Resident Engineer

US Office of the Secretary; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

The US Office of the Secretary is seeking a Resident Engineer to support the Senior Resident Engineer by participating in design management with the Project Manager and other stakeholders, monitoring construction activities and schedules for conformance with contract requirements.

The position oversees civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, or architectural aspects of construction, supporting processing of easements and local requirements.

Qualifications

• Engineering degree from ABET-accredited program or equivalent with strong calculus/engineering science background.
• Professional registration (EI/EIT) or PE preferred or eligible, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead or assist in design management and project coordination with project manager and stakeholders.
• Monitor construction activities for conformance with contract requirements.
• Oversee multiple disciplines (civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, architectural) and related permits.

Skills

Team leadership

Contract coordination

Written communication

Progress reporting

Education

Engineering degree (ABET-accredited or equivalent)

Coursework in calculus and advanced engineering sciences

Job description

The Resident Engineer functions include supporting the Senior Resident Engineer by participating in design management with the Project Manager and other stakeholders, when applicable, monitoring various on-going construction activities and schedule for conformance with contract requirements. The position oversees civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, or architectural aspects of construction, supporting processing of easements, pertinent deeds, local requirements, and restrictions.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/05/2026.

Individual Occupational Requirements

• 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:
  • 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. 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.)

In addition to the Individual Occupational Requirements listed above, applicants must meet the specialized experience as described below:

Specialized Experience

You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS‑13 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: experience as a team lead engineer over a major renovation, modernization or new construction project involving two or more types of medical facilities; experience as a team lead for a team of matrix of engineering and architectural specialties; experience in primary responsibilities to explain, plan, coordinate, defend justify or negotiate difficulties of interpretation of construction contract documents; developing written responses to inquire requests for technical & administrative subjects & communicating job progress through verbal and writing means.

Physical Requirements

The work is partially sedentary with regular and recurring travel to proposed and ongoing construction sites for extensive walking, climbing, and crawling at times to inspect site conditions or completed work. The work requires enough oral communication skills to obtain local permits, negotiate changes to contracts, and keep abreast of construction activities and progress. The position also oversees safety requirements within the construction perimeter to assure patient, staff, and construction team safety. The inspection work may also require the physical ability to climb ladders and crawl through tight spaces to inspect completed work. Exposure to outside weather conditions, dust, and high noise levels is typical throughout the construction period.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF‑50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well‑qualified for this vacancy. To be found well qualified, applicants must meet the following qualifications:

• Collaborating effectively across departments, external agencies, and with contractors to generate innovative ideas and streamline processes
• Drives continuous improvement initiatives, identifying opportunities for efficiency and innovation across organizational boundaries & long‑standing policies and procedures
• Preparing contractual documents for higher‑level review
• Resolving complex procurement problems & providing expert advice on contractual matter

Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Local Commuting Area

The local commuting area for this position is defined as a radius of 50 miles from the locations listed for this vacancy. This includes all locations that fall within a 50-mile driving distance from the Department of Veterans Affairs, National Acquisition Center offices at those locations.