner agencies, which generally are other State and/or Federal government agencies.
• Review and approve change orders, directives, and suspension and resumption work orders. Initiate major or complex supplemental agreements and contract change orders.

The ideal candidate for this position is a seasoned mid-career engineer with experience independently and effectively managing highway construction projects by providing construction operations input from preliminary design stages through construction of the project, providing guidance and technical direction to lower level project staff, and representing the agency in project meetings.

Job Summary