General Engineer (Recent Grad).

Duties

As a General Engineer (Recent Grad), You Will:

• Participate in the BPA engineering rotation program, and completes assignments in at least two different functional areas.
• Modify standard practices and adapt equipment or techniques to solve a variety of engineering problems and adapts precedents or makes significant departures from previous approaches to similar projects in order to provide for the specialized requirements of some projects.
• Plan and carry out engineering studies, analyses, and calculations for the solution of problems associated with the overall planning, design, or operation of a high-voltage power generation and transmission system.
• Adapt, modify, or compromise with guidelines and precedents in consideration of ecological or aesthetic factors which affect the approach to engineering problems.
• Perform design and layout of plans for systems and equipment.
• Perform design and engineering functions for older or well-established systems and equipment when new requirements or changed requirements are imposed.
  
  

Requirements

Conditions of employment

In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answer to these questions is not scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration.

When you apply you will be asked a series of questions to determine your eligibility for employment and your qualification for this position specifically. You must answer all of these questions completely and truthfully.

Key Requirements:

• You must be a United States Citizen.
• This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
• Males must abide by Selective Service registration requirements.
• You will be required to report in person to the official duty location.
• After employment, this position may be subject to periodic physical examinations, as prescribed by competent medical authority and at BPA expense, if exposed to health hazards.
• A preliminary background check must be completed before a new employee can begin work. Current Federal employees or other individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check.
• In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answer to these questions is not scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration.
  
  

Pathways Recent Graduates Program Requirements:

• Recent Graduate participants will be on a trial period for the duration of the appointment.
• A Pathways Recent Graduate Participant Agreement is required.
  
  

Conversion: Pathways Recent Graduates are converted to a term or permanent position upon program completion. This is not automatic nor guaranteed; it is at the discretion of the employing office.

To be eligible for conversion, a Recent Graduate must: (1) complete at least one year of continuous service; (2) be a U.S. citizen; (3) demonstrate successful job performance (4) meet the qualification standards for the position to which converted; (5) receive a recommendation for conversion from the first-level supervisor; and (6) meet agency-specific requirements, as specified in the Participant Agreement.

Qualifications

To be eligible for the Recent Graduate program you must be a:

• Recent graduate who has completed, within the previous two years, a qualifying associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution. -OR-
• Student who within 90 days of the closing date of this announcement will meet the education requirements and will graduate with a qualifying associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution. A student may not be appointed to a position until they have graduated. -OR-
• Preference eligible veteran who was precluded from applying due to their military service obligation begin their two-year eligibility period upon release or discharge from active duty. Eligibility for these veterans cannot exceed six years after degree or certificate completion.
  
  

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

• 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 -
• 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)1, 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)2 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, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.)
  
  

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

GS-7: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-5) in the Federal service. Specialized Experience is defined as: Routine engineering work that required and was characterized by (1) knowledge of engineering; (2) ability to apply such knowledge to engineering problems; and (3) continuing development of engineering knowledge and ability.

You May Substitute Education For Specialized Experience As Follows:

• One year of graduate-level education, or superior academic achievement (S.A.A.) gained in a bachelor degree curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled (based on class standing, grade-point average, or honor society membership). See the following link for more information: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=app -OR-
• Combination of education and experience as described above. Less than one year of specialized experience may be combined with completed graduate education.
  
  

GS-9: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-7) in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: Non-routine engineering work that required and was characterized by (1) professional knowledge of engineering; (2) professional ability to apply such knowledge to engineering problems; and (3) positive and continuing development of professional knowledge and ability.

You May Substitute Education For Specialized Experience As Follows:

• Two years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree, or master's, or equivalent graduate 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 year of full-time study may be credited).
  
  

GS-11: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: 1) assisting with engineering studies, analyses, and calculations for power systems under the guidance of senior engineers; 2) contributing to the design, layout, and evaluation of systems or equipment by applying standard engineering principles and practices; and 3) supporting project management functions by performing assigned tasks and coordinating with other technical personnel.

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).
  
  

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. See

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

Must submit transcripts with your application for proof of education and degree conferred date.

DO NOT email or mail in any of your application documents.

Documents will not be accepted outside of the online application system.

Additional information

• The salary is based on a Special Rate Table, Number (0754):
• This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across DOE
  
  

EEO Policy:

Reasonable Accommodation Policy: Employees or applicants may request Reasonable Accommodation (RA) for assistance, when applying or competing for a job or performing a job due to their medical condition or to exercise their religious beliefs. If you need reasonable accommodation in the application or selection process, please contact the Staffing Specialist listed on this vacancy announcement.

Reasonable Accommodation for USAHire: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments

Veterans Information:

Veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Telework:

Selective Service Registration:

Hiring incentives may be authorized for a highly qualified candidate based on budget availability and in accordance with federal regulations.

BPA strives to ensure a safe and positive work environment.

We also understand the importance of work/life balance and offer a variety of programs and policies designed to create more flexible, responsive work environments supportive of commitments to community, home and family members. BPA also supports employees' overall wellness through its Be Well program, which helps employees adopt healthier lifestyles and feel better about their work/life balance. The program supports five key areas of life: career, community, financial, physical and social.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.