CIVIL ENGINEER (STATE CONSERVATION ENGINEER)

U.S. Department of Agriculture; San Juan (PR); Remote; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Telework eligible

Job summary

NRCS Puerto Rico State Office seeks a State Conservation Engineer to advise on engineering phases of NRCS programs, including standards, planning, design and construction; requires a valid Professional Engineer (PE) license and will oversee engineering staff and training across the state.

The role emphasizes development of technical standards, policy guidance, and effective program delivery within NRCS operations in Puerto Rico, with formal evaluation and potential telework options as per agency

Qualifications

• Education must be from an accredited school recognized by the US Department of Education.
• If qualifying based on education, submit college transcripts with course numbers, titles, credits and grades.
• Foreign education requires verification and a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency.

Responsibilities

• Provides staff leadership in NRCS civil and/or agricultural engineering programs in the state.
• Develops standards, specifications, planning, design and construction for NRCS engineering projects.
• Manages staff resources, budgets, schedules, and training; establishes engineering standards and policies.

Education

College transcript and course listing requirements

Job description

Summary

This position is located in the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Puerto Rico State Office. Serves as State Conservation Engineer on the Engineering staff for the state and serves as advisor to the State Conservationist (STC) on all engineering phases of (NRCS) programs to include formulation of standards, specifications, engineering planning, design and construction; analyzes engineering work and recommended training. Current state Professional Engineering (PE) license required.

Major Duties

Provides staff leadership in all phases of the civil and/or agriculture engineering programs of NRCS in the assigned state, including formulation of standards, specifications, engineering planning, design and construction. Analyzes engineering work and training needs; and recommends training and placement of engineering personnel. Prepares specifications and guidelines for planning, design, and construction of the structural practices installed under NRCS programs. Manages available staff resources by preparing long and short-range schedules for staff activities, preparing and monitoring budgets and funding requests, organizing work, and controlling work products. Establishes technical engineering standards and procedures and associated engineering policies, methods of operation, training field personnel, and for the engineering phases of the work in the state.

Education

This job does have an education qualification requirement. College Transcript: If qualifying based on education, you must submit a copy of your college transcript with course number and department (i.e., Bio 101, Math 210, etc.), course title, number of credit hours, and grade earned. If a relevant course is not clearly qualifying (e.g., special topic, seminar, research, thesis, obscure or misleading course title, etc.), please submit an official course syllabi and/or detailed course description from the university/college to ensure proper evaluation. Your education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to be credited toward qualifications. You may verify accreditation by visiting the U.S. Department of Education Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs website. We will verify your education accordingly. Foreign Education: You must submit verification that education completed in a foreign institution, was recognized by an accreditation body accepted by the U.S. Department of Education. You must include a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) website. Your transcripts must be in English or include an English translation. You may submit an unofficial copy of your transcript at the initial phase of the application process. However, if selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Please refer to the "How to Apply" section for instructions on submitting transcripts.

Evaluations

You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience, education, and training you described in your application package. Your application will be reviewed to determine if you meet minimum qualification requirements as described in the qualifications section of the job announcement. Additionally, the application involves a Technical Assessment. It is the applicant's responsibility to monitor their email for additional information about assessments and any deadlines that may need to be met. Structured Interview - Competency Responses: A panel of subject matter experts will review your responses during a Structured Interview. These responses to questions/scenarios will be evaluated to provide your rating in the application process. You will be assessed on the following competencies: Civil Engineering Conflict Management Partnering Program Management Team Building Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified candidates based on the technical assessment will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Noncompetitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities need only meet minimum qualifications to be referred. Note: If after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

What to Expect Next

Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account to check your application status. You must choose to turn on email notifications in your USAJOBS profile if you want to receive important email notifications that may impact your applicant experience (e.g., If you start an application and do not submit it prior to the closing date, USAJOBS will send an email reminder that the closing date is approaching and your application is in an incomplete status). Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. Under the Fair Chance Act, agencies are not allowed to request information about an applicant's criminal history until a conditional offer of employment has been made, except as allowed for access to classified information; assignment to national security duties or positions; acceptance or retention in the armed forces; or recruitment of a Federal law enforcement officer. An applicant may submit a complaint or any other information related to an organization's alleged noncompliance with the Fair Chance Act. The complaint must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged noncompliance. To make a Fair Chance Act inquiry or complaint, send an email with the appropriate information to [e-mail], subject line: Fair Chance Act.

Other Information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Reemployment Priority List (RPL): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100. Promotion Potential: If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed. Locality Pay: The salary for each location may vary depending on geographically defined locality pay areas. Locality tables may be found at Office of Personnel Management Salaries and Wages. COLA: In addition to salary, compensation also includes a Cost-of-Living Allowance (COLA). COLA is not subject to Federal Income tax & is not calculated as salary for retirement. This allowance is to offset the cost of goods and services, housing, transportation and miscellaneous expenses. For more information, visit OPM's website. Financial Disclosure: If selected, you will be required to submit Form OGE-450 within 30 days of your initial appointment date, and annually thereafter. Selectee is subject to financial Disclosure Requirements in accordance with 5 CFR, Part 2635, Sub part E regarding business or personal transactions with applicants, borrowers, or business contacts who have or who are seeking business with this Agency. Selectee must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance. If selected you will be subject to a National Agency Check and Inquiry (NACI) and a credit report. Telework: This position is eligible for telework as determined by the agency policy. Incentives: Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be authorized. Bargaining Unit: This is an AFGE Bargaining Unit position. Bargaining Unit: This is a non-bargaining unit position. Bargaining Unit: This is a non-bargaining unit position.