Electrical Engineer (Protection)

US Western Area Power Administration; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

US Western Area Power Administration is seeking an engineer to develop and implement studies, plans, and programs for the electrical transmission system. The role emphasizes design, construction, and operation responsibilities, with promotion potential to full performance level per supervisor discretion.

This not a remote position; candidates must be eligible under OPM standards and be prepared to work on site in the Desert Southwest region. Competitive federal benefits apply.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering from ABET-accredited program or equivalent.
• Professional registration (EI/EIT) or PE licensure or equivalent.
• Substitution of education/experience per OPM IOR guidelines for 0800 series.
• GS-7 to GS-13 level requires specialized experience or higher education as described.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement studies, plans, and programs related to engineering design, construction, and operation of an electrical transmission system.
• Apply design calculations and circuit analysis to power systems projects.
• Coordinate projects and tasks across teams as required.

Skills

Engineering knowledge

Electrical engineering concepts

Circuit design

Project coordination

Education

ABET-accredited engineering program

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

FE examination

Professional Engineer licensure

Job description

This position is part of the WAPA-DSW-Desert Southwest The primary purpose of this position is to develop and implement studies, plans, and programs related to engineering design, construction, and operation of an electrical transmission system. If selection is made at a lower grade, promotion up to the full performance level may be made without further competition. However, promotion(s) are at the discretion of the supervisor and are not guaranteed.

THIS IS NOT A REMOTE POSITION.

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy.

Applicants must meet the Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR) for the 0800 Series:

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 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 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)1, 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)2 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, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all inclusive.)

To qualify at the GS-7: In addition to meeting the IOR for the 0800 series, applicants must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the GS-5 grade level or equivalent pay band in the Federal service. This experience includes all the following:

• Applying basic engineering knowledge and judgment in the selection, interpretation, and application of relevant rules, standard procedures, or precedents.
• Researching and specifying equipment or devices for which design criteria are standardized or well established by applying standard engineering practices, components, and circuit design approaches.

OR

SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: One (1) year of graduate‑level education or Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A) See NOTE under the EDUCATION section.

OR

A combination of education and experience to successfully perform the duties of the position.

To qualify for the GS-9: In addition to meeting the IOR for the 0800 series, applicants must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the GS-7 grade level or equivalent pay band in the Federal service. This experience includes all the following:

• Applying practical knowledge of electrical engineering concepts, principles, and methodology to perform routine engineering projects related to power systems operations, transmission planning, and/or power systems reliability, and
• Performing design calculations and circuit analysis.

OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: Two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Master's degree or Master's or equivalent graduate degree, if related.

OR A combination of education and experience as described above to successfully perform the duties of the position.

To qualify for the GS-11: In addition to meeting the IOR for the 0800 series, applicants must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the GS-09 grade level or equivalent pay band in the Federal service. This experience includes all the following:

• Performing duties in design, installation, maintenance, and commissioning of system protection relays and their associated planning, design, maintenance, repair and construction activities.
• Performing protective relay setting development and coordination.
• Performing project coordination and developing task order design scopes of work.

OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: Three (3) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, if related.

OR A combination of education and experience as described above to successfully perform the duties of the position.

To qualify for the GS-12: In addition to meeting the IOR for the 0800 series, applicants must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the GS-11 grade level or equivalent pay band in the Federal service. This experience includes all the following:

• Processing relay settings or drawings for development in transmission systems.
• Assisting in the operation or maintenance work practices associated with major electrical apparatus, protective relays, and/or outdoor substation equipment, metering equipment, and communication systems.
• Serving as a project leader and technical expert on system protection and metering issues, including additions, replacements, and modifications to equipment and facilities.

To qualify for the GS-13: In addition to meeting the IOR for the 0800 series, applicants must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the GS-12 grade level or equivalent pay band in the Federal service. This experience includes all the following:

• Calculating protective relay settings for high voltage transmission systems (up to 500 kV) and/or coordinating with utilities or performing event analysis.
• Serving as a project leader and technical expert on system protection and metering issues, including additions, replacements, and modifications to equipment and facilities.
• Having compliance responsibility for the use of NERC, WECC/MRO reliability standards or CIP standards.

See NOTE on "experience" under the ADDITIONAL INFORMATION section.