Job summary

About the Position: This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) solicitation utilizing the DHA for USACE Charleston Regulatory Division to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service.

Major duties

Manage the Regulatory Permit Program of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 and the Clean Water Act, to ensure the program is administered in a balanced and transparent manner. Conduct pre-application consultation, evaluation of applications, and monitor of permit compliance. Coordinate proposed projects and modifications with applicants, permittees, consultants, attorneys, the general public, elected officials, and/or other governmental agencies. Identify and document the limits of Waters of the United States based upon current regulations, policy and guidance. Responds to inquiries on programmatic aspects of the regulatory program. Develop and maintain effective relationships with a variety of stakeholders including representatives from Federal, State and local environmental and planning agencies. Assists with development, evaluation, and promulgation of General Permits (GPs) and makes recommendations on the issuance or re-issuance and other programmatic initiatives. Manage complex information, including internet-based resources, Geographic Information Systems, technical literature, regulations, policy and guidance in order to ensure decisions are made with the most current information available. Manage accurate and detailed documentation (e.g., permitting data, Agency correspondence, Memoranda for Record, Environmental Assessments or Environmental Impact Statements PIR and Section 404(b)(1) Guidelines analysis, and other types of documents.

Qualification

Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the experience 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 Requirements for a Biologist A bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.) OR A combination of education and experience which includes courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.) Basic Requirements for Physical Scientist A bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in physical science, engineering, or mathematics which included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.) OR A combination of education and experience which includes courses equivalent to one of the majors, as shown above, that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience, or additional education. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.) Basic Requirements for Environmental Engineering A 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 A 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 the minimum requirements above, you must also meet the experience requirements below. Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal government which includes: performing work that involved incudes assisting in planning, directing, monitoring, and executing the Regulatory Permit Program, pursuant to Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, including the review of applications for residential or commercial development, and/or transportation, and/or mitigation related proposals. I have administered and enforced, or assisted in managing, the program in compliance with governing public laws, regulations, interagency agreements, and policies of higher headquarters. You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas: Customer Service Environmental Documentation Leadership Manages and Organizes Information Planning and Evaluating Technical Competence

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications

Evaluations

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. You may claim Military Spouse preference. Military Spouse Preference (MSP) applicants will receive preference consideration and will be placed (if selected) at the highest grade for which they have applied and are determined best qualified, up to and including the full performance level. You may claim Priority Placement Program (PPP) preference. DoD Priority Placement Program (PPP) Applicants will receive preference consideration at the full-performance grade level only. Only MSP/PPP applicants currently occupying a formal training program position are entitled to exercise their priority status. Veterans will be considered along with all other candidates. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority for this position. To receive selection priority, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria (2) be rated well-qualified for the position and; (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. To be considered well-qualified and receive selection priority applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a score of 90 or above. Additional information about the program is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website.