Civil Engineer (Recent Graduate)

Reclamation is seeking a career professional looking for an opportunity to capitalize on their expertise as a Civil Engineer in the Research and Development Office. This position supports R&D Office programs and activities by combining technical knowledge of water management related science and engineering with project/program management principles. The employee will have opportunities to engage and support other office programs/activities in response to both anticipated and emerging workload.

Duties

• This is a Recent Graduate position under the Pathways Program and is open to individuals who have obtained a qualifying degree or certificate from an accredited educational institution or completed a qualifying career or technical education program within the previous two years. Veterans with service obligations may apply up to six years after graduation. The program provides a one-year full-time developmental experience in federal agencies. Additional information can be found at: https://help.usajobs.gov/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/recent-graduates. As a Civil Engineer (Recent Graduate) your duties may include, but are not limited to, the following: Collaborate with scientists and engineers on technical research projects Review researcher inventions, support patent and licensing efforts, and coordinate use of technology transfer authorities Facilitate internal and external research solicitations Review interim and final work products from funded research projects Serve as COR / GOTR on science and engineering projects Develop program documentation such as standard operating procedures and outreach materials Engage with Bureau-wide communities of practice in support of professional excellence; may include development of training, tools/resources, and best practices Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.

Qualifications

Requirements Continued... Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. ELIGIBILITY: Recent College Graduate This appointment will be made under the noncompetitive College Graduate hiring authority. To be eligible an applicant must have received a bachelor's or advanced degree ( i.e. master's, Ph.D., or J.D) within 2 years of applying for employment under this authority. For these purposes, the graduate must have received a baccalaureate or advanced from an institution of higher education in accordance with section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as codified at 20 U.S.C. 1001(a). In the case of an applicant who has completed a period of no less than four years of intervening obligated uniform service, they must apply within than two years of release or discharged from that uniformed service. All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-10/29/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience. In addition to Recent Graduates eligibility, you must meet the Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR) for this position. Please review the Education section below for the specific IOR requirements. You must also meet the qualification requirements below for the grade level for which you are applying: To qualify for the GS-9, you must meet one of the following: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to at least the GS-7 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience may include conducting analyses or investigations related to civil engineering in an industry setting under the guidance or oversight of senior staff, including gathering and analyzing data and assisting with engineering designs and calculations; supporting the development of written and visual materials for project documentation and technical reports, including routine technical aspects of project preparation; and presenting technical information, such as project or progress updates, to internal groups or in other informal settings. - OR - Education: Two years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree, or a master's or equivalent graduate degree, in engineering or a directly related field that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. - OR - Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of qualifying graduate-level education and specialized experience that, when combined, meets 100% of the qualification requirement. Only graduate education in excess of 1 full year of graduate-level education may be used toward this combination. To calculate your percentage, determine the percentage of qualifying graduate education completed beyond the first year toward the additional year of graduate education required for the GS-9. Then divide the number of months of qualifying GS-7 level specialized experience by 12. Add the two percentages together. The total must equal at least 100% to qualify. You must submit transcripts and include the hours worked per week for your qualifying experience. To qualify for the GS-11, you must meet one of the following: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to at least the GS-9 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience may include conducting analyses or investigations related to civil engineering in an industry setting with limited oversight, including responsibility for completing smaller projects or significant portions of larger projects; playing a substantial role in developing project documentation and technical reports, including technical content, conclusions, design rationale, and recommendations; and presenting technical information to internal management and/or external audiences, including translating complex technical material for mixed or non-technical audiences. - OR - Education: Three years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree, or a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, in engineering or a directly related field that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. - OR - Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of qualifying graduate-level education and specialized experience that, when combined, meets 100% of the qualification requirement. Only graduate education in excess of 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education may be used toward this combination. To calculate your percentage, determine the percentage of qualifying graduate education completed beyond the first 2 years toward the additional year of graduate education required for the GS-11. Then divide the number of months of qualifying GS-9 level specialized experience by 12. Add the two percentages together. The total must equal at least 100% to qualify. You must submit transcripts and include the hours worked per week for your qualifying experience. 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: CBVL-27-13054324-DE-PNB
• Series: 0810 Civil Engineering
• Pay plan and grade: GS 9–11
• Pay: $68,819 – $108,251 Per Year
• Open to: Recent graduates
• Open period: October 15, 2026 to October 29, 2026 (US Eastern)

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