Interdisciplinary Engineer

Full Job Description

The HQ Engineer provides leadership in the planning, design, review, liaison, & coordination of control & protection systems for substations and switchyards. ***This is not a remote position.

You will have to physically report to the Folsom, CA or Lakewood, CO duty locations.*** This position has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) for all positions in the 0800 Series:https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/files/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf Basic Requirements: You must meet one of the following: A.

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 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: 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 meeting the Individual Occupational Requirements for the 0850/0855 Series, applicants must meet the specialized experience below.

Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS12 - Applicants must have one (1) year (52 weeks) of specialized experience, equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS11) in the federal service in ALL of the following areas: Analyzing short circuit currents, system voltage levels, power system impedances, transient phenomena, or other power system conditions.

To qualify for the GS13 - Applicants must have one (1) year (52 weeks) of specialized experience, equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS12) in the federal service in ALL of the following areas: Analyzing short circuit currents, system voltage levels, power system impedances, transient phenomena, or other power system conditions; AND Developing and analyzing protective relaying schemes.

"Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience.

Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations.

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.

Time-in-Grade: Current career or career-conditional GS employees of the Federal government, or former career or career-conditional GS employees, who have a break in service of less than one year, are required to meet the time-in-grade restriction of one year of Federal experience at the next lower grade, with few exceptions outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b).

Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to current career or career-conditional federal employees applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

Physical Demands: The work is mainly sedentary, but there is some walking, climbing, and bending during field trips and when testing.

Work Environment: Most work is performed in an office setting, although occasional field work will be performed outdoors.

Work may occasionally be performed at HV and EHV substation/transmission line sites involving hazards requiring special safety precautions around energized circuits and equipment.

Limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages. If more than two pages are submitted, only the first two pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility and qualifications. Major Duties:

As an Interdisciplinary Engineer, you will: Develop protection schemes; prepare and reviews settings for protective relays; provide engineering analysis of power system disturbance reports and recommends corrective action.

Provide necessary coordination with other organization segments.

Perform system studies to determine short circuit currents, system voltage levels, power system impedances, transient phenomena, and other power system conditions.

Recommend overall ratings for major power system equipment and specialized equipment, including phase shifting transformers, series capacitor banks, static var systems, and other power electronic devices.

Develop and review WAPA's protective relaying philosophies and practices.

Prepare and recommend design standards, guidelines, and procedures concerning control and protection applications for WAPA and other industry groups.

Provide technical direction and guidance to other employees as assigned.

Provide technical expertise and coordination assistance to WAPA Regional maintenance offices by analyzing and resolving substation operational and maintenance problems.