Civil Engineer

Reclamation is seeking a career professional looking for an opportunity to capitalize on their expertise as a Civil Engineer, emphasizing Water Resources Management and Hydrology. Make a difference in the West by assisting in meeting water and hydropower demands while protecting the environment and providing recreation opportunities.

Duties

• Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Monitors the Colorado-Big Thompson (CBT) Project system water operations daily to ensure compliance with short- and long-range plans. Develops and performs mathematical modeling of the complex river basins and reservoir systems of the Fry-Ark, Colorado Big Thompson (CBT) Project, and the Trinidad Project. Compiles data, prepares reports, and maintains database of current and historic, hydropower, hydrologic and climatologic data for the Fry-Ark and the CBT Projects. Analyzes new operational patterns needed due to severe hydrologic conditions as to their impact on the operation of the Fry-Ark and CBT systems. Coordinates the storage, release, and conveyance of water through the Fry-Ark and CBT systems through continuous and close coordination and interaction with internal and external customers.

Qualifications

Qualifications: All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-11/03/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected. To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications: Individual Occupational Requirement: In addition to the specialized experience requirements for this position, you must meet at least 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: 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. -OR- 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- 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- 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.) -AND- To qualify for the GS-11 grade level, applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level in the Federal service, or comparable experience obtained outside the Federal government. Specialized experience is defined as experience that demonstrates one or more of the following: Applying technical documents, standard operating procedures (SOPs), plans, specifications, or designs to understand and support the operation of complex projects, facilities, systems, equipment, or processes. Collecting, managing, validating, analyzing, or visualizing data, including activities such as maintaining monitoring equipment, ensuring data quality, or using data management tools. Developing or using numerical models to represent and evaluate physical processes. Analyzing and interpreting hydrologic, civil engineering, or other complex time-series data. Collaborating as part of a project team to develop or deliver a complex product, service, or outcome. To qualify for the GS-12 grade level, applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service, or comparable experience obtained outside the Federal government. Specialized experience is defined as experience demonstrating one or more of the following: Preparing technical documents, standard operating procedures (SOPs), plans, specifications, or designs that explain, document, or support complex projects, software, facilities, systems, equipment, or processes. Managing data systems and processes, including operation of monitoring or gaging networks, database management, development or use of automated data tools, and presentation of technical information to stakeholders through reports, briefings, or presentations. Developing, modifying, or applying models related to hydrology, reservoir operations, water resources, or other complex multi-purpose systems. Analyzing and interpreting hydrologic or other complex time-series data to support forecasting, planning, or decision-making under uncertain conditions. Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): Successfully completed a bachelor's degree in a directly related field AND meet one of the following: (1) Class Standing: rank in the upper 3rd of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, based on the completed courses; OR (2) Grade-Point Average (GPA): earn a GPA of (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) based on 4 years of education, or based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum -or- (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field, or the required courses completed during the final two years. Note: GPA will be rounded to one decimal place, for example, 2.95 = 3.0, 2.94 = 2.9; OR (3) Membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society. Volunteer Experience: 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). 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.

Announcement details

• Agency: Bureau of Reclamation (Department of the Interior)
• Announcement number: CBVI-27-13093168-DHA-CM
• Series: 0810 Civil Engineering
• Pay plan and grade: GS 11–12
• Pay: $106,335 – $142,737 Per Year
• Open to: Open to the public; Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
• Open period: October 21, 2026 to November 3, 2026 (US Eastern)

Apply on the official USAJOBS announcement. Application instructions on USAJOBS take precedence over this summary.