Job summary

About the Position: Position(s) will be filled under the Department of the Army Pathways Recent Graduates Program. Click here for more information on Pathways program participation. After Program completion, Department of the Army Recent Graduates MAY be converted to a permanent position or to a term position (a project-based term of employment lasting between one and four years). A second assessment USA Hire, must be completed to be eligible. Please fill that out to be considered.

Major duties

The incumbent performs professional engineering work to develop one or more of the major features of a coastal engineering or related project. These projects include, but are not limited to breakwaters, jetties, revetments, groins, seawalls, navigation channels, dredging, port and harbor operations, beach nourishment, wetlands, lagoons, and estuaries. The incumbent conducts special studies and applies specialized knowledge in wave mechanics, surf zone processes, littoral sediment transport processes, coastal structures, coastal engineering and a generalized knowledge of civil engineering.

Qualification

Who May Apply: Positions are open to: Recent graduates who have completed, within the previous two years, a qualifying associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution. Short-term training programs (e.g. several two-week programs completed) are not considered an academic course of study. Current students who will graduate no later than 9 months from now. Preference eligible veterans who were precluded from applying due to their military service obligation begin their two-year eligibility period upon release or discharge from active duty. Eligibility for these veterans cannot exceed six years after degree or certificate completion. Applicants can be selected at the GS-9 level. The target grade of this position is GS-11. After Program completion, Department of the Army Recent Graduates MAY be converted to a permanent position or to a term position (a project-based term of employment lasting between one and four years). To be eligible for conversion to a permanent or term position, Recent Graduates must: Be a U.S. Citizen Successfully complete all the requirements of the Recent Graduate Program as defined in the Agency Participant Agreement. Demonstrate successful job performance. Meet the Office of Personnel Management qualification standard including any applicable positive education requirements and/or selection placement factors and any other designated special qualifications requirements and conditions of employment (e.g. medical standards) appropriate for the position to which being converted. To learn more, please visit the Office of Personnel Management webpage, Hiring Authorities: Students & Recent Graduates. In order to qualify, you must meet the education requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Basic Requirement for Civil Engineer: A. Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (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: 1. 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. 2. 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, or 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 A above. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program. 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 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. In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes providing engineering support to senior engineers performing at least one of the following coastal engineering tasks: 1. hydrodynamic evaluations of coastal storms, waves, near shore wave processes, and tides; 2. analyses of littoral sediment transport processes and sediment budgets; 3. evaluation of in-situ coastal structures (such as breakwaters, jetties, harbors) and development of coastal structure design solutions; 4. design and evaluation of small craft harbor and/or deep draft port operations; or 5. development of dredging plans and dredge quantity estimates for harbors or rivers. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-07). OR Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: Engineering. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages. You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas: Arithmetic/Mathematical Reasoning Attention to Detail Civil Engineering Customer Service Flexibility Grade Point Average Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Evaluations

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the online assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Arithmetic/Mathematical Reasoning Attention to Detail Civil Engineering Customer Service Flexibility Grade Point Average Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation. Basis for Rating: Qualified candidates will be assigned to one of three quality categories: Ideal Candidate, Strong and Eligible Candidate. Veteran preference eligibles are listed ahead of non-preference eligibles within each quality category. Ideal: This category will be used for those candidates who meet: 1.) Major field of study is in one or more of the following: Civil or Coastal Engineering. 2.) Graduated with a Grade Point Average (GPA) within 3.5 to 4.0 range. 3.) Successfully taken at least 6of the following courses: Civil Engineering; Fluid Mechanics, Mechanics of Materials, Engineering Hydrology, Wastewater Engineering, Geology, Biology, Engineering Fluid Mechanics, Environmental Management. Strong: This category will be used for those candidates who meet many of the criteria described above for the ideal candidate. Some of the criteria described above for the ideal candidate. Eligible: This category will be used for those candidates who meet the minimum qualifications of the position.