Electronics Engineer

Bonneville Power Administration; Vancouver (WA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Bonneville Power Administration seeks a Principal Engineer to lead technical authority for critical telecommunications networks powering the Pacific Northwest grid. You will champion infrastructure modernization, guide strategy, and mentor engineering talent across multi-disciplinary teams.

The role requires a strong background in advanced telecom engineering, system integration, and leadership to drive major projects within BPA's Transmission Services.

Qualifications

• BASIC REQUIREMENT: Engineering degree with ABET accreditation or equivalent combination of education/experience.
• FE exam or professional registration (EI/EIT/PE) may substitute for degree in certain cases.
• Experience with complex engineering projects in telecommunications or related field is expected.

Responsibilities

• Design, evaluate, and integrate operational telecommunication systems (fiber optics, microwave, SCADA, and packet networks).
• Lead engineering studies and feasibility reviews; develop technical design standards and risk assessments for major telecom projects.
• Provide technical guidance to project teams, contractors, and stakeholders to resolve complex system integration and performance issues.

Skills

Electronics engineering

Telecommunications systems design

System integration

Technical leadership

Education

Engineering degree (ABET-accredited)

PE/EI/EIT licensure or FE exam

Related curriculum or professional engineering experience

Job description

This position is located with Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), in Project Engineering Telecom (TENP), Systems Engineering (TEN), Engineering and Technical Services (TE), Transmission Services (T). Take the next step in your BPA career as a Principal Engineer and lead technical authority for critical telecommunications networks powering the Pacific Northwest grid. In this role, you will champion complex infrastructure modernizations, guide technical strategy, and mentor engineering talent.

BASIC REQUIREMENT

• 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 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: 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; -OR- 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; -OR- 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; -OR- 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.)

For more information on how to meet the Basic Requirements please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/files/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

A qualified candidate's resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-13) in the Federal service.

• 1) performing complex electronics engineering assignments involving the design, evaluation, and integration of operational telecommunication systems (such as fiber optics, microwave radio, SCADA, or packet-based networks);
• 2) leading engineering studies, feasibility reviews, and the development of technical design standards, specifications, and risk assessments for major telecommunication projects;
• 3) providing technical guidance to project teams, contractors, and external stakeholders to resolve complex system integration and performance issues.

"Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills; and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to