The Bonneville Power Administration is a federal nonprofit wholesale power marketer that sells carbon-free electricity from 31 federal dams and one nuclear plant to millions of consumers and businesses in eight states. BPA operates three-quarters of the region’s high-voltage transmission grid and funds one of the largest fish and wildlife programs in the world. They focus on cost-effective energy savings and operational solutions to maintain affordable, reliable, and clean energy for the Northwest.

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application.

HOW TO APPLY: External Application Link(s): 

     25-BPA- 43781-12661309-DE: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/827051100

     25-BPA- 43781-12661310-MP: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/827050600

Open & Close date:     Open: 01/07/2025    Close: 01/16/2025

LOCATION(s)             Keizer, OR

SALARY:                     $129,038 - $156,047 per year

DUTIES:

As an Electrical Engineer, you will:

• Serves as the System Protection Control (SPC) District Engineer and the technical expert for system integration, modification, redesign, troubleshooting, installation, operation and maintenance, and failure analysis for all SPC systems and equipment in the District and for working with manufacturers, BPA, and other contractor resources for design, test, and integration of new and/or experimental equipment that extends the technology of the industry.
• Assignments involve conceiving and/or applying experimental theories and/or new applications or developments to extend or modify theories, concepts, and assumptions; resolving unique or novel problems, conditions, or issues; and/or significantly altering standard practices, equipment, devices, processes, and known techniques applicable to maintenance, troubleshooting, installation, and/or engineering design of high voltage alternating current power systems control and protection systems and equipment.
• Executes significant projects representing an important segment of the agency's operating programs and affecting the welfare of the public and the sustainability of natural resources and the environment.
• Plans, organizes, and directs activities of SPC engineers and craftsmen working in the District to plan the prioritized requirements for resources to be used.
• Investigates and resolves problems and conditions in electrical SPC systems and equipment impacting costs, efficiency, safety, and performance.
• Performs a full range of project management and/or project engineering functions. Plans, manages, coordinates, and oversees projects.

REQUIREMENTS: Conditions of Employment

Special Salary rate: The salary is based On a Special Rate Table, Number 0754: https://apps.opm.gov/SpecialRates/Other Requirements:

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by a background investigation.
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary period.
• When you apply you will be asked a series of questions to determine your eligibility for employment and your qualification for this position specifically. You must answer all of these questions completely and truthfully.
• This position has been designated as requiring a PUBLIC TRUST background. A preliminary background check must be completed before a new employee can begin work. Current Federal employees or other individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check.
• This position does not support remote work. You will be required to report physically to the official reporting worksite as specified by the supervisor, but no less than 3 days per pay period.

Under the Employee Referral Bonus program, certain BPA employees may be eligible for a monetary award for referring outside candidates for this difficult-to-fill position. The referring employee must complete the form BPA F 33300.01e and email it to careers@bpa.gov by midnight of the closing date of the job posting.

QUALIFICATIONS:

1. 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-
2. 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:
3. 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.
4. 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, and Puerto Rico. -OR-
5. 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 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.-OR-
6. 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 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.)

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level [GS-12] in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: Specialized experience for this position is defined as experience in leading a project or team or serve as a technical expert performing relay setting calculations related to electrical systems in support of maintenance or construction activities, such as protective relaying, metering, supervisory control, data acquisitions, telemetering, stability controls, or microprocessor-based control systems.

                      (See Qualification Section for the rest of these competences)

For more information on how to meet the Basic Requirements please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/files/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

• Accountability
• Electrical Engineering
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Interpersonal Skills
• Managing Human Resources
• Stakeholder Management

EDUCATION

This vacancy has a positive education requirement. Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. See Department of Education Accreditation Search to verify school accreditation.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:  

To apply for this position, you MUST provide a complete application package.

 (See Required Documents section on application).

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application.

To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the announcement closing date to receive consideration.

About Bonneville Power Administration (BPA)

Bonneville Power Administration

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