Civil Engineer (Highway - Pavements) - Direct Hire

This position is in the Pavements Section in the Technical Services Branch of the Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division (EFLHD), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). You will serve as a technical specialist in the field of pavement engineering. This includes pavement testing and evaluation, pavement design, pavement subsurface drainage, pavement rehabilitation, life cycle cost analysis, and pavement construction.

Applications will be reviewed periodically for this Open Continuous register.

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 for each grade 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:     

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.

(3) Specialized Experience:

To determine which grade(s) you may be eligible for, review the following grade specific details.  You will be asked a few questions as part of the application process so make sure we can verify the specialized experience in your resume. 

For the GS-11: You qualify for this grade level if you meet one of the following experience and/or education requirements.

On Experience, you must have at least one year of specialized experience, equal or equivalent to the GS-14 grade level, which included:

• Experience as an engineer on roadway construction projects working on a range of assigned activities such as materials testing, quality assurance, and pavement measurements; AND
• Experience coordinating with contractor staff, co-workers, and/or other stakeholders to resolve day-to-day issues.

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 in pavement engineering aspects of transportation projects such as subsurface investigation and non-destructive testing; distress identification; structural design that considers subgrade support, subsurface drainage, and traffic loads; AND
• Experience providing pavement recommendations for existing and new construction using analysis software (for example cost considerations and constructability while also determining the best approach to carry out to completion); AND
• Experience coordinating with partners and project stakeholders in order to resolve issues/problems related to pavement.

Although you must first meet the mandatory education requirement, you cannot qualify for the GS-12 grade based on education, you must meet the specialized experience, which is cited above.

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:

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. Road Work and Pavement - Knowledge of materials, methods, and appropriate tools to construct, maintain, or repair roads, parking lots, trails, etc.
3. Communications - Makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately. Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.

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 to the GS-11 grade based on education 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.

Responsibilities:

As a Civil Engineer (Highway - Pavements), you will:

• Plan, coordinate, supervise, and participate in pavement investigations using the EFLHD Subsurface Investigation Team, EFLHD core trailer, and/or consultant investigation crews.
• Analyze all factors affecting pavement structural design, including existing pavement condition, subgrade support, pavement subsurface drainage, design traffic loads, and other pertinent factors to evaluate various rehabilitation/reconstruction alternatives for existing pavements and new construction alternatives for proposed pavements.
• Procure or assist in procuring, pavement investigation, testing, and/or engineering services from outside sources. Serve as Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR) for these activities to ensure that the work is being performed in accordance with the contract.
• Provide on-the-job training to new employees, cooperative education students, Professional Development Program (PDP) participants, and other developmental employees as assigned.             

The ideal candidate is a technically-oriented employee capable of applying pavement engineering principles and practices to the design and construction phases of highway projects, including pavement structural design, pavement distress identification, and pavement testing and evaluation. The candidate is interested in a career where they have the opportunity to plan, coordinate, supervise, and participate in pavement investigations, while managing projects' schedules and budgets and recommending improvements related to cost and constructability. The candidate possesses excellent oral and written communication skills.