Supervisory Civil Engineer

Summary

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is ranked within the top 5 mid-size agencies through the Partnership for Public Service’s Best Places to Work in the Federal Government Rankings! This Supervisory Civil Engineer position is in the Division of Dam Safety and Inspections, Chicago and Portland Regions, in the Office of Energy Projects. For more information visit: Office of Energy Projects (OEP) | Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Duties

As a Supervisory Civil Engineer, some of your typical work assignments may include:

• Serving as the Regional Engineer leading a group of civil engineers in a manner that exemplifies and promotes the five leadership behaviors: communication, setting direction, implementation and achievement, fostering and promoting teamwork, and building trust and commitment.
• Conducting engineering analyses; performing and overseeing periodic construction or operation inspections and special inspections of licensed hydroelectric projects having highly difficult, complex, or controversial features to ensure compliance with the terms and conditions of the license, the provisions of the Federal Power Act, and the Commission's regulations.
• Communicating, effectively, with staff and external parties to promote the goals and mission of the safety and inspection program.
• Reviewing and making recommendations on dam safety engineering reports.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• A one-year probationary period may be required.
• A background investigation is required.
• This is not a bargaining unit position (AFGE Local 421)
• Generally, male applicants must be registered with the Selective Service.
• This position has an education requirement; you must submit transcripts.
• Relocation expenses will not be paid.
• If hired, you may be required to divest certain energy-related securities.
• This position requires you to Obtain and Maintain a Top-Secret Clearance.

You must meet all eligibility and qualification (experience and/or education) requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may 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.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To view the eligibility and qualification requirements of a Supervisory Civil Engineer, GS-0810, please visit: Civil Engineer, 0810 | Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

In addition to the education required for this position, you must have one full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-14 level. Specialized experience is defined as: Performing dam safety inspections, conducting engineering analyses of dams, and participating in Part 12D Comprehensive Assessments.

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 any volunteer experience.

This position requires you to Obtain and Maintain a Top-Secret Clearance.

Please do not cut and paste the position description, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume, as this will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

This position is a Mobile Work position. Mobile work is characterized by routine and regular travel to conduct work in customer or other worksites as opposed to a single authorized alternative worksite. Examples of mobile work include site audits, site inspections, investigations, property management, and work performed while commuting, traveling between worksites, or on Temporary Duty (TDY).

Due to the nature of the work and the mission of the Office of Energy Projects, mobile workers must remain within driveable commuting distance of the designated FERC Regional Area . Candidates must select only one Region of interest.

Chicago Region – Mobile Agreement Duty Station must be within 100 Miles of one of these cities: Chicago, IL, Cleveland, OH, Louisville, KY, Columbus, OH, Milwaukee, WI, Detroit, MI, Minneapolis, MN, Indianapolis, IN, St. Louis, MO, and Kansas City, KS.

Portland Region – Mobile Agreement Duty Station must be within 100 Miles of one of these cities: Boise, ID, Salt Lake City, UT, Denver, CO, Seattle, WA, and Portland, OR.

Education

This position has an education requirement and therefore, transcripts are required. Failure to submit a copy of your transcripts at the time of application will result in your application being marked incomplete and you will not receive further consideration.

Additional information

Our employees ranked FERC as a top 5 mid-size agency in Effective Leadership according to the Partnership for Public Service’s Best Places to Work in the Federal Government! In addition, FERC was also ranked #1 in Work-Life Balance and we are proud to offer telework and workplace flexibilities in accordance with agency policy.

If selected for this position, you will be required to:

• Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine your suitability for Federal employment.
• Have your Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of your choice.
• Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S. FERC also participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). For more information about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit:
• Attend a mandatory ethics training. We are governed by the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) Standards of Conduct, the criminal conflict of interest statutes, and FERC’s supplemental ethics regulation, which specifically prohibits FERC employees from holding certain energy-related securities. To comply with these regulations and statutes, divestiture of at least some energy securities is likely to be required after you begin employment. See 5 C.F.R. 2634-41; 18 U.S.C. 201-208; 5 C.F.R. 3401. If selected, you may also be required to file a financial disclosure statement within 30 days of appointment.
• Receive authorization from OPM on any job offer you receive, if you are or were (within the last 5 years) a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

For more information regarding Federal benefits programs, visit:

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

• Once the vacancy announcement closes, we will review your resume and any supporting documentation to determine whether you meet the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements for the position. Your resume must address the following competencies (knowledge, skills, and abilities, and other characteristics):

  Leadership

  Engineering Analysis

  Verbal Communication

  Written Communication

• The online assessment is used to evaluate your relevant education and experience in relation to the required competencies for this position.

