Engineering Technician (Civil)

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. AREA OF CONSIDERATION: Please note that this job opportunity announcement is only open to current Career/Career-Conditional employees of the USDA. If you do not possess this status, you will not receive consideration. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-06 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-07 level. One year at the GS-07 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-08 level. One year at the GS-08 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-09 level. (Please submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. No Award or General Adjustment SF-50’s will be accepted). MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level in which you are applying: GS-07 Specialized Experience: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-06 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: Making site evaluations to assess the need for engineering measures; Determining the type, scope, and intensity of field investigations and surveys needed; and Designing engineering practices and structures involved. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) OR Education: One full year of graduate level education in an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in an engineering field of study. (Must submit transcripts.) OR Combination: Combination of the education and experience as described above that totals 100% when combined. When combining education with experience, first determine total qualifying education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; then determine experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; finally add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Only graduate level education may be combined with experience. (Must submit transcripts.) GS-08 Specialized Experience: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: Making site evaluations to assess the need for complex engineering measures; Inspecting or supervising the inspection of construction for quality control; and Determining engineering training needs for personnel. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) OR Education: Master’s or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in engineering. (Must submit transcripts.) OR Combination: Combination of the education and experience as described above that totals 100% when combined. When combining education with experience, first determine total qualifying education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; then determine experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; finally add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify an applicant for that grade level. (Must submit transcripts.) GS-09 Specialized Experience: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-08 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: Providing onsite technical assistance and training to personnel in the installation of conservation practices; Determining the type, scope, and intensity of field investigations and surveys needed; Designing and supervising the design of engineering practices and structures; and Coordinating with engineering specialists in performing quality reviews of conservation practices. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) OR Education: Master’s or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in engineering. (Must submit transcripts.) OR Combination: Combination of the education and experience as described above that totals 100% when combined. When combining education with experience, first determine total qualifying education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; then determine experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; finally add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Only graduate education beyond the first year (18 semester hours) may be used when combining education and experience for this option. (Must submit transcripts.) IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). 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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. The OPM Qualification Standards for this position can be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=List-by-Occupational-Series
This position is located in a USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service state, area, or field office in Pennsylvania. The incumbent provides engineering assistance working with landowners, groups, and units of government to apply and maintain a variety of conservation practices in their area of assigned responsibility.