General Engineer

U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Aliso Viejo (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is seeking an experienced engineer to support the Office of Facilities and Asset Management.

The role involves managing facility projects, reviewing designs, and coordinating with internal teams and external partners to ensure compliant, reliable infrastructure. Qualified candidates will have an engineering degree (ABET-accredited) and may possess professional registration or FE eligibility.

Qualifications

• Degree in engineering with ABET accreditation or equivalent.
• 60 semester hours in physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences.
• Registration as EI, EIT, PE or passing FE exam may qualify by experience.

Responsibilities

• Manage engineering or architectural projects for facilities and assets.
• Identify and resolve complex facility-system issues (HVAC, electrical, fire alarms, BAS).
• Develop or review design standards, project requirements and cost estimates.
• Prepare technical documents, bid packages and inspection reports.
• Coordinate with leaders, contractors, and partners to implement solutions.

Skills

Engineering knowledge

Project coordination

Facility systems

Education

ABET-accredited engineering degree

Job description

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Facilities and Asset Management; Integrated Services Division; Technical Services Program Management Office located in Washington, DC; Euless, TX; and Aliso Viejo, TX. This position has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR).

Basic Requirement(s):

A. Degree in 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 (5) five of the following (7) seven areas of engineering science or physics:

1. Statics, dynamics;
2. Strength of materials (stress-strain relationships);
3. Fluid mechanics, hydraulics;
4. Thermodynamics;
5. Electrical fields and circuits;
6. Nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and
7. 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:

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.

ALONG WITH THE BASIC REQUIREMENT/IOR LISTED ABOVE, YOU MUST POSSESS AT LEAST ONE (1) YEAR OF SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE AS DESCRIBED BELOW TO QUALIFY BASED ON EXPERIENCE.

Experience:

You qualify for the GS-14 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as:

• Managing engineering or architectural projects involving facility planning, design, construction, renovation, maintenance, or repair for operational facilities or other complex buildings.
• Identifying and resolving complex facility or building-system issues involving heating, ventilation, and air conditioning; electrical power; fire alarms; building automation; safety; accessibility; environmental requirements; or building-code compliance.
• Developing or reviewing facility design standards, project requirements, technical recommendations, cost estimates, design changes, or operational improvements.
• Preparing or reviewing technical project documents, bid or contract packages, contractor proposals and work products, inspection reports, or project closeout documentation.
• Coordinating with organizational leaders, project managers, contractors, technical specialists, and external partners to assess facilities, monitor project or contractor performance, and implement engineering solutions.

NOTE: Your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement, otherwise you will be found ineligible. Please see the "Required Documents" section below for additional resume requirements.

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, knowledge and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

You must meet all qualification requirements, including education if applicable to this position, subject to verification at any stage of the application process by 10/06/2026.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Background Investigation:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is a federal law enforcement agency that requires all applicants to undergo a thorough background investigation prior to employment in order to promote the agency's core values of vigilance, service to country, and integrity. During the screening and/or background investigation process, you will be asked questions regarding any felony criminal convictions or current felony charges, the use of illegal drugs (e.g., marijuana, cocaine, heroin, LSD, methamphetamines, ecstasy), and the use of non-prescribed controlled substances including any experimentation, possession, sale, receipt, manufacture, cultivation, production, transfer, shipping, trafficking, or distribution of controlled substances. For additional information on the preemployment process, review the following link: Applicant Resources | CBP Careers.

Residency:

There is a residency requirement for all applicants not currently employed by CBP. Individuals are required to have physically resided in the United States or its protectorates (as declared under international law) for at least three of the last five years. If you do not meet the residency requirement and you have been physically located in a foreign location for more than two of the last five years, you may request an exception to determine if you are eligible for a residency waiver by meeting one or more of the following conditions:

• Working for the U.S. Government as a federal civilian or as a member of the military
• A dependent who was authorized to accompany a federal civilian or member of the military who was working for the U.S. government
• Participation in a study abroad program sponsored by a U.S. affiliated college or university
• Working as a contractor, intern, consultant or volunteer supporting the U.S. government