• If you meet the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, your application will be forwarded to the selecting official for consideration. Veterans’ preference and category rating procedures do not apply for this announcement under Direct Hire Authority regulations. For more information, visit:

• You may be required to participate in a selection interview. Please note - only your resume and cover letter will be forwarded to the selecting official.

You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

If you do not provide all required documents by the closing date of this vacancy announcement, you will not be considered for this position or receive special consideration (e.g. ICTAP/CTAP eligibility).

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FOR ALL CANDIDATES:

• RESUME (maximum of 2 pages in length, if your resume is longer than 2 pages, only the first two pages will be reviewed) : Your resume should describe your specialized experience and support your answers to the vacancy announcement questionnaire. You must ensure it contains the following information for each experience/position:
  • Position title
  • Name of employer
  • Beginning and ending dates of employment (Month/Day/Year format)
  • Hours worked per week
  • Detailed description of job duties, accomplishments, related skills, and responsibilities to include any supervisory/managerial responsibilities and number of staff supervised (if applicable)
  • Series and grade or equivalent (for federal positions)
  • If the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying based on your education, you must list your education history, including the type of degree and your major of study.

• VACANCY QUESTIONNAIRE: You must submit and complete the online eligibility and vacancy questions.

• TRANSCRIPTS (only required when the position has an education requirement, or you are qualifying for the position based on your education): You MUST submit copies of your college transcripts to verify your education. Unofficial copies are acceptable; however, if selected you will be required to provide official transcripts before your effective date.

OPTIONAL DOCUMENTS TO SUPPORT CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (CTAP)/INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (ICTAP) ELIGIBILITY:

These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; 2) be rated “Well Qualified” for the position; and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information about CTAP/ICTAP, visit: The following documents are required:

• Reduction in Force or RIF notice – written notice of your expected separation, or other documentation of priority consideration status;
• Latest SF-50 noting your current position, grade level, and duty location;
• Last performance appraisal, including your rating; and
• Any documentation from your agency showing your current promotion potential.

How to Apply

The FERC Careers site provides detailed instructions on how to apply to our vacancies. For more information visit:

Here are a few additional tips:

• When applying to a FERC vacancy announcement, please remember you must complete and submit your entire application (including your resume, vacancy questionnaire, and any applicable supporting documentation) no later than 11:59 pm Eastern Time (ET) on the vacancy closing date . Please note, it may take you longer to apply to some vacancy announcements than others. Starting your application late on the evening the vacancy closes is not recommended because you might not have enough time to ensure your application is successfully submitted and received.
• When the specialized experience statement in the vacancy announcement requires experience presenting information to a large audience, your resume should include speeches or presentations you've given.
• Make sure you verify that your resume clearly indicates possession of the competencies and specialized experience listed under the “Qualifications and Evaluations” and “How You Will Be Evaluated” sections of this announcement.
• Remember to submit all required and supporting documentation listed under the “Required Documents” section of this announcement.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
FERC provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please contact [email protected] no later than 11:59 pm ET on the vacancy closing date. The decision to grant a reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

For more information on telework, click the following link: USAJOBS Help Center | What is telework?

For more information on remote work, click the following link: USAJOBS Help Center | What is a remote job?

Agency contact information

Nancy Queen

Phone

202-502-6016

Fax

000-000-0000

Email

[email protected]

Address

FERC
888 First St., NE
Washington, District of Columbia 20426
United States

Next steps

Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications. You will be notified of the status of your application up to four times throughout the application process, via your USAJOBS dashboard. To verify the status of your application, both during and after the announcement open period, log on to your USAJOBS account. The application record in your USAJOBS account provides an option to “Track this application.” Your “Applicant status” will also appear along with the dates you applied to this position and when your application was last updated. To learn more about your specific job status and how this helps you track jobs and applications visit:

Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement.

More than one selection for similar positions may be made from this announcement and the program office for that selection may vary. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with any interested selecting official(s).

Overview

Accepting applications

Open & closing dates

01/15/2026 to 01/26/2026

Salary

$159,408 to - $197,200 per year

Pay scale & grade

GS 15

Locations

Chicago, IL

1 vacancy

Portland, OR

1 vacancy

Remote job

No

Telework eligible

Yes—as determined by the agency policy.

Travel Required

50% or less - Travel up to 50% may be expected for this position to include consecutive overnight stays to attend inspections, meetings, conferences, and training.

Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

Appointment type

Permanent

Work schedule

Full-Time

Service

Competitive

Promotion potential

15

Job family (Series)

• 0810 Civil Engineering

Supervisory status

Yes

Security clearance

Top Secret

Drug test

No

Position sensitivity and risk

Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk

Trust determination process

• Credentialing
• Suitability/Fitness
• National security

Financial disclosure

Yes

Bargaining unit status

No

Announcement number

CRO-DHA-2026-0002

Control number

854597800