Summary
This position is in Grand Coulee Power Office of the Bureau of Reclamation, within the Department of the Interior. The incumbent serves as an experienced mechanical engineer, providing mentorship and technical expertise for a variety of complex projects and activities at Grand Coulee Dam, the nation's largest hydropower facility, and the source of water for the Columbia Basin Project, serving irrigation water to more than 670,000 acres in Eastern Washington State.
Duties
At the full performance level (GS-12) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to Technical Consultation and Guidance; Reviewing; and Engineering Analysis: Technical Consultation and Guidance: Provides technical expertise, mentorship, training, and advice to engineers, technicians, management, and internal and external stakeholders; contributes to engineering policies, technical guidelines, standards, procedures, and project objectives; and collaborates with technical teams and external partners to address complex mechanical engineering issues. Reviewing: Conducts and supports technical and peer reviews of designs, drawings, engineering analyses, specifications, cost estimates, contract documents, and related correspondence. Verifies technical accuracy, constructability, compliance with applicable policies and standards, and adherence to quality assurance requirements before documents are approved or accepted. Engineering Analysis: Performs advanced mechanical engineering studies and evaluations involving planning, data collection, modeling, risk analysis, instrumentation data, design development, diagnostic testing, commissioning, and operational support. Develops procedures and recommendations for unique or complex problems; evaluates equipment and systems; supports acceptance testing and maintenance activities; and prepares or reviews cost estimates for significant projects. At the GS-11 level, the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to Technical Consultation and Guidance; Reviewing; and Engineering Analysis Technical Consultation and Guidance: Provides technical support, guidance, and training to junior engineers, technicians, and internal partners. Assists in interpreting engineering analyses, supports team discussions, and assists senior engineers in developing technical standards and guidelines. At this level, consultation is advisory and collaborative-focused on reinforcing established policies and contributing to technical decision-making under the oversight of senior engineers. Reviewing: Conducts and assists in technical reviews and peer reviews of designs, drawings, calculations, specifications, cost estimates, and engineering analyses. Ensures technical accuracy, completeness, and adherence to applicable codes and standards. Confirms compliance with quality assurance requirements and assists in ensuring documents are ready for technical approval. Engineering Analysis: performs and coordinates engineering analyses that include technical planning, data collection, modeling, troubleshooting, and risk estimation. Provides engineering recommendations based on conventional and well-established methods. Provides analyses supporting feasibility studies, preliminary and final design work, contractor design submittals, equipment evaluations, and field acceptance testing. Assignments may involve multiple systems or complex facilities, applying established methodologies and precedents to address problems. Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level. This is an open continuous announcement in which applications are accepted over several months and reviewed according to multiple cut-off dates. Applicants who apply by the initial cut-off date will receive first consideration. The first cut-off date is 11:59 pm ET, 10/20/2026. Applicants will have 5 days to complete the required USA Hire Assessment after receiving the assessment notice. Applications will continue to be reviewed throughout the open period; however, additional referral certificates will only be issued when a hiring official has exhausted a current certificate and/or when additional vacancies arise. Final application disposition will be completed once all positions have been filled or the announcement reaches the end of the open period stated in the announcement.
Requirements
Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service. Direct Deposit participation required. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit www.dhs.gov/EVerify/. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated. You are required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority. You must be at least (1)18 years old or (2) at least 16 years old and: (a) Have graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or (b) Have completed a formal vocational training program; or (c) Have received a statement from school authorities agreeing with their preference for employment rather than continuing their education; or (d) Be currently enrolled in a secondary school and either work only during school vacation periods or work part-time during the school year under a formal student employment program. Certification and/or training to serve as a Federal Acquisition Certification (FAC) Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) or Grants Officer's Technical Representative (GOTR) may be required as articulated in Department and/or Reclamation policies depending on assignment. This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. *Additional Requirements located under qualifications*
Education
This position has a mandatory education requirement. You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | U.S. Department of Education. https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualification
How you will be evaluated
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 any additional assessment(s) required for this position. Your resume must not exceed 2 pages. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed. Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into the following categories: Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job. You will be assessed in the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Written Communication Mechanical Engineering Oral Communication Project Management Problem Solving In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of the USA Hire Assessment, if required. Current or former displaced Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be well-qualified, score at least 85 (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. Veterans' preference will be based solely on the claimed preference. Your eligibility will not be changed based on the documentation provided. If you are uncertain which preference to claim, you can learn more by visiting the VetGuide. Providing false or misleading information on your resume or supporting documentation may result in removal from consideration or other action consistent with applicable federal hiring regulations. Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.