Civil Engineer (Highway) - Direct Hire

The Federal Aid Highway Program supports state highway systems by providing financial assistance for the construction, maintenance, and operations of the nation's 3.9-million-mile highway network. This includes the Interstate Highway System as well as primary highways and secondary, local roads. FHWA is charged with implementing the Federal Aid Highway Program in cooperation with state and local governments.

The mission of the Federal Lands Program is to improve transportation to and within Federal and Tribal Lands by providing technical services to the highway/transportation community as well as building accessible and scenic roads that ensure the many national treasures within our nation's Federal Lands can be enjoyed by all.

As a Civil Engineer (Highway), you will:

• Immerse in experiential learning in both FHWA’s Federal Aid and Federal Lands Highway Division Offices, where you will receive on-the-job training through a structured set of learning experiences described in a development plan. Several developmental assignment options may include one or more of the following: design, construction, project development, environment, safety, pavements, materials, research, Intelligent Transportation System, bridge, traffic operations, hydraulics, preventive maintenance, access management, utilities, and right-of-way, planning, surveys, geotechnical, value engineering, among others.

The ideal candidate for this position is an entry to beginning level technical engineer who has a desire to learn about the various aspects of technical highway engineering, including but not limited to, highway design, construction, bridge, geotechnical, survey and mapping, hydraulics and materials testing. The ideal candidate should have between 0 to 5 years of experience, be mobile and willing to travel to remote locations for extended periods of time and be able to work independently and in a team environment.

To meet the basic qualifications for this position, you must (1) meet the Mandatory Education Requirement for the series, AND (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: 

(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 your application but make sure to verify how you meet this experience in your resume or you may be deemed ineligible.  

For the GS-07: You qualify for this grade level if you meet one of the following experience and/or education requirements.

 On Experience, at least one year of specialized experience, equal or equivalent to the GS-05 grade level, which included:

• Experience reviewing engineering regulations or policies; AND
• Experience applying civil engineering principles and practical concepts related to highway road and system structures, transportation systems, traffic engineering, and modeling; AND
• Experience conducting analyses to support conclusions or recommendations.

On Education, you must have:

• 1 full academic year of graduate education or law school or a Bachelors degree with Superior Academic Achievement*.
• Or, you can also qualify based on a combination of higher level graduate education and experience. This must be fully supported by your resume and transcripts, provided with your application.

*Superior Academic Achievement is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership. (In order to be creditable under this provision, superior academic achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled.)

1. Class standing - Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses.
2. Grade-point average (G.P.A.) - Applicants must have a grade-point average of: 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.

For the GS-09: You qualify for this grade level if you meet one of the following experience and/or education requirements.

On Experience, at least one year of specialized experience, equal or equivalent to the GS-07 grade level, which included:

• Experience reviewing engineering design standards and regulations; AND
• Experience conducting analytical investigations using the scientific method, modeling, and computational analyses; AND
• Experience articulating information through various platforms such as discussions, meetings, fact sheets, reports, design documentation, briefings, and presentations.

On Education, you must have:

• 2 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or masters or equivalent graduate degree or LL.B. or J.D.
• Or, you can also qualify based on a combination of higher level graduate education and experience. This must be fully supported by your resume and transcripts, provided with your application.

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 area:

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 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. Written Communication - Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.
4. Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, considering the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal clues, and responds appropriately.