Civil Engineer/Agricultural Engineer

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

Basic Requirements:

A. Degree: A bachelor's or higher degree in 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:

1. 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. 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.
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 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.
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 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.

In addition to meeting the basic requirements, you must also meet the minimum qualification requirements below:

GS-7:
Specialized Experience: 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include:

• Assisting with field investigations and surveys for the implementation of conservation measures; and
• Utilizing engineering surveying equipment to gather and analyze field data for fundamental engineering projects. OR

Superior academic achievement (S.A.A.): A bachelor's degree curriculum directly related to the work of the position. To qualify for S.A.A., you must have ONE of the following: (1) standing in the upper third of your college class or major subdivision at the time you apply; (2) grade point average of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or its equivalent for all courses completed, either (a) at the time of application or (b) during the last 2 years of your undergraduate curriculum; (3) B+ (3.5 on a 4.0 scale) or its equivalent for all courses completed in a related discipline, either (a) at the time of application or (b) during the last 2 years of your undergraduate curriculum; OR (4) election to membership in one of the national honorary scholastic societies that meets the requirements of the Association of College Honor Society.

OR

Education: 1 year of graduate education in engineering or related field.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: Only graduate education beyond 1 year (18 semester hours) may be combined with specialized experience.

• Providing engineering guidance for the planning, design, and construction of soil and water conservation practices.
• Conducting quality assurance reviews of engineering projects to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of products and services for internal and external customers; and
• Preparing engineering designs and specifications, including preliminary and final drawings, for review by senior engineer to ensure accuracy and compliance with standards.

Education: 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree in engineering or related field which provided the competencies necessary to do the work.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: Only graduate education beyond 1 year (18 semester hours) may be combined with specialized experience.

GS-11:
Specialized Experience: 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include:

• Providing technical engineering guidance on soil and water conservation issues affecting farmers, landowners, and other parties.
• Managing the planning, design, and construction of engineering aspects for soil conservation practices and watershed flood protection programs; and
• Performing site investigations, feasibility studies, and field construction checks for conservation practice installations.

Education: 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in engineering or related field.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: Only graduate education beyond 2 years (36 semester hours) may be combined with specialized experience.

Combining Education and Experience: A combination of graduate education and experience, as described above, may be used to qualify for this position. This combination must have equipped you with the necessary knowledge and/or experience to successfully perform the duties of this position. Combinations of experience and education must total at least 100% as outlined in OPM Qualifications policy.

For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: Professional and Scientific Positions.